# NEW MERCIES DAILY!
THEME:
“WHEN GOD TOOK THE LONG WAY”
How Divine Delays and Detours-Delayed Pathways to Destiny-Are Disguised Blessings.
There are seasons when we cry for speed, but God answers with calmness. We pray for shortcuts, but He walks us through the wilderness. We ask for open doors, and He leads us straight into what looks like a dead end-not because He is punishing us, but because He is protecting, preparing, and positioning us.
This is not the first time God has responded to our urgency with silence, or our desperation with detours. In our last series, “What the Storm Taught Me About Me,” we discovered how trials shape identity. But now, we take a deeper walk-not through storms, but through the slow, sacred roads God often chooses when preserving a destiny too precious for shortcuts.
He sees the battles we’re not built for yet, the traps we can’t perceive, and the weight we’re not ready to carry. So He leads us down Delayed Pathways to Destiny-routes that feel slow, unfamiliar, and sometimes heartbreaking… yet filled with miracles we didn’t ask for, battles He fought behind the scenes, and strength He forged in our silence.
This five-day devotional journey will unveil the hidden glory of divine delay. You’ll walk through sacred detours in Scripture-moments when men and women were rerouted, slowed down, or seemingly forgotten, only to realize later that the delay was the delivery room of their destiny.
So buckle your heart. This is more than devotional.
This is for anyone who’s ever been stuck between prophecy and fulfillment, between what God said-and what life looks like right now.
DAY 1 – May 21, 2025
MESSAGE TITLE:
“The Shortcut That Almost Killed Me”
Scripture Text: “When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road… even though that was the shortest route…” – Exodus 13:17 (NLT)
BY: EFFIONG ETOK
Carrier of God’s Word
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Not every shortcut is a blessing. Some are cleverly disguised breakdowns-detours God blocks to keep us breathing.
MAIN MESSAGE
There was a time you begged God to move faster. You cried, “Lord, why the delay?”-not realizing that what you called delay was divine mercy.
You wanted the job-He saw the torment.
You wanted the marriage-He saw the hidden abuse.
You wanted the spotlight-He was hiding you to save your life.
We often assume the fastest path is proof of God’s favor. But what if the delay wasn’t punishment-but protection?
Israel had just left Egypt. Freedom was fresh. But so were the wounds. And though the Promised Land was ahead, so was war. Scripture says:
“God did not lead them along the main road… even though that was the shortest route… God said, ‘If they are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’” (Exodus 13:17, NLT)
God knew: if they took the shortcut, the war would break them before they could handle the blessing.
And today, the same questions echo:
Why are so many marriages broken today?
Why do untimely deaths plague our communities?
Why do hearts stay hardened despite the rise of churches and ministries?
Why is wealth celebrated while character and truth are ignored?
Why has purpose been silenced by popularity, and convictions traded for convenience?
Because shortcuts are everywhere. And few are willing to wait on the road God is taking them through.
Think of Moses. He longed for justice-but acted prematurely and spent 40 years in the Wilderness -hiding.
Think of Abraham. He wanted a child-but after a long delay, Sarah suggested he sleep with Hagar. Perhaps she feared she was the reason the promise hadn’t come. Abraham agreed-and together, they birthed a pain that echoed through generations.
Some of us are still bleeding from:
Relationships that looked godly but birthed trauma.
Churches and ministries we ran to for miracles-but left with deeper wounds
And now, pause and ask yourself:
Who caused the injury you’re nursing today?
Was it the devil-or your own impatience and pride?
We often say, “Pride goes before a fall.” Yet how many times have we rushed ahead of God, then cried out when we crashed?
May God show us mercy.
TAKEAWAY STATEMENT
God’s delays are often His protection. The road He blocks may be the very one that would’ve broken you. Trust the long way-it builds the strength needed for the future He’s prepared for you.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Father, forgive me for every shortcut I forced. Even now, where I carry the consequences-heal me, restore me, and redeem the time… in Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen!
2. Lord, deliver me from the pain of premature choices-relationships that broke me, jobs that drained me, and decisions that haunt me. Teach me to trust You, even when I don’t understand You… in Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen!
