The Long Way Home

As the people of Israel make their way out of Egypt and into freedom, the Bible tells us an interesting detail about how they carried themselves out of the land of their enslavement. Exodus 13:18 says, "The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle." After 400+ years of slavery, this is a new day, and these are a new people - a people ready for anything - ready for battle. The only problem is this: as much as they may look like a people ready to face anything and anyone, the Bible also tells us that God looks at Israel as they're leaving Egypt and says, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." Apparently, while they look ready for a fight and perhaps even feel ready, they aren't ready. This week we'll explore the difficult reality that sometimes God takes us the long way home, not to deny us what our hearts want most, but to build us up and produce in us things that are still underdeveloped.