Day 1: When Life Turns On A Dime
Scripture: Exodus 1
Life can turn on a dime. One moment you're enjoying the blessings of God poured into your life and then, suddenly, tragedy hits and you feel like life is in shambles. Jesus said that in this world you will have troubles (John 16:33). He did not say you may. He said you will. If our hope is in our happenings, we will be in for a roller-coaster ride.
In Exodus we are going to get an up close look at life in the wilderness. Every one of us will at some point find ourselves in our own wilderness. A season of confusion, perhaps despair. A season of dryness. A season where it seems like God is silent. A season where we feel like we're just wandering, not sure our lives are really heading anywhere.
Hope comes in the wilderness. It's in the wilderness where God does some of His finest work. It's in the wilderness where God shows up in glory. It's in the wilderness where we are reminded that we can't deliver ourselves. We need The Deliverer.
Chapter one in the Hebrew text actually begins with the word “and." Exodus is really a continuation of the story of God and His chosen people which began in Genesis. A story that ends in the book of Revelation when Jesus returns and establishes His kingdom forever. I guess you could say it's a story that never ends for God's people. He will always be our deliverer.
In the first seven verses we see the original remnant of seventy who came to live in Egypt begin to grow exponentially. According to Exodus 12:37, the number grew to "six hundred thousand men,” not including women or children. This remnant of seventy grew to anywhere up to two million people!
This became a threat to the new Pharaoh. It doesn't take long to become yesterday's news. This Pharaoh didn't know of Joseph, nor did he care how he had come to the rescue of the Egyptian people. Life isn't fair. Sometimes we aren't recognized or appreciated. That's just a reality of life.
The king came up with two diabolical plans to deal with the Jews. One: force them into slavery. Two: commit genocide. He ordered every newborn Jewish boy to be killed by the midwives delivering them. What bravery of these midwives to defy the king. Like with Esther, God had them living "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).
Life indeed can turn on a dime. Once a favored people, now a thorn in the flesh of Pharaoh. A people of destiny, now a people of despair. Or so it seemed. Remember this: Despair is a great opportunity for deliverance! Earthly trials can lead to eternal triumph. God wasn’t done with His people. He was just beginning His redemptive work. And it’s true for you and me.
Take comfort and courage in the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18: "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
Scripture: Exodus 1
Life can turn on a dime. One moment you're enjoying the blessings of God poured into your life and then, suddenly, tragedy hits and you feel like life is in shambles. Jesus said that in this world you will have troubles (John 16:33). He did not say you may. He said you will. If our hope is in our happenings, we will be in for a roller-coaster ride.
In Exodus we are going to get an up close look at life in the wilderness. Every one of us will at some point find ourselves in our own wilderness. A season of confusion, perhaps despair. A season of dryness. A season where it seems like God is silent. A season where we feel like we're just wandering, not sure our lives are really heading anywhere.
Hope comes in the wilderness. It's in the wilderness where God does some of His finest work. It's in the wilderness where God shows up in glory. It's in the wilderness where we are reminded that we can't deliver ourselves. We need The Deliverer.
Chapter one in the Hebrew text actually begins with the word “and." Exodus is really a continuation of the story of God and His chosen people which began in Genesis. A story that ends in the book of Revelation when Jesus returns and establishes His kingdom forever. I guess you could say it's a story that never ends for God's people. He will always be our deliverer.
In the first seven verses we see the original remnant of seventy who came to live in Egypt begin to grow exponentially. According to Exodus 12:37, the number grew to "six hundred thousand men,” not including women or children. This remnant of seventy grew to anywhere up to two million people!
This became a threat to the new Pharaoh. It doesn't take long to become yesterday's news. This Pharaoh didn't know of Joseph, nor did he care how he had come to the rescue of the Egyptian people. Life isn't fair. Sometimes we aren't recognized or appreciated. That's just a reality of life.
The king came up with two diabolical plans to deal with the Jews. One: force them into slavery. Two: commit genocide. He ordered every newborn Jewish boy to be killed by the midwives delivering them. What bravery of these midwives to defy the king. Like with Esther, God had them living "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).
Life indeed can turn on a dime. Once a favored people, now a thorn in the flesh of Pharaoh. A people of destiny, now a people of despair. Or so it seemed. Remember this: Despair is a great opportunity for deliverance! Earthly trials can lead to eternal triumph. God wasn’t done with His people. He was just beginning His redemptive work. And it’s true for you and me.
Take comfort and courage in the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18: "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
Posted in Journey of Hope