 Day 1 was all about realizing that God inspired fresh starts begin with something greater than our own motivation. We need God's guidance and motivation to keep us moving. Why we struggle so much on our own while He waits in the wings is baffling. Day 2 dealt with the company we keep. While we look to God for strength to accomplish our goals, the company we keep will either propel us towards success or drag us off course. Surround yourself with quality people who share your values.
Moses gives us yet another example of what our lives and goals can look like when we allow God to do what He does best. Here's the 30,000 foot view: Exodus 1: The account of Moses' birth. Moses was a Hebrew and unfortunately Hebrew babies were an endangered group at the time of his birth. The Pharaoh of Egypt was dealing with a "population problem" of sorts. The Hebrew people were beginning to outnumber the Egyptians so logically the Pharaoh's solution was to "limit" the possibility of future Hebrew growth by slaughtering off Hebrew infants. Fewer male babies would eventually lead to a slowing of the Hebrew population boom and that would ultimately allow the Pharaoh to remain in power for a little longer. Exodus 2: Enter Hebrew baby Moses to a quick thinking Hebrew mother. After keeping baby Moses hidden for a season her options narrowed as the Moses grew. She did what any logical mother would do in the same situation, she made a floating basket and sent her baby down the river. It's bananas in our thinking but perhaps she knew something we've missed in our modern day interpretation and understanding of parenting. Exodus 2:5-10: As Moses floats down the river he's "spotted" by the Pharoah's daughter. I put "spotted" in quotes because I don't want you to miss the supernatural aspect of this event. God was on the move. Ultimately, the Pharoah's daughter hands the baby off to an attendant (unbeknownst to her: Moses' mother) to nurse him and then return the baby to her when he's older. Exodus 2:11-15: We pick it up with Moses, now a young man, aware of his true identity, attempting to flee the scene of a murder. Well that escalated quickly. Moses is attempting to come to the rescue of one of his fellow Hebrews (who are still in slavery) and in the process murders one of their Egyptian slave drivers. As a result, Moses finds himself on the run for fear of his life. The Pharaoh discovers the murder and Moses hightails it to the middle of the wilderness. Imagine for a moment the guilt that fills Moses' mind over his murderous act. Guilt quickly gives way to fear and distrust of everyone. Who knows what he did? Who was watching? Will they follow him? How far will he have to run? How long will he have to hide? Moses plops down next to a well, discovers an opportunity to save the day for some vulnerable women being hassled by rowdy shepherds and ultimately ends up marrying into a wealthy family as a result of that "chance" meeting. Again, the quotes are intentional. That's the 30,000 foot overview of Moses, his murderous ways and his new life in Midian. Now let's zoom in as God begins to provide Moses with a fresh start. Keeping Moses life journey thus far in mind, read Exodus 2:25, where is says, speaking of God, "He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act." Here's my question: What about Moses up to that point led anyone to believe that he was capable of doing anything about the enslavement of the Hebrew people? He was clearly a hot head and in need of some serious character adjustments. Why does God even consider someone like Moses for such a task? I'm all for God acting on behalf of those in need but why Moses? Here's what I see in this account that I think parallels God's movement and our goal setting. God's action isn't dependent on our attributes. If it was then God would have never chosen Moses for anything. If it was then you and would never be chosen for anything either. As we set goals in the New Year, as we wade through what God may be calling us to in the New Year I wonder how often we shy away from something because we assume that we're too messed up. We've got a past. We've got some baggage. We've got some junk that we're not convinced God can do anything with. We've allowed our attributes to outweigh God's ability. Read this carefully: God doesn't need you and your attributes to accomplish what He wants to accomplish. He uses you and I in spite of ourselves. Let go of your past, look to His future and set goals that are only possible with His intervening. Be encouraged and keep moving forward. Comments are closed.
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