He Wasn't Lying

Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me?  For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”                  Exodus 5:22-23 ESV

Wow, can I relate to Moses in this moment!

God had assigned to Moses a task that Moses had felt ill-equipped to handle.  He had expressed this to the Lord.  God still wanted him to do it and conceded to send Aaron with him so Moses would not have to do the task alone.  And so Moses (and Aaron) had gone.

First, they went to the people.  They had a meeting with the leaders of the children of Israel.  They shared with the people what God had said.  They got the leaders on board, and I'm sure all the people were feeling more hopeful than they had in years.  When they understood that God had heard their prayers and seen their circumstances, and when they were told that God was getting ready to rescue them, the Scripture says that they worshiped.  They weren't out of Egypt yet, but they had hope.

And then the next day, they had to carry on with the tasks of their slavery.  I feel like they may have started that day feeling a little lighter of heart, a little more optimistic.  But that optimism was short-lived.  Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh, and not only did he not let the people go, but Pharaoh decided to make their lives even more miserable.  Instead of deliverance from slavery, the people got more work to do.

The response of the people was not surprising.  "Disappointed" wouldn't begin to cover what they must have been feeling.  They went back to Moses and Aaron and complained.  They were confused.  They'd been promised release, but instead they got greater burden.

And naturally, Moses takes their complaint to God, along with one of his own.  "You've been unkind to the people.  You made me go do something I told you I didn't want to do.  Nothing is getting better here.  You lied!"  

God, of course, had not lied.  But from the perspective of Moses and the children of Israel, that's what it looked like.  God had spoken directly to Moses.  Moses relayed the message to Aaron, who told it to the people.  And yet it appeared that what was happening was the exact opposite of what had been promised.

Because we have the whole of Scripture and can see how the story played out, we know that the people of Israel did, in fact, get delivered from Egypt.  But it didn't happen in the way they thought it would or in the time frame they had hoped.

The people were upset.  Moses was upset.  

And I can relate to this, and I'll bet you can too.

Sometimes, trusting the Lord involves doing what you don't want to do for a while.  Sometimes it is painful.  Often it looks pointless or impossible.  You likely find yourself at times wondering, as Moses did, whether God is actually going to come through or if He lied.  We don't like to phrase it that way because it sounds harsh and un-Christian.  But that's kind of the heart of our question.  Was God dishonest with us?

If we could only see the big picture...

Our stories have not yet been written down for us to read.   We can't go to our own book of Exodus and see the miracles that God is preparing to do.  We can't begin to imagine something as spectacular as a sea opening before us to take us from bondage to freedom.  

So we wait.  We question.  We complain.  We doubt.  And we wait some more.

As you wait, remember -- today's troubles are temporary.  When things seem to get worse before they get better, remember Moses and the children of Israel.  There is freedom beyond the sea.

The miracles are out there.  And God is faithful.  He's just not in a hurry like I am.

...Just a thought...

When God Sees

And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.     Exodus 4:31 ESV

God sees.  He sees everything. 

In our heads, we know that is true.  For those of us who grew up in Sunday school, bit words like "omnipresent" and "omniscient" may come to mind.  I have been taught from an early age that God is everywhere and that He knows everything.  These are simple facts, so ingrained in my mind that I have no question as to their validity.

My heart, though, is sometimes a different story.  

As I have been reading in Exodus, the stories are familiar.  I've heard them and read them many, many times.  But as is common, I find new nuances in the old stories each time I read them.  I know what's getting ready to happen in Egypt and beyond.  When I think about the years the children of Israel are preparing to spend wandering in the wilderness, I am not prone to think of them as people of great faith.  Which is probably why this verse stood out to me this morning...

For context, if you're not familiar with the story, the descendants of Jacob have been living in Egypt for about 400 years, ever since they came to be nourished through a famine.  God has blessed the children of Jacob (Israel), and they have multiplied in the land of Egypt - so much so that the king (Pharaoh) is worried that they will rebel and overpower his country.  And so, Pharoah has made the children of Israel slaves. 

