The Purpose of Process

I was meditating on the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt and into Canaan, the promise land. There were quite a few things that got my attention. One thing in particular that I noticed is that God was more focused on their journey than the actual destination. How can I make such a claim? Well according to Exodus 13:17 there is the fact that there was a shorter way into Canaan, that would have taken them through Philistine country, but God knew they might become intimidated by war and turn back to Egypt, so instead God led them through the dessert toward the Red Sea. Also, if we read in Deuteronomy 8:2-3 we understand God’s focus on process when He says: “2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

See, God knows that the land He was taking them according to verse 9, was a land where bread would not be scarce and they would lack nothing; that’s why God said earlier in verse 3 that the reason for the humbling “wilderness process” was so they know that man does not survive on bread alone (in which they would have an abundance in the promise land) but that they must always seek to hear from the mouth of God.

So lets say that the Israelites may have made it through Philistine country had God chosen to take them to the promise land that way. Without them going through the “humbling process” through the wilderness, they would have not focused their eyes on God because they would have all that they need, as it says in Deut. 8:9, they would lack nothing. See God is no dummy, and He loves us, that is the combination for a father who understands and teaches through discipline. Deut. 8:5 tells us “Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.” As much as we may hate it, discipline is for our benefit. Had the Israelites made it to the promise land without discipline, could you imagine the disarray from the moment they set foot in there?

From this story, God has put in my heart that it’s the purpose of the process to push you to pursue God even in prosperity.

Without this discipline, Deut 8:12-14 says “Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Before understanding this, I really didn’t like to be humbled (in some of the ways God chose), now I start to question everything that doesn’t! See, it is these humbling processes that lead to progress. When we are being humbled, whether it is by being forced to seek the will of God because we feel lost, or simply when we know we should take the high road instead of the road most traveled, we know that it is for a reason, we know that it is to prepare us to receive what God has planned for us.

This idea to prepare to receive makes me think of when people are expecting the presence of a King. There are entourages and staff members that must make sure everything is set in place to receive the King. Within that time of preparation, orders may be barked, feelings may be hurt, but it isn’t about you or your boss barking the orders, it’s all about receiving the King. Everything must be in place for the King’s visit to be a success. It’s the same thing with the promises of God. In order for us to receive, preparation must be made, and our feelings may become hurt (a part of the humbling process), but our motivation should be in our faith that we are about to receive God’s promises.