The Present Hand in Painful Places | Resources
Intro
Exodus 1 reveals a paradox at the heart of God’s redemptive work. As Israel grows according to God’s promise, their suffering also increases. God is scarcely mentioned, yet His covenant purposes quietly advance beneath Pharaoh’s cruelty. This chapter teaches that God’s faithfulness is not measured by the absence of hardship, but by His sustaining presence within it. Even when oppression intensifies, God is neither threatened nor absent. He is steadily accomplishing what He has promised. This sets the stage for understanding how God often works through, not around, suffering.
Quote
“The Bible repeatedly reminds us that God advances His purposes not by removing hardship, but by sustaining His people through it.” Kevin DeYoung
Discussion/Reflection Questions
1. Exodus 1 shows Israel multiplying even as their suffering increases. What does this tension teach us about how God’s promises often advance in the midst of hardship rather than the absence of it?
2. God is rarely mentioned directly in this chapter, yet His purposes clearly continue. Why do you think God often works behind the scenes in seasons of pain? How does that shape our trust?
3. Israel’s faithfulness does not lead to immediate relief but to deeper oppression. How does this challenge the idea that obedience always results in easier circumstances?
4. Where have you experienced God sustaining you in a painful season rather than removing the pain? How did that shape your faith?
5. What “painful place” are you walking through right now, and how might God be inviting you to trust His present hand?
Supplemental Reading
Day 1: Genesis 12:1–3
Day 2: Acts 7:17–19
Day 3: Psalm 66:10–12
Day 4: Romans 8:18–25
Day 5: 2 Corinthians 4:7–12
Prepare for Sunday: Exodus 2
Gospel Connection
Exodus 1 reminds us that God’s saving work often unfolds in hidden ways, even when suffering deepens and evil seems to gain ground. This pattern ultimately points us to Jesus.
Like Israel, Christ entered a world marked by oppression, fear, and violence, and His coming was met with resistance and bloodshed. Yet through suffering—not despite it—God accomplished His greatest act of redemption. At the cross, it appeared that evil had won, but God’s hand was fully present, working salvation for His people.
The same God who multiplied Israel under Pharaoh’s cruelty was at work in Christ’s suffering, assuring us that even in our darkest places, God is not absent but actively redeeming.
Response
Pray: Ask God to help you trust His faithfulness in seasons where growth and pain exist together. Pray for confidence that He is present and purposeful even when circumstances feel heavy.
Do: Identify one ongoing hardship and intentionally look for ways God may be sustaining you within it rather than removing it. Write it down and thank Him for it.