The LORD’s Plan is Way Bigger Than We See

First question this morning is, what was the result of Moses, Aaron, the Israelites, and Pharaoh? Well, the result was that the Israelites did escape from the land and rule of Pharaoh, in fact, Pharaoh willingly let them go.

Yes, the LORD’s plan was realized, but when we look back at the beginning of the plan, it did not look to promising. You see, the Israelite people were doing work for Pharaoh and thanks to Moses and Aaron, that work was made harder.

“⁴But the king of Egypt said to them, ‘Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.’ ⁵And Pharaoh said, ‘Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!’ ⁶The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, ⁷’You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves.’” – Exodus 5:4-7 (ESV)

Moses and Aaron tried to get relief for the people and instead Pharaoh made their work even harder. They were to no gather straw on their own for the bricks and continue to produce the same results of the work, doubling the effort needed.

The part we have to remember is who is in control during this entire time. God! The people could not see the plan of the LORD. All they saw was that they now had more work and things were harder for them. But, the LORD was just starting the work to get them released. And, the time it took for them to be released was not short (some say about a year). So, it stands to reason that the people did not see the plan that God had for them in the beginning.

For us, we have to do the work assigned by God. It may be difficult in the moment, and it may get even more difficult and we may not see the plan He has for us. The results may not be revealed until we get there. It may take years, and as we see with the Moses and the promised land, we may not even get to be there for the result. But God does have a plan and it is up to us to do the work and realize it is for the result of this plan we work, even when we may not be there when it is resolved fully.

What is your view of the plan of God? Do you expect that you know where it all ends? What if you did the work, knowing that you may simply be at the beginning of the plan that will play out over a long period of time?

God May Make it Difficult

“²¹And the Lord said to Moses, ‘When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.’” – Exodus 4:21 (ESV)

What is this, the LORD sends Moses to work for Him. Tells him exactly what to say and what to do. And for his trouble, the LORD hardens the heart of Pharaoh. Obeying the LORD is not where the work ends, there is more to it.

The LORD told Moses that just telling Pharaoh in His name was not going to work. Not because it would not, but because the LORD was going to make it not work. Isn’t this just a bit contrary to what we might believe to come from the LORD. Aren’t we to obey the LORD and in doing so, He will take care of us? Why then would the LORD have us do something that would not work, shouldn’t it be that the LORD wants that things carried out in His name be done and take care of that which He intends? Well, yes, but there is more to it.

This is of course one of those things that makes it difficult for me. The LORD has something for me to do, I do it, and yet the result does not come out as planned. Why would the LORD do such a thing?

He is not doing it to get the result “we” have planned. There is a greater result that He is working toward, and I am just one part of the plan to get to that result. The LORD is working on His plan, to get His result, not mine.

So, with this in mind, I go back to verse 21 as above. Moses was to do the work of the LORD and tell Pharaoh to let the people go, and on the LORD’s design, it would not happen. It could have happened, if it were of God’s design, but it was not and did not. The LORD had something greater in mind and this was only part of the design.

Notice how this all plays out. The LORD has a task for us, we take care of that task and yet the result is not there that we expected. We are to continue on with the tasks that God has for us, and know that He will get the result He is working toward, and that result may not come for some time, or be different than we expected.

It is not that the LORD is making things difficult, He is having them play out just as He designed. I have to look to the LORD and know that His wisdom will produce the result He wants and my role is to do the work He has for me. The work He has for me is the work He has for me. The result of that work is not for me, just the work itself. It may be difficult and the result may not be felt by me, but it is the work the LORD has for me and that is where I have to be focused.

I look at my bible study and writing each morning. Where is the result? How many have I reached? Is it touching people the way the LORD intended? Is there more that I should be doing? How do I get more responses, and know that I am reaching the people to make a difference in their lives? Why is it that I don’t see more results? Is there an easier way to get things done? Why, Why, Why? Well, this is the work the LORD has for me and I have to know that it is the work, not the result that is my responsibility. He will get the result that He has planned. He is not making it difficult, He is simply leading me to follow Him.

What is your thoughts on the tasks that God has for you? Are you looking at them to get a specific result and thinking why so difficult to get that result? What if you saw them as part of God’s plan and those tasks are not difficult, but just designed to get a result that is just part of that plan?

Question God? Go Ahead

I have studied and written in the past of whether or not we should be questioning God and what He is asking of us. And each time, the prevailing answer is sure, go ahead and question God. The thing is, questioning Him is okay, but it does not absolve us from doing His work.

Moses was not confident in himself and subsequently questioned whether or not he was qualified to speak with the Israelite people or Pharaoh about their release and migration to the promised land.

