No Shortcuts
” I am always thinking of the Lord; and because he is so near, I never need to stumble or fall.” Psalm 16:8
One of the greatest tests of faith is something that appears quite harmless, like taking a shortcut.
Moses faced a shortcut during his time in the desert (Exodus 32 and 33). He had travelled from Egypt to Mount Sinai with a complaining and rebellious people, and the prospect of entering the Promised land was very attractive.
Yet Moses would not say yes to the promise at the expense of God’s presence!
Jesus also encountered a shortcut in the desert. When Jesus was about to start His public ministry, Satan gave Him an opportunity to bypass the hardship ahead and skip straight to claiming authority over the nations. All Jesus had to do was worship him.
But Jesus would not compromise to get with ease what God would deliver through suffering?
The fact that satan tried this tactic on the son of God says a lot about how effective he knows it can be.
We all know that Jesus successfully withstood satan’s ploy, but he wasn’t the only one, Moses too weighed the option of staying in the desert or entering the promised land without God and he chose to stay back in the desert because he desired God more than ‘good.’
We too must fall in love with God just like Moses did and possess such a longing for intimacy with God that no shortcut will be worth our consideration.
This can only be ignited as we experience the presence of God through praying, worshipping and reading the word of God daily with a sincere heart that seeks to be a friend of God.