Category: SPIRITUAL GROWTH

SING PEOPLE! SING!!!!

Let God do His work and sing your heart out!

As a member of the Lancaster Chorale, our schedule is filled with intense rehearsals for a performance this Spring: Mendelssohn’s “Elijah.” It is an oratorio (like an opera, but no sets or people moving around stage). The music is tricky and powerful. I love the finale. Entitled, “And then Shall Your Light Break Forth,” the song is all about God. One line repeats over and over, “Lord our Creator, how excellent Thy Name in all the nations!” The words bounce back and forth between all the vocal parts, like a huge tennis match. It sums up the entire point of the oratorio – to point out to the world who God is.

THE ULTIMATE INSET SONG

Think of the song in Exodus 15:1-21 as an “inset song”. Like “Light Break Forth”, it sums up the story. In a Broadway musical, an inset song can be the lavish production number at the end of the play. All the cast are center stage, singing full throttle. It brings the house down to thunderous applause. The audience smiles. God smiles when we proclaim Who He is.

MIRIAM & COMPANY BRING THE HOUSE DOWN

Moses’ sister, Miriam and her choristers bring the house down. All creation hears the music ascending to the heavenlies. On earth the surrounding nations quake in their boots. God has done His thing and there is nothing like it. He comes to battle without any help from the Israelites. The job of the Israelites is waiting, waiting and waiting in line and then crossing the dry seabed. God takes care of business. Jesus said, “I tell you, if these [people] keep silent, the stones will cry out [in praise]!” (Luke 19:40). Nothing can silence God’s songs.

GOD IS FORMIDABLE

The lyrics in Genesis 15 contains a lot of theology, the study of God. Spend time and notice everything you can learn about God in this passage.  At the same time, notice, there is no mention of Moses’ leadership, the aptitude of the Israelites, or how wonderful they are. This is God’s battle, His triumph, His power alone behind the events. We learn how formidable God is.

THEY CAN’T KEEP SILENT

What about the heart changes in the Israelites? Finally, they begin to claim God as their strength, song and sole salvation. This is not a quick and complete turnaround of heart. They will need to learn this lesson repeatedly. In the infancy of their faith, the Israelites finally proclaim, “This IS my God. I WILL praise Him.” They recognize the God of their ancestors. The Israelites literally can’t keep silent. It does not matter if they are tone deaf or physically deaf. Their mouths open; the music echoes across the universe. God smiles.

How about the surrounding nations who hear this song? They tremble. Anguish and fear grip the Philistines. Dismay and horror rule the day. The inhabitants of Canaan melt away in despair; terror and dread fall on them. They are still as stone. There is no middle ground to stand on.

This song brings the house down with thunderous applause from the universe. God is center stage and on display. No voice can keep quiet.

ARE YOU PART OF THE CHORUS?

Are you part of the chorus on stage singing full throttle, celebrating Who God is and how wonderful He is? Or are you not even in the theater, because you are too busy trying to cross your own Red Sea via your own skills? You see the enemy and are afraid. Remember the reactions of the surrounding nations: anguish, fear, dismay, horror, despair, terror, dread? If this is what is filling your heart right now, read this song and read it again. “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously and is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.” Trust and obey. Let God do His work and sing your heart out!

KNOWLEDGE IS A WONDERFUL THING

What brings more joy, delight and contentment than anything else? Knowledge of God

I don’t know everything. As a substitute teacher, I certainly don’t know all about computers. Recently, I had trouble with my laptop and needed to ask for help. Now the fella was very nice, and very patient with me, but it still was awkward and humbling asking him for help. My helper was a second grader. (You may now laugh) So, I thanked him, and I moved unto the next challenge. Knowledge… what a wonderful thing.

WHAT ARE WE MADE FOR?

To have knowledge of computers can be helpful in pursuing lifetime goals, but there is another kind of knowledge that surpasses all of that, the knowledge of God. J.I. Packer published a book called “Knowing God”.  He wrote, “What were we made for? To know God.  What aim should we set for ourselves in life? To know God.  What is the eternal life that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God (John 17:3). What brings more joy, delight and contentment than anything else? Knowledge of God (Jer. 9:23-24)”.

