Warriors Arise: November 8, 2021
Exodus 13:17 (NKJV)Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.”
God was leading the children of Israel away from the Philistines. He did not want His children to fight in a battle they were not prepared for. God does the same for you and I. He will direct our path away from a battle He knows we are not ready to fight. This was a battle the Children of Israel didn't need to fight. As we are learning to walk in freedom, we need to embrace following God and listening to His direction. We are to go where He says to go, because He knows what is ahead. We need to go when He says to go, so the walls of the water don't come crashing down on us.
We can wonder, "Why is God taking me this way? Wouldn't it just be easier if I went here and talked to this person. Wouldn't it take time off the trip if we just went that way instead of this way? Wouldn't it be done faster if He got more help for me?" All of those are questions that have run through my thought process, when I know I need to stick to what God is telling me.
Instead of fighting a new enemy, the Philistines, God leads them away. There are so many times we are not ready to fight a new enemy, especially when the old one is hot on our heels. The Children of Israel could have been pinned in, caught between a rock and a hard place, the Philistines at their front and the Egyptians at their rear. I imagine all hope would have fled them.
God didn't want them in a battle they couldn't win and He didn't want them to return to slavery under Pharaoh. He wanted to give them a gift but before they received their gift He wanted them to meet Him.
Yes, God could have taken the Children of Israel to the Promised Land in two weeks. However, when God commissioned Moses, Moses asked a question. Moses wanted a sign and God responded as follows with Exodus 3:12 (NKJV)
So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
Not the sign most of us want, "after you do what God says, then you will know it was God." But it also gave another clue. God wanted to meet with His people in a secluded place before taking them to the land He promised them. There could be a number of reasons why God didn't bring them on a more direct route to the Promised Land, but the fact remains, God wanted to meet with His people. He wanted a moment, a place where He and His people could be "introduced", could get to know each other and embrace covenant. He wanted them to be able to trust Him.
After God sets you free, there is a natural response to worship Him, as we have seen in the earlier blogs; but there is also a calling to Himself. God wants to meet with us. In this meeting time, there is a covenant given and agreed upon. God is not withholding from you, he is preparing you and I to be ready for what He is about to give us.
Sometimes we can be so used to doing what God says that we forget He wants us to sit down and communicate with Him. He wants us to pull away from all our to-dos and spend time with Him. He wants to give directions on where we are to go next. He wants to give us instructions on what we are to do next. He wants to change the relationship. If you were a slave them He wants you to know you are His child. You are not a slave to Him. You are one of His own. You are His child. He wants to take you into a relationship of family.
Father, I ask for you to open my eyes to see You. I want my ears to hear Your voice. I want to go exactly where You tell me to go. I want to do exactly what You would have me to do. I know You are calling me at this time to spend more time with You. I will set aside extra time just to be with You. I recognize You may not say anything; because You just want me to know Your presence and to absorb Your love, by being in Your presence. I will worship You and place myself before You in Jesus name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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