“The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. Many other people went up with them, as well as large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.” (Exodus 12:37, 38 NIV84)
There are times when God just doesn’t make sense. I read some historic events from the pages of Scripture and all I can do is scratch my head in wonder. At times, I have more questions than I have answers. The early years of the Jewish nation are quite fascinating. God wonderfully worked in the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Through one of Jacob’s sons, Joseph, God rescued Jacob and his family from a 7-year-long famine that would have wiped out the family. God brought them into the nation of Egypt to protect them. But years went by, and it wasn’t long before the Hebrew people began to face harsh enslavement. For a good part of 430 years, they suffered under the heavy hand of Pharaoh and his people. You can’t help but wonder why. What could possibly be God’s will in all of this? Couldn’t He have accomplished His will without the suffering?
Have you ever asked those questions of God about your own life? I know I have. It is sometimes nearly impossible to understand how things fit into the will of God. So, what do we do? We trust in it anyway! We have to trust in God’s will for us even when our eyes of sight would tell us to do otherwise. I read our verses for today and feel that I get a little glimpse into God’s will. 430 years after Jacob and 69 of his family members went into Egypt, 600,000 men (not including women and children) came out of Egypt. God rescued over 1 million people from the Egyptians. Is it possible that God knew this would be the best place to multiply Jacob’s descendants? Did God know that this type of growth could not take place in and around the Promised Land? Was God aware of the dangers they would face from the Canaanite people? This is just one glimpse into God’s will. There were probably thousands of other reasons that it had to be done this way. There were people who God needed to touch, mold, and transform. He uses times like these to do just that.
Given this look, is it possible that God’s will fits into your impossible situation? I think so! God has a perfect plan for our lives. He promises to make good come from bad situations. I am certain that’s what He does in those times when He makes little sense to us.
We’ve got to trust God’s will!
Peace!
Pastor Tom
www.firmlyrooted.church