"It Is Temporary"

"And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth." Numbers 33:5

When the Lord delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, the first place they stopped at was Succoth. The name Succoth means booths. The dictionary defines booths as: a temporary structure made of any type of material. Succoth was not their destination; the promised land was. It was just a temporary stopping place on the journey to their destination.

When Joseph was thrown into the pit, it was not his final destination. The palace was his destination. The pit was a temporary place intended to get him to the next level on his journey to the palace. The pit got him into Potiphar's house (which too was a temporary place.)

If you know that God has a purpose for you to fulfill and where you are is not it, don't get discouraged with where you are. Where you are is only a temporary place that is the avenue to get you to the next level and one step closer to His purpose. Our problem is we want to bypass these temporary places and get straight to the "palace", "the promise land", "the goal". Joseph never would have made it to the palace- God's purpose- had he not gone through the pit, Potiphar's house and the prison first. But they were all temporary places. Don't see where you are as the destination, but rather a steppingstone to the next place in God's plan.

Before my husband had to retire from offshore, he was in a supervisory position. But when he first started working in the oilfield thirty years earlier, he didn't start out as a supervisor. He started out in the lowest position there was. After a period of time, he finally worked his way up to his final position. All the positions he had worked in were only temporary (they were like booths). They were steps to get from one level to another. But he had to go through each, just like Joseph did and just like you and I have to do in order to get to that final level.

So enjoy, be content and learn from this place where you are. And remember that it is only temporary, but you have to pass through it in order to get to God's intended destination for you.

Have a great day. Where you are is only a temporary stopping place, not your final destination.

For further reading:

Philippians 4:11
Romans 8:28