We now find ourselves in chapter 13, verses 17 through 22 of Exodus, and I've entitled this “Difficulty and Grace.”
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
In this little vignette, we learn so much about a biblical perspective on hardship. Let me start with us and look back at what this passage teaches us. I think we all have to confess that there's no idol more seductive or deceptive than the idol of comfort and pleasure. This idol, somehow, seems to capture us all. We all tend to hate hardship of any kind. We want difficulty-free relationships and predictable schedules. We don't ever want to be sick. We don't ever want to be poor. We don't ever want to be rejected. We don't ever want to suffer. And we are tempted to be the most grateful to God when things are going well in our eyes.
On the other hand, it's often in moments of suffering that we are tempted to question God's goodness, God's faithfulness, and God's love. So I am convinced that historical passages like this one are recorded and preserved for us in Scripture by a God who loves us and wants us to examine the idols and allegiances of our heart. Here's the scene our passage paints for us: the children of Israel have now finally escaped their long captivity by the miracle of the power of God; and they are on a short trip to the land that God had promised them. But there's a problem, the land is not empty–it's inhabited by the warrior Philistine nation, and the Philistines are not about to move out. So God, in the tenderness of his love and grace, knew that these recent slaves, beaten down as they were, were not ready for war. So God, in his perfect wisdom, understands that they would panic and want to return to Egypt the first time they faced the conflict that they were going to face in the Promised Land. So because God loves them, he leads them back around, away from the promised land, and camps them in front of the Red Sea.
Now, you know the story. God is about to take the children of Israel, where they do not want to go, in order to produce in them something that they desperately need, and don't know they need. Let me say that again. God is about to take the children of Israel, where they do not want to go, in order to produce in them something they desperately need. And God will do the same for you. He will take you places where you do not want to go. You won't understand why God has brought X, Y, and Z into your life. But he does that in order to produce in you something that you could not produce on your own. You know what this is called? Grace. God's grace often comes to us in uncomfortable forms. We need to teach one another and encourage one another, and accept God's uncomfortable grace, because often that's just the grace we need!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. In what ways have the idols of comfort and pleasure captured your heart? What hardships are you currently avoiding or neglecting to face?
2. In your past, how has suffering tempted you to question God’s goodness, faithfulness and love? Would you say that you are someone who longs to avoid suffering? What might the Lord want to teach you specifically if you were willing to lean into the pain of suffering? What allegiances of comfort, convenience, and pleasure might be exposed in your life if God ordained you to suffer in some way?
3. How have you seen God work in your life in ways that you didn’t expect? How did God’s work change you, even though his work in your life may have been extremely difficult and painful? What kinds of idols were exposed in your life that you were able to see because of going through a specific trial?
4. As you look back on various trials in your life, what can you now observe that you know were God’s means of transforming you with his uncomfortable grace?
For Younger Children:
1. Why do you think God allows hard and painful things to happen in our lives?
2. What has been hard for you lately? How do you think God can work through that to help you?
3. What are some things that kids want that you know aren’t really good for them? Why might a good mom or dad refuse to give a kid what he or she wants? Even though it can be uncomfortable, does a good mom or dad know what’s best for their child? How can we understand God by looking at the example of a good mom or dad?
For Older Children:
1. Why are truly good things in life mostly difficult to get? (think about working out to get in shape, saving money over time to buy something nice, etc.) How does the difficulty help you to appreciate the good things in life even more?
2. Why do you think God allows difficult and painful things to happen in our lives?
3. What has been really difficult for you lately? How do you think God can work through that in order to help you and make you a better person? Why is becoming a better person so important to God? To you?
4. How can I help you to make sense of the difficult things in your life?
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