Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
August 30, 2022
Read Exodus 13:17-22
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God didn’t lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, even though that was the shorter route. God thought, If the people have to fight and face war, they will run back to Egypt. 18 So God led the people by the roundabout way of the Reed Sea desert. The Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt ready for battle. 19 Moses took with him Joseph’s bones just as Joseph had made Israel’s sons promise when he said to them, “When God takes care of you, you must carry my bones out of here with you.” 20 They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 The LORD went in front of them during the day in a column of cloud to guide them and at night in a column of lightning to give them light. This way they could travel during the day and at night. 22 The column of cloud during the day and the column of lightning at night never left its place in front of the people.
Good morning! God will lead us along our paths!
Each day we are presented with new possibilities as we embrace another opportunity to serve God. Sometimes we need to get somewhere quickly, so we need to take the shortest route. Other times, we have time and we decide to take the “scenic” route. Either path will lead us to our destination. In our days of GPS, we can see when our route is unexpectedly blocked and the GPS will route us another way.
When I was a kid, we would go on Sunday afternoon drives and these drives often put us on the less traveled roads. Afterall, the point of the drive was to see the sights, so you weren’t in a hurry. Often, my brother and I were in charge of plotting the route that we would take. However, when you are the navigator, you become so focused on the map and which turn comes next that sometimes you miss seeing the beautiful or interesting things whose path you cross.
In the verses in Exodus, we read how God was always out front directing the path with the column of cloud by day and the column of lightning by night. The Israelites just needed to follow their guide and they would reach their destination. God is still in front of us leading our way. We need only to listen and let God show us the way we should go. Because we are blessed with free will, sometimes our paths become rocky or muddy, but God is right there to lead us through our man-made adversities. Praise be to God.
Many are called, but few are listening and ready to follow. Our pathway to eternal life is the road less-traveled, but a road full of opportunity to live fruitful lives.
Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. You are always here. Help us remember to listen so that we may find our way home. We thank you for everything. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God is with me as I travel my daily path.
Pay attention! God is speaking to you! Pastor Liz
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