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“The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.” Job 17:9 (NLT)

The Israelites spent over 400 years in Egypt before the Exodus.  They started out welcomed as family of Joseph. But as government rulers changed, so did their status.  Once free men, they became slaves with no control of any aspect of their lives. Everything was dictated to them.  Their children could be taken from them in a moment and sold and they could do nothing about it.  It was the “normal” that they lived with.

Understanding that makes it even harder to fathom how only two months after gaining their freedom they started complaining to Moses. They wanted to go back to Egypt – back to their normal. They were so far out of their comfort zones that they missed the bigger picture of what God was doing in their lives.

Despite the fact they were beaten, half-starved and made to endure inhumane work and life conditions, they had developed a routine of “normalcy” to adapt to the abuse over the generations.  When they were taken out of their comfort zone – the fear of the unknown was too much for them.  They didn’t want change – even though that change meant a new way of life for them and their children.

In my profession, I spend a lot of time talking with people.  One common theme I hear a lot is the desire “to go back to normal.”  A wish to return to pre-pandemic life. No masks. No social distancing. I’m an extrovert – I love people and I’m a hugger.  I can relate to their sentiments.

While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be able to connect with friends and family without fear of a virus – the truth is nowhere in the Bible do we ever read that going backwards resulted in something good.

There is a purpose for every season in our lives. And my own personal experience has taught me that when God moves us into another season; He very seldom lets us go back and pick and choose the things we want to take with us. This world is not our home.  And until we either leave this life through rapture or the grave – things will continue to change.

In Job 17:9 we read that “the righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.” (NLT)

Our lives before the pandemic might not have been as horrific as the Israelites.  But perhaps God was trying to get our attention – to get us out of our “comfort zones.”  To get us out of the “normal” of full schedules overloaded with no time to read the Word of God or pray.

“Father help us to not be like the Israelites and miss the bigger picture. Open our eyes to see that we must keep moving forward adapting to the changes of the season – fully trusting in the fact that you are our El Shaddai.”

For His Glory

Laura Holmes (www.ephraimministries.org)
TRBC Women’s Life