What if the difficulty is the point?

A feature, not a bug.

I’m continuing my journey through the Old Testament and I’m in Exodus. Specifically, I recently read about the Israelites and the plagues. And I got to tell you, they took on new meaning for me as my wife and I continue to navigate a tough season.

No, I’m not comparing what we’re going through to the plagues. Instead, what stood out to me is something about Moses and God. Specifically, it’s this: God told Moses to do something to accomplish a very certain outcome, and then told Moses that outcome wasn’t going to happen right away and would be filled with difficulty. And Moses did it anyway. I think there’s a lesson there.

Let me show you.

In Exodus 3:7-10, God makes it clear that he has heard the cries of the Israelites and he will deliver them. He promises it. But in Exodus 4:21, we get this nugget: “But I will harden [Pharaoh’s] heart, so that he will not let the people go.”

Wait just a second! What happened to that “deliver them” stuff? That’s the natural question, right? “God, you p…