Rescue Via Plagues

Most of us at some point have experienced a situation that has led to feelings of hopelessness, a time when you’ve called out to God for help, but instead of things getting better, they got worse. The trials of life can leave us feeling devastated and trapped, wishing we could just go back to the “better before.” But even if we could, do we REALLY want to go back to where we once were? Should we?

When I was younger, I wondered how the Israelites could experience the countless miracles God wrought in their presence, and yet, continue to be so faithless in every trial or obstacle they faced. It seemed so obvious as I read the stories in the Old Testament that God was actively working on their behalf. But are we sometimes just as short-sighted and forgetful? Looking back over my own life, I can see God’s faithful and loving hand working all things for my good, EVEN in the dark providences. Yet in the midst of a current trial, much like the Israelites, I sometimes let fear or self-comfort weaken my faith. I may try to take control of the situation, or grumble about the way things are, instead of trusting in the love and good intentions of God toward me as He continues to work out His will in my life.

From the earliest beginnings of the birth of their nation, God was at work protecting, growing, and shaping the Israelites. From the calling of Abraham out of Ur to the selling of Joseph into slavery in Egypt, God’s providential hand was at work. Joseph went from being a slave to the ruler of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. This turn of events preserved the Israelites during the 7 years of famine and gave them protection for the next 400 years to grow as nation.

As the well-known story goes, their growing strength was eventually seen as a threat by a new Pharaoh. It was not only God’s good intention that positioned them in Egypt but also His good intention that things became hard. Without the struggle, they would not have desired to leave the comforts of Egypt and move on to the better land that God had been promised to Abraham many years earlier. They would have chosen the even the small comforts of slavery to the freedom and promise in a land flowing with milk and honey. God had placed them in Egypt to grow and now it was time to leave, time to move toward something ultimately better.

Sometimes we get very comfortable where we are, fearing change; we do not move out in faith when called to do so. But just as God has set seasons in a year, He has ordained seasons in our life to spur us on to change, causing old things to die and new things to be born in us.

God heard the cries of the Israelites as they labored under the heavy hand of their task masters. God was working behind the scenes, even though they couldn’t see what He was doing. God is working in our lives too; He is present, even when can’t understand what He is up to.

As children, we instinctively feared the darkness. We feared what could be in the closet or under the bed. As adults, we still fear the dark unknown. We experience fear over our finances, our health, our marriage, our children’s safety, and in many other significant areas. So, we call out to God; we cast our cares and concerns at His feet. Yet, sometimes, He remains in the dark, working behind the scenes, keeping His purpose and activity hidden, while bringing other things into the light. Sometimes things seem to get worse before they get better. This was definitely the case for the Israelites.

The first visible sign that God had heard their cries for help was in the appearance of Moses before Pharaoh. However, not only did Pharaoh ignore the request, he immediately increased the work they needed to get done and made their tasks harder by taking away the provisions they needed to make bricks.

Then the plagues came.

Scripture doesn’t mention that the Israelites were exempt from the plagues until the fourth plague. I can’t say whether they were touched by the first three, but in any case, we know they were seeing the mighty hand of God in action, up close and personal.

God allows trials, plagues if you will, to change us and others. There may be times that we suffer from the effects of God’s wrath on others when we are close to them; other times we may watch and pray from a distance, but either way there is something for us to learn about God and our own human nature. Hebrews 5:8 says that even Jesus, the Son of God, learned obedience through suffering. How much more should this be our desire to learn through suffering rather than to escape it.

When we walk through suffering, we learn more about Jesus and what He willingly walked through for us and we have the opportunity to become more like him and to grow closer to God. Imagine all we would miss in experiencing the wonder of God‘s power in our lives if we are unwilling to allow Him to do hard things in us and through us.

The Israelites watched as the Egyptians suffered under each plague. They saw the strong arm of the Lord as He pressed upon the Egyptians to the point that Pharaoh not only released them but all of the Egyptians sent them away with treasure (Exodus 3: 19-22 tells us this was God’s plan from the beginning).

All of this occurred to prepare the nation of Israel for the next season of life. They felt the pressure to move forward into the promise God had given to Abraham many years before, and they witnessed the mighty hand of God working on their behalf giving them the faith to move.

Has God placed you in Egypt to grow? Are you experiencing “plagues” pushing you to move out in faith? Sometimes we are more like Pharaoh, who yields but turns back, not fully surrendering to obedience. How many plagues will it take before we submit, or will all be lost as we chase our sinful desires into the Red Sea?

As the seasons of my life change, I find myself in each of these scenarios.

My goal is to learn to surrender to God’s plan, even in … especially in … times of suffering, learning obedience through my suffering, trusting in His good intentions for me as He works out His will in my life, even when I can’t see.

Father, when I am in the dark, You see clearly because in You there is no darkness. Nothing catches You by surprise, is out of your control, or without purpose for my good. There may be times, when from my perspective, things SEEM to get worse before they get better, but You are always at work. Your good intention is for me to grow through suffering. May Your glorious light shine into the dark places of my soul, revealing things I’d rather leave hidden. Expose them through suffering that I would learn obedience. Thank You for Your steadfast love and faithfulness to me, and for ultimate salvation through the blood of Jesus, Your Son. I am in awe of such love!

In You do I hope and rest. Amen