Lead Us, O Lord

The following is an excerpt from Sunday's sermon:

God leads Israel along the hard road because that is the best road for them. God leads Israel along the hard road because Israel belongs to Him, and He loves them. And God refuses to give anything less than His best to them. We ask, "O Lord, why has my life not turned out the way that I dreamed it would?" And God answers, "Because you belong to Me, and because I love you. And I refuse to give you anything less than My best for you."

I know that is a hard truth: that God leads us into the wilderness because He loves us. Because there is something in the wilderness that God wants us to see, wants us to have, wants us to possess that we cannot get any other way. And not only is it a hard truth, but the logic itself seems frustratingly circular and irrefutable. There's no way to test it. It just depends on faith. Right - it just depends on faith. We have to trust God.

That sounds cliche, but I want you to notice for a moment what breaks the cliche. Notice what Israel is carrying with them on their journey that is a little bit strange. What are they carrying with them? They are carrying the bones of a dead man. They have in their possession the bones of Joseph. You remember the story. They knew the story well. Joseph's story was a story of a man God led into the wilderness. Joseph's story was a story of a man God led along the hard road in order to form him, shape him, build him, and ultimately, to use him as an instrument of blessing to the entire world.

God knew what was best for Joseph. God knew what was best for Israel. And God knows what is best for you.