There’s one movie I think every 80s or 90s kid might have childhood trauma from. The Lion King—specifically the scene in which Mufasa, the father, dies. But like with any good story, we never stopped the movie after that one uncomfortable scene. We kept watching. Why? Because we trusted the author had a good end in mind, despite how the middle looked.
This is how we should approach the stories of our lives. In Jeremiah 29:11, God says, “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
I don’t know what your today looks like, but I do know this: the author has a tomorrow in store that will make you glad you held on. He promises to get you through any tough circumstance and into His best through the power of His beautiful redemption.
Redemption is: “The action of being saved from sin, error, or evil; The action of regaining or gaining possession of something…” In Scripture, no one knew this redemption better than the Israelites.
God led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, and eventually into their own land—the Promised Land. They didn’t arrive as quickly as they should have, though. A journey that could have taken 40 days took 40 years. Sadly, some people even spent their entire lives in the wilderness, never living in God’s promise.
Paul writes about the Israelites’ wandering in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4: “For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”
In Scripture, the cloud represents God’s presence; the sea represents new life. So, Paul was essentially telling the Corinthians, “Hey, we can do a lot of things right. We can value God’s presence, trust Him for our provision, etc., but living in God’s promises ultimately comes down to one thing—living for His favor.”
It’s only when we value God’s favor—His approval—above all else that we walk out of our wilderness and into His promise.
It happens when we value His approval over His provision—not living to get what God can give us, but living to please Him. It happens when we value His favor over the destination, knowing that who goes with us is much more important than where we’re going. It also happens when we value God’s desires over our own—understanding that as we develop our relationship with Him, His desires will become ours.
Your story’s not over, friend. Whatever you’re going through today, keep going! Embrace God’s favor above all else, and His redemption will lead you into His promises!