A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE

Knowing God is a life changing experience. It’s greater than knowing facts of the birth of Jesus, where He was born, how He got to the inn, and the manger He slept in. A general set of knowledge pertains to only knowing facts about Him. The best set of knowledge is to know Him as your Savior; to have a personal relationship with Him.

A PERSONAL VS. TRANSACTIONAL RELATIONSHIP

I know my dentist and my wife. The one I trust with my teeth (a transactional relationship), the other I trust with my thoughts, my ideas, my heart (a deeply personal relationship). It says in Philippians 3:10-11: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings. Becoming like him in his death and so, somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Knowing Christ is profoundly personal, trusting Him with much more than your teeth!

THE CHOICE

So, which is it, head knowledge or heart knowledge? Do you know God because the two of you have an intimate relationship? Knowledge is a beautiful thing, it can get you out of a jam when you’re stuck on your computer (assuming you know the right 2nd grader) or it can put you in a relationship that will bring you assurance, love, and hope for eternity. Remember, “What were we made for? To know God.  What aim should we set for ourselves in life? To know God.  What is the eternal life that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God (John 17:3). What brings more joy, delight and contentment than anything else? Knowledge of God (Jer. 9:23)”. You and I were made to KNOW God.

FICKLE PEOPLE, FAITHFUL GOD

It is easy to accuse God of not looking out for us.

Ever have a fickle friend? The relationship is unstable. “A rolling stone gathers no moss” implies someone who is constantly changing their mind because of instability. Having a friend like this leads to major disappointments. In Exodus, the Israelites are fickle and certainly rolling down the hill of instability in their relationship with God.

GOD KNOWS FICKLE PEOPLE

God knows His fickle people described in Exodus 13:17-22; 14:11-31. “So it happened, when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearer; for God said, ‘The people might change their minds when they see war [that is, that there will be war], and return to Egypt.’” 

GOD’S GUIDANCE SYSTEM

God plans the longer road trip to Canaan because the Israelites had some serious lessons to learn about God. They need to exchange their slavery mindset to learning who they are in God. God marks their journey to freedom with unusual guidance systems. “The [presence of the] Lord was going before them by day in a pillar (column) of cloud to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they could travel by day and by night. He did not withdraw the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from going before the people.”

OUR PILLAR OF FIRE

Once Bill and I traveled at night in severe fog. We were on the road and the headlights of our car went out. My father ended up driving to our location. Through the darkness and fog, we drove our car behind him the entire way home. He became our “pillar of fire” in a frightening situation. He saved our lives on that road.

ACCUSATION ABOUT GOD’S MOTIVES

God carefully guides the Israelites on the long route with the cloud and the pillar of fire. He provides directions for the entire journey. The Israelites do not respond well. “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What is this that you have done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians [as slaves] than to die in the wilderness.”  Talk about fickle…

THEIR TRUE NEED

They don’t know God or His ways and accuse Moses of hatching a plan for their demise. The Israelites desperately need an intimate relationship with God.

We live in a fallen world. It can be frightening. It is easy to accuse God of not looking out for us. He wants to be our cloud by day and pillar of fire at night, but often we ignore Him. We are fickle.

THE DECISION

Regardless of the miracles, the Israelites develop spiritual amnesia concerning the God Who always loves them and plans a future for them. They forget His cloud and the pillar of fire mark their path. Have you forgotten your cloud and pillar? This is the God Who promises: Even to your old age I am He, and even to your advanced old age I will carry you! I have made you, and I will carry you; Be assured I will carry you and I will save you. (Isaiah 46:4) Don’t be fickle! Decide to entrust Him with the entirety of your journey.

I HOPE YOU DANCE!

It is difficult shifting gears from joy to sorrow and then reversing from sorrow to joy.  How can one dance when God’s tempo changes?

As a child, I loved to dance. We lived in an old farmhouse. A previous owner converted an upstairs bedroom into a huge bathroom. I would lock the bathroom door and sing my heart out as I twirled around the room. Even as a clumsy child, I danced in abandon.

