CAN We Go Back to Egypt?

The late Keith Green, a few years back, released a song, ‘So You Want to Back to Egypt?’  What a great song.  There are spots in the early books of the Bible where the Children of Israel cry out to Moses, begging him to take them back to what many of them undoubtedly thought of as their ‘homeland.’  How strange – Egypt was never ever meant to be their homeland.  It was a safe haven for a time – but God had something new, and better, in mind for them.

People fear change.  Change can be a shock to our systems – and our first reaction is to remember the ‘good times’ that happened in our past.  If God is leading you to a new church – a new town – a new job – you are most likely feeling stressed.  The Israelites wailed about not having the fish and vegetables from back home.  While they were nomads, they most likely missed the dwelling places of Egypt – maybe even the Egyptians they worked for. 

In the book of Numbers, the people went so far as to say, ‘We were better off in Egypt.’  We were better off back then.  Does that phrase resonate you?  God is a God of change – of new – of fresh starts.  We fear the unknown.  We sometimes beg God to return things to the way they used to be.  Be careful what you ask for.  CAN we go back to Egypt?  Sometimes we can return to certain aspects of our past – but we may be sorry in the long run when we realize we can never really turn back the clock.

I think I have a strong sense of this since I have worked in more than one church as a worship leader.  If you make a living as a worship director, your job and your church are one and the same.  When God leads you to a new place, it can be heartbreaking to leave part of your family behind.  What’s wonderful for me is that my church family has expanded. It’s as though the invisible walls of my church home have been miraculously spread apart in order to surround a new body of believers I never knew existed.  Ultimately, we want no walls – we want no boundaries around us – we want the Gospel of Christ to reach all people and God’s community of believers to include all people everywhere.