Thought for the Day - Finding the purpose in life’s continuing struggles
I have been enjoying Scottish weather here in Montana, writes Rev Jon Bergen.
The other day I was in Great Falls with a nephew and family. We had a hike planned, till we got to the place and visibility was down to 50 yards and the road was slimy muck.
We barely got into where we were going and wondered how we’d get out once our hike was finished.
Needless to say, the day was a bust as the view we’d hoped for from the top of the butte was non-existent.
For me, it was a disappointment, but real trials do come our way.
Moses was in Egypt and his task was to point Pharoah to the fact that the plagues were real, and that God was going to get His way regardless of what Pharoah’s thoughts were.
Last week I wrote about Pharoah wanting one more night with his frogs, but there was an end. Heaps of stinky frogs.
But the plagues that followed demonstrated that the God of the Hebrews was greater than the gods of the Egyptians.
The point was that this God controlled all of creation.
Again, what stands out is that the Israelites didn’t just walk out of Egypt immediately, rather they had to wait for God to do what He was going to do.
We often presume that if God is in control, He will do what we want when we want it done.
But the struggle was not instantly ended.
The struggle had a purpose, a point to prove.
For us we go through the struggles as well, we want a simple life, an easy life without conflict and pain, but that is not the way it seems to happen. I get asked often: “if your god is loving, why does he allow suffering and pain?”
I have no easy answer, merely that I trust that there is a lesson for me to learn, a promise that God walks with me: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” (Isaiah 43:2)
The lesson to be found in the plagues was that God protected His people from the worst.
God’s control doesn’t end our struggle instantly.
But struggle does have a purpose, and God can go with us through it.