The Long Winding Road

Have you ever wondered where God was taking you? Or you knew where God was taking you but didn't understand why it was taking so long?

Deuteronomy 1:2-3 give us a quick glimpse into what it means to follow God:

Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir. But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them everything the Lord had commanded him to say.

For you math lovers out there, that means it took the Israelites 1327.3 times longer to get to the East side of the Jordan River than it should have. That's like taking 22 hours to complete the 1 minute walk to your next door neighbors house. The Israelites didn't love this. In fact, there are a few times recorded in the Bible where the Israelites start grumbling about wandering in the wilderness instead of being in Egypt where life was good. God was taking forever, and they would rather return to slavery than keep waiting!

But here is the thing about God: He is much less concerned with getting you somewhere than he is with making you into something. He wanted the Israelites to learn to be His people. That was much more important than getting immediately into the promised land. He wanted to make sure they understood who He was (God, not god) and what he required of His people (holiness through obedience and sacrifice) and it took a LONG time for them to learn.

Don't rush God. If you feel like you are wandering around in the desert of your life right now, find contentment that God is working in you to make you into His image. Don't try and push ahead of God, that will get you beat up and knocked around. Look for where he is leading you next. It's ok if you've been there before. When trips take a 1000 times longer than they are supposed to, sometimes you cover the same ground a few times. Remember God loves you, has a plan for your life, and will not forget about you.

Wander.
Listen.
Learn.
Follow God in the desert.
He will lead you out of it when the time is right.