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Going Nowhere Fast

"In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.  In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling."  Exodus 15:13

If you have ever had the misfortune of being stuck in traffic that is moving along at a snail's pace and where the interstate looks more like a never ending parking lot than a freeway, then you can relate to the emotions that my husband and I recently felt.  He and I had just experienced some time of relaxation and renewal, only to be welcomed back to reality by a horrendous day on the busiest highway in the southeastern United States!

We felt as if the speed limit signs which read "70 MPH" were mischievously laughing at us as we observed our pitiful speedometer which was barely topping out at 6 MPH!  This unfortunate state lasted for several hours.  We disapprovingly watched as the "Arrival Time" on our GPS gradually ticked further and further beyond its original prediction. 

Traveling fifteen miles in three hours is enough to cause anyone immense frustration and anxiety.  We were literally going nowhere fast.  The minutes on the clock were going faster than we were! 

I felt as if we very fondly resembled the Children of Israel as they grumbled their way through the desert.  Just as they questioned their predicament and how they were better off as slaves in Egypt, my husband and I questioned the route we had chosen and then sulked about having to sit in a car that was barely moving.

Whenever I think about the Children of Israel, I often forget one very important detail.  Their excessive wandering through the desert was led directly by God.  They had the great privilege of  visibly seeing and following the presence of the Lord in two different, yet very obvious manifestations.  During the daytime, His presence guided them within a pillar of cloud and then at night He led them with a pillar of fire.

Because they were His children and chosen people, God very clearly and lovingly guided them. 

"Neither the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night left its
place in front of the people." 
Exodus 13:22
 
If you are a child of God today, then you can trust your life to His leadership as well.  If you choose to follow Him, His guidance might take you down unforeseen paths that only He can determine to be the right way.  However, His guidance might also lead you in a way that is a direct result of grumbling or disobedience, as was the case for the Israelites.   
 
When the timing was right, I very sweetly reminded my husband that although our path had unfortunately taken us down a road of frustration, we arrived safely at our destination and we were blessed to not have witnessed any traffic accidents that are often times the culprit for such traffic jams.  God had guided us safely to the other side . . . and in His timing, not ours.

Are you striving to follow God's guidance and leadership in your life?  The temptation for many of us is to take hold of the reins and determine our own paths in life.  However, if you are one of His redeemed, then His unfailing love will guide you in a manner that will be far better than any path you could ever navigate on your own.

Do yourself a favor today.  Hand God back the reins of your life and let His strong and loving hand guide your each and every step.

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