Freedom’s Plan

God always has a plan, we may not always know it and that’s where faith comes in. God gave Moses a script and told him exactly what to do. He also warned Moses that Pharaoh would not release the Israelites unless God forced him. God promised to strike Egypt with His wonders, and then Pharaoh would let them go. God had a plan, and He made that plan known to Moses, Israel’s leaders, and the people.

What they may not have considered was how much suffering Pharaoh would endure, or inflict on them before he finally released them. Still, God gave His people promises to hold on to and signs to watch for. He promised to deliver them, lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey, and allow them to plunder the Egyptians without violence. Through His mighty acts of judgment, God would cause the Egyptians to give His people what they needed for their journey.

“But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless he is forced by a strong hand. So I will reach out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.” Exodus 3:19–20 AMP

When Pain Feeds Doubt

When God began putting pressure on Pharaoh, Pharaoh punished the Israelites. Their suffering increased, so they blamed Moses, and Moses asked God why He had sent him. When pain becomes loud and threats feel overwhelming, it is easy to question God’s plan and the people He may be using to deliver us. When we have endured so much, it sometimes looks like things are going the opposite way. We feel like we can’t take it anymore, we question God. We wonder why we have to go through this. This pain, overwhelme and fear, feeds our doubts. 

“The foremen said to them, ‘May the Lord look upon you and judge you, because you have made us odious in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and you have put a sword in their hand to kill us.’ Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord, why have You brought harm and oppression to this people? Why did You ever send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has harmed and oppressed this people, and You have done nothing at all to rescue Your people.’” Exodus 5:21–23 AMP

If we are not careful to bring our questions to God and remind ourselves of His promises, pain can feed fear and doubt. It can pull us back into the hopeless place we occupied before God reminded us that He sees, hears, and intends to deliver us.

God Repeats His Promise

God answered Moses by repeating what He had already promised. Under compulsion, Pharaoh would not only release the Israelites—he would drive them out of Egypt.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will not only let them go, but under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.’” Exodus 6:1 AMP

Throughout Exodus 6:2–8, God reminded His people of everything their pain had caused them to forget. He reminded them that He was the Lord, that He had worked through their ancestors, and that He had established a covenant with them. He had heard their groaning, remembered His covenant, and promised to rescue them with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgment. He would make them His people, be their God, and bring them into the land He had promised.

“I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will free you from their bondage. I will redeem and rescue you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.” Exodus 6:6 AMP

God began and ended His reassurance with the same truth: “I am the Lord.” His promise rested on His changeless power and faithfulness, not on the Israelites’ circumstances or ability to understand His plan.

God Is Still Making Breakfast

The Israelites suffered after God began challenging Pharaoh, and their pain caused them to doubt. It is easy to question God’s plan of deliverance when our present circumstances look like the opposite of His promises. That is when we must decide not to judge God by the painful middle but by what we know about Him.

I think about when my children were young. I worked at their private school, so I got them ready and drove them there each morning. On holidays, however, I planned for us to spend the day at a nearby lake with their friends. Imagine if they awakened early that day and became upset because I did not immediately put them in the car and begin the adventure. I had already told them where we were going and explained the steps: we would eat breakfast, pack a lunch, load the car, get gas, and then drive to the lake. If they doubted me throughout every step, I would have been disappointed that they did not trust me to do what I had promised. Sometimes God is still making breakfast while we are demanding to know why we have not reached the lake. We cannot always We cannot always see the necessary steps between His promise and its fulfillment.

The Messy Middle

I call it the messy middle. It’s when God is making breakfast, still lots of things need to happen before I see the promise fulfilled. We have to trust that God is working things out. It’s during these dark nights of the soul, we must work even harder to remember that God keeps His Word. What He promised will happen in His time. He has delivered us before, and He can do it again.  The scripture below is a good one to cling to.I think we should serve it up in the poetic King James’ style. 

“Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow. Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:16-19

Prayer

God, You are mighty and able to do all things. You have been my Deliverer and Rescuer in the past. You are faithful, and You have led me out before. There is no reason to doubt You now. Help me to trust You more in this crazy time. You have done it before and You can do it again.  

During my darkest nights, I choose to trust Your goodness instead of the darkness surrounding me. Like the father who cried out to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 ESV

Thank You for making a way where there seems to be no way. I trust You to do this for me—not because I am anyone special, but because of the blood Jesus shed and the promises You have given me as Your child. In Jesus’ name, amen.