Escaping Your Egypt - enduring and overcoming times of hardship and suffering

We all have been in bondage in the land of Egypt. We might even be experiencing a time in Egypt right now. It might be an illness, depression, health issues, relationship issues, a heartbreak, financial problems, ongoing stress, an addiction, persecution or strife.

When we find ourselves in that dark hole that we just don't know how to get out of, or can't seem to escape, we can feel defeated. But there is a way out. There is a way to get to the other side of it. It is by the promises of God. He will never fail us. As long as we hold onto that rope of faith that everything will be okay, we can overcome. As we read in 1 John 5:4
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

Sometimes, we have to just endure our situation and wait it out. But we have a hope to place our faith in. Wait on the Lord and he will rescue you. David tells us in Psalms 27:13-14,
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”

When we have reached the end of our rope... when we have no more strength, we need to tell God, "hey, I don't have anything left. I need you." We might be at the point where can't even muster up the strength to read a single scripture or say a prayer. When we are at that point, just say "God, I need you." over and over. Keep it in the forefront of your mind that He will rescue you… you will reach the other side of this. This hardship will come to an end. Repeat to yourself, "Just hold on, just hold on."

In Psalm 34:17-19, we read:
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all.”

Ask God to lead you to solutions, to help, to a release from your Egypt. He sent Moses to the Israelites to help them, to lead them out of Egypt. God can and will do the same for each of our Egypts too.

Moses told the Israelites as they approached the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 1:30-31,
“The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

We might ask, "why do I have to be going through this? Why is God allowing this?" Our experience might be so we can help others who end up in the same Egypt because we once were there too. We know what it was like, we understand the hardship, we understand the pain, and we survived it, and we can share our testimony of the power of God. Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
“Praise be to… the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

God will not allow anything to destroy us for eternity. Paul tells us in II Corinthians 4:8-9 that we may be perplexed, pressed on every side, but God won't let it crush us, He will not abandon us and we will not be destroyed. He promises that we will overcome by his power and love. So hold on tight to that rope of faith. Wait for God to pull you up… and He will do so because He is faithful! As we read in Lamentations 3:22-23,

“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Apostle Paul understood what is was like to endure hardship. He was flogged 5 times, beaten with rods 3 times, pelted with stones, shipwrecked 3 times, spend a night and a day in the open sea, imprisoned frequently. He knew hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness, and sleepless nights. Yet, Paul persevered. He knew his troubles were all temporary. From these dire experiences, he tells us in II Corinthians 4:16-18,
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

We might feel like God is far from us during our suffering. Even David and Jesus felt this way as they both exclaimed. "Why have you forsaken me?" But God never deserted them. He shortened Jesus' suffering on the cross to 6 hours when it was normal for the crucified to be alive on their cross for 2-3 days. In Mark 15:44, we read that Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead. God shortens the duration of our hardships even when we don't realize it.

God will use our times of hardship for greater things. Look at those who have gone before us: Joseph was thrown in the well, he became 2nd in command of Egypt and saved millions from famine. Daniel was thrown in the lion's den, as a result of God shutting the lions’ mouths, the king exalted and praised God to an entire nation. Esther was taken from her family and placed into the king's harem, she became Queen and saved her people. David fled for his life in the desert, he became king. Jesus suffered on the cross, he was resurrected to the right hand of God, he became our Savior. They all had faith and held onto it.

Hebrews 11 is the chapter of faith, in which many of those I just mentioned are honored. This chapter gives examples of what it means to live by faith and to overcome by faith. They all went through hardships, they endured and they overcame. They made it to the other side. They are our examples as we read in Hebrews 12:1-2,

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders... And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

No matter what you are going through or may experience in the future, remember God is walking beside you. He will never abandon you. He will see you through. Hold close to your heart what the Lord tells us in Isaiah 46:4
“Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am He, I am He who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”