It took a drought and a subsequent famine and a man sold by his brothers into slavery to bring Jacob and his 12 sons back together as a family of 70 into Egypt to shelter.
It took ten plagues and 400 years of descent into slavery to bring that family – now numbered millions – out.
It took disaster after disaster, warning after warning, disobedience after disobedience for people to cry out to God and recognise they’d turned away.
It took Jesus going to the cross to create freedom from the power and chains and sting of death for those who turn to Him.
It took millions of deaths and two giant wars after 19 centuries to return Jacobs family to their land.
Birth pains bring about birth.
God is at work throughout all these things.
He can be found.