Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; for God thought, ‘If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people by the roundabout way of the wilderness towards the Red Sea.”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, September 30, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Sometimes you need to take the scenic route. I’d love it if everything in my life was straightforward. I’m a highly organized, competent person. I have streamlined processes for most of the activities I need to do in my life. I can get irritated when there are unexpected roadblocks, delays, and side quests that slow me down.
You would think, in rescuing an entire nation from slavery, the shortest distance, the quickest route, would be the best idea. But God knew better. He knew that that route could lead them past another potentially hostile nation and that the people might panic and go back to Egypt rather than trust God to take them through the Philistine lands unharmed. God knew God’s people all too well.
God knows us that well, too. Sometimes, in spite of our irritation of plans going sideways, we find that it really was the best thing for us. Sometimes it’s important that we take a more roundabout way. We might encounter someone who changes our life. We might come across an opportunity that makes the delay far more valuable than the original plan. We would do well to go with the flow.
When has an unwelcome change in plans actually turned out to be the best thing that could have happened?