NOTHING REMAINS THE SAME

The joy of dancing with unrestrained joy dampened with time. Nothing ever remains the same on this earth. On the way I stumble over minor things. At the worst, I run through seasons of depression and even full panic attacks. Just maintaining an open relationship with Jesus is never an easy route.

I wonder, over the years what became of that child who danced with abandon; not worried about what was coming ahead.

THE EBB AND FLOW

Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 describes the ebb and flow of life. There is a season for every activity under the heavens. A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. It is difficult shifting gears from joy to sorrow and then reversing from sorrow to joy. How can one dance when the music and God’s tempo change?

AND YET ANOTHER CHANGE

Recently I became a substitute teacher. I choose the days, the school district and and the approximate student age and subject matter. Let me tell you, every day is a surprise when I take an assignment. There are so many variables in working with students and the dynamics in a classroom. Sometimes I arrive at a school and even the best lesson plans provided by a school are in shambles. We live in a world where things can go wrong.

THE DECISION

So what do I do? I make a conscious decision. I choose to trust in Him. God knows the school, the students, what will happen that day. No ebb and flow ever take Him by surprise. God supplies the dance music and metronome for each minute of my day. He offers the heartbeat of His soul. 

EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IN ITS TIME

He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

HE IS SUFFICIENT

He is amazingly sufficient. My Heavenly Father calls me not only to trust, but also to dance as I find rhythm in His timing. I may not be a ballerina, but I’m continually striving to find the beauty of moving to God’s symphony of life even in this season of my life. I hope you also dance!

IS EGYPT BURNING?

The lunacy of sin and the hardness of an unrepentant heart. Pharaoh brings his house down upon himself by his own choice.

“Is Paris burning?” was a command attributed to Adolf Hitler. He wanted to ensure his henchmen burned Paris to the ground in August 1944 as Paris fell to the Allies. If Hitler couldn’t have Paris, no one would. In Exodus 11, if Pharaoh can’t control the Israelites, he decides no one will. His dynasty thought nothing of ordering the genocide of all the Israelite baby boys. In the mind of Pharaoh, the Israelite people are commodities. They belong to him alone. This demonstrates the lunacy of sin and the hardness of an unrepentant heart. Pharaoh brings his house down upon himself by his own choice. Egypt will figuratively burn in Exodus 11:1-10.

SUFFICIENT WARNING GIVEN

It is not as if Pharaoh is not given sufficient warning, but he consistently denies God. Three times, Exodus mentions that Pharaoh hardens his own heart; six times there is a general reference that his heart’s condition is hard. Given opportunity after opportunity to repent, Pharaoh allows the concrete of his heart to solidify, regardless of the warnings. Judgment barrels down the tracks.

GOD COMES TO TOWN

God speaks, demonstrates, and warns. The earlier genocide of the Israelite baby boys ironically brings an equivocal death blow to Pharaoh’s own people. The first born of every Egyptian household will die. Pharaoh stands alone against Jehovah God; the gauntlet thrown down. In paraphrase, God declares: “You won’t let My people go out of Egypt? I’m coming to Egypt. I’m coming to the midst of Egypt.” God comes to town.

WORSHIP IN THE MIDST OF DEATH

Amazingly, “when does the judgment of God come against Egypt and the deliverance of God come for Israel? In the midst of worship. As the sacrifice is being lifted up, as the Passover lamb is being slaughtered, the angel of death comes. Judgment and deliverance are accomplished by sacrifice and plague. God will not be trifled with. Those who resist Him and mock do not possess the last laugh.” (Bill Sytsma)

THE GIFT OF 400 YEARS OF WAGES

After this last plague, the Egyptians rush to remove the Israelites from their country. Over four hundred years ago, in Genesis 15:13-14, God told Abram that the children of Israel would come out of the land of their oppression with many possessions. Now, God instructs Moses to tell the people to ask their Egyptian neighbors to give them gold and silver. The people of Egypt do so willingly. The Israelite slaves of Egypt receive their past wages accumulated from 400 years of slavery. They don’t leave Egypt empty-handed.

