Detours, Dead Ends, And Dry Holes

Introduction — The Long Way Home

Good morning, friends. Please, open your Bible to Exodus 13.

God’s people have just left Egypt. After four hundred years of slavery, they’re finally free. You’d think that with the Red Sea behind them and the Promised Land in front of them, the route would be straight and simple. But the very first thing we read is that God did not lead them by the shortest road.

Listen to Exodus 13:17–18:

> “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.”

Right away we meet the first great paradox of the Christian journey:

God’s path is often longer, rougher, and stranger than we expect.

Why? Because His goal is not just to get us somewhere, but to grow us into someone.

Maybe you know that feeling. You thought a project, a career, a relationship, even a calling from God would be straightforward—and then you found yourself in the wilderness, waiting and wondering. Take heart. The God who led Israel is still leading you.

Tonight, I want to talk about three key places on the map of God’s guidance:

1. Detours – where God grows us.

2. Dead Ends – where God shows His power.

3. Dry Holes – where God sweetens our bitterness.

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Movement One — The Discipline of Detours

Imagine an Israelite father explaining to his children, “We could be in Canaan in two weeks, but we’re circling the desert instead.” The kids ask, “Why can’t we go the quick way?” And dad answers, “Because God knows something we don’t.”

Detours are not accidents. They are appointments.

They are God’s way of shaping courage and patience in people who have only known slavery.

> “The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire” (Ex. 13:21).

Think of that! Every morning when they stepped out of their tents, there it was—the visible presence of God. The detour was full of God.

Many of us resist detours because they feel like delays. But in God’s economy a detour is often developmental time. The straightest line to spiritual maturity is sometimes the longest road geographically.

Let me give you a picture. Years ago a friend of mine started seminary eager to pastor right away. A surprise illness slowed him down for a year. At first he fought the delay. Then he discovered that his prayer life deepened, his marriage strengthened, and his heart softened. Today he says, “That extra year was my real seminary.”

That’s what God was doing for Israel—forming a nation that could worship freely and fight bravely.

Here’s a good heart check while you wait on a detour:

Am I rushing what God is ripening?

Am I confusing movement with progress?

Am I walking by sight instead of following the pillar?

If you’re in a long, roundabout season, don’t panic. The cloud still moves.

Your job isn’t to chart the map; it’s to stay under the cloud.

(Transition)

But detours are only the beginning. God sometimes moves us from long roads to no road at all.

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Movement Two — The Dilemma of Dead Ends

Fast-forward to Exodus 14. God tells Moses to lead the people to a place called Pi-hahiroth, camped between the wilderness and the sea. On a map it’s a cul-de-sac: mountains on two sides, water on the third. And just as they pitch their tents, Pharaoh changes his mind and sends his army thundering after them.

From a human point of view this is disaster. They are trapped.

But from God’s point of view? It is strategy.

Listen to His reason in 14:4:

> “I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

God sometimes escorts us to a dead end to cut our dependence on human escape routes and to reveal His glory.

The Red Sea isn’t a mistake; it’s a stage.

What do we do when the sea is in front and the soldiers are behind?

Moses gives four imperatives that are timeless (Ex. 14:13–16):

1. Fear not. Stop letting the size of the enemy dictate the size of your courage.

2. Stand still. Stop frantic fixing. Be still and know that He is God.

3. See the salvation of the Lord. Faith is the eyes of the heart that see before the waters part.

4. Go forward. When God tells you to stretch out your rod, you move.

A few years ago a family in our church faced a medical crisis. They had no insurance and no savings. Every human option was blocked. Yet as they prayed and “stood still,” unexpected help came—medical professionals volunteered services, a community fundraiser covered bills. Their Red Sea opened.