The slavery thing had been going on for quite a while, and the children of Israel were weary.  They were tired of being slaves, tired of being beaten, tired of having their children murdered, tired of it all, I can imagine.  They had been crying out to the Lord for rescue for years, and they must have wondered if He'd just abandoned them.

He had not.  In Exodus 2:24 we're told that God heard their cries.  He already had a plan for their rescue, but they just didn't know it yet.

So In Exodus 4:31, Moses had just returned to Egypt, having spent the past 40 years away.  He reconnected with his older brother Aaron, and they gathered the leaders of the people for a meeting.  With Moses talking to Aaron, and Aaron relaying the messages to the people, they laid out God's plan for bringing the children of Israel out of the place of their slavery.  They finally had confirmation that God had heard their prayers!

Their response was to worship.

Nothing had actually happened yet.  They were still in Egypt.  They were still slaves.  Circumstances were still pretty bleak.  Nothing had changed for them.  But hope had come!  They knew that God had heard and that deliverance was coming, and that was enough for the moment.  The news that Moses and Aaron brought resulted in humble worship.

As often is the case in life, the rescue was still a ways out.  The children of Israel were not walking out of Egypt that day.  They still had to get up the next morning and go out to work in horrible conditions.  Actually, conditions were about to get a lot worse before they got better...

Still, in the midst of their slavery, before they were rescued, just a simple encouragement that God was listening made a difference in their hearts, and the children of Israel were drawn to worship.

Life is often hard.  We sometimes pray for days, months, years, wondering if God hears or if He cares.  We know in our heads - because we know the nature of God - that He does hear.  But we aren't feeling it, and we're not seeing Him respond.

Occasionally, though, something will happen to remind our hearts of what our heads know.  God is faithful.  God has heard our prayers.  He has seen what is happening, and He has a plan.  Maybe we are encouraged by a song, by a kind word, by the "verse of the day," or by some other means.  In those moments, let us take a page from the Israelite slave playbook and respond in humble worship.

Sure, in chapter 5 the Israelites seem already to have forgotten.  They walked out of the meeting where God spoke, and back into the circumstances of life, where they were quickly discouraged and overwhelmed.

We do that too.  And it's okay.

God still rescued the children of Israel.  He didn't say, "well after you worshiped you grumbled, so I changed My mind."  He did miracles!

So the encouragement today is quite simple: in the midst of the difficulty, go ahead and worship.  God sees what you're going through.  He's heard your cries.  The answer may not come as quickly as you'd hoped, and you may be tempted to doubt.  In those moments, let your head have a little chat with your heart.  You know what is true.  God is good.

So now we wait...

...Just a thought...

In the Season of I Don't Know...

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.      Romans 8:26 ESV

I've dubbed my recent history as "the season of 'I don't know'".  It seems very fitting, as that is my answer to most questions these days.  I don't know.  I answer that way because it is so very true-- I don't know.

I feel as if I've been in this season for a very long time.  Definitely, it's been going on for a solid year now, and probably a bit longer.  Unfortunately, the season of "I don't know" seems as unchanging as the Florida seasons...

Aside from the global pandemic aspect of things, I have just been feeling this underlying sense of uncertainty and confusion.  Any and all decisions seem difficult, and I find myself avoiding making plans and decisions whenever possible.  

A simple 2022 goal I set for myself was to interact with humanity a little bit more.  I find solitude comfortable, and I am happy to work in my quiet little home for days on end with little actual human interaction.  But the Lord pointed out to me the fallacy in my little comfort zone, as He created me to live in fellowship with others and to share Him with them.  So I'm trying to get out a little more (though I'm careful not to overdo it!).

