Daily Worship

So You Want To Go Back To Egypt?

Albert Bogle August 07, 2018 0 0
egypt_pyramids
Image credit: Pixabay

Exodus 16: 1-3

16 The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim; and Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’

The story of the Israelite community grumbling to God about their conditions in the wilderness after he has rescued them from the chains of slavery kind of rings true to human nature.

I thought we might continue with more of Keith Green’s output. In one of his hard hitting humorous songs he asks the rhetorical question to believers ‘So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt’?

I can sometimes hear Christian people muttering under their spiritual breath to God, “I never expected it to be this hard?” And I’m tempted to put the lines of a country song into God’s mouth “I beg your pardon I never promised you a rose garden”.

The journey of life is filled with all sorts of bends and curves potholes and diversions. The promise God makes is that he will journey with us through the difficult times. Just as he did with the Israelites, his presence being symbolised by the pillar of fire by night and the cloud of smoke by day. The road has still to be travelled but the companion on the journey makes the difference.

 

Lord,

I’m sorry about the grumbling

Your love and grace deserves my gratitude

Not my complaints

I’m glad 

You’re my travelling companion

Look I’ve started to count blessings

Rather than potholes and diversions

It’s amazing

There are not so many potholes on this stretch

I think blessings can fill the potholes

And diversions? 

Well they give me more time to change

Lord,

I’d never go back to Egypt