Today’s Reading: Exodus 3; Exodus 4; Exodus 5; Luke 22
Scripture: Exodus 5:19-23
19 The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day." 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, "May the LORD look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."
22 Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."
Observation: God has sent Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt. But the process is very different from what Moses and the Israelites anticipated, to say the least. Instead of things getting better, they get much worse. The path ahead is full of trouble, even hopeless. The Israelite foremen are caught in the middle and they are feeling the pinch. They go to Moses and let him have it! And Moses doesn't know what to say so he goes back to God and bitterly complains: "Why have you brought trouble upon this people? ... You have not rescued your people at all!"
Application: The process of getting God's best is not a straight line. It is not predictable. It is not easy. In fact, when it seems as though things cannot get any worse, things get worse! And we come to God and complain, "What are you doing, God? I thought you were going to save me. My situation has deteriorated since you got involved! What's going on?"
Bottom line: If you say you want to trust God with your life, hang on! It's likely to be a wild ride. And there may be many times when everything will look and feel wrong. And though it is hard, keep trusting God. He knows what he is doing and things will turn out right in the end.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your wisdom and power and love. I thank you that you are always working things out for my best, even when it seems the opposite. Help me to always walk with faith and trust in you.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 comment:
So true! And something that throws a lot of Christians for a loop when they first start following Jesus (actually it even throws seasoned believers for a loop too). We all need to keep in mind the words of James where he says that the trial of our faith works endurance and patience in us.
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