Our Daily Bread 17 July 2022 ODB Devotional ~ Traveling Mercies

TOPIC: Traveling Mercies

Our Daily Bread 17th July 2022 ODB Devotional || Bible Verse

He has watched over your journey . . . and you have not lacked anything. Deuteronomy 2:7

Our Daily Bread 17 July 2022 ODB Devotional || Today’s Scripture: Deuteronomy 2:1–7

READ || Our Daily Bread 17 July 2022 ODB Devotional || INSIGHT

You might start your journey in the southwest United States in a dusty town called Why, Arizona. Heading cross-country would take you through Uncertain, Texas. Bearing northeast, you’d make a rest stop in Dismal, Tennessee. Ultimately, you’d reach your destination—Panic, Pennsylvania. These are real places across the landscape of America, though not likely a trip you’d ever choose to take.

Sometimes this is exactly what the journey of life feels like. We easily identify with the Israelites’ tough life in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 2:7)—life can be hard. But do we see the other parallels? We create our own itinerary, turning from God’s way (1:42–43). Like the Israelites, we often grumble about getting our needs met (Numbers 14:2). In our daily fretting, we likewise doubt God’s purposes (v. 11). The story of the Israelites is repeated over and over in our own.

God assures us that if we follow His path, He’ll deliver us into a far better place than Dismal. He’ll provide and we’ll lack nothing we really need (Deuteronomy 2:7; Philippians 4:19). Yet as much as we already know this, we often fail to do it. We need to follow God’s roadmap.

It’s a bit more of a drive, but another six hours by car would take you from the town of Panic to the place known as Assurance, West Virginia. If we let God direct our paths (Psalm 119:35), we’ll journey in joy with Him at the wheel—blessed assurance indeed! By:  Kenneth Petersen

Bible in a Year: Psalms 18–19, Acts 20:17–38

Our Daily Bread 17 July 2022 ODB Devotional || REFLECT: What are some of the ways you’ve followed your own roadmap instead of God’s? What have you been fretting about?

Our Daily Bread 17 July 2022 ODB Devotional || PRAYER:

Faithful God, help me rest in the assurance of Your direction.