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Thursday, January 21, 2010

What is your Egypt?

"When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you...Hear, O, Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory." ~Deuteronomy 20:1-4

I was spending time with God this morning and reading my Bible and God made these verses stand out to me. We have some close family members who are battling illness and just struggling with all of the "stuff" (tiredness, disappointment, etc.) that comes along with it. They are doing their best to be strong, but it's wearing on them. I don't blame them. I have been in my own "Egypt" many times and felt like I was trapped and there was no way out.

They were actually on my heart before I even got out of bed this morning. What an encouragement this verse is. First thing though, it says when you go into battle. Israel knew that there was a war ahead of them because they had yet to take the promised land. So it's not a matter of if we face battles, but when. However, this is a verse that I want to remember not for the fact that trials are inevitable, but the promise that it holds.

The same God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt, is the same God who will fight for you. When I say He brought the Israelites out of Egypt, he brought them. He sent numerous plagues to punish the Egyptians, parted the Red Sea, provided manna from heaven to eat, and allowed their clothing to never wear out the entire 40 years they were in the desert. So we aren't talking about some little God here. Our God can bring it!

What is your Egypt? That question came to my mind as I was journaling my thoughts this morning. For example, "When you, Lauren, go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who delivered you from singleness (not that that is a horrible thing~just something that I invested a lot of prayer into), delivered you from infertility, delivered you from the grief of a miscarriage, delivered your daughters from weak and frail bodies, and has never let you worry about finances, will be with you."

So, what is your Egypt? What are the things in your life that seemed so insurmountable that God seemed to blast right through and displayed His glory? Maybe some of the things on your list will be the same as mine, most of them will probably be different. Those are the things that we need to remember when we face the next trial. I know it's not easy when you are in the midst of battle and you are worn out and tired, but God is not worn out and tired; He is still fighting for you to give you victory through whatever way He sees fit.

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ~John 16:33

2 comments:

  1. Lauren, Thank you so much for sharing. It is just what I needed to hear this morning! Your perspective has totally encouraged me!

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  2. Love this!!!! I have to think back to last year at this time when we entered Egypt when we found out about the twins! Oh my soul, how the Lord worked in our lives and in our hearts!!! So say we didn't have valleys would be lying, but ohhhh the mountains we were put on so many times over and over after each valley!! Our God is soooo good!! Thanks for sharing Lauren!!

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