All the Way the Savior Leads Me

He leadeth me. Aren’t you glad that God does lead us? The Bible says: “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

All the way my Savior leads me;

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who through life has been my Guide?

—FANNY J. CROSBY

In the passage we have read, we discover that God has delivered the people from Egypt and is now leading them out of the land. Instead of taking the shorter route toward Canaan by way of Philistine territory, he leads them southeastward toward the Sinai peninsula to avoid confrontation. God is protecting and preserving his people, even though they are unaware.

Some marvelous hymns concerning God’s providence and guidance come to my mind:

He leadeth me: O blessed thought!

O words with heavenly comfort fraught.

—Joseph H. Gilmore

He leadeth me. Aren’t you glad that God does lead us? The Bible says: “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” ().

All the way my Savior leads me;

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who through life has been my Guide?

—Fanny J. Crosby

But to be honest, there are times I wonder, just as the children of Israel did, about the direction I am going. Why are we taking the long way and not the short way? Why the hard path and not the easy path? In fact, we can face sometimes outright confusion when things don’t pan out like we had thought. You see, the problem is that we think we know how to read the map of our lives, but we often misread the map:

Illustration of trip with a pastor friend in the early days of GPS - headed to Albany and the Tom-Tom GPS gained a new name - its new name was dumb-dumb because it did not give accurate directions.

We need to be reminded that God’s ways are perfect. When we are following him with our hand in his, we can trust him in spite of the seeming detours or longer trips.

Illustration of trip to Washington D.C as a child. Took the subway and got on the wrong side of town..all I remember is my dad quickly grabbing our hands and leading us out of that part of town.

Let us look at this passage and remember that God’s ways are perfect.

I. The Purpose of The Long Road

, “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, “The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.” 18 So He led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation.”

The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), ..

A. Protect Us

God is protecting his people from harm. He knows them. He knows us. He knew his people were not ready to face the armies of the Philistines. If they had encountered these fierce armies at this point in their walk with God they would have been overwhelmed with fear and ran back to Egypt.

B. Discipline Us

God knows what we are ready for and what we need. Sometimes what we need is time that may feel like confusion and wandering to grow our faith. It can even feel like you are out of the will of God in times like this. Like you are traveling in circles, like the children of Israel appeared to be. The winding and seemingly broken road that God is leading us on is the very road that we need to be on so that our faith can grow and mature. This is difficult medicine in an instant culture that demands things in a hurry.

God has a purpose in the longer route you are on. God is never late or never early, he is always on time. God is never in a hurry. When God called Moses, Moses spent 40 years in the desert being prepared. God called Paul and then Paul spent time in Arabia being prepared. God is never wrong, he is perfect and his ways are perfect.

C. To Clarify

The health and wealth and prosperity heresy today and our American culture is teaching people that God always works in straight lines - that we have to be achieving and prospering in our own eyes and the eyes of the world. But sometimes that’s not the case.

It is enough that God knows.

It is possible to be out of the will of God as well and be running in circles. Mostly because we have forgotten who our guide is and haven’t been practicing certain spiritual disciplines such as prayer, bible study, fellowship and worship. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

II. The Desperation of a Blocked Road

Poor Moses I am tempted to think. Here he is seeking to lead God’s people. They are stiffnecked and stubborn. God leads Moses and the people on a long route that now will end up with them facing the Red Sea. In fact, God tells Moses what he is doing.

, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you must camp in front of Baal-zephon, facing it by the sea. 3 Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in. 4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this.”

2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you must camp in front of Baal-zephon, facing it by the sea. 3 Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in. 4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this.

God now turns them from a southeasterly direction to the north and east and leads them back toward the Red Sea. If we had been watching this, it would appear as if the people were lost or confused.

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

God brings them to a dead-end in the road - mountains on each side, Pharaoh pursuing from behind and the Red Sea in front of them.

All of us face moments in our life where we feel as though we have reached a dead-end. No sermon can help us, no book can necessarily help give you a way out. No amount of human effort can change the situation. It is a dilemma and we feel stranded. We cannot see a way thru or a way out.

What do we do? Well, let me tell you first what not to do.

A. Don’t Become Bitter

The people immediately begin to blame Moses. Instead of taking a deep breath and a step back to pray and analyze a situation, we want to find someone else to blame for the predicament we find ourselves in. It could very well be that God has put you in that place for a reason, as was the case with the children of Israel in .

B. Don’t Run Away

Now I think that’s really the way human beings think today. We’ve got to do something—just do something. Sometimes God places us in a place where there is nothing we can do. There is no counsel we can go to. There is no banker to help. There is no doctor to help. There is no one to help us. God just says, “Fear … not; stand still”; “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Adrian Rogers, “Detours, Dead-Ends, and Dry Holes,” in Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017), can look back over my life and see how God has put me and our family in places that seemed like a dead-end; only to discover God’s hand was in it all along.

I can look back over my life and see how God has put me and our family in places that seemed like a dead-end; only to discover God’s hand was in it all along.

Illustration:

Our story: 2008-2009-both Julie and I lost stable and good jobs…etc. To where we are now…would I be where I am now if I had simply given up in despair? I didn’t stop serving, I just continued even thought I did not understand what was going on.

Here is what we must do when facing a seemingly blocked road.

Let’s look on down at , “ 13 But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation that he will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you must be quiet.”15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to break camp. 16 As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”

13 But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation that he will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you must be quiet.”15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to break camp. 16 As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”

ESCAPE THROUGH THE RED SEA

When we come to times of panic when the road seems to end, what must we remember?

15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to break camp. 16 As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .

B. Stand Firm

1. God is Our Comfort

Therefore we will not fear. ,” Therefore, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

God is the Deliverer of the Distressed

The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), .God is the Deliverer of the Distressed

2. God Expects us to Trust Him

, “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.”

God is Able to Clear the Path Ahead of Us

The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), .God is Able to Clear the Path Ahead of Us

3. God Will Always Provide for His Children

God Will Always Provide for His Children

Illustration:

Conclusion:

We cannot know what God knows. We need to keep our eyes on God - walking in the Spirit everyday and staying faithful in following. God knows the way, he is the map. We just need to trust him.

, “ You will lead the people you have redeemed with Your faithful love; You will guide them to Your holy dwelling with Your strength.”

You will lead the people

You have redeemed

with Your faithful love;

You will guide them to Your holy dwelling

with Your strength.

The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009), .

Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine,

Nor ever murmur nor repine;

Content, whatever lot I see,

Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.

—Joseph H. Gilmore

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