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- Oct 26, 2007
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But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves Exodus 1:12-13 ESV
The prosperity of the Israelites became their undoing in the eyes of the Egyptians. Since the Israelites were a foreign people living as refugees in Egypt, they were viewed as a potential threat. The Israelites could have overthrown the supremacy of the Egyptians, so the pharaoh ordered them to work as slaves. This oppressive approach paid off for a while, but it ultimately led to significant tragedy and suffering for the Egyptian people.
It’s likely that you view certain people or groups of people as either a threat or, at the very least, a group you want to keep an eye on. That seed of fear may have been planted by family or friends, and it may not be something you notice easily. Yet so much sin and suffering come about in our world because of misplaced fear.
Once you fear someone, praying for that person becomes difficult. If you can attack the root of your fears of others, you’ll be free to pray for them, and you’ll be saved from the consequences of fear in your life and in the lives of others.
Prayer: Father, help me to identify the ways fear divides and harms people so that I can love others freely.
The prosperity of the Israelites became their undoing in the eyes of the Egyptians. Since the Israelites were a foreign people living as refugees in Egypt, they were viewed as a potential threat. The Israelites could have overthrown the supremacy of the Egyptians, so the pharaoh ordered them to work as slaves. This oppressive approach paid off for a while, but it ultimately led to significant tragedy and suffering for the Egyptian people.
It’s likely that you view certain people or groups of people as either a threat or, at the very least, a group you want to keep an eye on. That seed of fear may have been planted by family or friends, and it may not be something you notice easily. Yet so much sin and suffering come about in our world because of misplaced fear.
Once you fear someone, praying for that person becomes difficult. If you can attack the root of your fears of others, you’ll be free to pray for them, and you’ll be saved from the consequences of fear in your life and in the lives of others.
Prayer: Father, help me to identify the ways fear divides and harms people so that I can love others freely.
