The Long Way Around

When God led Israel out of their slavery in Egypt, he didn’t send them on the fastest route to the Promised Land — he sent them the long way around (Exodus 13:17-18). At one point, he even told them to temporarily turn around and camp out at a dead end in the wilderness. Can you imagine how confusing that would have been for the people of Israel?

Despite the Israelites’ confusion, God knew something they didn’t: they weren’t ready for the path they thought was best. There were too many obstacles on that road, and their faith wasn’t strong enough to sustain them through those trials. At least not yet.

God’s decision to send them the long way around was actually a blessing in disguise.

Maybe you can relate to God sending you the long way around in your own life. I know I can. When Traci and I were newlyweds, I applied for my first full-time ministry job at a church in Arizona. The church flew us out from New Jersey for an interview, gave us a tour of the area, and asked me to preach. This job would be within driving distance of our families in California and was able to offer a generous salary for someone who was just starting out. On paper, it was everything I could have hoped for in a ministry job.

But then I got that call that they were going in another direction. And that was the only job prospect I had.

Traci and I were forced to leave the student housing at my seminary (they were tearing it down to make room for a newer building) and move to Temple, Texas, where my grandmother lived at the time. We didn’t have any jobs lined up or a permanent place to live. We just knew we needed to go somewhere and look for a job, and Texas was as good a place as any.

When we got there, we had very little money to live off of and only one car between the two of us. Thankfully, God blessed me with a part-time job and helped us find a modest apartment in Austin we could live in. During this “long way around” time in our lives, God eventually opened the door for us to do youth ministry at a church a few hours away — and that’s how I got my start in ministry.

Sometimes, the things that feel like setbacks and the long way around to us are actually a gift that God gives us. They provide a chance to deepen our trust in God, learn to rely on him more fully, and prepare for the next door that God is about to open.

So the next time you find yourself on something that feels like the long way around, don’t give up hope. Remember that God is leading you to the exact place he needs you to be.

-Bryan