First Baptist Church of Herndon

The Struggle is Real

Linda Soller | Oct 05, 2020

In our Zoom Bible study group on Sunday we had been studying the exodus of the Hebrew people out of Egypt. It was easy for me to be critical of them constantly challenging Moses and God. One miracle after another and it seemed they still found a reason to complain. When we got to the lesson of the water from a rock, I had an “ah-ha” moment! These people were stressed, scared, and facing the unknown. Their struggle was real. Sure, God was watching over them, but they didn’t know how long the ordeal would drag on, or where they would end up, and they had a leader they were unsure of. Sound familiar?

In our current world it feels like everything is going wrong. In our country we like to feel we are special and have a society and government that is wonderful. So why us? There is good news and there is bad news. The bad news is that we are just human beings, not special, and if we don’t protect and defend all that is good in our society and democracy, they could fail us. Our society and democracy are only as good as we all work to make them. The good news is that God is still with us. Oh, the struggle is real, and I think He understands our frustrations, fears, and doubts. But He is still with us. Some like to believe God is only with “us”. Many of those same people would be happy to define “us” but it may not include you and me. And so, the tension builds. God is with us, not we versus they, but all of us.  The word us is inclusive and when you use it you are opening an umbrella to cover more than just yourself and those who look like you. 

For the Hebrew people in the book of Exodus from the Bible, the crises kept coming. How would they get escape from the Egyptian army? How would all of the people eat? How would they get water? God was and is patient. He repeatedly helped them. He will stay with all of us. But don’t ever forget that the struggle was and still is real.

Be the good in the world! :o) Linda