“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands.” — Deuteronomy 8:2
The Faithful Guide
A baby boy was born in 1895 in Baltimore, Md., and his name was George Herman Ruth, Jr. He was active, boisterous and sometimes got in trouble. As he grew, he learned how to play baseball and was good at it. In high school, scouts noticed his throwing, hitting and fielding skills. When he was 19, he started his professional baseball career with the Baltimore Orioles, which was a minor league team at the time. While in Baltimore, he got the nickname “Babe,” which meant he was the most valuable player on the team.
Soon, he earned a major league contract with the Boston Red Sox, and Babe Ruth became a star pitcher for Boston in the beginning of his career. But he was such a powerful hitter that he eventually became an outfielder. He was later sold to the New York Yankees and helped build a sports dynasty. During his career, he and his teammates traveled on trains and later on buses. Teammates developed friendships and helped one another make it along life’s road.
Friends help us as we go along in life. When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land, he needed more than a friend. Though Moses was thankful for his brother Aaron, his sister Miriam and his wife Zipporah, they all had faults. And Moses wasn’t perfect either. He needed a perfect guide to make sure he could fulfill his purpose by getting the Israelites all the way to Canaan.
For forty years, God pushed Moses to be a better man, provided daily rations, protected him from enemies and prevented him from going astray. “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands” (Deuteronomy 8:2).
The Lord led them with a cloud overhead by day and a pillar of fire by night. When they were thirsty, God did a miracle to bring water through a rock from underground. “The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan” (Exodus 16:35).
As God took care of Moses, He can take care of us if we will listen to Him. Jesus is faithful to the end. He will keep his promises and always be reliable. Jesus said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age…” (Matthew 28:20).
Jesus travels with us always and forever.
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Ga.
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