Exodus 1:7-8
And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.  Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

The children of Israel really had it good at the moment.  God had been so good to them.  He had blessed the people and the land so that all was flourishing.  They were many, they were strong, and they were thriving.  And they would have been content to stay there in Egypt, increasing and growing ever more as God had enabled them to do.  But then a new king comes along who didn’t know about Joseph.  He didn’t know the history of why this man was exalted to the top and why his family had a special place there in his land.

And God could have given Israel favor with this new king.  God could have allowed them to continue to multiply and remain in this land and overcome the people there, but it was time to prepare for a journey out of Egypt and into the land where He wanted them to go, the land He had promised them and prepared for them.  Affliction was coming to drive them from this lesser place into the much better one He had for them.  Some trials and hardships were coming to stir their hearts out of contentment in Egypt so He could take them from the good of this land to the better place He wanted for them.

We can’t be so dug in and rooted to places, but we should allow ourselves to be led by God where He wants us to go.  It could be that He wants to take us somewhere much better than where we are, even if where we are is a good and fruitful place.  He wants us to have His best and to not settle for something less than that.  He wants to fulfill His promises in our lives.  He wants to bring us out of the old and into the new.  And sometimes that takes some affliction or struggle.  Sometimes a trial comes along that will stir us out of our contentment in a place so God can bring us to something else He has for us.

The truth is, God is so good, and He is so good to us.  He blesses our lives in a multitude of ways every day.  He’s provided so much for us.  He is near to us.  He works on our behalf, but then sometimes He wants to move us forward.  When He has more for us than Egypt, even if it’s been good to us, let’s not be content to stay.  Even after we’ve grown and thrived so much in a place, let’s not refuse to leave that behind in search of what else God has for us.  And let’s understand that sometimes those troubles that come along may be just the prod we need to push us out of something good into something greater.