May we strive to trust the character of God more than we search for evidence of Him working on our behalf.
But we are told to be holy as He is holy. I think this is indicative of how deeply God loves us – it’s not an impossible standard He places on us. Rather, it’s an invitation to holiness. An invitation to be set apart, as He is set apart.
God can’t commune with sin. Yet He deeply desires to commune with us. So something has to happen to make that possible – we have to be made holy.
And that might mean that our desires go unmet when meeting them could lead us down an unholy path. Or if there’s a measure of holiness that could be birthed in our waiting. God has proven that He will do whatever it takes to be with His people.
Scripture has numerous instances of the cries of the people making it to God’s ears, invoking His action on their behalf. But what happens to our faith when the action God takes does not align with our understanding?
God cares about our happiness.
He just cares about our holiness more.
We see one such instance in the book of Exodus. The Israelites are enslaved by the Egyptians when this book starts and God appears to Moses. He tells Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites. After quite a bit of back and forth, Moses eventually obeys.
Now, wouldn’t you think that with God giving the orders, this would be an easy process for Moses? Go to Pharaoh – who is, by the way, the former family of Moses – and God’s favor will go before, ensuring that Moses’ request would be granted. After all, none of this was man’s idea. It all came from the burning bush… God Himself… I AM.
But that’s not how it goes down.
What seemed like it would be a brief request becomes plague after plague after plague. God’s ways often seem to be the least efficient. But they are nonetheless the most effective.
Have you ever wondered why God takes so long to do what He said He would do?
I do. All the time.
God has proven that He will do whatever it takes to be with His people.
And in the case of the Israelites vs. Pharaoh, we actually have an answer. Exodus 7:3 says, “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.”
There’s a reason. There’s always a reason. In this instance, God designed a plan that would allow for His power to be displayed. Why, though? Is God just some glory monger who wants to get the attention of the Egyptians? Maybe.
But a better reason might be that He did this for the Israelites. The ones who were the most frustrated with God’s timing were also the ones who stood to benefit from it the most. Let me explain…
It wasn’t always bad for the Israelites in Egypt. Joseph had given them a pretty good deal. God had orchestrated things back in Genesis so that Egypt was kind to His people, thanks to the favor resting on Joseph.
Have you ever wondered why God takes so long to do what He said He would do?
But then we get to Exodus. The book begins by indicating that a new king had risen up in Egypt who knew nothing of Joseph or what he had done. Later we learn that the Israelites were enslaved for 430 years before being set free after the last plague.
So generations had gone by who did not know the goodness of God in the land of their bondage. And what would come after the Israelites release?
The Red Sea – where they were stuck between an army and an ocean.
Wandering in the wilderness, dealing with a lot of hunger and thirst… and a lot of bad attitudes.
Jericho. The first battle for their promised land, under a new leader in Joshua.
What lied on the other side of the Israelites’ release from Egypt? Fear, laced with a whole lot of impossibility, and served with a side of frustration.
The wait isn’t intended to breed frustration; it is meant to reveal the goodness of God.
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