When Pharaoh let the people go, God led them not by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; for God said, Lest the people change their purpose when they see war and return to Egypt.
God led the Children of Israel on a longer, harder route in the wilderness because He knew they were not ready for the battles they would face in order to possess the Promised Land. He needed to do a work in their lives first, teaching them Who He was and that they could not depend on themselves.
You can be assured that anywhere God leads you, He is able to keep you. He never allows more to come against us than we can bear. We do not have to live in a constant struggle if we learn to lean on Him continually for the strength we need.
If you know God has asked you to do something, don’t back down because it gets hard. When things get hard, spend more time with Him, lean more on Him, and receive more grace from Him (see Hebrews 4:16). Grace is the power of God coming to you at no cost, to do through you what you cannot do by yourself.
God knows that the easy way is not always the best way for us. That’s why it is so important that we don’t lose heart, grow weary, and faint.
Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You in advance for revealing Your plan (for my life) to me and then giving me time to trust You to work the change in me to see it through, amen.
