Are You Going Through a Desert?

A number of you know that my wife and I have been going through a long foster care odyssey. Close to four years ago, Jilleen and I were asked to adopt a child of someone we knew of. As of the time of this writing, the adoption is still not final. We have endured a great deal of turnover in the parties in court, an appeal which started the process all over, and multiple other twists and turns in what should have been an open and shut case.

So, though this trial, I have been trying to figure out what God is up to.

Early on in the process, one of our clergy on staff mentioned to me that I appeared to be in a Moses season. So I began studying the Exodus story. I also read Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God. Through the Word and this book, I was able to see many parallels to what was going on in Jill and I's life and in the life of our foster child. But there were still some holes in my understanding.

Recently, the church I attend challenged us to take 7 weeks to dive into the story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50. I took the challenge and the Lord led me to further understanding.

I realize now that it is impossible to truly understand the Exodus story without learning the story of Jacob (Israel) and his son Joseph. The stories are intertwined.

Here's what I mean...

God did His nation-building of Israel not just in Exodus, but in the story of Joseph (and indeed Jacob, Israel's namesake).

God's people at the time of Joseph are basically one family, that of Jacob. It's hard to call one family a nation. Further, a great famine is coming, threatening to wipe out this family that could eventually become a nation. So what does God do? He brings them into captivity, which accomplishes the following...

- The family grows over the next 400 years into a nation of more than 1 million.
- The nation is fed consistently and has all its basic needs met.
- Their culture and faith has a chance to flourish.
- They eventually gain a homeland to call their own
- They emerge with a heritage and a story to tell
- They plunder Egypt on the way out

God did it in His timing, His way. While yes, the captivity was what we would consider awful, God used it as a means to an end. It's also a macro of the Joseph story. He was in captivity, but emerged with great favor, just like the Exodus story.

So as I look at Jill and I's story with our foster care odyssey, I believe the Lord is showing us something similar...

- This trial is building your family
- This trial is building your faith
- This trial is building a heritage and a story to tell in your family
- The Israelites' journey to the promised land was delayed by complaining. Don't delay your journey by doing the same.

And yes, God is doing it in His timing, His way. Yes the trial has been excruciating, but it is a means to an end. This is meaningful to me. God is showing Jilleen and I Romans 8:28 in action. All things work together for good.

I hope this helps you as well, in whatever desert your find yourself.