Tell me about a time that you felt like you were wandering through the desert, but God brought you through.
Exodus 13:17, “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.
This tells us that God did not lead the Israelites in the shortest route to the promised land, but he led them through the wilderness. Throughout the journey from Egypt to Canaan, God led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. I love the words of the little chorus. “The Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all you have to do is follow.
Sir Samuel Baker relates the following incident: “Many years ago, when Egyptian troops first conquered Nubia, a regiment was destroyed by thirst in crossing the Nubian Desert. The men, being upon a limited allowance of water, suffered from extreme thirst, and, deceived by the appearance of a mirage that exactly resembled a beautiful lake, they insisted on being taken to its banks by the Arab guide. It was in vain that the guide assured them that the lake was unreal, and he refused to lose precious time by wandering from his course. Words led to blows, and he was killed by the soldiers, whose lives depended upon his guidance. At length the delusion vanished—the fatal lake had turned to burning sand! Raging thirst and horrible despair! The pathless desert and the murdered guide! Lost! Lost! All lost! Not a man ever left the desert, but they were subsequently discovered, parched and withered corpses, by the Arabs sent upon the search. (7700 Illustrations, #5563)