GOD WILL DO THE FIGHTING FOR US

God figuratively burns down the house of Pharaoh in one night. “This is how things go when we fight on God’s side. Our job is not to fight. Our job is to be faithful, and He will do the fighting for us. And this is a good thing because when He does the fighting, victory is certain.” (Jonathan Waits)

THE CHOICE

Pharaoh burnt down his own house. We have a choice. Do you choose to serve the same Sovereign God of Abraham, Jacob and Moses? Whatever life situation you are in right now, regardless of the odds that appear against you, entrust it to God, lock stock and barrel. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. (Isaiah 43:10)

THE CONSUMING FIRE

Throwing a tantrum, the dictator defiantly responds, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”

It looked like the aftermath of an atom bomb falling on Hiroshima. California’s decimated landscape. Mile after mile of burnt-out homes. The fires took place in a geographical tinderbox and were further spread by huge gusts of dry winds. California will never look the same. Lives lost and families altered forever.

MORE THAN A MERE ATOMB BOMB

Moses encounters an even stronger fire in the burning bush. Rather than a mere atom bomb, this is the hydrogen bomb because of Who it signifies. Trembling has seized the godless. “Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with everlasting burning?” (Isaiah 33:14) This is the fire of the holiness of God. “Our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29) God’s holiness burns up anything which is unholy.

THE PROGRESSION OF MOSES & HIS PEOPLE

Exodus 5:2; 7:1-7; 9:13-16 recounts the progression of Moses and his people. It dawns on Moses at the burning bush Who God is. Despite his protests, Moses caves and obeys the Holy God. Moses tells the Israelites God will set them free from Egypt; they respond by tentatively placing their toes in the waters of obedience before the God of Abraham.

THE LINE IN THE SAND

However, Pharaoh reacts with scorn. In Egyptian culture the Pharaoh was more than a man; he considers himself a god. Throwing a tantrum, the dictator defiantly responds, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” Pharaoh draws his line into the sand.

HE THOUGHT HE HAD EVERYTHING COVERED

Pharaoh thinks he is prepared for all eventualities. Nothing can break down his power and resources. Just like many Californians thought that the perfect storm of fire would never hit their state, Pharaoh assumes everything is in control. However, his people are spiritually bankrupt, caught in a desert of darkness. Just as in California, the reservoirs are empty!  

SPIRITUAL SURGERY WITHOUT ANESTHESIA

The Egyptians’, the Israelites’ and Pharaoh’s coming days result in spiritual surgery without anesthesia. The approaching disastrous events have one goal: And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.” This is the wakeup call, to see first-hand the reality of the One and Holy God. I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.

WHY PHARAOH ALLOWED TO LIVE

God is not One to be trifled with. Little does Pharaoh understand the one reason he himself still exists. But indeed, for this very reason I have allowed you to live, in order to show you My power and in order that My name may be proclaimed throughout all the earth.

3,500 YEARS LATER, STILL REMEMBERING

“By these specific works in Exodus, God made a name for himself for ages and generations. Nearly one thousand years later, the exiles returning from Babylon prayed, “You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh …. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day” (Nehemiah 9:9–10). Here we are 3,500 years later, still recounting these glorious deeds. God will be known and worshiped by people from every tribe and tongue, and he has spoken and acted in history to make his name glorious.” (Ryan Chase)

THE PRAYER

Are you on your face before this glorious Holy God? Do you long to obey and be filled with His reservoirs of Living Water?  Let this be your prayer: “God, clean me, change me and mold me so that Your Name is proclaimed throughout all the earth. Let Your fire burn within me so that lives are changed for eternity.” It only takes one spark of submission and obedience to eternally alter your life and those you encounter.

THE JOY OF LEAPING

Am I terrified? Yes! Will God be with me every moment of this new venture? A double yes!!!!!

And there we were in an exciting game of Keep Away – boys against the girls.  Non-athletic me was thrilled to finally get possession of the ball. I sharply pivoted to begin my sprint away from the onslaught of boys. However, I had not checked my bearings and promptly smacked into a steel volleyball pole.  I literally bounced off the pole, face first. I was down for the count.

Both eyes were black and blue.  But no CAT scan or x-rays for me!  I had to lay down on the school couch until the end of the day and then be driven home by Mom.  An intense headache.  My bruising caused me to resemble a raccoon. Lesson learned: always look before your leap, carefully consider the cost, and never leap (or so I thought).

