Dear Family,

Today is Sunday, April 30, 2023. It is Day 22; and Day 1 of Week 4 as we Count to Pentecost.

During this week the Israelites moved on toward the Wilderness of Sin. They had followed the cloud by day as God led them in a path that avoided certain areas and people. God’s choice of the path was deliberate. He knew what the Israelites needed to experience and what they needed to avoid. Exodus 13 tells us that God avoided the land of the Philistines. This, of course, meant a longer route.

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: As we learn to walk with our God in this life, let us be mindful of how important it is that God Himself picks the path we travel. Let us remember that God may often deliberately take us in a course that will circumvent specific challenges He does not want us to face. And, He also leads us into other areas where He intends that we learn valuable lessons for the infinite, ongoing life our Savior has died to provide for us. Although we do not have God’s presence in a cloud to guide us, we do have His constant attention and the light of His Word.

Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

May God bless us to savor the lessons of the journey and not question His tactics or His intentions.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
©2023, Church of the Sovereign God