We all learned in math that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  While that works in mathematics, it doesn’t work when driving.  Perhaps it would  be better to say that the straightest way isn’t always the best way.  On a vacation my wife and I took to Turks & Caicos several years ago, we took a rental car from our hotel to a conch farm on the other side of the island (Providenciales).  Though not a math expert, I wanted to take the straightest route possible in order to save some time.  My wife I now know would have enjoyed the route with actual roads. 

The idea that the shortest distance may not be the best distance is borne out in Scripture as well.  Once Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them to the land of promise the shortest way, but the way He deemed best.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter.  For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”  So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.         (Exo 13:17-18)

Sometimes God’s ways seem more like the tacking of a sailboat than a linear process.  His ways resemble a zigzag more than a straight line.  Notice, though, that God’s reason in this passage is for the well-being of His people.  If the people had encountered the Philistines or any number of other marauders, they may have considered Egypt a better alternative to the hassle of getting to the Promised Land.  And life outside the Promised Land was a life lived outside of God’s promised blessings!  So God had their good in mind as He does ours as He had them travel from the straightest and shortest route (about 7 days journey) to a much longer route (about 40 years). 

As the story goes, the people zigged and zagged for many years.  But all the way God also promised them His presence (pillar of smoke/fire; Exo 13:20-22) and a reminder of His promise to get them to their final destination (Exo 13:19).  God’s promise was wrapped up in an oath Joseph made his fellow countrymen take.  In Genesis 50:24-25 we read of God’s promise to bring His people to the Promised Land.  Joseph, being close to death, had the sons of Israel promise that they would take his bones to the Promised Land and bury them there.  As long as they had the bones, they were reminded of their final destination—the land God said would be theirs and theirs alone.  So with God’s promise and provision, the people tacked back and forth before arriving at their final destination.   

We live on the bright side of the cross.  We have the completed revelation of God to humanity, the Bible.  We have the greatest provision: the forgiveness of sins in Jesus and the indwelling Spirit.  And it is a good thing because life is a zigzag or a series of tackings.  There are no straight shots.  So whether you are in a zig or a zag, cling to God’s promises (the Word) and walk according to God’s provision (the Spirit).  The way will be rough, but the promised destination will be ours!