The book of Exodus is the book of redemption, wherein we see that God’s heart is for us and that He has a plan to set us free. Exodus is a picture book of God’s redemptive character, of His desire to set at liberty those who were enslaved by sin and stuck in a coffin in Egypt.

Between Genesis 50 and Exodus 1 is a time gap of approximately four hundred years, a time gap during which something quite amazing happened. You see, the seventy souls who originally entered the land of Egypt in Genesis 50 numbered approximately three million in Exodus 1. Worried that they would one day be outnumbered, the Egyptians tried to slow down the population growth of God’s people. But, as always, God had a plan even in this.

God allows His people to be afflicted because He knows the same thing my high school football coach knew. Coach Dominguez told us that the only way to increase our strength was to break down our muscles. And he was right. The foundational premise of weight training is that hard exercise allows a muscle to break down, eventually repairing itself stronger than it was before.

The same thing holds true spiritually. Because faith is a muscle that needs to be worked, if I am to grow in depth, in strength, or in maturity, there’s no other way than to go through testing, trial, and affliction. Therefore, when I feel like I’m breaking down, falling apart, or caving in, if I listen, I’ll hear the voice of the ultimate coach, Jesus, saying, “Trust Me. I know what I’m doing. These hard times are necessary to build your strength, to give you victory.”