The Long Way Around

     You have the destination clearly in mind, the route is loaded in the GPS or highlighted on the map and you have a pretty good idea of how long it will take to get to your final stopping point.  Then after some time on the road, well into the journey, there's the sign:  DETOUR AHEAD.  The first reaction is "Oh great!  Now how much longer is THIS going to take?"  We focus on the inconvenience and the disruption to our well-laid plan giving little, if any thought to the possibility that the detour might be for our own good.            
     Usually detours are due to road construction but sometimes they are to route us around unsafe conditions like rock or mud slides, damaged bridges or wild fires.  As frustrating as these delays can be, they can in the long run save us a lot of trouble.
     When the Pharaoh of Egypt finally let God's people go after 400 years of increasing servitude,  God led them out but "God did not lead them on the route through the Philistine country, though that was shorter."  (Exodus 13:17).  In fact, He led them "around by the desert road toward the Red Sea." (13:18). 
     The Bible gives us God's reason for doing this:  "God said, 'If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.'" (13:17).  God's detour would save them from the temptation to retreat to Egypt and miss out on the new life in a new land that He had prepared for them.  There was something else they would miss out on by taking shorter route:  the miraculous parting of the Red Sea and destruction of their Egyptian enemy.
     If it seems that God has you taking the long way around in some area of your life and it appears that your goal is more out of reach than ever, keep this in mind:  God has a very good reason for this desert detour; He loves you and He's looking after you.  And if you don't turn around and head back to Egypt, you might find that He is setting you up to be a participant in a miracle of divine grace.