BOUNCING AGAINST THE POLES

Is this the lesson, to never leap? Often in my life I “bounce against the poles.” I take risks into the unknown, at the prompting of God. Yes, I carefully count the cost, but God reminds me “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” I pray, God continually niggles away at my doubts, and then He begins to hound me. Eventually, I leap….

OTHER LEAPERS

The Bible has many “leapers.” What if Noah looked at the plans and decided he would not build the ark? Or, how about Rahab? What if instead of putting out the scarlet cord, she and her family hid in a closet? And then we have Peter. What if he just stayed in the boat, scared out of his wits? He would have never walked on the sea, sunk, and been rescued by Christ.

LEAPING TEACHES TRUST

Leaping teaches trust. Looking back at my own life just over the years, what if I always played it safe and never took the leap? There would be a multitude of missed joys. Due to leaping, here’s a list of a few of my scary ventures that brought great delight:

  • Forming a 70-voice choir which gave benefit performances for a pregnancy center.
  • Became a Christian Life Coach (could write a book on that difficult challenge)
  • Started to teach and encourage writers who needed to find their voice.
  • Work with trauma survivors using writing therapy.
  • Consistently remind people Who God is, even when they would prefer I shut up.

GOD IS GOOD

Genuine faith involves abandoning all human reliance on self-efforts and placing total dependence upon God’s character, His actions, and His promises, as revealed in His Word. God is good. (GotQuestions.org) While writing this, I quit my job recently (again at God’s hounding) and began a career as a substitute teach. Am I terrified? Yes! Will God be with me every moment of this new venture? A double yes!!!!!

Leaping is scary. But, oh the joy of jumping into the Savior’s arms!

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (I Peter 4:10-11)

WHEN NOTHING GOES RIGHT

Is your life not working out the way you expected?

Moses went back to God and said, “My Master, why are you treating this people so badly? And why did you ever send me? From the moment I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, things have only gotten worse for this people. And rescue? Does this look like rescue to you?” (from The Message paraphrase) Can you hear the frustration in Moses’ voice? He never asked for this job, didn’t want this job, obediently begins this job, and there you have it: failure! At least, Moses thought it was failure. What was going on with this God he had decided to trust?

FROM BAD TO WORSE

As Moses follows God’s directions, in Exodus 5:1-22, Pharaoh makes it exponentially worse for the Israelites. The Israelites move from a dire situation to a worse one. Their quotas for brick making are doubled and now they must find their own straw to make the bricks. No wonder the people blamed Moses for their pain.

PHAROAH’S MIND GAMES

Observe Pharoah’s purpose in creating this impossible situation. “Let labor be heavier on the men and let them work [hard] at it so that they will pay no attention to [their God’s] lying words.” (AMP Version) This is spiritual warfare at its worst. Warfare against their hearts, their relationship to God, and their obedience to the words of Moses. Eighty-year-old Moses is at the end of his rope.

THE UNEXPECTED

I love the saying, “Everything will work out, just not the way you expect.” Moses expected immediate blue skies and parades, but God usually does not work that way. The God of the Universe fulfills His purpose; however the parade route is quite different than Moses’ expectations.

Is your life not working out the way you expected, even though you faithfully try to be obedient and follow God’s promptings? I have personal experience with this. God once led us to minister at a church. We were voted in by 100% of the congregation and naively assumed it would be smooth sailing. Nothing went to plan. That ministry shattered our hearts, fractured my husband’s health, disintegrated our plans for the future and evaporated our finances. Were we in the will of God? Yes!!!!! 

COMING OUT AT THE OTHER END

It took quite a few years to heal from the experience, but we came out with gold! For example, that experience developed me as a writer and life coach. We learned to know and trust God at a much deeper level. All those things we depended on before (our ministry experience, education, and relationships with people) went up in dust. God was and is faithful, not just in the way we expected. He is far better than we ever anticipate, even when the pain is excruciating.

Take heart in the words of Paul: Be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

Like Moses, keep putting one foot in front of the other. Consistently obey God and trust Him, even when the forces of the night threaten to devour you. When nothing goes right, God is faithful!

