Walking in God’s will should make life easier, right? Being on the right path should always feel good, right? Surely God’s divine will comes with guarantees, stamps of approval and fast passes, right?

Nope. Not in my Bible.

It’s easy to say things like, “If it’s God’s will, he will make it happen.” Okay, so what does that look like exactly? Does it mean the money will just be there? Does it mean the blessings will just pour down? Does it mean you’ll supernaturally always feel so good about it all?

Let me tell you honestly, if it’s God’s will, you may have to endure massive hardship to walk in it. If it’s God’s will, you may feel stuck and still not see things change. If it’s God’s will, things may first get worse. And that’s where we’re out. If God’s way takes us through things getting worse, then we quickly decide our way is far better. We’re so quick to settle for less if God’s ‘more’ first means hardship. But what are we forfeiting when we do? Plain and simple – you’re forfeiting God’s divine will, which is always BEST.

This is a hard sales pitch. But if I paint God’s way as the easiest way through every obstacle, you’ll continually wonder why things are sometimes hard on the journey of following God. You cannot determine God’s direction by feeling or conditions. Just because your boss is a difficult beast doesn’t mean you’re at the wrong job. Just because you’re going through health struggles doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. Just because your kids are on the wrong path doesn’t mean you were a horrible mother. And just because the journey is hard for you doesn’t mean you should turn around and go back to where you were.

We’re so quick to put words in God’s mouth. Did God say turn around and go back? Did God say to quit? Did God say to assume the guilt? Or was that your own voice in your head? Here’s what I’ve come to learn … I simply can’t trust that voice in my head when things get hard.

When I’m running, the voice in my head becomes an absolute diabolical liar. That voice starts telling me I don’t have time for this run. When that doesn’t work, that voice will then begin telling me how hard it is to breathe. But it wasn’t hard to breathe until that voice started saying that. That voice in my head will begin telling me about my knees, and then dang if I don’t start noticing every little ache and pain. That little voice can talk me out of every workout every time … if I let it.

But, it’s much bigger than just running. Any time things get hard, that little voice can stop me in my tracks. And my voice has learned me so well, because it will even say things like, “It must not be God’s will because this is just so hard.” But I’ve checked that voice with the word of God and it ends up it’s simply NOT TRUE. God’s word tells me his divine will and holy plan will take me right through the threat of the sea, right through the barren wilderness, right through every reason I never wanted to go in the first place … and his plan for me through it all will be good. It may not feel good in the process, but my feelings cannot sit on the throne.

God’s will was for Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and into God’s promised land. God had warned that Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he wouldn’t make it easy on the Israelites. God’s promise was to be with them through it all, but they would still have to go through it.

Is that enough for you? Is God’s promise to be with you through it all enough for you to walk with him in this? Or are you still waiting on his promise to make it easy for you? That promise will never come, my friend. He will be with you, he will make a way for you, he will strengthen you, he will guide you, but there will be some ridiculously hard days along the way. And never miss those hard days are for a purpose. God is doing something in you through the struggle.

Moses obeys the Lord and goes to Pharaoh and delivers the divine message. And if Moses is obedient to God, things should go good – right? Actually, no. Things are about to get worse. Exodus 5: 1, “Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh. They told him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: Let my people go so they may hold a festival in my honor in the wilderness.'” Verse 2, “Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”

Now, things get worse because of Moses’ obedient ask. Verses 6-9 “That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen: “Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves! But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s why they’re crying out. Load them down with more work. Make them sweat! That will teach them…”

Now God’s people are still slaves with even more work. Listening to God only got them worse conditions. In their minds this wasn’t the way it was supposed to work. And honestly, don’t you kindof think the same way? If God’s in it, it won’t get worse, it will get better – but sometimes before it gets divinely better it gets devastatingly worse.

Does devastatingly worse mean God’s not in it? Does devastatingly worse mean you’re doing it wrong? Does devastatingly worse mean it will always be this bad? No, it doesn’t.

God was in it. God knew this would happen. And God was working through it.

Can you trust God if it gets worse? Well, what’s your alternative? Really – do you just not trust God and do it your own way? Do you not trust God and stop trying to seek freedom? Do you not trust God and just settle into a life he’s trying to lead you out of? Most of the time, yes – that’s exactly what we do. And what do we forfeit?

Let this be our prayer today: Lord, don’t let me quit.

Imagine how Moses must have felt as he watches his people get punished with more work because of his obedience in asking Pharaoh to let them go. Of course Moses wanted to quit after his seemingly failed first attempt. Moses comes to God and says in verse 22-23, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!”

Fair feelings.

Listen to me – God can handle your fair feelings. He wants you to bring those feelings of disappointment and frustration right to him. He will guide you right through it.

Here’s what we learn – sometimes God allows things to get worse to set us free. Because honestly, would we seek his freedom if things didn’t get worse? Really, wouldn’t you just settle right in and make peace with it all if God didn’t allow it to get worse? Things getting worse didn’t mean they were out of God’s will – it actually meant God was working to set them free. He was getting ready to show them his power at work all around them in miraculous ways. He was setting them apart by his hand. And ultimately, he was making a way for them to walk out not only free, but blessed!

This time of hardship was necessary. Not desirable, but necessary. God was working here. The truth is, God could have freed his people without this hardship. He could have done it instantly. If he wanted, he could have struck every Egyptian dead in a day and his people could have walked out of their 400 year captivity instantly. But God knew the promises he had for his people required testing and stretching first.

Moses had to learn he could really trust God.

It’s like ziplining. If you’ve ever been ziplining you know they put you in a harness first. That harness isn’t attached to anything, it just rides up on you in awkward places. Then, they attach that harness to the line and they let you test it. You put your weight on the harness first and you see that it’s got you. Until you test it out, you don’t feel secure. But once you have put weight on it, stretched out that line, then you know you’re safe to jump.

God was showing Moses he could be trusted through this. Moses was learning to put his weight on the Lord, stretch out that line, and ultimately jump. Exodus 6:1, The Lord told Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let the people go. In fact, he will force them to leave his land!”

God is saying, you can trust me in this trouble.

My sister, you can trust God in your trouble. He’s right here with you. He’s already seen the way through this. And if the way through it means things get worse first, then you can still trust him. Test that harness. Rest in him. Lean on him. He’s got you. You’re safe to jump with him.

Lord, don’t let me quit. Continually remind me I can trust you in this trouble.

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