Uncovery: The Power of Community to Heal TraumaSýnishorn

In their wild, decades-long pilgrimage, the Israelites experienced deliverance, miracles, and provision that should have given them hope for their future. But time and again, when the going got tough, the tough didn’t get going. They threw a pity party. They slandered, schemed, and spewed hate against Moses, Aaron, and the God who set them free.

Faced with all-new challenges, they looked back longingly at the days when things certainly weren’t better but at least they were a known quantity. And when they learned there might be giants in the promised land they were about to inhabit? Many stubbornly dug in their heels just shy of the hope-filled future right in front of them. Dragging their feet, clinging to what they knew, the Israelites ended up wandering in the wilderness for forty years.

Moses had been called not only to deliver his people from Egypt but also to empower their transformation. This required sacrifice. It required relinquishing his pride and ultimately his life. From the burning bush to the battlefront, the exodus encounter was never about what Moses wanted. It was about what God had planned since before the foundation of the earth and what He orchestrated in His perfect timing.

When freedom from bondage comes miraculously and instantaneously, as it did for the Israelites, it’s important to remember that deliverance isn’t the ultimate destination. It’s the start of a journey toward hope, healing, and total life transformation. When people can’t see the potential for that new life, they will go back to what they know.

This is especially true when we are talking about recovery from addiction, mental health problems, or suicidal thoughts. Relapse is not only possible but probable for most people. Sobriety (deliverance) is all too often glorified over transformation (a promised-land life). With lives and souls at stake, it’s time for God’s people to go deeper.

Here’s the sober truth: Getting sober is only the beginning.

Getting to the promised-land life God has for all of us requires potential for a life worth living—and worth fighting for. People in recovery don’t always have the means or the ability to build such a life on their own. Perhaps they can’t even imagine such a life is possible. They need a community of people who love them like Jesus does.