Looking ahead

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. Hebrews 11:24-26

Hebrews 11 famously recounts the heroes of the family of God, men and women who “by faith” trusted in the goodness of God and His protection and provision, even in the most dire and desperate circumstances. Within this list of “saints,” we find an extended celebration of the life and witness of Moses. And while Moses perhaps is most frequently remembered for things like the plagues or the parting of the sea, his hope in the kingdom to come most deeply moves my heart. 

Moses’ success as a leader was tied to his ability to hold out a vision before the people of God and continually keep it before their eyes. Throughout their journey, the people of Israel often found themselves weary and worn down by their struggles in the wilderness. Though they’d heard of the promised land, their lived experience told a different story. This frustration and disillusionment reach a climax in Exodus 14, when they say to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert” (see Exodus 14:11-12). 

Have you ever found yourself in a similar place in your life with Christ? Perhaps your faith early on was filled with hope and anticipation, yet as the years passed, life’s sorrows and struggles began to weigh you down, making the “promised land” feel further and further away. Or, as is often the case, our sight is easily diverted, turning away from our eternal hope and instead fixing our hearts and eyes upon the pleasures and passions of this temporal world and existence. 

In moments such as these, let us once again look to the example of Moses, who rejected the “fleeting pleasures of sin” and instead clung to the promise that the kingdom of God is greater and more worthy of our attention and affection than anything this world has to offer. And so, even in our weariness and exhaustion from years in the wilderness, let us commit ourselves afresh to looking ahead to the reward that is eternal and abundant life with and in God.

The Long route to healing

For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. Romans 9:17-18

Don’t you like quick answers to prayer and quick deliverances? You know, those times when you petition the Lord, and then boom! The next minute, hour, or day you receive what you asked. Yes, me too. I like it when that happens. 

But of course, there are times it doesn’t work this way. We don’t always receive quick answers or quick deliverances. But good news! There is a huge blessing in delayed answers. Why? Because in the waiting, a holy tension is building so when the answer comes, God is glorified—and as a result we receive greater joy than if we hadn’t been made to wait. 

In the summer of 2023, a friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer, they sensed something was wrong. They hadn’t felt well for a while, and was afraid. One evening, we got together and cried out to God. “Lord, Release your healing virtue!” An ocean of tears flooded the room. We prayed right there until He showed up and did something miraculous. To our disappointment/frustations/questions, He didn’t deliver right then. Instead, my friend had to walk a difficult road of healing over the last six months. 

But praise God! Even though it’s been unbelievably challenging, I’m so glad He didn’t say yes to the request. If it had been instantly delivered as we pleaded, we would have missed out on numerous miracles, divine appointments, encouraging others, and a faith that has grown in ways the Lord knew was needed, and we would have missed out on seeing God’s glory in healing in ways that my doctors are calling a miracle. 

Jesus uses big problems to be glorified. And when this happens, we are filled with indescribable hope!  Because deep down, we all know we need an almighty and all-loving Savior to make things right in our world.  When our problems are instantly and easily solved, we often miss God’s glory that results in abundant, internal freedom for us. Sometimes going around a problem isn’t always best for us. Sometimes God wants us to go through a problem so we can be blessed. 

Do you remember how Pharoah wouldn’t let the Israelites go and how he chased God’s people to the edge of the Red Sea? This big problem that involved delayed deliverance led to big glory for God when the Israelites were led through a miraculously parted wall of water. That’s why the Israelites sang a song of praise to God after He saved them. When God delivered them from their big problem with a big answer, it resulted in big glory for Him, which brought His people big joy and freedom from their internal idols. 

Ease and deliverance are awesome when God chooses this path for us. But when it’s not His will, He still has a plan to save us. Messes are miracle working opportunities for Jesus to show up and show off for us and give us blessings upon blessings that are priceless and cannot be obtained through quick answers. 

If the Lord delays in giving you an answer, it doesn’t mean He has forgotten you. Instead, He wants to give you blessings you cannot imagine as He brings you through your trial. Wait patiently for him, knowing that he is working out a good story for you, and be encouraged that when the answer comes, He will be glorified even more—for you and others—which will result in big joy! 

“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).