Empty Egypt {Wilderness Wanderings}

Oasis in the desert.  Empire to rival them all.  And yet, so empty!  Egypt. It can mean so many things to so many people.  But for those that are familiar with the Exodus story there are several conclusions to come to...

It is oppressive. 

It is a place where there is no freedom.

It may have entailed mistreatment, abuse.

It is a place of crying out to God.

It is bitter. {Exodus 1:14}

It tends to get worse before it gets better. {Exodus 5:7}

It is empty, devoid of what God wants for us.

Have you been to Egypt?  We ALL have.  Maybe it was being enslaved to a sin.  Maybe it was enduring abuse at the hands of another.  Maybe it was suffering the consequences of someone else's sin. Maybe it was a time of spiritual drought.  Whatever it was, it just plain reeks.  Like the stench from a river of blood or a million dead frogs.  The odor pervades your life.  You can't seem to get rid of it.

But there is One that is watching it unfold.  He knows.  And believe it or not, He hears.

And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.  Exodus 3:9

Several months back I cried out.  "I want out."  And then promptly forgot about my plea.  But He was listening, and He took into account that I needed a little bit of saving.  I needed someone to step up to the plate and do something.  Something I couldn't do for myself.  I needed an out.

God is the Provider of Outs.  All those years ago He stepped up and said, "Enough is enough" and lead the Israelites out.  He does the same for us. He provides a way through the difficulty or maybe He leads us out of it completely. But whatever the case may be, God realizes that our Egypts are empty.  We need a fresh start.  We need to be redeemed.  We need grace. We need a way out.

He is the Way Out.