But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.
Exodus 13:18

God delivered His chosen earthly people out of the bondage of Egypt. We have always been taught that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but when you look at the map, going by way of the wilderness was neither a straight line nor the shortest route. Why did the Lord take them this way instead of the shorter way?

The Lord always has His reasons for doing what He does: “As for God, His way is perfect” (Ps. 18:30). He has a purpose for everything He does and everything He allows in the lives of His own. In this case, we are told, “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’” (Ex. 13:17).

The Lord knew the hearts of His people. He knew that if they went the easy way, they would turn their hearts back toward Egypt. He knew they needed the hardship in front of them to mold and make them into what He had designed for them. He led them by this unexpected route—why? Because as a nation, they had never known battle. That verse in Psalm 18:30 goes on to say, “The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” The Lord knew there were battles ahead, and through the hardships He allowed, He was preparing them.

He would be their guide in the wilderness. He went before them with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day (Ex. 13:21). This was His divine guidance system—His “G.P.S.” For the believer today, we also have a divine G.P.S. (God’s Positioning System). He allows us to pass through difficult paths in order to teach us dependence on Him!

The Egyptians were behind them, the Red Sea before them—they were trapped in the middle. But God was at work! Pharaoh thought he had trapped the people of God, but in His sovereign and all-knowing control, the Lord had them right where He needed them to be. The Lord instructed Moses, and He opened the Red Sea. The people of God crossed on dry ground, with walls of water on each side. The obstacles of Pharaoh behind them and the Red Sea before them were no match for the God who was working out His purposes with His people.

His instruction to them was: “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” (Ex. 14:13). 

Anchor For Today:
It is not with uncertain step
We tread our desert way;
A well-known voice has called us up
To everlasting day.