Deuteronomy 2

Trusting God’s Timing and Direction

You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward. ~ Deuteronomy 2:3

Have you ever felt like you’re in a season where you’re just going around in circles, not really moving forward? It can feel frustrating when progress seems slow or when the next step isn’t clear. But what if God is asking you to trust His timing and direction, even in seasons where it feels like you’re stuck? In today’s passage from Deuteronomy, the Israelites were told to stop wandering and head in a new direction. This instruction came after a long period of waiting and uncertainty. God had a specific plan for them, and when it was time, He led them forward with a clear purpose.

Here are three lessons we can take from this passage:

1. Trust God’s Timing

God told the Israelites that they had been going around the same mountain long enough. Sometimes in our lives, it can feel like we’re stuck in a cycle, waiting for something to change. But God is faithful, and when His timing is right, He leads us into new opportunities. Trust that your waiting is not in vain and that God will open doors at just the right time.

If you find yourself feeling stuck, take a moment to pause and ask God for clarity about the next step. Be patient with the process, trusting that God is preparing you for what’s ahead, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment. Prayerfully consider the areas where you feel God might be calling you to move forward.

2. Follow God’s Clear Direction

The Israelites were given clear instructions to go north. Sometimes we are waiting for God’s direction but are unsure of where He wants us to go next. When God speaks, His direction is clear, even if it challenges us to step out of our comfort zones. Following God’s direction requires faith, even when we don’t fully understand the journey ahead.

Spend time in prayer asking God to guide you. If you feel like you’ve been going around in circles, be open to His voice, whether through Scripture, prayer, or wise counsel. When God gives you direction, take that first step in faith. It might feel daunting, but His plans for you are always good.

3. Remember God’s Faithfulness

As the Israelites made their way to the promised land, they had seen God’s faithfulness to them over and over again. Even when they faced challenges, God was with them, providing and leading them every step of the way. Remembering how God has been faithful in the past strengthens our faith and helps us trust Him for the future.

Look back on your own life and reflect on the ways God has been faithful to you. Write down moments where you’ve seen His provision, guidance, and love. This will remind you that, even in seasons of waiting or uncertainty, God is always working behind the scenes for your good.

I’ve had times in my life where I felt like I was going in circles, unsure of my next step. I knew I was supposed to be growing, but I didn’t know exactly how. It wasn’t until I slowed down, focused on God’s faithfulness, and waited for His direction that things began to shift. The moment I took that step of faith in response to His clear leading, things started to fall into place. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. God had been preparing me all along, even in seasons where I felt like nothing was happening. Looking back, I can see that God was guiding me with purpose all along, even when I couldn’t see it in the moment.

Today I want to encourage you to trust God’s timing and direction in your life. If you’re feeling like you’ve been wandering or stuck, remember that God is never wasting your time. Trust that He is preparing you for something greater and is always with you, leading you step by step. Don’t be afraid to take that next step, even if it feels uncertain. God has a clear direction for your life, and His faithfulness will see you through.

Today’s scripture reading: Deuteronomy 2

1 “Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness of the Way of the Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we skirted Mount Seir for many days.

2 “And the Lord spoke to me, saying: 

3‘You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward. 

4 And command the people, saying, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brethren, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully. 

5 Do not meddle with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 

6 You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink.

7 “For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” ’

8 “And when we passed beyond our brethren, the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir, away from the road of the plain, away from Elath and Ezion Geber, we turned and passed by way of the Wilderness of Moab. 

9 Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ”

10 (The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. 

11 They were also regarded as giants, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 

12 The Horites formerly dwelt in Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave them.)

13 “ ‘Now rise and cross over the Valley of the Zered.’ So we crossed over the Valley of the Zered. 

14 And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them. 

15 For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed.

16 “So it was, when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, 

17 that the Lord spoke to me, saying: 

18 ‘This day you are to cross over at Ar, the boundary of Moab. 

19 And when you come near the people of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ”

20 (That was also regarded as a land of giants; giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, 

21 a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, 

22 just as He had done for the descendants of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day. 

23 And the Avim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza—the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place.)

24 “ ‘Rise, take your journey, and cross over the River Arnon. Look, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and engage him in battle. 

25 This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

King Sihon Defeated

26 “And I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, 

27 ‘Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the road, and I will turn neither to the right nor to the left. 

28 You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink; only let me pass through on foot, 

29 just as the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord our God is giving us.’

30 “But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day.

31 “And the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to possess it, that you may inherit his land.’ 

32 Then Sihon and all his people came out against us to fight at Jahaz. 

33 And the Lord our God delivered him over to us; so we defeated him, his sons, and all his people. 

34 We took all his cities at that time, and we utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones of every city; we left none remaining. 

35 We took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we took. 

36 From Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from the city that is in the ravine, as far as Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; the Lord our God delivered all to us. 

37 Only you did not go near the land of the people of Ammon—anywhere along the River Jabbok, or to the cities of the mountains, or wherever the Lord our God had forbidden us.

Journal:

• In what areas of my life do I feel like I am going around in circles?
• How can I trust God’s timing in my current season?
• When have I seen God’s faithfulness in my life before? How can I use that as encouragement to move forward?