Does God have a reset button?

Maybe what he actually has is a "Chose your own adventure book." You know the kind where you would read a page or two of a story and then you are left with a couple choices to make to continue the story. Based on the choice you make you turn to a different page in the book. Make decision A and turn to page 44. Make decision B and turn to page 132. You read a couple more pages and again are left with a choice to make. Turn to a different page and on and on it goes until the story is over and you either succeeded or did not succeed and you would have to start over.

But eventually you got to the end of the story and it worked out like it was suppose to.

Is this life?

God has a will and a way for all of our lives. But he also created us with the ability to make choices and a free will.

So which is it?

How does it work?

Is there an easy way to go through life and get the full blessings of God and live out his full will and way? Or have I taken so many detours so far that I am not realzing my full potential or maximum blessings I could have at this time.

Maybe this would help clarify what I am saying.

Many of us know the story of Joseph and his brothers. Jacob (Israel) had 12 sons, but the 11th son, Joseph, was screwed by many of his older brothers and sold into slavery. Eventually he makes his way through Egypt with many more ups and downs. Ultimately he becomes one of the top leaders in all of Egypt (2nd to Pharoah). Joseph was able to interupt a dream for the Pharoah and was able to stave off a massive famine that hit all over the area, including where Israel and his sons and their families had settled. They make their way down to Egypt and did not know Joseph was in charge. Joseph hides this fact at first as he makes it difficult for his brothers to get what they want (food). After a couple trips back and forth, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and his father and the whole clan of Israelites settle into Egypt for over 400 years getting fat off the land and multiplying rapidly ultimately becoming over a million strong.

Many of us also know the story of Moses and the Exodus out of Egypt.

But was the Exodus necessary?

God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give them their land from the beginning. So what if after the famine was over, Israel had returned to their home land?

Wouldn't God have smote their enemies and made sure any other nationality that had settled there would be "taken care of?"

Afterall, famine had just ripped through the land so the enemy would even be weak.

And what of the fact that God was silent for over 400 years (from the time Joseph dies until "a new king, who knew not Joseph, came to power in Egypt") while Israel just sat around getting fat and happy and not claiming the promise and covenant God had given to them?

The only other time in scripture where God is silent for that long is between the last of the prophets (Malachi, Zechariah, etc.) and the announcement to Mary (roughly 400 years again).

This all makes me wonder if the Exodus and 40 years of wondering was an (yes I'll say it) unnecessary detour that God had to put the Israelites through.

What if the famine ends and the children of Israel travelled back to Canaan immediately afterward?

God's will was still accomplished, Israel ended up in Canaan, but it seems odd to me that his promise would be over 400 years in the making (especially when they already had it).

God's will will still be accomplished in my life and your life, but are we experiencing unncessary detours along the way? Are we having to go through "40 years of wandering" that are really a loss of our time and dragging us down?

When we come to forks in the road of life and chose to turn to page 85, does that end up being the long way to our ultimate goal?

Maybe I should have made that left at Albuquerque and turnd to page 47.