Our Father knows best

“This is what the Lord says – your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.’” Isaiah 48:17
It’s a wonderful thing when we can grasp the truth of this verse: God knows what is best for us. He knows, even better than we ourselves know. And if we will let Him, He will direct us in the way that we should go. In many cases, it will probably not be the way that we would choose. When the Israelites left Egypt, God led them to what seemed like a dead end, by the Red Sea. As Pharaoh’s army was advancing, the people started to panic. But then God showed Himself real to them: the pillar of cloud moved behind the people, and the Red Sea parted, so that the people could walk through on dry ground. Once they had all crossed, the pillar of cloud lifted, and the Egyptians tried to follow but were all destroyed as the sea closed in over them. Think of how much better this was for the Israelites, than if they had all headed up the main road towards Canaan. God was building their character, building their faith, showing Himself real to them. In the process, He also destroyed the threat of Pharaoh’s army coming after them. This event became a cornerstone in the history of Israel, one they could look back to and say, ‘That day, we knew God was on our side.’
It’s the same for us. God will sometimes lead us through what seem to us to be disastrous situations. But in those times, that is when we learn to trust Him. That is when He builds our character.