In the story in the book of Exodus we see how things began to change. Something happened that upset the equilibrium and the result was that the ‘tide turned’ and things took a turn.
Exodus 1:8 ‘Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done.’
The favour, peace and prosperity that they had lived under turned into a vastly different scenario, and they could not do anything about it. The truth was that the new king of Egypt felt threatened because of how well the people of God were doing. His greatest fear was that they would rise up against him and threaten him and his nation.
Exodus 1:9 He said to his people, ‘Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are.’
We live a life where constant change is the only thing, we can be sure of. We can feel as secure as ‘houses’ the one day, and then find that we are sitting exposed in a vulnerable position the next. It was on 27 February 2020, when my church prayed for me and released me into the destiny that the Lord had prepared for me. It was a special and wonderful moment. The church was full, and everyone was enjoying singing, praying and listening to the sermon. Little did we know that a virus, that we had heard almost nothing about, was about to invade our lives and change life as we knew it. Within less than one month we would be in complete lockdown and no church services would be permitted. At the time we thought it would be a week or three, but we did not realise it would continue for months. Months later, as I sit here today, the effects are still being felt and we are being advised that it could still have an impact for years to come. The tide had turned, things had changed. My late father would always tell us that ‘constant change is here to stay!’ Things can and inevitable will change. Change is something we are incapable of avoiding or evading. It is for this very reason that we must trust God so completely. He is the anchor in the voyage of life, and He is with us in the ‘boat’ of our lives, so we can keep moving forward.
THE HARD TIMES (THE SEASON OF DIFFICULTIES)
I do not think I have ever lived through such a time as now, when so many people are struggling all around me. People are losing jobs, incomes, careers and many are losing hope. Many people do not even have food to put on the table, and just a few months ago we had no idea it would even happen. In the story of the exodus we see how that once the tide had turned, people faced hard times.
Exodus 1:10 ‘We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country.’
Often, change can bring with it a difficult season. If you think of some of the changes that people go through and the resultant difficulties. Think about divorce, bankruptcies, retrenchment or even the death of a family member. This is how it happened in the exodus account.
Exodus 1:11 ‘So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labour.’
Hard times are never easy. Regardless of what we face, we can know that God is with us.
Psalm 46:1 ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.’
We are not exempt from hard times, or as the Bible calls it, trouble or storms, but the greatest joy is to know that even when we face these things, we are not alone, our Deliverer is right there with us.
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