So Friday is the day that my friend leads a Bible study for ladies in the community where we live, and today, in the name of human interaction, I decided to attend.  She was teaching from Romans 8:28, a verse I often have used to encourage others, and to encourage myself.  I love the idea of things working together for good, especially in this season when things seldom feel like they're working well.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.      Romans 8:28 ESV

But as she taught, my friend was not so much emphasizing the "all things work together for good" part of the verse, but rather homed in on the "and we know" part.  And, me being me, all I could think was of all that I feel like I don't know these days.

As I skimmed the Scripture for context, I discovered that when he wrote this letter to the Romans, Paul had already considered the "I don't know" of the matter.  That got my attention!

While I've been busy giving myself pep talks on how God is working things for my good, while I've been trying to figure out how to bloom where I'm planted when I really want to be transplanted elsewhere, while I've just been trying to hold on for better days I hope are ahead, I've felt a heaviness in the "I don't know."  In fact, there is freedom in "I don't know."

So much is contained in this chapter in the Scripture!  Each thought builds on the previous, and we could be here for days just gleaning practical wisdom from Romans 8!  So for now, I just want to share with you briefly what encouraged me today.

 Verse 26 begins by pointing out that the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  Just a brief read of the preceding verses spells out a bit of that weakness.  Words like suffering, bondage, longing, groaning all feel particularly relatable.

That weakness is what leads us into the I don't know.  We don't know what to pray for...  Again, so relatable!

The bottom line here really is simply this:  "all things work together" does not depend on me!  

Having memorized this verse in the King James Version as a child, this was a simple nuance that I've missed.  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  For most of life, I have focused on the fact that things work together for good for "them that love God," and for "the called."  If things were not working for good in my life, I concluded that perhaps I was not loving God properly, or that maybe I was not "called." 

If we simply expand our focus to see Romans 8:28 in the context, including verses 26-27, it is clear that "all things working together for good" is not an outcome we should only expect in response to our own prayers.  It is, in fact, God's response to our "I don't know."

I don't know what to pray for.  I don't know God's will.  I don't know.  I don't know. I. Don't. Know.

To which, our loving heavenly Father says, "Cool!" (Or something like that.)

It is precisely when we don't know, that the Holy Spirit can do His best work.  We don't know how to pray, so the Spirit prays on our behalf.  He doesn't have to qualify His prayers with, "Lord if it's Your will" because He knows the will of God.  He knows our hearts and He knows the heart of God.  And He prays for us perfectly!

And then, verse 28.  Because the Spirit spoke what we didn't know to speak, because He asked for what we didn't know to ask for, because He knew the will of God when we couldn't discern His voice, all things now can work together for our good.

So I'm going to try to stop looking at this season of "I don't know" as if it is a bad thing.  Instead, I'm going to trust the words of the Lord through Paul that when I don't know, the Spirit intercedes.

Perhaps "I don't know" is really just the path to all things working together for good...

Sounds pretty freeing...

...Just a thought...

New Year, New Thoughts

But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”     Proverbs 1:33 NLT

I fully intended to leave you with a post on December 31 to finish out 2021.  I did not.

I thought I would post something inspirational for the new year on January 1.  I didn't do that either.

I have started a few posts in my head already this year, and there they remain for now - rattling around in my head.  

So here we are, already finishing off the first week of 2022.  I hope the new year is starting off well for you. 

If I were to describe my week in a word, it would be "thoughtful."  That's not to say that I have spent these seven days being thoughtful, as in doing nice things for people around me.  (They say confession is good for the soul!)  I have been thoughtful - as in "full of thought."  Or thoughts.  Perhaps the word should be "thoughts-ful"...🤔

At any rate, as I've already mentioned, there are things rattling around in my head.  So, in my "thoughtfulness," there has certainly been a bit of introspection.  I have considered things that I might do differently in the new year.  I have mulled over the mess that was 2021, attempting to pinpoint where things went awry.  

With that, though, has come a bit more sharing of thoughts.  Not written sharing, clearly, but conversation.  It's kind of weird for me, as I am not prone to a lot of verbal conversation.  

