The I-FactorSample

When we think about how God leads us through the process of spiritual and personal growth, which certainly includes getting us firmly established in our identities, the three words we need to know are: out, through, and in. This is exactly what He did for the nation of Israel and it is a picture of what He does for us in modern times.

Israel was enslaved in Egypt, a geographical location in Old Testament times just as it is today. But in biblical symbolism, Egypt is more than a country; it’s a metaphor for bondage, difficulty, and oppression. It represents any type of bondage or bad situation you might find yourself in today. God called Israel out of that hard place because He had something better for them; the same is true for you.

God led the Israelites through the wilderness in order to do what we read in Deuteronomy 8:2, to test them and humble them so they would trust Him fully and to know what was in their hearts. Only after their testing and proving in the wilderness was God ready to fulfill His word to them and lead them into the promised land.

The problem with many of us today, and perhaps with the ancient Israelites, too, is that we want out of the wilderness now! Given the choice, most of us would probably skip the wilderness altogether and go straight from our negative situations into the things God has promised us. When we face obstacles or difficulties, we want God to turn them around overnight, to move us quickly from our hard places into the promised land. But God doesn’t work that way.

God has applied the same pattern of out, through, and in for generations. If we look at the biblical accounts alone, we see that He did it for Abraham, Joseph, David, and Job, in addition to the nation of Israel. And He does it in the life of anyone who commits to living for Him.