For a long time I had a model for the ideal journey of leader as a straight path from point A to point B. When I am in God’s will I am making steady progress down this clearly marked road, but when I find myself wandering it is a sign I’ve stepped outside his plan. The goal is always to move as quickly and efficiently along the path God has clearly mapped out for me. The question is always, “What is my next step forward on the path?”
The challenge to this model is that my life has almost never followed a clearly marked, well-defined path from point A to point B. When people ask how I got to where I am now in ministry my immediate response is, “I have no idea.” Looking back my journey looks more like a pinball machine than an archery range. There are long stretches of time when I’m seeking God and trying to be faithful to his plan for my life, but truth be told, I have no idea what that plan might be. Is this because of sin in my life? Am I not listening to God’s direction? If I am truly seeking God’s path, why does it feel like I’m wandering in the wilderness?
During my devotions this morning I came across this description of Israel’s journey in the wilderness:
‘When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.’
Exodus 13:17-18 (NLT)
This runs counter to my model of a straight and clearly marked path. Although Israel’s sin lengthens the time they spend in the wilderness, the writer is clear that God did NOT lead them along the straight path, he led them in a roundabout way. I really like that phrase, a roundabout way. That describes exactly how I feel about my journey from point A to point B via points E, Q and 7. Maybe wandering does not always indicate sin or disobedience. Maybe, for my own growth and good, God chooses to lead me in a roundabout way.
It seems that the roundabout way is often God’s go to path to leadership. Moses took the roundabout way to leading Israel, David took the roundabout way to becoming king, Paul took the roundabout way to Rome. In each case God was doing essential work in the leaders’ life as he wandered toward his next assignment. Moses learned collaboration, David learned restraint and Paul learned patience, all on the Roundabout Way.
I wonder if you feel a little lost today. Maybe you feel like you’re moving backwards instead of forwards. Maybe you struggle to see the purpose in what you are doing now. Maybe you wonder if somewhere along the way you missed your opportunity and now you on the shelf. If so the good news is that you are not alone. There are many of us out here on the Roundabout Way. The even better news is that you are likely right where God wants you right now. Rather than wondering what went wrong, or struggling to get back on the main road, let’s focus on learning the lessons and finding the healing God has for us here on the Roundabout Way. Then we can become, in the words of the writer of Exodus, “an army ready for battle”.
