RECAP
Week 1: Adam Hides. God Searches.
Week 2: Humanity Falls. God Provides A Way Through The Storm.
Week 3: God pursuing a people, so that through those people, He can rescue the world.
Week 4: God’s pursuit continues, in the unexpected and even into the pit.
Week 5: God’s pursuit of humanity is to free, not just to fin
Week 6: God not only brings you out, He will bring you through.
Exodus 13:17-18, 21 “When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.[c] Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle…The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.”
GOD’S DIRECTION DOESN’T ALWAYS TAKE YOU THE SHORTEST ROUTE.
There is always a purpose behind the route and any delay. Like Scripture says, God did not lead Israel along the shortest route because He knew their weakness when facing a challenge. As much as they hated being slaves, the comfort they had in Egypt was “safe.” The journey through the desert served to reveal to Israel God’s provision and care for them, as well as teach them the importance of obedience. Is there an area of your life where you tend to lean in to being “safe?” Can you see how God might push you beyond your comfort zone to stretch you in that area, to develop you as He leads you on a longer route? Share your thoughts and discuss in your small group.
Just because God gives us a vision of where He is leading us doesn’t mean that He is going to follow our plan to get there. We like to take the little bit of insight that we are given, and run with it. It is important to realize that while God may have revealed something and even confirmed it, He is the only one who knows the details of the way He will get us there. God KNOWS…He knows the adversity we will face on the way and when we get to our destination; He knows what skills still need to be developed in us; He knows where our faith is a little shaky. And we can trust that if He has big plans for us, He will use the journey to prepare us for His call. Where in your life has God taken you on a roundabout journey to where He was calling you? What lessons did He teach you along the way? What did that look like? Maybe you are on that roundabout journey now. How can you lean IN to what He is doing? How might that work to change your perspective when you face a new area of adversity? Discuss with a trusted Christian friend or your small group.
GOD CAN MAKE A WAY WHERE YOU CAN’T SEE ONE.
Have you, like Moses, ever been overwhelmed by the depth of responsibility placed upon you? God knows and does not want you to be overwhelmed. Like Moses, we need to listen and act according to how God is leading. God told Moses to, “Bring me seventy men from Israel know to you as elders and officers of the people…” Numbers 11:16. It is not God’s will for us to carry burdens alone. He is there to carry them for us and we can trust Him to bring the right people into our lives to help bear the weight. BUT, there is a part that is up to us - and that is to step out of pride of doing it alone, and trust that God WILL bring the right people alongside us to help. Are you in a season of overwhelm? What is your response in this season? Are you trying to “power through” and carry the weight alone, or are you crying out to God, positioning yourself in a place to receive the relief He wants to provide? How can you get out of the way so that God can make a way where you can’t see one? Take some time to discuss what it looks like to get out of God’s way and trust with a trusted Christian friend or small group.
“But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Exodus 14:13-14. God is always fighting for His people. It is easy for us to get wrapped up in our circumstances and try to make things happen on our own. That was never His plan. We were created to be in relationship with Him, and that means leaning on Him in every circumstance, trusting Him to guide us, and even standing still and allowing Him to fight our battles. There are all sorts of examples of how God fought for His people throughout Scripture. Are you in a season where you need God to fight for you? How can you stand still and watch Him rescue you? Have you been in one of those seasons and seen God fight for you? Take some time to write a prayer asking God to help you let Him fight your battles. Ask Him what He wants you to do in the waiting, how He wants you to be still. Next, spend some time with a prayer partner, asking them to come alongside you as you wait for God to move. Thank God in advance for what He is going to do on your behalf.
GOD USES DAILY PROVISION TO TEACH US DAILY TRUST.
God wants us to trust Him to provide for our every need, but we, like Israel, tend to complain instead of trust. God sent the manna so that Israel would learn to depend upon Him for future needs. Unfortunately Israel was not able to learn that lesson before they ventured into the promised land the first time. This resulted in their 40-year learning plan. Is God trying to teach you how to trust Him daily? Have you ended up on a long-term learning plan like Israel? What steps can you take today to trust God to supply you DAILY bread? How can you step out in faith, giving Him time to move and provide? Take some time this week to really sit with these questions and examine how good you are at trusting God with His plan for your life and His provision. Journal your thoughts and anything that He reveals during this process.
Jesus is our daily bread. John 6:35-36 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me.” We have been given the gift of Jesus, a gift the early Israelites did not have. We know the truth that God will supply our needs, as we walk in trust and obedience. How do you lean on Jesus for your daily bread? If this is a struggle for you, what is one thing you can do to practice trusting Him? Take some time to search “God fights for” and/or “Be Still” in your Bible app. Read at least one of the other stories of how God fought for His people and spend time considering how He is wanting to fight for you. Discuss with your small group or a trusted Christian friend.
GOD IS DOING A WORK IN YOU WHILE HE IS LEADING YOU.
Through the passages we have been reading the past several weeks, we see how God continues to test Israel to see if they trust Him to lead and provide. Time after time, they fail. This week we read about the lack of water in Kadesh. After all the ways God had come through for His people, the daily provision of food He sent, they still doubted. “There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron.” Numbers 20:2 God was trying to teach His people to trust Him, but they continued to struggle, and that led to circling the mountain for 40 years. How has God provided in your life? How has He been working things out to teach you to trust in His provision, to trust in the work He is doing in you while He is leading you? What is one way that you can respond to Him in faith? Take some time to meditate on this and share in your small group. Ask God to reveal things to you that perhaps your spiritual eyes may not have been open to see in the past.
As God pursues His children, He works to transform them. What does He want to transform in your life today? Get still and look for how God is continuing to pursue and transform you today. If you haven’t, take some time to read over the Scripture we covered this week and select one verse or passage that resonates with your spirit to memorize and serve as a reminder of how God continually pursues His people. Get quiet with God and ask Him to help you grow in awareness of the next step He is calling you to take and how to respond in faith to His love for you.
Scripture References for this week:
Exodus 13:17-22; Exodus 14:10-16; Exodus 16:2-5, 3-18; Exodus 15:22-27; Numbers 11; Numbers 13-14; Numbers 20; Numbers 21; Deuteronomy 8; John 6:30-40.