WHAT WAS GOD THINKING OF?

God’s Chosen People didn’t want to know God. They just wanted a smooth, painless and easy brief excursion.

You think you have it bad? God (on purpose) called Moses to the worst job ever. Moses is 80 years old, feels like a failure and can’t even speak a sentence without stuttering. Rewind it back forty years when Moses was hot to trot. Now, the fire has burned out. If Moses went to a career counselor they would probably suggest he be a greeter at Wal-Mart (not that there is anything wrong with that position).

What was God thinking of?

Not only does Moses feel unequipped, he called to lead a group of people famous for consistently whining, complaining, and rebelling against Moses’ leadership.

What was God thinking of?

It took culling an entire generation before the Israelite people were finally ready to enter the Promised Land. This journey should have taken a few weeks. It took them forty years. This is the slowest exit strategy ever.

What was God thinking of?

He was thinking must more of heart preparation than comfort level. God’s Chosen People didn’t want to know God. They just wanted a smooth, painless and easy brief excursion.

What was God thinking of?

“The healthy Christian is not necessarily the extrovert, ebullient Christian, but the Christian who has a sense of God’s presence stamped deep on his soul, who trembles at God’s word, who lets it dwell in him richly by constant meditation upon it, and who tests and reforms his life daily in response to it.” (J.I. Packer)

God wants His people to KNOW Him.

“Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

WORST CASE SCENARIOS

Everything came to a head on that Friday. I was told that a decision would be reached Monday whether I would be fired.

Have you ever tossed and turned at night dwelling on worst case scenarios? One of my bosses had made a complaint to HR about me. His story was a lie, but I had little standing in the company. Everything came to a head on Friday. I was told that a decision would be reached Monday whether I would be fired. I was devastated. During this time my job was paying our bills, and I was carrying our health insurance. The “what ifs” cancelled a lot of sleep that weekend.

THE OLD “WHAT IF” LIST

In the Christian life “what ifs” are common. What if:

  • I try sharing Christ with a person and they cancel me?
  • I talk about how powerful God is and I sound like a fool?
  • I can’t get one word straight in front of another?
  • I totally fail?

THE COMMON DENOMINATOR

Did you notice the common denominator in all those sentences is “I”? Moses comes up with an entire shopping list of “what ifs” in Exodus 4:1-17. Behind all his hesitation are his numerous personal doubts and fears. It gets so bad that he even asks God to make a different choice of leader; anyone but him.

WHO THE CENTRAL CHARACTER IS

He does not realize that the central character in this story is not himself, but God. He knew God but didn’t necessarily KNOW God. Afterall, if someone speaks to you out of a burning bush and you have to ask them their name, it tends to show that you aren’t on the closest of terms.

MOSES’ BIGGEST CONCERN

Out of kindness, God gives Moses two miracles and even supplies a third. However, there is still the sticking point. Moses says, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” Do you see it? We have a show of miracles, but Moses’ central concern is himself. He is scared to death of public speaking. In baby steps of getting to know the I AM, Moses assumes that this mandate from God rests on Moses’ skills as an orator.

GOD IS BIGGER THAN OUR IMAGINATION

Can you see the amazement in heaven? The angels realize Moses thinks that God is sending him off on a task, patting him on the shoulder and saying, “Good luck!” At this point I paraphrase God’s words, “Look Moses, the I AM picked you out of the desert, spoke to you out of a burning bush, and you think it all depends on you???”  All God asked of Moses was obedience. God takes care of details. He decimates Moses’ excuses.  God has a remedy for each of those worst case scenarios. Our God is bigger than anything or anyone we can imagine.

Circle back to my terrible weekend regarding my job. Despite all my “what ifs”, God arranged a plan of His own. First thing, Monday, a department manager pulled me into a conference room. He had mapped out a game plan to retain my position. God bothered him so much that the guy went out of his way to see the right thing done.  All that time I spent playing out worst case scenarios was wasted time. God is Sovereign and God is in control. Moses needed to learn this, I need to live and learn this. Do you also need to master this lesson?

THE CHOICE

Choose to begin living Psalm 27:1-3. The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?  When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

Click and listen to the story of Paul Hastings