Do you all know the story of the Exodus and how God lead His people out of slavery from Egypt?  If not the story can be found in the book of Exodus in the Bible. Check it out, it's full of goodness and some pretty hard stuff.  God's plan was to rescue His chosen people from their lives of slavery and bring them into a land "flowing with milk and honey".  Sounds pretty awesome right?  Like, "Hey, I'm going to take you from your little shack in the woods to your mansion on a hill overlooking the ocean!".  But, getting from the shack to the mansion was going to take some work on the part of the Israelites.   God wasn't going to magically transport them from one place to another.  In fact, they were in for a 40-year "hike" in the wilderness.  This "hike" would be more like a 40-year boot camp.  There would be times that they thought they'd starve and die of thirst.  Times when they felt God had lead them out of Egypt just to die in the desert.  But, God was wanting His people to look to Him for their every need- both spiritually and physically. He was wanting the best for His people and He knew that if they held onto the things of Egypt in their hearts they would never be truly free.  

While you hike today, I want you to start thinking about how you may need God to start His rescue plan for you.  While you know it may not be easy, it may be necessary to take that first step to more freedom in Him. More things He has planned for you.  Better things He has planned for you!  If you're not sure how He wants to rescue you today, ask Him.  He will answer you!

The Israelites spent 400 years in slavery calling out to God for a rescue plan.  I wonder if it took that long for them to get serious enough about their crying out for God to really hear them. It wasn't until Pharoah made things really hard for them that their crying out got pretty loud!  Was it then that they cried out from their hearts instead of their flesh for a rescue?  Was it then that they got serious about their asking for deliverance?  How serious are you about your need for a rescue?  If we are honest sometimes, we are really pretty comfortable in our "slavery".  Even after their rescue, the Israelites complained because the things that comforted them in slavery were no longer a part of their lives.   The Bible even says they told Moses they wanted to go back to Egypt- that the rescue was too hard!  But, here's something I want to tell you about the rescue- it was a beautiful thing that the Israelites totally missed.  And I think if we aren't looking we can miss it too.  It was in the desert that the Israelites experienced the hand of God, the miracles of God.  They walked on dry ground between walls of water, that as soon as they were across, fell on the heads of their enemies. It was in the wilderness that water flowed from a rock, that bitter water was turned sweet with a stick.  Where quail rained down from Heaven for the people to eat.  Where bread fell from the sky, and where indeed He lead His people with fire by night and a cloud by day.  Yes, the rescue plan was hard, BUT God showed them that He'd never leave them.  They just needed to TRUST Him enough to get them to the Promised Land and to be all they'd ever need.  But their hearts were still for the things that brought them comfort in Egypt.  Even though God showed them over and over that they could indeed trust HIm, most of them died in the desert.   

While you were hiking, walking, etc. you were asking God to rescue you or asking Him what He wanted to rescue you from... are you willing to take the first step of the journey?  Are you willing to trust Him for the rescue - even if it's hard?  Even if it takes a while to get to the other side of the desert?  It may mean the rescue plan doesn't look the way you want it to, but it does mean that God will be in it with you and will get you to the other side if only you trust Him to get you there. 

Psalm 130:7 says, "O Israel, keep hoping, keep trusting and keep waiting on the LORD, for He is tenderhearted, kind and forgiving.  He has a thousand ways to set you free.  He will redeem you!"

I hope that if you didn't get to hike with us this time that you'll consider joining us next time! 

Many Blessings !!