Read Exodus 6:2-29
A Word to the Wiser Ones Yet Not Duped…
So often you and I miss the opportunity to watch the Lord work in mighty and miraculous ways. Why? Because instead of “standing still” and watching Him pull off our deliverance, we seek out the carnal alternative. We prefer the backdoor escape, a fleshy shortcut.
Notice how God handled His man, Moses. Without rebuke, the Lord gave Moses two pieces of counsel. One related to his person; the other related to his work. He told Moses who He was, and then He told him what He was going to do. And the order in the Lord’s response is as important as the facts themselves.
Right off the top, He repeated the message from the burning bush, saying, “I am” five different times in Exodus chapter six.
“I am the Lord…” (v, 2).
“I am the Lord…” (v. 6).
“I am the Lord…” (v. 7).
“I am the Lord…” (v. 8).
“I am the Lord…” (v. 29).
Time after time, He punctuated His message to Moses by saying, “Look, Moses, your eyes are in the wrong place (again). Get your eyes back on me (again). Remember, who I am (again),” (Perhaps today we should also include our ears! Actually, all of our senses, or, how will we ever even experience His goodness, not to mention, remembering in the future!)
Who is the Lord? Ask the prophet Isaiah. Troubled and sick at heart over the moral condition of his nation, Isaiah glanced toward the sky one day and “saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up” (Isaiah 6:1NKJV). That’s all he needed to see. He fixed his eyes on the Lord, and, suddenly his perspective changed.
If you have been a believer for any length of time, you will have heard these over and over. But that’s all right; here they are again. Think you’ll get it? Until your eyes are fixed on the Lord, you will not be able to endure those days that go from bad to worse. The abovetaken from Chuck Swindoll’s Great Days With the Great Lives pg. 77.
FYI, understandably, I struggle with choosing pertinent worthy material insuring we’re each prepared to transition well spiritually in the coming days, which may well not be pretty or pleasant. I am not nearly as concerned for how we fare physically, financially, emotionally, materially, etc. for I believe if our identity, faith and hope is in Christ, what can we suffer or can really be done to us, to separate us from His love and our eternal inheritance?
Since early ’23, I depend solely on God to nudge me to select what I post from my daily readings of scripture, the dozen or so books I’m processing at any given time, and what is sent me by friends. No nudges, no posts. Recently, God has given me a sense of urgency that sometimes is overwhelming. As you, I too encounter distinct Spirit nudges to move out, and when I obey, what joy, not only for me but also for the recipient, often even greater!
I think frequently back when the Henry Blackaby book “Experiencing God” flowed through the church in the late 80’s admonishing us to find where God was at work and join in that work rather than being lone rangers. Similarly, of late, Jamie Winship’s two questions that encourage we seekers and ambassadors to ask, whenever we are faced with either the mundane, or the overwhelming trials and tribulations of life’s messes, that nearly take our breath away, and they are: 1.) Lord, what do you want me to know about this situation; and 2.) Lord, what do you want me to do about this situation? And then wait for his wisdom. Of course, as the Good Samaritan, you arise to the occasion and administer first aid, CPR, stop the bleeding, transport to safety, etc., all the while praying for His divine intervention in knowing and doing!
At any rate, Chuck Swindoll was the inspiration yesterday that begat this: “I am the Lord. Your eyes are in the wrong place! Until your eyes are fixed on the Lord, you will not be able to endure those days that will go from bad to worse.”
Next, I read Day 9 in What On Earth Am I Here For that instilled a new appreciation for Noah, and I don’t think I’m alone among today’s seeker and ambassador crowd. I can think of a few similarities we may share, all except for his timeline of 120 years to endure ridicule is beyond possibility, yet for today’s humanity, but even 120 days seems preposterous. We are told “by faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and he acted on what he was told…. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.” Hebrews 11:7.
Noah had three major reasons to think this assignment ridiculous. First, Noah had never seen rain, because prior to the flood, the earth was irrigated from the ground up. Second, since Noah lived hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean, did his building permit declare his boat to be a novel home, or did it only appear to be designed for water travel? Perhaps, it was a precursor to an RV for a subconscious retirement desire to travel offering others mission trip experiences? Such excuses we might have concocted for our neighbors. And third, what about the animals; the rounding them up and caring for them? With no sign of rain year after year, he was ruthlessly criticized as a “crazy man who thinks God speaks to him.” Can you just hear the media today?
In what areas of our lives, or for me with this blog, do we need to trust God completely, if we are to see and hear the “I am the Lord today? Is trusting a preliminary to worship? Just as parents are pleased when children trust their love and wisdom, so does our faith make God happy. The Bible says “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6. God smiles when we obey Him wholeheartedly. Noah was given very specific instructions as to the size, shape, and materials of the ark as well as the different numbers of animals to be brought on board. The Bible tells us Noah’s response: “So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded Him.” Gen 6:22 NLT, Heb 11:7b NCV. Notice that Noah obeyed completely, no instruction was overlooked; and he obeyed exactly in the way and time God wanted it done. It is no wonder God smiled on Noah. So the question is, am I being faithful to my instructions to declare truth, or, am I hiding out in my fabricated excuses?
Even former President John F Kennedy quoted the heart of the Luke 12:48. Perhaps for the big picture, we should begin in verse 47 “And this servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. (48) But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”
The Message offers 47-48 as “The servant who knows what his master wants and ignores it, or insolently does whatever he pleases, will be thoroughly thrashed. But if he does a poor job through ignorance, he’ll get off with a slap on the hand. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!” Consider this: if we’re soon without shoes, and the shoe fits, will we even wear them? More questions than answers today!
Accept His Love. Live His Joy. Embrace His Peace. Share His Hope. Refute Evil. merlin