And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12)
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
(Exodus 19:16-17)
God is a promise-keeping God. These verses in Exodus are one of many examples. I’ve been reading the book of Exodus lately, and it’s home to many famous Bible stories — Moses’ conversation with God at the burning bush, the miraculous plagues in Egypt, and God’s deliverance of Israel through the Red Sea. In the midst of these amazing stories, I was struck by the simple phrases I emphasized above in bold…God promised he would deliver His people and bring them to the mountain to worship, and He did that. Moses had to be awestruck that after all the people had endured, here was an entire nation experiencing the direct fulfillment of a specific promise of God.
Despite the fact the people of Israel were experiencing unprecedented intervention and provision in their lives, there were multiple instances where they grumbled, complained, and questioned God. As a reader, I tend to be quick to judge them, and then I stop and look at my own life. How often do I complain or doubt God’s provision or timing in my life? Do I stand on the past history of God’s fulfilled promises and faithful provision, allowing His history to cause faith to rise in my heart as I battle the circumstances in front of me? I wish I could say I am consistently strong in my faith, but I have moments of “Faith Amnesia” more often than I want.
I love this particular example because worship is at the center of it. God delivered Israel so they could worship Him freely. Ironically, worship of God was also the activity that gave them the capacity to look forward with faith. In this story, the gift of God (freedom to worship) provided the pathway for future relationship between God and His people.
We need to be people who are committed to looking back, worshiping God for His faithfulness in the past. Then we look forward, letting God’s past guide us in faith for the future. I want to be a person whose thoughts, words, and actions reflect a wholehearted trust in our God. We know He has been faithful in the past, and we know He will continue to be faithful in the future.
Glad to be walking with you,
Brent
No comments:
Post a Comment