Scripture: But Moses said, "You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the LORD our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the LORD." Exodus 10:25-26
Observation: I have lost count of how many times Moses & Pharaoh have had this argument. Each man is stubborn to his credit and his destruction, respectively. And now even after Pharaoh has banished Moses from his sight he calls him back again to entreat him to relieve the darkness from Egypt. I have to give Moses some serious props here. This is the man that tried to talk God out of his calling, and here he is sticking to his guns before the leader of Egypt. What could persuade someone to have such a change of heart? Two things, I think. One, he believed everything God spoke to him and refused to be derailed by the enemy. Two, he persevered. He did not abandon his mission when times got tough; nor did he compromise when an opportunity for compromise presented itself.
Application: I feel like lately God has been impressing on me how important it is to remember His word and wait on His timing. Perhaps I feel this way because for the past several months all I've read is Genesis and Exodus. :) What destruction came about from Sarah trying to force God's will into being by offering Hagar to Abraham? We're still suffering the consequences of that bad decision today! What destruction could have come about from Moses agreeing to Pharaoh's conditions and leaving the livestock behind? Notice this was the most important thing they needed to bring - the materials for the sacrifices. I don't know what I would have done had I been in Moses' shoes. I'm scared to say I might have given in to Pharaoh's conditions in order to see the plan to fruition. We must remember to stand strong in the Lord, not compromise, and persevere in faith, even when all we can see in the natural is trouble ahead. God is always at work in those who love Him!
Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I turn from you and listen to the enemy. Strengthen my discernment Lord so that I can be fully aware of his attacks. I pray God that I would hear Your voice loud and clear and that Your word would be permanently etched on my heart. I ask for guidance God and I pray for strength that comes only from You so that I can persevere. Thank You for Your gentle reminders of Your goodness and faithfulness. Thank You for being continually faithful even when we are faithless.
- "Rachel"
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- I'm a sinner saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. Wife to "Boaz." Mother to "Princess." Join me as I make my way through life's ups and downs, strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman, and most of all be changed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes only from Him. I also enjoy warm climates, jazz music, football, boiled seafood, and the occasional beignet. I'm stereotypical like that.
Shot by my hubby from the levee at Old Algiers
Posts
Comments
2 comments:
Waiting isn't always an easy thing for me - and I've definitely reaped some repercusions from not doing so!
Two things:
First, waiting is hard in a culture that always believe they must be actively doing something. We derive a lot of our worth out of what we do.
Moses had 40 years of time before he was brought to the place where he was a useful tool in the Father's hand.
Part of the problem with Christianity today is what we measure our lives against. John the Baptist was considered the greatest prophet, and his ministry was what, 6 months? God prepared him all that time for such a short, but important ministry.
There's a lot of waiting to do, a lot of growing to be like Him and in our relationship with Him before we'll be useful to Him. We're clay in His hands, being made into something for His use. You can't rush it.
Second, by this time Moses had seen some pretty amazing things, so I can see why he could, even in the flesh, consider himself invincible. Not only did God explain that he was hardening Pharaoh's heart, but he knew that his God was stronger than Egypt.
Same thing with prophets like Elijah. When you've experienced God causing a 3 year drought, feeding you with ravens, and seeing the pitcher of food never stop producing oil, you know that He can bring fire from Heaven.
We need to get to the point in our lives where we too are experiencing God work-- where our relationship is growing as well as our faith.
Only then will we be useful tools in His hands.
Post a Comment