Category Archives: All Powerful / King of All

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Father / Yahweh, Miracles, Pride, Through Prophets, Wickedness / Evil

Denial Is Not Just A River In Egypt

Most of us are familiar with the phrase “Denial is not just a river in Egypt.” It is a word play on “denial” and “the Nile”. We all encounter denial in regards to Jehovah’s presence and interaction in this world. It seems that some can find a way to reject Him no matter what signs and wonders He performs. Others, even when He gets their attention with signs and wonders, they quickly fall away again once the sign is past and they begin to rationalize away the power of God they just witnessed.

Pharaoh and his court did this over and over, thus inviting God to continue demonstrating His power to all through more miracles. First, whenever God would demonstrate a sign through Moses and Aaron, the Egyptian “magicians” would attempt to produce a fraud… a trick that mimicked in some way the real sign just demonstrated. They would try to point to something man can do similar to what God did as a way of avoiding admitting that Jehovah was God. After they were overwhelmed by God’s signs they would appear to repent. He got their attention. They were defeated in that sign, like the frogs in Exodus 8. Then Pharaoh would commit to releasing the Israelites. However, once the sign was completed and the threat to Egypt appeared over, his heart was hardened again and he would go back on his commitment.

Exodus 8:1-15

Frogs over the Land

      1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2“But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite your whole territory with frogs. 3“The Nile will swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and on your people, and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls. 4“So the frogs will come up on you and your people and all your servants.”’” 5Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’” 6So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7The magicians did the same with their secret arts, making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

      8Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Entreat the LORD that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.” 9Moses said to Pharaoh, “The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be left only in the Nile?”

      10Then he said, “Tomorrow.” So he said, “May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. 11“The frogs will depart from you and your houses and your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile.” 12Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had inflicted upon Pharaoh. 13The LORD did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courts, and the fields. 14So they piled them in heaps, and the land became foul. 15But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

Often we say to ourselves, “Pharaoh was a rare exception because God hardened his heart. That does not really happen today.” I disagree. It is all around us even today. Consider…

What are some recent examples you have encountered from people, even those identifying as Christian, in which they deny the power or presence of God based on comparing what man can do to what God did? I can think of examples in healthcare… people turn to God for help, He miraculously heals someone and those involved start convincing themselves it was not really God, but rather man’s efforts in medicine alone. (Of course God can work through doctors and medicine.)

Apply the same thought exercise to an event like major hurricanes that have led to devastation in some areas or terrorist attacks. (We can debate in any one case if major events like this are guided by God. However, the reaction we see in people is the same as if it were.)  The event happens. People are in pain emotionally and physically. Some who are not close to God may turn to him in this time of suffering. What happens once the event stops and time begins to pass? Some will continue in deeper relationship with God but many will adjust back to acting as they did before… as if nothing happened. This is essentially what Pharaoh did in Exodus 8 after the frogs were contained.

Now the hard part… you may want to engage a fellow follower or disciple of Christ you trust. Look back at your life and prayerfully consider if there are moments when you too dismiss the power of God that has been demonstrated in your life. Avoid the blindness of pride in this exercise and begin with humbly admitting you are not perfect and are indeed capable of making mistakes. This opens the door to growing in wisdom and applying God’s word in your life. Are there times in your life around big events or small ones that you quickly dismiss the power of God, rationalizing it away as coincidence or activities of man alone? Look for it in your thoughts as you go forward in life. Consider writing down when you feel God is working in your life to keep a record. It is too easy to dismiss what He is doing in our lives while at the same time wondering why He is not active in our lives.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Miracles, Miracles, Strong in Our Weakness

Do Not Dismiss God’s Guidance In Search Of Your Own

Have you ever found yourself facing situations where you felt like God was directing you to or away from something. Perhaps you prayed even a simple prayer for God to do something in your life.  At times when I have prayed for something, God may answer “yes” or he may answer “no” or he may answer “not the way you want, but my way” or even “not right now”. He does not always answer with words or miracles. Sometimes he just blocks our path as we keep trying to find a way to accomplish our own desires… having convinced ourselves that God must want it for us too.

I have experienced this more than a few times in my life. I have an answer in mind and pray for help. Then I proceed to ignore every improbable barrier that comes in my path, each time convincing myself that God wants to give me the answer I already identified. Sometimes He is giving me a clear answer and I just refuse to listen. In fact, He often seems to be “closing certain doors” and “opening others” I had not even considered or had chosen against. Pharaoh had a similar problem with a hard heart, refusing to acknowledge God and the will of God despite many miraculous wonders.

Exodus 8:16-32

The Plague of Insects

      16Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats through all the land of Egypt.’” 17They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats through all the land of Egypt. 18The magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; so there were gnats on man and beast. 19Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

      20Now the LORD said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, as he comes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 21“For if you do not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they dwell. 22“But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that I, the LORD, am in the midst of the land. 23“I will put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.”’” 24Then the LORD did so. And there came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants and the land was laid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.

      25Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26But Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we will sacrifice to the LORD our God what is an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not then stone us? 27“We must go a three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He commands us.” 28Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Make supplication for me.” 29Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you, and I shall make supplication to the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”

      30So Moses went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the LORD. 31The LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people; not one remained. 32But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.

