There is a story in the Bible where Moses asked Pharaoh to let God’s people go, and Pharaoh was so angry he said, “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of bricks they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle.” Exodus. 5:7-8 ESV.
I see a wrestle here in the spirit in a natural tension. The people have no idea that God is working a plan to set them free from captivity. The people are enslaved, and now their work has just gotten harder, yet they have no idea that a breakthrough is about to come. There is a miracle around the corner, but things got worse before they got better. Even when the miracle came, their hardships robbed their ability to see the blessings all around them.
How often is it like this for us too? We are praying for a breakthrough, and we have no idea that the Lord is working out something on our behalf. But things often get worse before they get better. In fact, I believe that the trial right before the healing is usually the hardest one of all—the one designed to take us out of the fight. When our eyes are open and fixed on Jesus, we can recognize what is happening, but when our eyes are fixed on the circumstances, we usually lose sight of the miracle that is about to burst.
How often have we found ourselves in a bad situation, a painful situation of hurt and betrayal or a possible diagnosis or a crisis in a relationship, only to find that it could get worse, and it does? The very straw we once had is taken, and now we have the additional burden of all the pain, plus having to go and find our straw… It’s a metaphor for life.
Maybe you are walking through something like me and need to pray a prayer like this in the midst of your struggle. Here is the honest cry of my heart today.
Lord, I am walking my own trial before the miracle. This week I was confronted with a burden from the past that as long as it was out of my mind’s eye, I was fine, but when it was placed back into my face, I realized there is still more healing to be done. So Lord, have Your way. Deal with and root out pain, bitterness, resentment, fear; anything that is not from You, oh Lord and, fill me with Your spirit, afresh to love and serve from a place of humility, not self-righteousness and trying to build a case but in love and gentleness with healthy boundaries but also not closed-minded. I do not know right now if this current situation is the work of the enemy or if it’s an opportunity for healing. I pray for wisdom and understanding. Sometimes I just wish that all of those people would go away so that this dynamic would not need to be at play anymore, but I know there is a higher way that You have, oh Lord. I also know that this is the enemy, and You want to redeem it. So do what only You can do, oh Lord. In Your name, I pray.
