Chapel Blog
Emptiness of More - Depth of God's Deliverance
by John Bishop, Director of Spiritual Formation, based on this week's MS/HS Chapel
Adam and Eve were given a world marked by abundance, beauty, and perfect fellowship with God. Yet even in Eden, satisfaction proved elusive. They stretched out their hands toward the forbidden fruit, believing that God was withholding something better. In doing so, they exchanged freedom for bondage and ushered sin and death into the world. That first act of grasping still echoes through human history.
After God used Joseph to deliver Israel into Egypt, a new season eventually arose. Scripture tells us that a Pharaoh who “did not know Joseph” came to power, and out of fear of the growing Israelite population, he forced them into slavery. Egypt, the place God had once provided as a refuge from famine, became a place of oppression and captivity. What began as deliverance was quietly transformed into bondage.
This pattern is not unique to Israel. It is true for us as well. Things we initially receive as gifts from God, things embraced with excitement and gratitude, can slowly become burdens if we are not careful. Consider the freedom of getting your driver’s license. At first, it feels like independence and opportunity. But then comes the responsibility of gas money and insurance. What happens when there’s nowhere to go, when friends need a ride, or when you get your first ticket or accident? What once felt like freedom can begin to feel like weight. The blessing exposes new demands: now I need a job, now I have to explain myself, now my choices have
consequences.
If we are not careful, we fall prey to the same lie that tempted humanity in Eden—the belief that where I am right now, and what I have right now, is not enough. We begin longing for the feeling we had at the beginning and try to recreate it through getting more stuff or doing better. If I just had more money… more freedom… more approval… then I would be satisfied. Yet the more we chase, the more like a mirage more actually becomes.
This is the way of the world, but it is not the way of Scripture. Israel’s suffering in Egypt only deepened as they relied on their own strength. Deliverance came when they cried out to the Lord. When we chase more, we get increasing emptiness. But when we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, we discover the depth of God’s deliverance, and with it, true freedom.
Back
Adam and Eve were given a world marked by abundance, beauty, and perfect fellowship with God. Yet even in Eden, satisfaction proved elusive. They stretched out their hands toward the forbidden fruit, believing that God was withholding something better. In doing so, they exchanged freedom for bondage and ushered sin and death into the world. That first act of grasping still echoes through human history.
After God used Joseph to deliver Israel into Egypt, a new season eventually arose. Scripture tells us that a Pharaoh who “did not know Joseph” came to power, and out of fear of the growing Israelite population, he forced them into slavery. Egypt, the place God had once provided as a refuge from famine, became a place of oppression and captivity. What began as deliverance was quietly transformed into bondage.
This pattern is not unique to Israel. It is true for us as well. Things we initially receive as gifts from God, things embraced with excitement and gratitude, can slowly become burdens if we are not careful. Consider the freedom of getting your driver’s license. At first, it feels like independence and opportunity. But then comes the responsibility of gas money and insurance. What happens when there’s nowhere to go, when friends need a ride, or when you get your first ticket or accident? What once felt like freedom can begin to feel like weight. The blessing exposes new demands: now I need a job, now I have to explain myself, now my choices have
consequences.
If we are not careful, we fall prey to the same lie that tempted humanity in Eden—the belief that where I am right now, and what I have right now, is not enough. We begin longing for the feeling we had at the beginning and try to recreate it through getting more stuff or doing better. If I just had more money… more freedom… more approval… then I would be satisfied. Yet the more we chase, the more like a mirage more actually becomes.
This is the way of the world, but it is not the way of Scripture. Israel’s suffering in Egypt only deepened as they relied on their own strength. Deliverance came when they cried out to the Lord. When we chase more, we get increasing emptiness. But when we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, we discover the depth of God’s deliverance, and with it, true freedom.
Westminster Christian School, located in Palmetto Bay, Florida, is a private, college-preparatory school for children from preschool through twelfth grade.