I’ve told several people while reflecting on everything that has occurred in just half a year that I’ve seen these events as more of an Exodus moment rather than a Revelations moment. And the farther we get into the year my feelings have been bolstered by new events and personal experiences.
Moses was sent to Pharoah to ask to release God’s people. God used the plagues as a tool against Pharoah’s hard heart. Pharaoh was considered a god by the Egyptians and had no concern about the requests of the God of Israel, and laughed at Moses’ request for the Israelites to be allowed to go celebrate this other god. Even with all of the demonstrations and plagues Pharaoh’s heart remained hard.
We may not be enslaved by man, but so many hearts are hard right now. And this is why I see this as more of an Exodus moment. The hardened hearts need to break. The man-made gods must fall. For far too many our selfishness has caused us to hold on to our hardened hearts and cry out to our personally made gods, even when God’s heart and reality don’t line up with what we want. The fears of future struggles and the pain of the current one prevent us from progressing out of the current plague and hardship we face.
The Hebrews were not freed into paradise. Their freedom was never promised to be comfortable, even before they messed up and were punished. God has never promised comfort. God will provide peace, but only in His presence and will. God provided for the Hebrew people while they endured their punishment and wandered the desert, but his provision still required discipline and trust.
A life of peace in your freedom within his will is the promise, not the life of comfort without discipline.
Life is a constant struggle because we live in a sinful world. A close relationship with Christ will bring peace and blessing, but never confuse peace and blessing with consistent comfort. An active relationship with your savior will be a state of constant conviction and neverending change when we use Christ as our benchmark and our God-given purpose as our guide.