How Do We Respond To Adversity?
Reading: Exodus 5 - 7
My Verse: "Moses told this to the Israelites, but they refused to listen to Moses because of their impatience and anguish of spirit and because of their cruel bondage" (6:9).
So the great battle begins - the battle to get the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. The story of this event is great, it is powerful. You do not do it instantly. You don't just snap Your fingers and Shazaam! The Israelites are free! No, it becomes a process. Things get much harder before they get better and You show that this is all for a purpose. You use adversity here to show the Israelites and the Egyptians just Who YOU are!
The situation of the Israelites becomes seemingly impossible - their burden is magnified to what seems to be beyond their abilities. When Moses asks Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out to the wilderness to worship their God, Pharaoh responds. "Who is this LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go." He, Pharaoh, then decides that the Israelites are not working hard enough and orders that their workload be increased! He said they were to produce the same amount of bricks but would now need to get their own straw. When the Israelites told him this was not possible. He responded, "You are idle, lazy and idle! That is why you say, Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD." Of course the Israelite foremen realized their situation was evil, indeed. They tell Moses he is only making their lives more miserable.
How often do we find ourselves in such a plight? How often do we cry out to You oh, LORD God, that our burdens are too great? We have asked You for respite, for salvation from some awful situation, some awful suffering but the relief does not come. Sometimes, like the situation with the Israelites our situation only gets worse and so, we despair.
It is very hard to hold onto faith at such times. It is hard to see You and to see Your love for us in the midst of adversity. We are so often like the Israelites when they could not see You for their "impatience and anguish of spirit and because of their cruel bondage." Like the Israelites we will blame the messenger and lament our situation instead of keeping our eyes on You.
Yet, You had a purpose in all this. You needed to show the Israelites WHO You were! You needed them to see that You were Almighty God, able to do all that You say You will do. For You did tell them, "And, I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that it is I, the LORD Your God, Who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians" (6:7).
You also had to do a work in the lives of the Egyptians. You had to prepare them for that day when the Israelites would leave. You told Moses back in 3:22 that the Israelite women would basically plunder the Egyptians. "But every woman shall solicit of her neighbor and of her that may be residing at her house jewels and articles of silver and gold, and garments, which you shall put on your sons and daughters, and you shall strip the Egyptians."
I heard a great lecture this weekend while visiting my son, Ethan's university. The lecture was about conflict and how we need to look at conflict as a way to reconciliation and reformation. In the situation of the Israelites their adversity/conflict was leading to something amazing and wonderful. Adversity/conflict does not have to lead to defeat, it can instead lead us to something far better.
Oh, LORD God help me in times of adversity to not become so focused on the difficulties that I cannot see my way to the solutions, to the growth that comes from the suffering. You, are a God of love and compassion. You want what is best for me always! I need to keep that ever before me!
"But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
Reading: Exodus 5 - 7
My Verse: "Moses told this to the Israelites, but they refused to listen to Moses because of their impatience and anguish of spirit and because of their cruel bondage" (6:9).
So the great battle begins - the battle to get the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. The story of this event is great, it is powerful. You do not do it instantly. You don't just snap Your fingers and Shazaam! The Israelites are free! No, it becomes a process. Things get much harder before they get better and You show that this is all for a purpose. You use adversity here to show the Israelites and the Egyptians just Who YOU are!
The situation of the Israelites becomes seemingly impossible - their burden is magnified to what seems to be beyond their abilities. When Moses asks Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out to the wilderness to worship their God, Pharaoh responds. "Who is this LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go." He, Pharaoh, then decides that the Israelites are not working hard enough and orders that their workload be increased! He said they were to produce the same amount of bricks but would now need to get their own straw. When the Israelites told him this was not possible. He responded, "You are idle, lazy and idle! That is why you say, Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD." Of course the Israelite foremen realized their situation was evil, indeed. They tell Moses he is only making their lives more miserable.
How often do we find ourselves in such a plight? How often do we cry out to You oh, LORD God, that our burdens are too great? We have asked You for respite, for salvation from some awful situation, some awful suffering but the relief does not come. Sometimes, like the situation with the Israelites our situation only gets worse and so, we despair.
It is very hard to hold onto faith at such times. It is hard to see You and to see Your love for us in the midst of adversity. We are so often like the Israelites when they could not see You for their "impatience and anguish of spirit and because of their cruel bondage." Like the Israelites we will blame the messenger and lament our situation instead of keeping our eyes on You.
Yet, You had a purpose in all this. You needed to show the Israelites WHO You were! You needed them to see that You were Almighty God, able to do all that You say You will do. For You did tell them, "And, I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that it is I, the LORD Your God, Who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians" (6:7).
You also had to do a work in the lives of the Egyptians. You had to prepare them for that day when the Israelites would leave. You told Moses back in 3:22 that the Israelite women would basically plunder the Egyptians. "But every woman shall solicit of her neighbor and of her that may be residing at her house jewels and articles of silver and gold, and garments, which you shall put on your sons and daughters, and you shall strip the Egyptians."
I heard a great lecture this weekend while visiting my son, Ethan's university. The lecture was about conflict and how we need to look at conflict as a way to reconciliation and reformation. In the situation of the Israelites their adversity/conflict was leading to something amazing and wonderful. Adversity/conflict does not have to lead to defeat, it can instead lead us to something far better.
Oh, LORD God help me in times of adversity to not become so focused on the difficulties that I cannot see my way to the solutions, to the growth that comes from the suffering. You, are a God of love and compassion. You want what is best for me always! I need to keep that ever before me!
"But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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