EXODUS 13:17-22 – “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”

THEME OF THE DAY: HE LEADS US THROUGH THE WILDERNESS.  Study the word wilderness in the Bible.  Pay attention to what occurs in the wilderness, and it is not a fun family camping trip. The wilderness is a place of judgment, of testing, of trial, of preparation, and of solitude with the Lord, often with much difficulty.

Moses fled Egypt in fear and spent forty years in the wilderness being prepared by God to lead His people out of Egypt.  David spends many nights in the wilderness gripped with gut-wrenching fear over Saul, Absalom, and Philistine foes, and as a result, he pens Psalms that have ministered to God’s people through history.  Then we have the Apostle Paul.  After his conversion on the Damascus Road, he spent time in the Arabian wilderness being refined to become the most influential Christian ever, having written the majority of the New Testament.  We even find the Lord Jesus sent into the wilderness to be tried by the devil.

In today’s scripture, God leads His children through the wilderness to the promised land, and this journey would include times of severe trial, purging, and judgment.  Yet, God promises that His leadership also includes His Presence, night and day, and that makes all the difference.  In the wilderness there is pain.  In the wilderness is also the God of all comfort.

Every Christian will be sent and led into the wilderness by the Lord.  Obviously, not a literal forest of wilderness, but spiritual and emotional wildernesses.  These trips are necessary.  They do a deep work in our hearts and minds to mature us in the faith and make us like Jesus.  When we are in those wilderness times, God feels far away. He isn’t.  God seems silent to our prayers. He isn’t.  God appears to have abandoned us. He hasn’t.  In the wilderness, we learn to walk by faith not sight. We learn to control our emotions by God’s truth instead of being controlled by our emotions through life’s difficult circumstances.

So, when we enter those wilderness experiences, remember who led us, and don’t forget that the One who leads us promises to go with us day and night.

PRAYER: Father, help me to trust Your ways without having to understand Your ways.

REFLECTION: Wilderness times are trying times but remember they are also teaching times.