wandering

Gen 37:1 Gen 48:21 Num 34:2 Deut 8:2 Deut 9:7
Sometimes we wonder why God has allowed bad things to happen in our lives, or we think "how did I get here? The Israelites thought the same thing when their trip to the promised land (that should've taken a month at most) turned into forty years of wandering in the desert.
If you're not familiar with the story, here's a quick recap: Jacob (Israel) was from Canaan & through a series of events, his descendants ended up slaves in Egypt. God promised them that they would return to their father's land (Canaan). They follow the Lord & eventually come to the border of the Promised land. This is where they began to doubt the Lord & decided not to trust Him or follow His directions. By this time, God was more than frustrated with the Israelites and punished them by forcing them to wander for forty years! He did feed them & take care of them of course, but if they had decided to turn back & go to Egypt, do you think God would've said, "All right, let me show you the way & feed you on the way back."
All too often, we doubt the Lord or decide to try to handle things ourselves. This is when He decides we need to wander a bit. He is still with us & still takes care of us, but he allows us to mess things up so that we can realize that we can't do things by ourselves. Another example is when Peter stepped out of the boat (Matt 14:30). He was doing good, walking towards Jesus, then he took his eyes off of Jesus & started to doubt... THAT is when Peter started to sink!
The best way to approach a problem or situation is to keep our eyes, ears, & hearts focused on the Lord Jesus!!