“¹Then Moses answered, ‘But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, “The Lord did not appear to you.”’” “¹⁰But Moses said to the Lord, ‘Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.’” “¹³But he said, ‘Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.’” – Exodus 4:1, 10, & 13 (ESV)

Over the span of one conversation with the LORD, Moses questioned Him three times. Moses was not ready to be the workman of the LORD. As I noted earlier, he was not confident in himself and was quick to make note to the LORD the he was just a regular guy and not qualified for such important tasks and work.

The LORD listened, provided answers and solutions to the questions, even was angered, but He did not relent or take away the task. The LORD had a task for Moses and Moses was going to do the work.

“⁸’If they will not believe you,’ God said, ‘or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.’” “¹¹Then the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?’” “¹⁴Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, ‘Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. ¹⁵You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do.’” – Exodus 4:8, 11, & 14-15 (ESV)

The LORD was okay with the questions and that should be an example for us to follow (but that is a discussion for another time). The thing is that the LORD did not relent on the responsibility He placed on Moses. He had work for Moses and by golly Moses was going to do the work. The questions were valid in the beginning and the LORD provided ways to overcome. Then, as Moses allowed his fear and apprehension well up in him, he was trying to get out of the work. The LORD did not relent.

It is okay for us to question the LORD. He wants us to come to Him with our open heart, and that cannot happen if we are afraid to question. The LORD will provide all the answers we need. But, He has work for us to do and that work, even when we do not see how we can do it, needs to be done so the LORD will provide the way. We have to understand that our questions will lead to answers that we will need to accept.

What is your approach to the LORD? Are you willing to question Him? What if you did question to get answers, but remembered that you are still responsible for the work?

The LORD Uses All for His Work

Moses was a relatively unknown individual at the time that God chose him. Yes, he had lived in the house of Pharaoh and knew all the comforts of that lifestyle and was known in Egypt. But he had fled that life and was known only as the Egyptian that had saved the flock and delivered the daughters of the Midian priest, so, a relatively unknown.

Isn’t it that way with us. Aren’t we all relatively unknowns in the world. Sure, there are those that are doing the work of the LORD in grand fashion and are known to all. But even they were unknown at the time the LORD called them to do His work.

Other than knowing he was of Jewish lineage, there is no real mention of Moses being a man of God. He was a shepherd in Midian and was called by God through the burning bush.

“²And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. ³And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.’ ⁴When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ ⁵Then he said, ‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ ⁶And he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” – Exodus 3:2-6 (ESV)

Here is the beginnings of the call of Moses. He was out keeping the flock of sheep and saw a burning bush and went to see what was going on with it. The LORD came to him and introduced himself to Moses.

What an example of God working in ways that can only be described as mysterious. The LORD came to a regular man and commissioned him to do extraordinary work. Moses was asked to take on the leading of Israel out of the bondage of slavery. And, as just a regular guy, look at his response to this commission.

“¹¹But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’” – Exodus 3:11 (ESV)

I believe that I would say something very similar if God were to ask me to take on such a notable task for Him. But, isn’t that how it is all the time? The LORD asks us to act and we do not really know the full impact of what He is asking. All of the actions He commissions us to undertake are notable to Him. My job is simply to take them on and know that I may see myself as a simple, unknown, regular guy, but God sees me as His child and chosen for a reason. God uses us all for His work.

What is your view of your station? Do you see yourself as a simple, unknown, regular person? What if you saw yourself as God does, His child and know that He chooses you for a reason, for His work?

Follow the LORD, He Knows

“¹⁷When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸And Joseph said to his father, ‘Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.’ ¹⁹But his father refused and said, ‘I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.’” – Genesis 48:17-19 (ESV)

Jacob was an old man and was barely able to see anything at all. Here we find him just meeting his grandsons and blessing them. Now, Jacob was in close concert with God and His plans. He was always following the LORD. In the above passage, Jacob was blessing the sons of Joseph, and appeared to make a mistake in blessing younger of them as would traditionally be done of the first born, and rightfully so, Joseph moves to correct him. Jacob then lets it known that he is indeed correct in his blessing.

Here we find Jacob following the will of God in the lives of those in his lineage. He was blessing the one who would be greater to acknowledge that he would be greater. Where it would not manifest until later, it is important to note that the will of God was being followed here.

Jacob, for all of his shortcomings, followed the LORD and did not apologize for it. He was bold and deliberate. In this passage, we find that Joseph moved his sons to the hands of Jacob for the blessing and Jacob crossed his hands when laying hands on them for the blessing. Jacob knew, thanks to God which was which and took action to follow.

I have to remember that for all of my knowledge, intelligence, understanding, and learning, I still have to follow the LORD, because He knows.

What do you know? Are you of the opinion that you know it all? What if you were to surrender to the LORD and follow Him as He is the one who truly knows?

Love Will Overcome Anger

I continue this morning in Genesis and am staying with Joseph. I am in the passage of his testing of his brothers and revealing himself to them.

