by Zeke Flores<\/p>\n
“But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they dreaded the sons of Israel<\/em>” (Exodus 1:12).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
There’s something strangely encouraging about this verse. Israel is being crushed under Pharaoh’s fear-driven oppression, yet God quietly flips the script. The very pressure meant to break them becomes the environment where they grow. It’s not that the suffering was good or easy; it’s that God refused to let the suffering have the final word.<\/p>\n
Most of us don’t grow in comfort. We grow in the places where we feel stretched, stressed, or pushed beyond what we thought we could handle. It’s not fun, but it’s real. And this verse reminds us that God doesn’t waste pressure. He doesn’t celebrate it, but He transforms it. What was meant to break you can actually strengthen you. What was meant to silence you can arouse your voice. What was meant to isolate you can push you into deeper dependence on God.<\/p>\n
If you’re in a time and place where life feels heavier than usual, don’t assume you’re losing ground. You might be multiplying in ways you can’t see yet. God has a long history of turning affliction into unexpected growth, and He’s not done yet.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Zeke Flores “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they dreaded the sons of Israel” (Exodus 1:12). There’s something strangely encouraging about this verse. Israel is being crushed under Pharaoh’s fear-driven oppression, yet God quietly flips the script. The very pressure meant to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[383,182],"class_list":["post-94642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-growth","tag-suffering"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":96017,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/consecrated\/","url_meta":{"origin":94642,"position":0},"title":"Consecrated","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores \"You shall consecrate him, therefore, for he offers the food of your God; he shall be holy to you, for I Yahweh, who sanctifies you, am holy\" (Leviticus 21:8). Leviticus 21 focuses on the priests and the standards God set for them. These weren't rules meant to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95916,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/boundaries\/","url_meta":{"origin":94642,"position":1},"title":"Boundaries","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores \"You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor ... in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you\" (Leviticus 18:3). Leviticus 18 is full of boundaries. God was shaping Israel into a people who lived differently from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18213,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-meant-by-speaking-the-truth-in-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":94642,"position":2},"title":"What is meant by “speaking the truth in love?”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 23, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: \"That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":97119,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/god-goes-before-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":94642,"position":3},"title":"God Goes Before You","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores \"Yahweh your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf\" (Deuteronomy 1:30). Deuteronomy 1 opens with Moses reminding Israel of their long journey and the moments where fear held them back. One of the most striking lines is God's reassurance in Deuteronomy 1:30. Israel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88008,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-god-take-so-long-to-bring-israel-into-the-promised-land\/","url_meta":{"origin":94642,"position":4},"title":"Why did God take so long to bring Israel into the promised land?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear Jeffrey, I have a question and would like to seek your wisdom. This pertains to God's purpose in the various journeys involving the children of Israel. What does the scriptures say or infer about God's purpose? God asked Abraham to pack up and move to the land of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58679,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/dont-be-a-victim\/","url_meta":{"origin":94642,"position":5},"title":"Don’t Be a Victim","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0by Perry Hall The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), in modern lingo, teaches these two counter-culture concepts: Suffering doesn't make you a victim when you find your blessing from God and not circumstances. Victimizing others doesn't make you powerful when your victims refuse to get their dignity through your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94642\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}