Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Transitions

Exodus 1:8 says, "Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt." That verse explains the historical catalyst God used to transition his people from Egypt to the land he promised their ancestor, Abraham. The transition from Egypt to Canaan stood as the defining transition for the Israelites—what the Bible refers to as the exodus.

I'm sure God didn't ask the Israelites to collaborate on his transition plan; they would never have agreed to the terms. A new Pharaoh, who did not know Joseph, ascended to the throne and things became very difficult for God's people. Here's how Exodus 1:11-13 describes it, "So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly."

Rather than making things easier, God allowed them to become much harder; the people labored to build cities under increasingly difficult standards. There are at least two parts to this story that deserve reflection:
  1. God allowed the Israelites to endure increasingly difficult times, but he did not allow the difficulties to wear them down or thin them out. In fact, because of God's providential care for his people, the added difficulties caused them to increase in strength and thrive all the more. It's certainly not the way they would have chosen to thrive, but God used it nonetheless. And there's at least one reason I think God chose to prosper his people that way.
  2. God used the difficult circumstances to prepare the people to leave Egypt. If the Israelites had prospered in Egypt, they would never have left. As it was they whined (what the Old Testament calls grumbling) about the favorable conditions in Egypt—as SLAVES!
Boy would I like to think things have changed since the Israelites left the land of the Pharaohs, but I know they haven't. Transitions are no easier for me than they were for those chosen slaves. As long as I'm comfortable, I'm content to stay right where I am. And as long as I stay right where I am, I will never get to the place God wants me to be—the place of his blessing.

What does that mean? It means as long as I know I'm where God wants me to be, I can trust that he will provide the added strength I need to prosper me through the difficulties. I can trust that He is using those difficulties to prepare for the journey to my next destination. I can rest in the knowledge that He has a plan and has the understanding, power, and patience to make it a reality.

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