The epic narrative of the Israelites and their journey out of Egypt to the promised land still holds great lessons for us.
Before God delivered his people, he had a place in mind he would bring them into. That was the reason God emphasized their destination in every promise of deliverance he gave them. He knows the promise wouldn’t make much sense to his people if he didn’t include the destination, not just the destination, he emphasized the beauty of the destined place to make it more appealing to them according to Exodus 3:8 (KJV) And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey;…
The land flowing with milk and honey was all the Israelites needed to trust the promise( like most of us). They have had enough of the horrible maltreatment from the Egyptians, and all they needed was a land where they’ll dwell peacefully and feed satisfactorily. It never crossed their minds that they would go through a process that would make them fit for the desired land.
When God’s mighty hand brought them out from Egypt, the Israelites might have thought the promised land was just a few hours or days away, but what did they find? The hot chase. Their oppressors will not let them off easily.
The Israelites had barely begun the journey to the promised land, and here is the enemy, fiercely pursuing them. Confusion would have clouded the minds of those that thought the journey to the promised land would be rosy and cozy. They didn’t know that God had started training them. If they didn’t see their enemy perish, their faith in God might not be ignited.
Before their eyes, there came the pillar of clouds that led them during the day, and the pillar of fire that saw them through the night! That was a miracle there( God was teaching them to trust in the protection his presence affords), but a bigger one awaited them at the red sea. All these happened in the midst of the enemy pursuing them.
What happened at the red sea was so glorious and ecstatic .Not only were they the first breed of humans to walk on the sea bed, with the great waters standing like great walls as they walked through; God showed himself to them as their way maker.
What they didn’t know is that they had begun a journey that would build and make them worthy to dwell in the promised land.
God didn’t include the duration of their journey because they might give up on the promised destination, at the thought of the process they would have to go through. He knew they would dread the process because they were feeble minded. He knew they would choose to remain in bondage than embark on the process that would lead them to the place he had prepared for them; therefore he hid it, and revealed it in their experiences.
Throughout the Israelites journey through the wilderness, battles were fought and won, they were miraculously fed ,protected and defended by God.They never planned to encounter all these,but by divine Providence, they did.
God knows his children needs refining before they attain the promise, but his children didn’t think that way. They had thought it would be a smooth and brief ride to the promise.
No wonder God said, his ways are not our ways. His way is to lead his children in the way that would build, and make them worthy to have the promise. This has always countered men’s way because we prefer skipping the process to have the promise.
As contemporary christians, we can allude to the various processes we have been made to undergo by divine providence, on our way to our promise lands.
I know we wished for lines to fall in pleasant places for us sooner, I understand we want those things we have asked God to manifest immediately, but I want us to understand this:
Sometimes, God will not directly give us what we asked for, he will take us through the wilderness of searching, so that we would be developed and worthy to have what we have found, or obtained.
Sometimes, God will not directly give us what we asked for
Those delays might be God’s tool to work extra hard on you and bring out your best. In fact, for God’s children, there is God’s time, and we must not tag those times as a delay in our lives.
Let us allow God to work fully in us until we have been made fit to receive our requests.
As humans, there are things we don’t give children to handle, no matter how hard they request or cry for it. They would have attained a certain level of maturity before those things are handed over to them. That’s how it is for us with God.
God might have spotted diverse weaknesses in our lives that would make us mishandle those precious things we have asked from him, and he wants us to overcome those weaknesses so that we can retain the blessings, and not misuse them.
If you have asked God for financial prosperity, and it seems it would take forever for your answers to come, check your current predicament. God might be taking you through a process that would embed in you the wisdom to manage divine prosperity, when your answer comes.
Let us allow God to work fully in us until we have been made fit to receive our requests.
You might be awaiting God’s answers to your marriage petitions, and it seems there is a deadlock. Observe what God is trying to build in you, to make yourself a better second half.
As students, you might not understand what you have read the first time. You might have to revisit the material for a better understanding.
In our pilgrimage, it is evident that we are in a process that is preparing us for our destination with God:That was the reason we weren’t raptured at conversion. Our faith needs to be built on Christ our solid rock.
In all things, let us cherish the process God is taking us through. This is because all things work together for good to those, who love God.
Let’s stop chasing immediate results and allow God’s fire to refine us in every process he chooses for us. This is always the best way, because it is God’s way.