Welcome to the Paul Tripp podcast, where pastor and best-selling author Paul David Tripp connects the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life.

Why would a loving God lead his people the long way into hardship instead of the easy road home?

Today we continue our year-long Bible study

in the book of Exodus, the gospel one rescue at a time.

In this episode, Paul shows how God's wisdom

often leads us through difficulty,

not to harm us, but to shape us with the grace we need most.

To hear more of these studies,

visit paultrip.com slash Exodus.

Now, here's Paul, teaching from Exodus 13.

God is about to take the children of Israel

where they do not want to go

in order to produce in them something they desperately need.

We now find ourselves in chapter 13 versus 17 through 20 of Exodus, and I've entitled this, difficulty and grace. When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the way

of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, lest these people change their minds when they see war and

return to Egypt. But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea,

and the people of Israel went out of the land of Egypt to quit for battle. Moses took the bones of

Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear,

saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.

As they move from Sechoth and encamped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness, and the Lord

went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light,

that they might travel by day and by night.

...