Today I have been reading a remarkable account of faith and provision in Hebrews 11. I am often awed at the story of Moses and the intricate interaction God had with him in using him as an instrument for His purposes. I love the account in Exodus 33 where God talks with Moses on the mountain and even allows Moses to see a glimpse of His glory. I wasn’t surprised as I read Hebrews 11 when it came to verses 23-29 and testified of the faith that Moses had. When I read the story of Moses it is not difficult to see God’s hand mightily at work in the detailed happenings of his life from infancy to his death. A part stood out to me from the testimony.
“By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land,
whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.”
Hebrews 11:29
So many things in Moses’ life did not make sense from a human perspective. And yet God worked on him from the beginning in the fact that his parents hid him as a baby to being found and raised in royalty. Most humanly impossible was when God told him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Pharaoh would not allow it. It seemed that Pharaoh kept changing his mind on the matter, eventually letting them go. But we are given a peak behind the scenes in Exodus 10:27. “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.” One might wonder that if God told Moses to lead them out of Egypt, then why was He making it impossible for him to do so? But this is not the case. God never commands us to obey or asks something of us without also providing the means to do so. We are told numerous times in Scripture that God’s grace, strength and wisdom are ours in abundance, sufficient to do every good work. It wasn’t that God was not making the way for Moses to obey…in Exodus 11:9 another behind the scenes secret is revealed. “But the Lord said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
All that God does is for His glory. Creating all things, creating man, His work of salvation and the everyday care He gives to us is all to proclaim His glory. It isn’t that the Egyptians just took off after Moses and the Israelites and God said to Himself, “I must stop them!” This was God’s plan all along so that all would know who the one true God is.
Seeing this reality makes me never want to complain about my circumstances or wish things could go my way. Just think what wonders of God we might be missing out on by trying to do things our own way! Something that really stands out about Moses’ faith is that he didn’t come up with all these ideas of what he wanted to do and then try to set out to do them. He did go through times of doubt in his life, but all the while he is doing what God called him to do. When we are about the Lord’s work, there will always be enough grace to get us through each day. When we are about the work of what we want to see accomplished, we have no power in what we do.
Bobby and I have been talking some about our future and where God might want us to go in life. It used to be easy to get anxious about the details and wonder how we would live. But I am thankful that the Lord has shown me time and time again that He alone is the provider. Not only is He our salvation and hope, but each day He grants us forgiveness, mercy and strength. He reveals His will in His Word, hears us when we pray and gives family and friends to stir us up in our love for Him. He doesn’t only provide our spiritual sustenance but also our physical needs with food, shelter, clothes, jobs and transportation. I have found that it is essential to keep fresh in my mind Luke 12:31 “But seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”
God’s provisions are best. We could go out and try to make a life without Him. People do this everyday. Instead of seeking God, they seek first family, a career, a spouse, popularity or even just meaning in life. What God provides may seem foolish to some. Waiting on the Lord is often looked at as passive. Trusting the Lord is looked at as too simplistic. But God’s works and wonders are not bound to the rules of human intellect, just as 1 Corinthians 1:18 says of the Gospel “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
It seems overly simplistic to just have one day to celebrate in thankfulness all of the provisions from the Lord. I am sad that so many people’s experience of Thanksgiving this year was merely about turkey and cranberry sauce. If we do not have much to proclaim of the glory of God’s wondrous provisions on one simple holiday, are we thankful of much each morning as God grants us life, breath and love for each day? It’s all good and nice to sit around with the family and have an abundance of food, but surely we must see that thanksgiving is to be a lifestyle not just a day off of school or work. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 even refers to our thankfulness as fulfilling God’s will. God has provided abundantly for each of us. I hope you are somehow encouraged to consider what gracious provisions He has made for you and a thankful response of praise…