“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”¹

“Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!”²

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.”³

“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”⁴

“Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!”⁵

“With him are strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his”.⁶

“The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.”⁷

“The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand, that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?”⁸

“Remember the former things from long ago, Because I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is none like me. I declare from the beginning things to follow, and from ancient times things that have not yet been done; saying, ‘My purpose will stand, and he will accomplish everything that I please.'”⁹

“In the same way, when God wanted to make the unchangeable character of his purpose perfectly clear to the heirs of his promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by these two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to prove false, we who have taken refuge in him might be encouraged to seize the hope set before us. That hope, firm and secure like an anchor for our souls, reaches behind the curtain where Jesus, our forerunner, has gone on our behalf, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”¹⁰

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.”¹¹

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”¹²

“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.”¹³

“Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”¹⁴

“It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.” When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”¹⁵

“They shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.”¹⁶

The Word of God is a living testimony of His might and power. Even in our times of wilderness as walking the dry land and the times of darkness as in the night, He can turn the desert into a spring of water and darkness into light.

God doesn’t always work in the way that may seems best to us. Instead of guiding the Israelites along the direct route from Egypt to the Promised Land, He took them by a longer route to avoid fighting with the Philistines. They were tested for their faith, obedience and character in God and led through a process of humility in the wilderness. Not only were they free from harm but He was their Providence, Healer and Deliverer.

This is confirmed as God says: “And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you.” ¹⁷

In everything that God does, we just need to trust Him to lead us safely around unseen obstacles according to His purpose, victory and glory. The Lord can see the end of our journey from the beginning, as He says: “The one on the throne said to me, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give free water from the spring of the water of life to anyone who is thirsty.”¹⁸

To the unbelievers who are lost as walking in the wilderness, will you trust the Lord Jesus Christ to bring you out of your dry land and lead you to victory? Are you willing to turn to the Lord who is our source of hope and life?

To the family of God, remember the Living Word of God who confirms: “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust Him.”¹⁹

Amen and Amen!

1 Proverbs 16:9 2 Psalms 40:4 3 Psalms 20:7-8 4 First John 1:6-10 5 First Chronicles 16:11 6 Job 12:16 7 Psalms 33:11

8 Isaiah 14:24-27 9 Isaiah 46:9-10 10 Hebrews 6:17-20 11 Hebrews 8:1-2 12 John 16:13 13 Acts 1:16

14 Luke 24:44 15 Exodus 13:16-22 16 Isaiah 49:10 17 Deuteronomy 8:2-5 18 Revelation 21:6 19 Nahum 1:7