Day 43: Where Are We Going?

Hebrews 11:1-26; Exodus 13-14; Proverbs 5

The Hebrews’ worship and faith set them apart as a unique people; it branded them as if it was written on their hands or foreheads.  I hope that our faith in Christ is so obvious to people that they would see how glorious he is.  What an awesome blessing to be a part of: To be a follower of Jesus in a way that leads others to faith!

God leads the Israelites in both day and night.  Even in the darkness God was with them, and when things were good, he still was there. At one point The Lord told them to back-track on their journey.  They had been traveling by foot, probably tired, though I’m sure their spirits were up, but God told them to turn around and go back to where they had just come from.  It may have seemed pointless to many—why should we go back?  I thought God was leading us to the promised land?—and yet, God intended it for a larger, greater purpose.  Such a move allowed The Lord to bring glory to himself.  The Lord probably does the same thing to us.  God may ask us to back-track, to return to a place we were before, and I hope that we would listen and accept.  Following him with great faith ensures that he can work out the good things for us and more importantly, for others.

BUT, at the first sign of trouble, the Israelites lose faith in the awesome power of God.  They were more afraid of a human than the Almighty God, who performed amazing and terrible wonders.  The reality is that troubles will come our way, God may seem distant, and circumstances may loom large, but we must continue to trust and worship The Lord, and not be afraid of the circumstances or the people who intend to harm us.  We must keep moving following, the same thing God tells the Israelites as they stand at the edge of the Red Sea: press on, persevere, keep going.