Each time you pray, challenge yourself to try to look for what God wants you to do, rather than what you want to do. Identify your bias and try to guard against it. Test what you want to do against scripture for guidance and pray for God to help you find His path rather than your own. Then be open to the prompting God provides to lead you and guide you. He will not always send gnats and flies. Sometimes He is much more subtle. When you ask for God’s help, take special care you do not dismiss His answer when He gives it.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Obeying God, Strong in Our Weakness

Why Does It Seem Hard To Do God’s Work?

Surely almost all of us at one time or another must have asked the following question?

“Why does it seem hard to do God’s work?”

It seems that even when God tells us what we are asked to do will be hard, we still expect it to be easy. Sometimes we wonder… “Can I be following God the right way if it seems hard?” The answer in a word… YES. Neither Jehovah (God) as revealed in the Old Testament nor Jesus (Yeshua) as revealed in the New Testament ever told us living life the right way, His way, would be easy, not after Adam and Eve were forced to leave the garden for rebellion against God.

We could probably dwell awhile on the significance of the impact of Adam and Eve’s rebellion and how it may play a significant role on this topic. There is another aspect which I want to highlight here today instead. We are often quick to take credit ourselves when we accomplish something that seems easy, rather than giving glory to God who made it easy. In fact, if you pause for a moment and think about the most common Bible stories, the ones even children remember, you can reflect on the fact that the truly memorable ones that demonstrate the power of God were only possible because the situation was very difficult and clearly beyond the ability of the man or woman to accomplish on their own power. It is in these events that we remember the power of our God as well as His sovereignty.

It is not unusual for God to make the situation even harder just to show us beyond a doubt that it was He, and not ourselves, who accomplished it.  I can immediately think of two great examples… one involving Gideon and one involving Moses. We will explore Exodus 7 in today’s article, but I encourage you to read about Gideon as well (Judges chapters 6-8)

Exodus 7

“I Will Stretch Out My Hand”

      1Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2“You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. 3“But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4“When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5“The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” 6So Moses and Aaron did it; as the LORD commanded them, thus they did. 7Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Rod Becomes a Serpent

      8Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9“When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as the LORD had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. 12For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

Water Is Turned to Blood

      14Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. 15“Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he is going out to the water, and station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand the staff that was turned into a serpent. 16“You shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now.” 17‘Thus says the LORD, “By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood. 18“The fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become foul, and the Egyptians will find difficulty in drinking water from the Nile.”’” 19Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”

      20So Moses and Aaron did even as the LORD had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood. 21The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt. 22But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 23Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house with no concern even for this. 24So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the Nile. 25Seven days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile.

God actually hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that He would multiply His signs and wonders in the land of Egypt so that the Egyptians, and the Israelites, would know that He is God.

3“But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4“When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5“The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.”

When things are difficult in your own life, do not assume you are on the wrong path. In fact, it is at such times that we often draw closest to God and rely most faithfully on His power… when we know our own power is not sufficient. Ask God in prayer for His wisdom and guidance and help. Put your faith in Him. Read scripture daily to come to know Him more fully. If He has spoken to you and given you specific direction, verify it is consistent with scripture and then obey it even when it seems hard or you appear to face defeat. Praise God at all times and thank Him for His lovingkindness. Give Him thanks for who He is and what He does in your life. You will see His mighty power at work and know that He is God and it was He, rather than yourself, that accomplished His work through you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, All Powerful / King of All, Can God Use Me?, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Hearing from God, Miracles, Obeying God

If God Calls You To A Mission, He Will Help You Complete It

When God calls us to complete a mission, He will often test and grow our faith by challenging us with something outside of our comfort zone. God does this intentionally. It requires no faith if God asks us to go do what we can do on our own. Imagine if God asked us to tie our shoes… does that have any opportunity to bring glory to God? to build our faith? No. It is something we can do by ourselves without God’s help.

When God calls us to a mission that is obviously stretching us beyond our own ability, we must obey and rely on Him to successfully accomplish it. It can be more than a little intimidating, even for those we think of as heroes or legends of faith.

Exodus 3:10-22

The Mission of Moses

      10“Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 12And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

      13Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. 16“Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. 17“So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18“They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ 19“But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. 20“So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. 21“I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22“But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.”

Moses is immediately intimidated by the instructions. He humbly questions if he is the right person for God to send.

11But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

God’s response is to reassure Moses that God will be with him and to give specific instructions. God was not upset or surprised that Moses was fearful.

12And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

God continues to reassure Moses that he will not be alone and also shares specific details about what is to come and how Moses will succeed with God’s help.  God will not always share the details with us before the mission begins, but in the case with Moses it was in deed an imposing mission and God took extra care to encourage Moses.

God will not ask each of us to accomplish such an intimidating mission as He asked Moses… but He does call us to obey His word and at times He still gives His people specific missions to accomplish in His name. We can find comfort in knowing that God will be with us and help us to accomplish what He asks of us so long as we obey Him faithfully. We do not have to complete the mission alone on our own strength.