Joseph had every right to be angry with his brothers, as they sold him into slavery. Over time Joseph had grown in position and stature and was certainly in the right as with the world view to seek and get back at them for their actions toward him. In verses 1-34 of Genesis 44 we see that he is indeed working to get back at them through his testing of them. But, he only works toward getting back at them and stops short of completion. Joseph recognizes that his brothers love their father and are truly sorrowful for what they had done.

Joseph had every right to be angry with his brothers, yet when he saw that they were sorrowful, his anger turned to sorrow and then to love as he revealed himself to them and demonstrated the forgiveness that only the LORD could provide for him to demonstrate.

“⁴So Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come near to me, please.’ And they came near. And he said, ‘I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. ⁷And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.’” – Genesis 45:4-7 (ESV)

Joseph was justified to be filled with anger in the moment. He had done nothing to deserve the treatment from his brothers as they sold him. Yet, he did not allow that to control him and was able to see that God was controlling the entire scenario from the beginning. The LORD had allowed him to be sold by his brothers. The LORD had brought him to Pharaoh. The LORD had given him position. The LORD had brought his brothers and family back to him.

I see this morning that love should be allowed to overcome anger. And not just that is should overcome, but ultimately it will overcome. I have to allow love to come through in all situations. I may have anger and it could be justified based on the situation, but I have to allow the love of God to come through and overcome the anger as only it can. I have to embrace that the LORD is love and that He controls all, right from the beginning.

What is your approach to anger? Are you allowing it to be that which overcomes? What if you recognize that the LORD is indeed in control from the beginning and allow His love to overcome your anger as it should?

Listen Now and Prepare

I am looked at sometimes as to rigid in my approach. I am one of those people that has to have a plan to proceed. I believe that without planning, there is a good chance that things will be missed and chaos can and will ensue. This morning I am reading in God’s Word from Genesis and the passage lead me to find that approach is not as rigid and negative as one might think.

“²⁹There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, ³⁰but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, ³¹and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.” “³⁴Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. ³⁵And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. ³⁶That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.” – Genesis 41:29-31 & 34-36 (ESV)

I know that the above passage is a long one. It does however point out the importance of planning. Here we find that there would be times of plenty and then times of scarcity. The plan is to store up during the time of plenty to be able to make it through the times of scarcity. Planning would allow for future survival.

Now, I am not against those who are not like me in the area of having a plan. In fact, my wife Lori is one of those who lives in the moment and she is a great person and her approach makes a difference in the lives of others. What I will say is that there is a time and place for each approach.

In this same passage of God’s Word, Joseph is interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh. In the dream Joseph interprets that the famine will follow the time of plenty, and it will completely blot out the memory of the plenty as it will be so great. The people will live in the moment of plenty and then in the moment of famine. The living in the moment of plenty is safe and secure, and when the safety and security are gone in the moment of famine, the feelings are fear and despair. This fear and despair will take over fully and the people will forget about all the times of plenty they had just come from.

We have to listen now and prepare. In the passage, we find that Pharaoh listened to Joseph and his interpretation of the dreams. The dreams were a message from God as to what He was about to do.

“²⁵Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, ‘The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.’” “³²And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.” – Genesis 41:25 (ESV)

Joseph led with the fact that God revealed His plan. In the passage, it was mentioned twice in the 36 verses, and is largely missed as a part of the passage. God revealed His plan and it was up to Pharaoh to listen and take action. Pharaoh should listen and plan, and he did.

I have to remember to listen to the LORD and plan what is next. It is great to be able to live in the moment and forget about all that is around us in the interest of not allowing things to bother or get to us. But, we also have to plan for those times when things may not be great as they are in this moment. I have to see where I am, and prepare for where the LORD would have me going. I have to listen to God’s plan and take action, knowing that if He indicates it will be happening, it will happen.

What is your approach to planning? Is it something that is left for others? What if you were to listen to what is and or will happen and prepared?

Jealousy/Envy Leads to Irrationality

This morning as I continue my study with the word “will” I am reminded of how jealousy/envy play on our lives and how we progress in this world. I am reading Genesis 37 of Joseph and his brothers. The brothers were jealous/envious of Joseph as he was the favorite of the father, Jacob. It was no secret and they had it out for him. Not to mention that Joseph had dreamed that they would bow down to him, which made things even worse.

The brothers were filled with such jealousy/envy that the began to conspire to rid themselves of Joseph. I am not sure as to what they thought they would receive for doing so, only that with Joseph out of the picture, they would somehow be elevated in position with Jacob. But we do not see this in the text here. We only see that they wanted to rid themselves of the shadow that was Joseph and as such, they took to irrational action.

