YOU HAVE A SOLUTION AT HAND

STORYTELLING

The Bible tells us that the Israelites lived in Egypt and settled in the fertile area of the Nile Delta called Goshen. Under Joseph’s protection. But things took a turn when a new Pharaoh came to power who didn’t know Joseph. This Pharaoh was worried about the Israelites growing so fast and decided to make them slaves. That’s when the Israelites started to suffer and be oppressed.

Can you imagine living a life of servitude under the Egyptian Pharaohs? Picture yourself working tirelessly under the scorching sun, your hands aching from the stone and mortar, your back bent under the weight of oppression. Your living conditions were breaking your spirit. Every day was punctuated by the cracking of whips, the cries of someone living in a dark, oppressive world. You felt deprived of freedom, lacking dignity and even the hope of a better life. Every day was a struggle to survive, and every night was a dream of deliverance that seemed just out of reach.

It was in this context of pain and despair that God called a man called Moses, a simple but determined man, to free his people from slavery. Moses, raised as an Egyptian prince, had himself experienced both sides of this cruel reality.

THE POWER OF FAITH

Moses stood before Pharaoh, not with an army, but with the power of words and faith. Moses defied Pharaoh, demanding the release of the Israelites. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, and he refused to let the people go. It was then that God struck Egypt with ten terrible plagues, from the Nile turning into blood to the tragic death of the firstborn. Finally, Pharaoh, broken by these plagues, conceded to let the Israelites go. And so, they began their epic journey to the Promised Land, guided by Moses and the divine presence.

Facing the Red Sea, the Israelites were terrified. They knew the Egyptians were coming, and their hearts were pounding. They were worried about what would happen. In their panic, they blamed Moses for their dire situation. But Moses, with unwavering confidence and total faith, calmed them down. He stood before them, looking out at the horizon, and spoke with a voice that seemed to come from God. “Stand still,” he said to them, “and look at the deliverance that the Lord is going to give you today.” He promised them that the show they were about to see would be a sign of God’s power and love for His people. “You won’t ever see the Egyptians you see today again,” he said. (Exodus 14:13) They crossed the Red Sea, which miraculously opened before them, and started their lives in the desert. “With faith, there’s always a way out.”

YOUR FAITH IS YOUR WEAPON

This story is a guide for our daily lives. It’s a treasure trove of lessons for anyone who’s going through tough times. It reminds us that even when things get really tough, With faith, there’s always a way out.” Our faith can turn our struggles into blessings, our fears into hope, and even our darkest moments can be the start of something amazing.

Today, Pharaoh represents our dark state of mind and belief, statements we believe as truth, a source of our daily struggles—that “black dog” that creeps into our minds, reminding us of our hardships and trying to destroy our faith. This internal belief can take the form of an external adversary. For example, your boss at work, making you feel like you’ll never get ahead as long as they’re there. It could be a toxic family dynamic, where constant criticism makes you feel trapped and unworthy. It could even be an overwhelming mountain of debt, a financial Pharaoh whispering that you’ll never escape the cycle of poverty.

Moses represents the deliverer, your faith, a light of truth inside of our heart, a source of our hope that starts to remind us that we belong somewhere else, where we’re happy, growing, and free. And this usually takes the external form of a guide sent to rescue you. For example, it could be a dedicated mentor who refuses to give up on you, a loyal friend who pulls you away from the edge of the streets when you are about to make a dangerous choice, or an outreach program like The Divine Right Wings of Hope reaching into the darkness.

Egypt represents the environment where you are, where your struggles live. Think of Egypt as a thick, muddy quicksand. The more you struggle alone, the deeper you sink. It is an environment designed to drain your energy, lock you into survival mode, and make you forget that solid, fertile ground even exists outside of the swamp. The Egyptians represent the people in your environment who enforce this trap. They are like crabs in a boiling pot; whenever they see you clawing your way up toward the rim to escape, they reach out and pull you back down into the heat so you can suffer alongside them. They profit from your stagnation and feed off your compliance.

God never created your struggles or chaos, but chaos exists where you are because people there want it. Chaos is a system, a lifestyle of certain people who love it and have accepted it. Pharaoh is the words of chaos in which we believe, and what we accept to be true. Moses is also the words of faith and belief, and what is true. Ultimately, the battle is between which voice you choose to believe: the Pharaoh that keeps you enslaved in the mud, or the Moses that calls you forward into freedom.

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JOUSÉ MANKOTO

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