And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’” Exodus 6:8
When God told Moses to go to Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let His people go, He did not tell him this would be easy. God never promised Moses a smooth experience in Egypt. In fact, the Lord told Moses, “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.” Exodus 7:3-5
The children of Israel had been waiting for their liberation for 400 years. They suffered immensely in Egypt as they waited for God to set them free. That deliverance was not going to be easy. God had to do many miraculous signs to bend the will of Pharoah and forced him to let the Israelites go. The closer the Israelites got to their deliverance; the harder Pharoah’s heart became.
Waiting for the deliverance of the Lord can be a challenging experience. For, the closer we get to our blessing, the more difficult our circumstances may become. It is as if the spirits in the demonic kingdom can sense when God is about to deliver those who trust in Him. So, they increase their demonic attacks to make us give up before receiving our blessings.
The story of the exodus teaches us not to give up on God when our struggles intensify. It reminds us to stand still even when our enemies are bigger and stronger than us and wait for the deliverance of the Lord. Just as a pregnant woman has to go through labor pains before experiencing the joy of a new baby, we may have to experience pains before we can get our blessings. The best way to do that is by turning our pressures into praise. Believers should turn to God in prayer and praise and their pains increase.
It took ten plagues that devastated the kingdom of Egypt before Pharoah agreed to let the Israelites go. Even after letting the Israelites go, Pharoah went after them to force them to come back or die. The point is that weeping usually comes before the morning joy. So, if you feel as if your situation is worsening, you may be on the verge of your breakthrough. Indeed, if your enemies are coming after you with more determination and life seems to be getting more unbearable, rejoice, your deliverance has begun.
How can I be so certain? Because God promised to deliver the righteous from all their afflictions. God always honors His promises. Those who belong to the Lord will not be put to shame. They may be persecuted, but not abandoned. God will fight our battles so He can get the glory. Therefore, we should always trust in the Lord even when our circumstances become overwhelming.
God knows our enemies and what they are planning to do to us. He will not allow them to mess up the plans He has for us. After all, God went into the fiery furnace to set the three Hebrew boys free. He stood in the lion’s den with Daniel and shut the mouth of the lion to save Daniel and get His glory over the king. The three Hebrew boys and Daniel were both rewarded with great honor from the king because of their dramatic rescue from the Lord. In the same way, God will do more exceedingly and abundantly than you can ask or imagine if you keep your faith in Him when your situation is seemingly worsening.
Questions for Personal Reflection
What do you do when your battle becomes harder?
Why should you keep your faith in God in difficult circumstances?
Prayer- Blessed Lord, I thank you for being my deliverer and the one from whom all blessings flow. Please strengthen my faith when my situation worsens. May I not waiver in my trust in you when I feel too weak to defeat my enemies.
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