God's Journey

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. ~ Psalm 119:105  
"Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?" ~ Jeremiah 23:29

I am doing a Bible study on my own because the winter Bible study at church has not started yet.  One of the questions asked in the study this week was "Do you fear what it might take for you to "see" God in your life?  Now normally I would answer "no" to that question; however, this question was asked in the context of Job 42:5. ("I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You."  You remember Job, right?  He was the "blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil {man}" Job 1:1.  He had a more than comfortable life protected by God yet the Lord allowed satan to attack Job.  And when the devil attacked, he gave it 100%, didn't he?  Invaders attacked Job's fields, took his oxen and killed his servants.  A fire burned up his sheep and killed even more servants.  Job's camels were raided.  A tornado struck the house where his children were eating and all were killed.  Then Job's health was so bad that even his friends didn't recognize him (Job 2:12).  Job's skin was covered with boils that he went to sit in an ash heap to try to get relief.  Why would God allow this to happen to Job?  The blameless, upright, God fearing man?  Job answers the question for us:  "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You." Job 42:5  After everything that happened to Job, his "wilderness" allowed Job to have a deeper, personal experience with God.  So, back to my study question:  Do you fear what it might take for you to "see" God in your life?  How did I answer that?  I have to be honest.  I answered, "Yes."  I honestly said to myself, "Surely, there is a better route to seeing God than walking through the wilderness?"  THEN, I started thinking about the wilderness.  Oh, the wilderness!  The forty years of wandering in the wilderness for God's people.  Whew! 

Have you ever given thought to the route God chose for Israel when He delivered them from Egypt?  In Exodus 13: 17, the Bible says that "God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near..."  That last part made me stop and reread it:  EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NEAR.  I don't know about you, but when I use my GPS, I almost always tap the icon that reads "fastest route".  I never really gave much thought to this verse because the Bible tells us why God chose this route ("for God said, 'The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.'") A sit and think moment for yours truly.  Ah, so here is yet another example of how our God sees the entire picture and we only have a snippet.  Our decisions are based on the snippet we see and understand; God's decisions are based on the entire picture and His love for us.  I know that even though I don't understand the way God chooses (or even agree with His way if I am perfectly honest), I do know His way is always the right way.  I am trying to learn and repeat confidently, "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake" (Psalm 23:3) and pray boldly, "Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths.  Lead me in Your truths and teach me" (Psalm 25: 4-5)  I have not yet arrived at boldly praying that prayer.  I sort of squeak it out with an addendum--"but, please God, don't let it take me down THAT road."  (I am being honest here, remember?)

Then I started thinking about how God led the Jews out of Egypt.  He was visible.  By day, God guided His people by a column of cloud and a pillar of fire by night.  When the pillars moved, God's people moved.  When the pillars stopped, God's people stopped.  But is the only thing the pillars did was guide the people?  Nope.  The cloud pillar PROTECTED the people from the hot sun as they journeyed.  The fire gave light to the Jews BUT was darkness to the Egyptians (Exodus 14:20).  Sure would be easier to follow God if we had a cloud to see and a fire to follow, right?  But we do, don't we?  HIS WORD.  Thus the reason for the two scriptures that opened this post today.  His Word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.  His Word is a fire that breaks rocks! 

Okay, back to the "long way home."  There was also another reason why God chose the "long way".  Remember that Pharaoh decided that he made a mistake by allowing the Jews to go free and decided to go get them.  However, the path that the Jews were taking led Pharaoh to believe that the Israelites were just lost and roaming aimlessly in the wilderness.  Fair game, right?  Afraid not.  More like just another part of GOD'S PLAN.  What the Egyptian's thought would be an easy victory for them ended up being a major (understatement but my vocabulary is limited-ha) defeat--a defeat where God would get all the glory.  (You remember--God opens the Red Sea.  Jews walk across on dry land.  Rain [Psalm 77:16-20] behind them made the path muddy for the Egyptians and THEN God rolled the waters over them and ALL the soldiers were drowned.)  So what did the Israelites have to do to defeat their enemy this time?  Absolutely nothing BUT follow God.  God did it all.  Sometimes the battle plan is two-fold:  What we are to do and what God is going to do.  In this case, the Israelites just had to keep walking and the "Egyptians shall know that I (God) am the Lord" (14:18)!  Their deliverance was the act OF God, but it was accomplished through their obedience TO God.

Yep, the dry and dusty wilderness that Israel saw as they camped at Etham certainly looked like an uncomfortable journey ahead for them I am sure.  However, we need to remember that the Lord chose this path because HE saw the entire picture.  We also need to remember that God can see the end result of the path He has chosen for each of us.  We need to meditate on His Word.  Psalm 145: 17 tells us, "The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds."  We can trust that God loves us enough to allow things in our lives that are only necessary to bring us closer to an abundant relationship with Him.  He not only wants us to "hear" how much He loves us, but also to "see" how much He loves us.  "No matter where God takes us, our greater good is always on His heart." (Shirer)  It is the reason and purpose for all our wilderness journeys.    

So, am I still fearful of the places God may take me so that I may "see" Him?  Honestly, yes.  However, I am praying for God to constantly remind me of His great love for me.  For fear and faith can't live together in the same heart.  I read where "true faith depends on what God says, not on what we see or how we feel."  It has been also been said that "faith is not believing in spite of evidence--that's superstition--but obeying in spite of consequence." 

Remember, we don't have to figure out the wilderness; We just have to trust God through it and remember Psalm 145: 17 ~ "The Lord is righteous in ALL His ways and kind in ALL His deeds."  Let's ask God to work on our fear by showing us His love.  Maybe the best place to see and remember His love is by falling on our knees at the cross.  (John 3:16)