When Life and Faith Do Not Align
When Life and Faith Do Not Align
Exodus 1-5
“Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did you ever send me?”
Many times in life, our expectations of God’s activities and promises do not seem to align with our circumstances. Sometimes, the promises of God’s blessing seem to be more of a mockery than a comfort. Moses and the people of Israel were experiencing just such a time. The first four chapters are filled with God’s assurance that He would bring salvation and deliverance to the people of Israel. In 2:24-25, the people cried to God because of their bondage, and the fourfold response of God seems to give the assurance that God would act: He heard, He remembered, He saw and took notice.” Each of these verbs seems to radiate with the assurance that God will act mightily on behalf of His people. In 3:7, God again uses five verbs that assure God’s activities: "Has He seen… given heed…am aware …and have come down.” When God appears on the scene, then we know that He is going to act. When we are going through difficult circumstances, his presence is enough to calm our fears and give us the confidence that he will act on our behalf. As David affirms in Psalm 23, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me!” When God comes down and stands beside us, fear disappears, and our enemies quake. So when Moses came back with the assurance that God was present now with them, their hope was rekindled for God was now with them, “So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord was concerned about the sons of Israel that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped” (4:31).
When God appears, the people of God rejoice, for God is now acting on their behalf…But not this time! Not for the Jews in the bondage of Israel. When God sends Moses to deliver the people instead of the enemies quaking, they became more oppressive. Instead of the Israelites experiencing the blessing of God, life only became more difficult. The response of the Egyptians was only to make the work more strenuous. Instead of deliverance, they experienced an increase in their oppression and hardship. Their hope and confidence turned to disillusionment and frustration. Even Moses began to question God and His purpose (5:22-23).
God’s timing and activities are not always in line with our expectations. Sometimes, God’s infinite wisdom allows us to experience more adversity before He brings deliverance. What the people did not and could not see was that God was working not just to bring salvation to His people but judgment upon the Egyptians for their idolatry.
Often, when God does not act according to our expectations, we believe God to be silent or indifferent to our plight. God’s purposes are not always in line with our purposes. Faith enables us to see beyond our expectations and trust God’s plan, even when it contradicts our expectations. Faith is trusting in God’s response to our needs and trusting that his response is always perfect, even when we do not understand or it does not match our expectations. Are you facing difficulties in your life, and heaven seems silent? You can still have peace because He knows, He sees, and He does act and deliver us. However, it might not be in the way we expect! Today, spend time thanking God for His plan and activity and then rest in that plan, knowing that it is perfect and grounded in his love for you.
Exodus 1-5
“Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did you ever send me?”
Many times in life, our expectations of God’s activities and promises do not seem to align with our circumstances. Sometimes, the promises of God’s blessing seem to be more of a mockery than a comfort. Moses and the people of Israel were experiencing just such a time. The first four chapters are filled with God’s assurance that He would bring salvation and deliverance to the people of Israel. In 2:24-25, the people cried to God because of their bondage, and the fourfold response of God seems to give the assurance that God would act: He heard, He remembered, He saw and took notice.” Each of these verbs seems to radiate with the assurance that God will act mightily on behalf of His people. In 3:7, God again uses five verbs that assure God’s activities: "Has He seen… given heed…am aware …and have come down.” When God appears on the scene, then we know that He is going to act. When we are going through difficult circumstances, his presence is enough to calm our fears and give us the confidence that he will act on our behalf. As David affirms in Psalm 23, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me!” When God comes down and stands beside us, fear disappears, and our enemies quake. So when Moses came back with the assurance that God was present now with them, their hope was rekindled for God was now with them, “So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord was concerned about the sons of Israel that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped” (4:31).
When God appears, the people of God rejoice, for God is now acting on their behalf…But not this time! Not for the Jews in the bondage of Israel. When God sends Moses to deliver the people instead of the enemies quaking, they became more oppressive. Instead of the Israelites experiencing the blessing of God, life only became more difficult. The response of the Egyptians was only to make the work more strenuous. Instead of deliverance, they experienced an increase in their oppression and hardship. Their hope and confidence turned to disillusionment and frustration. Even Moses began to question God and His purpose (5:22-23).
God’s timing and activities are not always in line with our expectations. Sometimes, God’s infinite wisdom allows us to experience more adversity before He brings deliverance. What the people did not and could not see was that God was working not just to bring salvation to His people but judgment upon the Egyptians for their idolatry.
Often, when God does not act according to our expectations, we believe God to be silent or indifferent to our plight. God’s purposes are not always in line with our purposes. Faith enables us to see beyond our expectations and trust God’s plan, even when it contradicts our expectations. Faith is trusting in God’s response to our needs and trusting that his response is always perfect, even when we do not understand or it does not match our expectations. Are you facing difficulties in your life, and heaven seems silent? You can still have peace because He knows, He sees, and He does act and deliver us. However, it might not be in the way we expect! Today, spend time thanking God for His plan and activity and then rest in that plan, knowing that it is perfect and grounded in his love for you.
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