DEALING WITH DIFFICULTY

Now all these things happened to them as examples,

and they were written for our admonition,

upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 

1 Corinthians 10:11

In May 1998, when I was standing on the plateaus of Normandy in France, our guide was explaining that when the allies landed and drove the Germans back, people ran to nearby towns proclaiming, “You’re liberated!  You’re liberated!”  To which the people of the town said, “Liberated from what?”  They didn’t even know that the Germans had occupied France!

Christians in America today may not be taking to heart that our country is being occupied by the forces of evil and that the spiritual darkness around us is deepening.  Just as it happened to Israel after the death of Joseph, so it is happening to us. There is a lesson for us in Exodus 1-2. 

Israel’s shift into slavery was another Satanic strategy to destroy or cripple the people of God. He meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.  Most of the nation forgot God’s promises and became bitter and disillusioned, but there has always been a remnant according to grace.  There was a remnant of people who believed God’s promises and waited to take Joseph’s bones out of Egypt with them.  Four of those people were Shiphrah, Puah, Amram and Jochabed.  Through 400 years of slavery (Gen. 15:13), they learned that hard times don’t erase God’s promises, that harsh treatment doesn’t escape God’s notice and that heavy tests don’t eclipse God’s concern. Read Hebrews 11:23.

When hard times come your way, is your faith in God shaken? Consider Psalm 112. When personal tragedy strikes you, how do you respond? Do you truly take to heart Romans 8:28? When you experience harsh treatment, do you have an unwavering confidence in the presence and care of God? Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10:28-31.

 Ike Graham