I have had conversations with my husband - which is not unusual - but we seem to be talking about more substantial things at greater length.  It's been good, especially as it remains a hard season in many ways.

I have had conversations with my daughter.  Again, this is not highly unusual.  We talk; we share.  As a general rule, we converse by text.  It works well, as we both, traditionally, tend to steer away from too much verbal communication.  It's just how we're wired.  But this week, we've engaged in actual spoken conversations.

I have conversed with friends and family and engaged in more verbal communication in a week than I normally would prefer.  And I am okay.  My head didn't explode.  I have managed to be somewhat productive in spite of the kinds of lengthy conversations that I generally consider a distraction and a hindrance to getting things done.  I'm pretty sure there's a lesson in there that the Lord is trying to teach me...

What I have learned and processed verbally in a bunch of different contexts this week, and what I have discovered as I have read and heard what other people thought about 2021 as they've been expressing their own plans and thoughts on the new year, is that, apparently, my last year's struggles were not really all that unique.  

There is a lot of uncertainty and unease in the world right now.  A LOT!

So today, a verse from my morning Scripture reading really resonated with me, particularly in light of some of the week's conversations.  Proverbs 1:33 says, "But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”

Out of context, you might assume the message of that verse is referencing listening to God.  And certainly, it is critical, in times such as these, that we listen to God.  But the "me" in the Scripture here is not God.

It is WISDOM.

The "fear of harm" is pretty much "driving the bus" these days.  Everything it seems - from grocery shopping, to going to work, to getting together with family and friends, to even getting out and going to church - every aspect of life on planet earth in January 2022 seems to be being dictated by the fear of harm.  We - collectively - are troubled.  And there just doesn't seem to be a lot of peace.  Fear is driving the bus.

You've may have heard often these past couple of years, as I have, about how many times the Bible contains some variation of the phrase, "fear not."  I keep hearing that it is 365 times - one for every day of the year.  I haven't gone through to count, but I figure it's there at least 365 times.  Interestingly, though, knowing that I'm supposed to "fear not" hasn't really made me not fear.  Maybe I'm just weird that way...

Or...

Maybe knowledge really is NOT power.  Perhaps, knowledge is simply information.

One of the conversations Jeff and I had this week was about trivia, of all things.  I know "stuff."  I know a lot of stuff.  I know stuff that I don't know how I know or why I know - I just know it.  It's mostly useless stuff, really.  I have a lot of information in my head which, I suppose, might be helpful in a game of Scrabble or for trivia night, but it really serves no other useful purpose.  

Knowledge is information.  We are living in an age of information overload!  There is a lot of information bombarding us these days.  Without taking this in a political direction, can I just simply point out that not all information we are given is actually accurate or true?  

Knowledge is information.  Information can make us, by definition, informed.  It can make us smart.  It can make us proud.  It can make us annoying.  It can make us afraid.  

Knowledge can be used, or it can be misused.  I am reminded of the children's story of Chicken Little.  Even a well-intentioned sharing of information that is not accurate can produce anxiety and panic.

But there is a solution!  This is incredibly good news!

WISDOM has the power to take the wind out of the sails of knowledge.  Misinformation cannot stand up to wise processing.  If we will simply put wisdom in the "driver's seat," the bus is going to move down the road in a much smoother fashion.  When wisdom is applied, PEACE can replace the FEAR of harm.

Which all sounds pretty simple, right?  Except, wisdom, it seems, is in short supply.  Or is it?

IT IS NOT.

Wisdom is readily available.  Perhaps I'll continue this train of thought through a few more posts, as this is getting lengthy.  For now, I'd like to leave you with a question, and one more bit of Scripture.

What might happen if we let WISDOM drive the 2022 bus?  What would this year look like?

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.     James 1:5 NLT

That inner peace and freedom from fear that we've been seeking? It's found in wisdom.  Wisdom comes from God.  Ask Him for it.

...Just a thought...