Barton has helpfully described stages the people of God went through as God moved them out of Egypt toward the promised land. "From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded." - Exodus 17:1.
Moses, of course, had already had a wilderness experience of his own for 40 years. IT was a time of preparation for his own soul. His calling to lead others our of Egypt was not a creation of his own, but a genuine calling from God--one he took reluctantly.
Barton outlines 7 different stages that Israel went through, stages that represent what each of goes through as we press on in our spiritual maturity.
Preawareness. This is God's people in Egypt. This is also the place of the non-Christian. Things are fine. "This is the way everyone lives." People in this stage might have a vague sense that there is something more, but generally speaking everyone copes and maintains in this stage. They are also abdicating responsibility for dealing with life issues.
Awareness. In this stage, people are experiencing pain. Things are bad. This is Israel under the new kings of Egypt who oppressed them. We realize we are not completely free. We are open to moving in a new direction. It requires courage to name reality and keep facing into it. There is a clear call to take responsibility. "Denial is a lot less painful than awareness, but if we remain in denial, we are left stuck in our bondage. We all need others to help us see what is real in our current situation, but we also need 'someone to assure us that there is another way and that it is possible for us to move in that direction--as risky as it might seem.'
Turning Point. (Ex. 6:9) God has to bring both His people and Pharoah to the point of exodus. This is a dreaming phase. Israel dreamed of freedom on the other side of the pain they were facing. This is also a chaotic point, because the situation has to deteriorate to a point where they are willing to do something about the situation. The turning point for Israel is through the signs and wonders of the plagues that eventually forced Pharoah to listen (It was getting worse and worse for him). For us, it is a place where we are not living by 'ought' or 'should' but getting a glimpse of a truer self, called by God.
The Roundabout Way (Ex. 13:17-18) God doesn't take His people straight to the Promised Land. They are not ready to take on this bigger challenge. They are not ready for war yet. God has another agenda for His people as they wander the wilderness. [my parenthesis, it was their lack of faith that kept them here...] Positively speaking, Barton notes that God is present with the people throughout the wilderness. He is not in a hurry to get us to the Promised Land. We need to learn to trust Him (Manna in the desert, knowing and remembering his promises)
Times of Testing (Ex. 14:4). Usually an unexpected obstacle. For Israel it was the Red Sea. God creates situations that will show His glory. The journey is harder than we expected. We want to go back. Moses and the people were in a tough spot.
Learning to Keep Still (Ex. 14:13-14). Moses has learned to be calm. He assures the people that they need only be still and watch how the Lord will fight for them. The people are afraid, they want to run. Will they trust their leader? God parts the Red Sea.
Training in Waiting (Ex. 4:19) We train to 'wait on God' by recognizing we are in 'liminal space,' Latin for 'threshhold'. Richard Rohr describes it as "a unique spiritual position where human beings hate to be but where the biblical God is always leading them. It is when you have left the tried and true but have not yet been able to replace it with anything else. It is when you are finally out of the way. it is when you are between your old comfort zone and any possible new answer. If you're not trained in how to hold anxiety and wait, you will run... anything to flee this terrible cloud of unknowing." Have we learned how to wait on God instead of running away or giving in to panic or deceiving ourselves into thinking things are better than they are?
From Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Ruth Haley Barton.
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