Between college semesters, I recall having jobs that I really disliked! I hated what I was doing so much and counted the days until I’d be free to go back to school. My parents considered this a great tactic to get my siblings and me to finish college, and it worked! My brothers worked in hay fields or plowed, and they’d come home in the evenings covered with dirt. My sister and I worked at a factory, which required us to arise early each morning! We were all thrilled to go back to college, and I’m sure our parents were glad to see us go, too!
You may have a job, marriage, or other life situation that makes life difficult. Perhaps you are simply existing and counting down the days until something will change! Surely the Israelites must have felt that way when they were enslaved in Egypt. Exodus 1:14 recounts, “They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.”
Fortunately for the Israelites, God had a better plan for them. It just required some sacrifice and obedience on their part.
God has a better plan for each of us, and He desires only good for us. Maybe He’s asking us to sacrifice something for change to occur, or perhaps He just needs our obedience. Like the Israelites, we can only know His plan when we earnestly seek His will for our lives. And how do we do that? By worshipping regularly, praying, reading the Bible, and being with other believers.
Does your situation seem hopeless? Do you need help finding His good plan for your life? Does God seem far away? The good news is that God hasn’t gone anywhere; He’s right there with you, waiting for you to reach out to Him.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace!”
– Susan Meharg, Assistant to Executive Team
