I try to do the Bible once through every year, which means usually around this time I’m camped out in the Israelites time in the desert. It’s surprisingly apt for a time of year when the weather is bleak and you’re wondering when things will shake up.
One thing that always stands out to me every year without fail is the snip snap, roller coaster emotions of the Israelites. It seems like every thirty seconds, they’re having a panic attack/temper tantrum that would put the most unruly toddlers to shame. It’s hard to believe the amount of miracles they saw with their own eyes for how much they freak out.
And their favorite thing to moan and groan about in the desert? That they were better off in Egypt.
That’s right. Finally free from slavery for the first time in generations, finally able to embrace the future with hope, finally able to follow God without fear of punishment, and God’s people are crying to go right back. They watched the waters of the Red Sea part before their eyes and longed for slavery the first time they got thirsty.
I get so outraged at their reaction until I’m slammed with the sudden and inescapable knowledge that I’m no different.
I’m not longing to go to actual Egypt (well ok, maybe a little, but that’s in the travel sense and because I really like The Mummy), but rest assured, I’m just as guilty of wailing to God that I had it better off in a place that he rescued me from. All too often, God gets me out of a bad situation and leads me into a deeper relationship with him just for me to claim I was better off before. And I know I’m not alone here.
Why do we do this?
I think one of the core mistakes that get us longing for Egypt is the pursuit of comfort over God. Because God is so good to us and so loving and so wonderful and gives us so many blessings here on earth, we sometimes confuse the gifts for the whole point. We experience God giving us good gifts and confuse them with the purpose he has for us, namely that comfort and safety are the goal here on earth. They’re not. They never were.
The hard, uncomfortable truth is that life was never going to be comfortable and there’s always going to be something hard happening until this life fades away and we’re reunited with God. If we don’t accept that, we’ll always be chasing that last taste of comfort we experienced, even if it’s not good for us in the long run. Life was always going to be hard, but hard with God will always be a thousand times better than hard without Him.
Our Egypt, whatever that looks like for you, offers comfort through routine and reliability, even if that routine is pain and the reliability is heartache. We humans are so afraid of the unknown that we would rather experience pain than not know what’s coming next.
The other reason I think we often call out for Egypt is control. Running back to what was known, even if it was bad for us, is something we can control. Whereas the alternative of trusting God to lead us through the unknown requires us to let go of control and trust instead. I may be in a bad place, we think to ourselves, but at least I got to choose for myself. So often, we would rather be worse off in control than free in the unknown. Guess how often I choose the first option?
But the same way we were never meant to make comfort our purpose, control is not the point either. If you make being in control the point of your life, you will spend all your days sacrificing at the altar of a fickle god who wants all your effort in exchange for the lie that you are the one in the driver’s seat.
We can’t run back to Egypt without running away from God’s call.
We just can’t have both. As hard as it is, as terrifying and intimidating and daunting it is, if God calls us out of our Egypt, it’s our responsibility to put one foot in front of the other and never go back. Stumbling footsteps, nervous looks over our shoulders, and maybe the occasional fearful whimper, sure. But don’t go back.
Egypt looks different for all of us. Our struggles are not the same and won’t be easily identical and relatable. It will take wisdom and prayer and discernment to ask yourself the hard question: Is the place I’m crying out for Egypt? I think one of the best ways to sit with this is to put aside what fear or doubt or desire is telling you and simply ask yourself if the direction you’re heading is taking you closer or farther from deeper relationship with God. Because as different as that looks for all of us, Egypt is whatever place allows you to prioritize comfort and control over faithfulness and trust.
Courage, Christian. I don’t know what God’s brought you out of, but I know where he’s taking you. I know, because he’s taking me there too. And trust me, it’s going to be a lot better than Egypt ever was.
Let’s find some joy,
A
Avalon Robinson Author 