June 22

He found him in a desert land, in a barren, howling wilderness; He surrounded him, He instructed him, He guarded him as the apple of His eye. — Deut 32:10 BSB

“He led them about.” This was literally true of the children of Israel as they wandered through the wilderness. Their journey was long and winding, and though it may have seemed aimless, they moved only when the Lord directed them, following the cloudy pillar by day and the fire by night.

But how does God lead His people today? He leads them through a spiritual wilderness, where the path is often unclear. We don’t see what lies ahead, and one turn in the road often hides the next. Just as a winding road may appear to lengthen the journey, so our spiritual journey may feel long and confusing. Yet, despite the twists and turns, the distance covered is no greater than if we had walked in a straight line.

When God begins His work of grace in a soul, He leads it into conviction of sin, opening up the depths of the law and revealing the soul’s guilt. In such moments, a person may not fully understand what’s happening within them. Why is the weight of eternity pressing down? Why is there such a deep dread of God’s wrath? Why does the soul feel such guilt, bondage, and misery? Even when the Lord provides some comfort through a word or promise, the individual often struggles to fully believe it was from God, doubting whether it came in the right way, lasted long enough, or went deep enough.

But God continues to lead. He opens the gospel, reveals Christ, and gives the soul sweet testimonies of His grace, confirming a saving interest in the Lord Jesus. With this, doubts vanish, and peace fills the heart. Yet, when the sweetness of that experience fades, the soul may again question the reality of what it had once enjoyed. This is how the Lord “leads about” His people. Each step along the journey, though hidden from our view, is part of His perfect plan.