. . . when Moses was grown . . . he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens —Exodus 2:11
Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, ” ’. . . bring My people . . . out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ’Who am I that I should go . . . ?’ ” (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.
We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. It’s as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, “Who am I that I should go . . . ?” We must learn that God’s great stride is summed up in these words— “I AM WHO I AM . . . has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him— our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be “well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, “I know this is what God wants me to do.” But we have not yet learned to get into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.
10 13 11 Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
I relate to Moses, seeing a wrong and deciding (or probably assuming … or just not thinking at all…) that he was the one to right the wrong and rushing out in his own power to correct the injustice. I’ve done that. And it worked about as well as it did for Moses. But now that I’ve been on some broken roads and deserts … I’m slower to jump on things. Currently I’m in a situation and find myself tempted to “pick up a sword” So far I’ve remembered who I am, and who you are and what you’ve said, and how you’ve always worked things out in the past. Jer 29:11 & Rom 8:28 are my anchors
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.
Of course I’ve known these for many years, but after surviving some deserts they mean more to me, give me a different perspective. They are the filter thru which other thoughts and input must pass and be evaluated.
It is tempting when those around me say, “you should sue….” but so far, I’ve chosen to stay curious about what you are going to do and expectant that it will be good. I’m even starting to think that it will be very good … better even than I could have thought … Like Joseph becoming prime minister of Egypt and saving all the people. ?
I am certainly capable of blessing my people and turning curses to blessings. And I delight to do those things.
I like to see you work and I like to try to figure out how and why you do what you do and what you are going to do next. That’s probably not too good?
Correct. You will ruin it for yourself if you get in the way with your ways and your thinking, planning, managing, and the ways of the world. They are so different than my ways, … they just wont work together. So if you are going to manage a crisis, I’ll step aside … and let you.
Been there, done that. I like it better staying on the balcony and watching you do things. It’s so cool that they so often turn out great for me. Sometimes there is something for me to do. I have a hundred ideas. 99 are junk. One is from you. How do I know?
Dont fret. Dont waste a lot of time on this question. You’ve recently let 99 ideas go by. Those one or two that you acted on … how did you know?
I waited until it became clear. So clear that other people were telling me. Then when I made some moves, I tried to hold my position in an open palm and keep remembering those verses. And WWJD.
Good, just keep doing that.
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