Day 351

Day 351

Pray (ACts)

Read - Exodus 6:1

Message - Alan Burke

“How dare you”, “you’ve ruined everything”, “that is totally unacceptable”, “I hope I never see you again”, “it’s all your fault”. Have you ever said anything like that or had it said to you? When you are on the end of a tongue lashing sometimes the best thing to do is just smile and say nothing but most of the time we want to give as good as we get. Moses had mouthed off at God, he had given him a tongue lashing, he had accused God of causing evil to fall upon the Israelites (5:23). Even though the Lord had made it clear that it would be this way, that he would “harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the people go” (4:23). This Moses still had a lot to learn about who the Lord God was and is and ever more shall be.

Here the Lord answers, what is striking is that the Lord simply ignores the accusations, the guff he had been spouting and takes Moses back to basics by reminding him that he would indeed do what he said he would. For the future lay in God’s mighty hand not Moses big mouth, and Moses was the one that God was going to use to speak and lead his people out. God had called him and no matter how dejected Moses now was, that calling was there still on his life. Paul reminds us that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29) God never revokes his saving promises, his calling, his salvation are dependant not on the one he calls and saves, it is dependant on his saving grace (Rom. 9:16–18)

Moses would indeed see what God would do, he has revealed to Moses his intentions and he would carry them out, so that Pharaoh and Egypt may know that the LORD alone is the Lord God, over all the earth (5:5, 17; 8:10, 22 [6, 18]; 9:14, 29; 11:7; 14:4, 18). In that process the Lord’s people Israel would know her Lord in a deeper way (6:7, 10:2). All by the mighty hand of God. How God would do that Moses and the people would have to wait to see. 

It may not have been the answer that Moses was hoping for but it was the answer he needed, the Lord who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, ignored his complaint and instead reminded him of the great truth of what he the LORD would indeed do. Even though things had gone from bad to worse for the people of God it was all part of God’s plan to redeem his people and bring salvation to the ends of the earth. God had everything under control. 

You may have cried out to God, you may be sitting here wondering why he hasn’t answered the way you want, you may be struggling with what you face, or just dismayed at what is going on around us in this world, or how our society seems to be going daft but yet God is working in the midst of it all, he by his providence at work, as the Westminster Confession of Faith helps us summaries the scriptural teaching;

“God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass” 

God is sovereignly at work, you can be assured of that, he is in control whether we can see that or not, whether it seems that he hasn’t answered our prayers in the way we want, in our struggles, in wall that goes in he is in control, when our expectations lie in ruin, when things are far from how we would want them or desire them to be he is at work.

Pray (acTS)

Sing

WSC
Q 6 How many persons are there in the Godhead?
There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. (1 John 5:7, Matt. 28:19)