Do you feel like God has called you to accomplish a specific mission, but are afraid to step out in faith and begin the journey? You are not alone. Even Moses was fearful when God asked Him to take on a mission.  Trust in God and obey.

If you don’t believe you have heard from God for a specific mission, then you can start by focusing on the commands He has provided to all of us who follow Him in His word, the Bible.

Identify one specific task you can undertake immediately (today or this week) that is consistent with God’s word, but you have put off because you are intimidated by it. Ask God for help in prayer and get started! (Hint: You do not need to start by confronting Pharaoh, perhaps something simple like sharing your faith with someone or helping someone.)

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Obeying God

God’s Power Shines Brightest Through Our Weakness

Sometimes God asks us to do things we are very uncomfortable with. We can be nervous or even feel overwhelmed or afraid. When God chooses to use us He typically does so in a way that stretches and challenges us. It is important to Him that we do not convince ourselves that we accomplished the challenge on our own without Him. He wants us to know that He helped us or in many cases, He did it all. The story of Gideon comes to mind as a classic example, but we will study that another time.

2 Corinthians 12:9 9And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

When you feel overwhelmed, remember that if God calls you to do something, no one can stop Him. The only way you lose is if you choose not to participate. Another great example is the story of Moses. God wanted to grow His people into a great nation. He prospered them even while they were in slavery. He planned to liberate His people at the time of His choosing and in the manner of His choosing. Pharaoh used all of his considerable authority and might to try to defeat the plans of God and keep the Hebrew people from becoming great. He imposed harsh slavery and eventually called for the Hebrew sons to be killed in mass while still babies. God, however, would not be stopped. God worked through what would seem humanly impossible series of events to protect Moses and allow him to grow strong so that he would eventually, in God’s timing, lead God’s people out of bondage in Egypt.

Exodus 1:22-2:1-10

 22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”

The Birth of Moses

      1Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. 2The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. 3But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him.

      5The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. 6When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?” 8Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

If God is calling you to do something, even something that seems very challenging or near impossible… you have to make a choice as to whether or not you will obey. It is not a test of faith for us to do something that we can accomplish in our own power. God’s power shines brightest when we step out in faith and let Him work through our weakness to accomplish His plans.

What is God calling you to do in your life that you may be hesitant to embrace? We are not all asked to lead a nation out of slavery like Moses, but sometimes even more ordinary tasks like forgiving someone who hurt us or volunteering to help people in need may seem overwhelming at times. Remember, you do not have to accomplish it in your own power if God calls you to do it. When God calls you to do something, you can trust He will not be stopped even if you don’t understand how He will succeed. Seek God humbly and prayerfully and consistently. Study His word to verify that what you believe you hear from Him is in fact consistent with His word. Then commit before Him to do what He asks and ask Him to help.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Persecution / Glorifying God, Promises

Trust Not In The Accomplishments of Man, But Rather In The Plans Of God

It is all too easy and natural for us to focus on the world from our own perspective… looking toward what plans we make and things we believe we can control. While this is important in order to live out our lives in service to God, how much more important is it to seek after the plans of God and to offer our lives to Him to be a part of it. Only the plans of God will matter in the end. No matter how successful the efforts of man, all will fade and be forgotten.

Ecclesiastes 1:14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:16  For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die!

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14   13The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

As an example, consider from even the Egyptian perspective the impact of Joseph as documented in Genesis.  Joseph helped save all of Egypt from starvation and destruction during a seven year famine. He was second only to Pharaoh in power and authority. He brought great wealth also to Pharaoh. One would think that his accomplishments would last for a long time with honor even amongst those who did not know God, but just observed his human accomplishments. Not so. A new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph and it was as if Joseph had never even existed. Joseph’s family and people were persecuted harshly without even having done anything wrong toward the new king to cause him concern. The persecution was brutal and relentless.

None the less, the plans of God to prepare His people for the future so they would be able to receive the promised land continued even under harsh persecution. God was blessing and preparing His people even when they could not possibly see it with their own eyes. God’s plans to fulfill His promises to His people could not be stopped by even a powerful and evil king with seeming absolute earthly power over God’s people.

Exodus 1

Israel Multiplies in Egypt

     1Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5All the persons who came from the loins of Jacob were seventy in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt. 6Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them.

      8Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. 10“Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.” 11So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel. 13The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously; 14and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them.

      15Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah; 16and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live. 18So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” 19The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.” 20So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty. 21Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. 22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”

I have seen examples in my own life where I went through difficult circumstances and felt there was no good reason for it at the time. I look back now and see how God was preparing me for what I was to face in the future. He allowed me to experience hardship and difficulty and I grew in wisdom and faith and increased my perspective away to be less focused on self and more focused on Him. His plans are not defeated when we encounter hardship. He can use that hardship to develop us and prepare us for what is to come… and we can not even imaging at times what that will be until we get there!

Romans 8:28   And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

In what areas in your life can you look back now and see how God was developing and preparing you even as you endured suffering and hardship… even though you could not see Him at work in your life?

In what areas of your life are you experiencing hardship now? How can you use this as a time for personal growth in faith and in your personal walk to obey God’s commands and grow closer to God?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.