In the 1997 Labour campaign, they made use of the song and slogan, ‘Things can only get better.‘ It is a Biblical truth, however, that things tend to get much worse before they get better, because true deliverance comes from God and not from better politics, better human ideas or ingenuity. Things may well get worse before they get better so that we see God’s deliverance rather than having any claim to being the solution ourselves.
Moses, known as Israel’s greatest leader, was called by God to lead Israel from the slavery of Egypt to freedom. (Ex 3-4) He was by no means enthusiastic about this calling, feeling (rightly) wholly inadequate to this task. This is partly the point. We are all wholly inadequate, but God chooses to use failed, flawed people precisely because He wants there to be no shadow of a doubt that when He rescues and delivers people, this is entirely His doing, down to His miraculous power.
Moses was called to go to Pharaoh and ask him to let Israel go to worship God in the wilderness. (Ex 5:1) Even before this happened, God told Moses that Pharaoh would not cooperate. (Ex 4:21) If you are asked to do something impossible, you’re in good company.
Pharaoh’s response was to make life even harder for the Israelites, demanding the same quota of bricks to be made as before, only this time without straw. (Ex 5:7-9) Things definitely weren’t getting better.
Moses felt this keenly. (Ex 5:22-23) But this was all part of God’s plan. It would be because of God’s mighty hand that deliverance would come. (Ex 6:1) God was the one who would free them, redeem them, shape them into His people. (Ex 6:6-8) We know that He did indeed do this ultimately, but there was still a long way to go before they saw the deliverance their hearts longed for and they had been promised. They were, at this point, utterly discouraged. (Ex 6:9)
We, too, may be discouraged, broken by the difficulties of life, unable to see a way forward. Impatience, anguish of spirit and cruel bondage may leech hope, faith and love from our souls. But the Biblical pattern is clear. As Nicky Gumbel says, ‘First comes God’s call and vision; then follows all the challenges and difficulties before you see the promise fulfilled.”
God works in His timing and His way so that only He gets the glory. If you are in the period where things seem only to be getting only worse, not better, hold on. The day is coming when you will stand firm and will see the deliverance the Lord will bring, when He will fight for you and you only need to be still. (Ex 14:13-14) The story isn’t over yet.