The Road Less Traveled

c. Those that turned to the left soon found that a company of Russians had been secretly coming up the side of the hill to fall upon the English unawares.

d. The commander-in-chief from the hill on which he stood could see all the movements of the foe, while those that were perplexed at his orders could see only a small portion of the field.

5. It’s an awesome thing to be under God’s guidance; for "The way of man is not in himself; it is not in man [who] walks to direct his steps" Jer. 10:23.

6. We’re like children; we don’t know what’s good for us. If we make the choices, we’ll should land in hot water!

7. And what looks like a worse direction at the beginning may soon turn out to be a blessing, that only God could have foreseen.

B. GOD HAS GOOD PLANS FOR US

1. God desired true, permanent freedom for the Israelites.

That’s the only reason He made them take the long way.

2. God wants the best for us. The long the best was God’s best for them and maybe for us too.

3. We in our short term view want comfort, predictability, safety, and peace, but God may see that in that way we’ll never grow in faith and obedience.

4. ILLUS.: THE ADVERSITY PRINCIPLE

a. Biologists recognize a principle at work among plants and animals. This natural wonder is called "the adversity principle."

b. As strange as it seems, habitual well-being is not advantageous to a species. An existence without challenge takes its toll on virtually every living thing.

c. This may explain the astonishing results of a recent survey where 87% of the people surveyed said "a painful event (death, illness, break up, divorce, etc.) caused them to find a more positive meaning in life." (In Other Words, #17).

C. BC GOD HIMSELF GOES WITH US ON HIS ROAD

1. Ex. 13:21-22 gives us the best rationale for being willing to take the longer, more difficult route: God is on that route!

2. “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.”

3. It wouldn’t do any good to take the short route if God wasn’t with you! You’d face the Philistines alone.

4. But on the harder road, God is there night and day to overshadow you and to help you. He provides shade from the hot sun and light when the night looks dark.

5. He will never fail you or forsake you. You have no reason to fear, for the Lord is with you to bring you to His land and usher you in in victory!

CONCLUSION

A. ILLUSTRATION

1. True story. A man and his two children were coming back from Raleigh, North Carolina, by plane. As they approached the Dallas airport, the pilot came over the intercom, "There are storms over DFW airport and the airport has shut down. We've been rerouted to Abilene Texas."

2. When the plane arrived in Abilene, the man called for a flight attendant. He explained, "Since I've already reached my destination, may I and my children exit the plane?"

3. A few minutes later, the passenger and children got off the plane. Now this wasn't how they planned to get home; they had a connecting flight from Dallas to Abilene.