Exodus 13 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Exodus 13:17,18

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.

Our God is not afraid or against taking us the long way if it’s better in the long run! There was a path that was easier and shorter, but our God knew their hearts and the troubles that lay ahead, so He took them on the path less traveled.

Imagine being in that caravan; you’re on the road heading out, and all of a sudden you veer off into the desert. You leave the path of safety (or so you think) to traverse off into the unknown; would you do it? If we are honest, it would be extremely hard but just as necessary for us. Just as God commanded them to follow and trust Him, despite what it felt or seemed like, so He calls us to this same life today!

Each of us must leave the path of the world to walk with our God. Sometimes, that will be down a path that is easy to travel, and sometimes we will labor in the wilderness, but all the time, God is good, faithful, and in control. Just as they couldn’t see what was coming, neither can we; none of us knows what tomorrow holds, but we know the One who holds tomorrow in His hands.

This walk with Christ isn’t easy all the time; there are days of great anguish and hardship, but in the end, our God knows what’s best and will lead us through this life into the next. If you have trouble trusting God, think about it like this: there is only one who wants your salvation more than you ,and that’s our God. He proved it when He died and rose again to pay for it! He paid for it; will we trust Him with it?

2 Corinthians 5:21- For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

God bless! I love you all, but His love made us right with God! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

Exodus 13:21,22

By day, the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

Our God still does this for His people to this day! In prayer this morning, I felt the Lord lay this verse on me, and He wants us to know He is still there, leading those of us who want to follow Him. That He never left the Israelites to figure it out for themselves, and He won't leave or desert us either! What a beautiful God we serve! Though we walk through the deserts of this life, He is faithful and goes before us, leading us through the good times and the bad. But rest assured that He won't desert us in our deserts!

The Israelites had a choice whether they wanted to follow God or leave and go their own way, and so do we. God may not be physically leading us like He did the Israelites, but He is leading us through His Word and the Holy Spirit. Are we listening? We have to be willing to follow Him even when it doesn't make sense or when the whole world is going left but our God calls us to go right! It takes humility and boldness in surrender to Him!

One more thing about the cloud and fire in the desert: A cloud in the middle of the blazing desert would have offered relief from the heat, protection from the sun, and brought some comfort on their journey. The fire at night would have offered warmth, light to help ward off enemies, and produce a sense of hope and encouragement in the darkness! Brothers and sisters, our God still is in this business today! He offers us comfort, protection, guidance, hope, peace, strength, and so much more in these deserts that we are walking in! The question isn't is He still doing this but are we following Him through it?

Psalm 91:1-Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Deuteronomy 32:9-12-For the LORD's portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance. In a desert land, He found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; He guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft. The LORD alone led him; no foreign god was with him.

God bless! I love you all, but His love is eternal! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth!