CORN MAZE DEVOTIONAL/THE PROMISED LAND
By Lee De Groot
Most of us have heard about the Israelites wandering around in the wilderness for 40 years. Right? If not, it’s found in Numbers 32.
Numbers 32:13 says this…”The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the desert for forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.”
Do you think God was mad?
Really….40 years?
Wandering in the desert for 40 years?
That is a long time to be lost. However, the Israelites weren’t really lost because God provided them with a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of cloud by day for them to follow. So we could say…the Israelites had the first GPS…God….to guide them. So the question then is...Why were they still considered lost?
The answer is one simple word…SIN! Over and over again we see the children of Israel, God’s chosen people, not trusting in Him. They felt they had good reason to complain about their living arrangements. They complained about the food, the water, and about having to walk so much. We would be no different…right? God had led them to the Promise Land but their complaining and lack of trust in Him; their provider, kept them from entering the Promise Land. The only way for them to enter was for them to trust in Him.
So here we are at a Corn Maze and we are living in the 2000s some thousand years after the Israelites. We are still wandering around because of sin. Many of us know what we are doing wrong and many of us are not trusting in God but we continue on the same path as usual. If we had a GPS mounted to us it would continuously be repeating “RECALCULATING. RECALCULATING. RECALCULATING.” We continue down this path even though it really is not working out so well. However, God doesn’t leave us hanging…we can know for sure that if we trust in God and have faith in Him we too can enter the Promised Land…Heaven.
Tonight we wandered around the corn maze and as leaders we are so glad it was not for 40 years. Some of you might have used a map to find your way out of the maze. Some of you used a flash light to light your way. Some of you might have just followed the crowd. Some of you maybe just wandered around aimlessly with no true direction. Some of you may have gone off the path and tried to take a short cut. And some of you may have just stumbled across the exit. But with Heaven…our Promised Land…we only have one way, one path, to get salvation…and that is through Jesus. He is our GPS for our lives. Just follow Him. We all need his guidance when making decisions when we are on the path of life. As Christians we will continue to have bumps and obstacles even when we are on the right path just like in the maze. We will continue to have tough times seeing the big picture and we may ask “Why God?” But remember Jesus is our flash light…he is our pillar of fire. He promises to guide us through these times. Without Him we are never going to find the right exit or the Promised Land. Jesus is the way!
We all know that there are tough times in life…even as a Christian. Life is like a corn maze…with its turns, dead ends, and bumps in the road. If only we could see the “big picture” or see over the walls of corn, it could make things so much easier. Right? God doesn’t want you to be lost in the maze of life any more than us leaders wanted anyone to get lost in the Corn Maze tonight. But God does promise to not leave us to figure out life by yourself.
Duet. 31:6 says “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Psalm 119:105 says this “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MAZE AND LIFE:
1. Did you wander through the maze alone? In pairs? As a team?
2. Did you see a benefit in working together through the maze?
3. How have you seen Christians working together in today’s world?
4. What are some ways we as a youth group can work together?
CHALLENGE QUESTION:
1. What one thing can you do or do differently starting right now to make sure you are on the right path?
PRAYER:
Jesus, thank you for being our guide. Thank you for being our light in the world. Even when I choose to not follow the right path I thank you for not leaving me with the mess. Help us to see you as our GPS and the Bible as our map. Please help us not to get lost in our lives so we can someday be with you in the Promised Land. Thank you for walking with us and help us to walk with each other when life is tough. Help us to help each other stay on the right path. In Jesus name we pray. AMEN