“’²⁰Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.’ ²²And Reuben said to them, ‘Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him’—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. ‘²⁷Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.’ And his brothers listened to him. ³¹Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.” – Genesis 37:20,22,27,&31 (ESV)

Look at the above verses and see all of the discussion and action taken by the brothers of Joseph. Does any of it seem rational. And, I see the web being created that if one of them were to find conviction, would be able to unravel. This is not rational action of any kind, and it is all due to the jealousy/envy they had for Joseph.

What did Joseph really do? Well, he was loved by his father. He dreamed and interpreted those dreams. The actions of the brothers were that of those who were jealous/envious of Joseph for things that were not really of his doing. Sure, Joseph could have held his dream interpretation to himself, but the dream and its meaning was from God which was completely missed here.

The brothers reacted irrationally as they did not work to understand all that had or was occurring. Doesn’t that happen all the time in our world even today? Think about all of the actions of bad actors and the reasons they are doing them. Largely it is due to jealousy/envy of something or someone. And that something or someone are not doing things intentionally to others, it is just the thoughts and feelings manifest from the evil one that lead to the jealousy/envy and those irrational actions.

How do we get past them? We slow down and work to understand. We work to realize that whatever is for others is for them and that whatever is for us is for us. There is no reason for jealousy/envy in my individual world. God has a plan for me and I am to be content in that plan and the receipts from that plan. Paul says it best.

“¹¹Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” – Philippians 4:11 (ESV)

What are you jealous/envious of? Are you taking actions based on your jealousy/envy and is it rational to take those actions? What if you were to instead, slow down and understand the work you are taking for the LORD and to be content with that which He provides for you as a result?

What Will You Give For Love

This morning I get to see just how much someone would give for love. Although this is just a short span in the grand scheme of things, it is a great amount of time none the less.

“¹⁸Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, ‘I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.’ ³⁰So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years.” – Genesis 29:18&30 (ESV)

Jacob fell in love with Rachel at first sight of her. He loved her so much that he gladly gave seven years of his life to have her. Then it was that he did not receive her and was again glad to serve another seven years for her. This is dedication to love.

As of my writing this, I and Lori have been married for 28 years. And yes, that is double the time Jacob spent in service to receive his love. I work every day for this love. I give of myself to a fault. I do all things for her and for my boys. I sacrifice myself for them in love of them and will continue to do so.

I have to remember that this life is not my own. I am here to serve. I am here to give of myself to the one that I love and 28 years, well, I am just getting started. My first love is for the LORD. He gave me life and for that I will serve Him. He gives me eternity in heaven and for that I serve Him for eternity.

How much time are you willing to give for love? Are you impatient with delays? What if you recognized that the LORD has already given to you and you can and should give Him all of you for all time?

Make Promise to God and Fulfill Them

So, the LORD makes promises to me. I accept those promises and expect that He will follow through on them. And as the great and merciful God He is, He does.

“¹³And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring…¹⁵Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’” – Genesis 28:13 & 15 (ESV)

Above you can see the promise of God to Jacob that was revealed in a dream. The key thing I am seeing is that the LORD promised something to Jacob and as He says in the last sentence, “I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”. The LORD makes promises to us and we expect that He will fulfill them.

“²⁰Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, ²¹so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, ²²and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.’” – Genesis 28:20-22 (ESV)

But, what about us. Do we reciprocate to Him with promises of our own? Jacob did. I did accept the gift of salvation from Christ. I did promise to go wherever He would have me go and do whatever He would have me do.

It is not just about making the promises. It is about fulfilling them. I know that I can and will count on God to fulfill His promises (even if I am frustrated by the timing of His fulfillment). I know that He promised me eternal life in heaven and that I would not ever thirst for Him. I know that those promises are being fulfilled, because I do not thirst for Him as He is with me always. But, am I fulfilling the promises I have made to Him.

I sit here in the mornings studying the Word of God and doing my best to learn from Him and take that learning into the world with me. I write about my learning in obedience to Him. I feel as though I am fulfilling my promises to the LORD, but am I?

I know I should not be selfish and look for the LORD to give me something in return for the work, but the work is exhausting if I am being transparent with my thoughts. I don’t pretend that all is rosy and wonderful, as I do struggle daily. I recently stated to my wife, asking, “when am I going to acknowledged”.

And, that is the deal. I did not promise to the LORD to get something out of it. I promised to the LORD to give something to Him. There is nothing for me in this world. I am here to do the work and receive the reward later. I promised to do the work. I did not say, “yea God, I’ll do it, but only if you do this”. There is no quid pro quo in this world with the LORD. He made a promise to me and will fulfill that promise. I am to do the same.

What promises have been made to or from you? Is there an expectation of fulfillment in those promises? What if you looked at the promises from God as those that will be fulfilled and you then reciprocated with promises that will be fulfilled of your own?