Exodus 13:17,18 – “Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, ‘Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.’ 18So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.”
God makes a strategic move based upon the inexperience of the people concerning war. There was a path that was more direct to get them to where they were headed. However, it was in their best interest to take the longer route. Better to get there late than not get there at all.
Sometimes our journey may take a twist or turn that we won’t understand. But God, in His wisdom, is helping us avoid conflict, injury, or defeat. Maybe God would allow certain circumstances to come in our lives to save our marriage. Maybe we’re living somewhere and we may not particularly like it and we don’t understand why we are where we are, but it could possibly mean the salvation of our children. Maybe it’s taken you longer to get to where you wanted to, but you haven’t suffered loss in the process. Maybe you don’t understand the journey, but if you hadn’t gone the path you’ve been on, you would have become distracted and lost your way. There are a multitude of scenarios and reasons that could be listed. I’ve thought about some twists and turns this morning my life has unexpectedly taken and I’m not sure why. Let’s trust that God knows what path is best. There may have been some things that would have come along that we couldn’t handle. Some day in heaven we will get to possibly look back and understand the “why.” If we knew right now we would probably humbly bow down and worship and say, “Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul.”