Never Forsaken: In This World You Will Have Trouble

 

The Lord said to Moses, “when you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.  Exodus 4:21

 Take another look at the verse for today above. It’s Moses’ commissioning statement. He is being sent and told that he will not be smoothly successful. He will face opposition, but that doesn’t negate God’s directions, say that Moses heard wrong, or that he’s not doing what he was supposed to. God is telling Moses that trouble will come, but God has still sent him and is still with him. That’s all Moses needed to be successful in the face of impossibility, and it’s all we need too.

 We know the story. Moses goes back to Egypt and he and Aaron go before Pharaoh, performing signs and wonders, and Pharaoh refuses to do what he is asked to do, he refuses to let God’s people go. The thing that’s interesting about today’s text is that Moses knew this story too, before it played out. Most of the time, like last week, we read the story with the eyes of it being history. We know the end from the beginning, but the people involved in it typically don’t. On Friday, we read about how God turned Moses’ staff into a snake and then had him pick it back up. Moses didn’t know that his staff would turn into a snake when he threw it on the ground as instructed – that’s why he ran away from it (Exodus 4:3). Neither did he know that God would turn the snake back into a staff when he picked it up. That’s part of what made obeying difficult, but Moses did it anyways. Here, though, God tells Moses what is going to happen. He tells Moses that Pharaoh will be difficult and not do what Moses is asking him to. Why? Well, I presume, because God knew that Moses had to know this from the beginning so that he wouldn’t lose heart when it happened. Likewise, God gives us some similar insight for our lives.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God's service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. 1 Thessalonians 3:2-3

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ... Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:2-4, 12

 Just like Moses, as we are commissioned and sent off into the world to share God’s love and live a life serving and glorifying Him, we are told that we will be met, not with joyful acceptance, but with resistance. We are told that we will face trials and persecution, that “in this world (we) will have trouble.” Why are we told this? Because God doesn’t want us to be surprised when it happens and misinterpret it for having not “heard” right. He doesn’t want us to think that because things didn’t go the way we expected or thought they should, that it means we weren’t supposed to do what we were doing. Quite the opposite, in many ways trouble shows us that we are doing exactly what we were supposed to do.

Here’s the Thing: Moses was about to face some pretty severe opposition. It was going to look like nothing was going as it was supposed to. God knew that he would need some support and encouragement in this, and He provided it with foreknowledge of the trouble. God did the same for us. Yes, we will have trouble in this world, but we can take heart, for Jesus has overcome the world!