One of the greatest stories in the Bible that informs so much of what we know & think about God is the story of Exodus. It’s the story of God setting His people free from slavery, leading them towards the Promised Land that He would provide & blessing them with His continual presence. At each point in the story two words jump off the page though they are never written. “Only God!” There’s no other way to explain the story. To understand the sequence of events. To make sense of how this historic event actually happened. No man could have taken credit for Israel’s deliverance. Only God. And what this reveals about the nature & character of our God is huge for us.
God still works all things together for our good & His ultimate glory. He wants to set us free. He desires that we follow Him. He longs for us to experience His presence. And He longs for us to tell the story. The story of how the only way this could have happened was because God stepped into the story.
Israel has been in Egypt for 430 years. For part of that time Israel has been enslaved. Maybe you’ve been wondering where God is. Maybe it’s been a rough few days, weeks, years. Or maybe your entire life to this point has been extremely difficult. And you’re wondering, “Where is God?” The truth is, sometimes God seems absent. And sometimes it seems this way for a really long time. Ask any slave man or woman of a harsh Egyptian master as the beatings continue, the work is relentless, there’s no reprieve, no end in sight. Sometimes it seems like God is far away. And sometimes this experience lasts. And I have no easy answers for this tension. It’s difficult. We live in a broken world wrecked by sin. We need YHWH to come to the rescue.
God finds Moses in the middle of nowhere & appears to him as fire in a bush. God tells Moses that he has seen the suffering of His people & He has heard their cry. And now, after centuries have passed, now God is going to send Moses, use Moses, to set His chosen people free from slavery. And He’s going to do it in such a way that the whole world will know that Israel’s God is the one true God. Only God. That’s the only way to explain what happens as the most powerful ruler in the known world not only let’s his slave force go free — but literally drives them out of his land.
Israel’s story is our story. God longs to give us a story of freedom as well. What situation are you dealing with? What oppression are you under? What is your Egypt? Rest assured, God has seen your suffering & He has heard your cry. And He longs to set you free. And He longs to do it in such a way that at the end of it all you will say… Only God could have done this. Only God.
Sometimes, this means waiting. And… waiting. God always comes through. We know how the story will end. But the waiting is hard. However, one thing I believe I’m learning along the journey is that suffering is the shortest route between where we are & where God wants us to be. It’s in the refiners fire that we draw closer more quickly. That we realize our dependance & draw near to God. That we cry out day & night to our Abba Father. So when you’re in the middle of the fire, in the darkest night, hold on to your faith in God. He will see you through it. And He will act for your good & for His ultimate glory. If you ever doubt it, remember those who walked before us out of Egypt & into the Promised Land.
