Transitioning
from the familiarity of captivity to the unknowns of the desert, the exiles
were unsure if God was going to make good on his promises. Are we loved or are
we damned? Will the Promised Land be worth the long, arduous journey rife with
uncertainty? Or will adversity and hardship divert the Israelites from the good
God has planned for them? Spoiler alert: There is a happy ending. But happy
endings don’t often come without navigating times of uncertainty first.
Uncertainty
provides rescue from being stuck in the familiar ways of life that keep us from
moving forward into the purposes of God. Wandering into the wilderness of
the unknown is God’s divine reorientation, from what we know in the present to
what God knows about the future. That’s why God chose manna to satisfy the
appetite of the Israelites for forty years instead of milk shakes and
cheeseburgers. “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to
go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them
and see whether they will follow my instructions” (Exodus 16:4).
- Shelly Miller,
Searching for Certainty: Finding God in the Disruptions of Life, 2020.
No comments:
Post a Comment