Well, I'm excited to actually begin to read to you the words of Exodus, and my title for this study is, "Things Change." Oh, do they change! I want to read for you from you Exodus 1:1 through 11.
These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all of his brothers and all of that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so the land was filled with them.
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land." Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens.
So, from seventy people to an intimidating multitude that had become the little nation of Israel living inside of Egypt, that group of people became intimidating to the new Pharaoh.
It's shocking how fast things can change for us. We tend to bump around in life, thinking that things will stay the same, thinking that our little plan for life is what will happen. But God often has a very different plan for us than we would have had for ourselves. From the time of the rise of Joseph to a place of power, Egypt had become a place of rescue, growth, and prospering for the sons of Jacob. His descendants had prospered and grew to the point where they became a threat to the Egyptian Pharaoh. And instead of sending them on their way, he chose to enslave them and use them to build the wealth and prominence of Egypt.
Now you may be wondering, "Where was God in all of this? Where were his promises? Where was the exercise of his power on behalf of his people?" There are two things that Exodus makes very clear. First, God never stopped caring for his people, and he had not abandoned his plan for them. The second thing, and this is much harder to accept, but it's very clear. Through the suffering of Israel, God would demonstrate his almighty power and glory, not just to claim and deepen the faith of his people, but to display his glory to Egypt and all the nations to see.
The Bible teaches us that God will take us to places we have had no intention of going and do not want to go in order to produce in and through us things that we could not produce on our own. The Bible has a name for that. It's called "Grace." See, God's grace often comes to us in uncomfortable forms. Often, we're crying out, "Where is the grace of God?" And we're getting it, but it's not comfortable grace. It's not a cool drink and a soft pillow; it's the grace of hardship. Because in that grace, God is going to demonstrate his glory. And in demonstrating his glory, he's going to transform the way we think about ourselves, we think about our lives, and our surrender and rest and service of him.
One thing that Exodus puts in front of us is "Hardship, in the hands of the King of kings, is a workroom for God's grace to do its work and for his glory to be displayed!"
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. What personal hardships are you going through right now? Have you wondered where God was/is in all of your suffering? In the past, how have you seen God use "uncomfortable grace" to change you and others around you for the better?
2. If you've struggled with making sense of hardship in the past, why do you think you weren't able to see it as grace when you were going through it at the time? How has your personal suffering deepened your faith?
3. Before today, how would you have defined the word "grace"? How has your definition of the word "grace" impacted the way you view God working in your life? How has that definition you've created failed to live up to your expectations?
4. Why isn't grace simply about giving you what you want? How does God's grace in your life ultimately bring glory to God, even though you may not initially see that grace as good?
5. How can you be intentionally praying about God working in your life through his grace? In what ways can you prepare your heart for God's grace, regardless of whether or not it's comfortable or uncomfortable grace?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
1. Can you think of any stories of when something bad turned into something good? What is a story from the Bible when something horrible happened, but then God turned it into something wonderful?
2. Why do you think we can always trust God even when we experience hard things in life? What do you think is the ultimate example of God bringing wonderful things out of horrible ones? (Take this time to talk about the cross of Christ with your child.)
For Older Children:
1. Even though we can be confused when we're going through hard times, why aren't Christians ever immune to the difficulties of life?
2. In the past, how have you seen God transform a bad situation into a good one? Can you think of any stories from the Bible when something bad happened, but then God brought good out of it?
3. Why do you think we can always trust God even when we experience difficult things in life? What do you think is the ultimate example of God bringing wonderful things out of horrible ones? (Take this time to talk about the cross of Christ with your child.)
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