Quiet space.
Room to reevaluate, to gather our senses, to figure out once more who we are. Sometimes that’s enough for us to get our heads back on our shoulders and for us to see things as they really are.
The trees no longer block our view of the forest, and we can see the bigger picture. We can envision God’s overall plan and get a grasp on where he’s taking us.
In Egypt, the children of Israel struggled with finding their sense of self from day to day. They were slaves, working hard to simply survive. There was no time for anything else. Freedom? That was a dream. Laughter? Hard to come by. Worshipping God? Food for the belly was more important.
They needed some “me” time to paint their situation in a different light. Exodus 5:3 reveals Moses’ words to the Pharaoh:
“And [Moses and Aaron] said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us: let us go, we pray you, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.”
If Pharaoh had let them go, those three days would have had a dual purpose for the children of Israel. It would have done something for them, and it would have showed something to them.
It would have given the Israelites a taste of what freedom from Egypt could be like. It would have offered rest from the daily chore of backbreaking work that consumed their lives. The Egyptians were putting harder and harsher demands on their captives, and the Israelites were beat down. They needed to recharge to get their heads around the possibilities Moses was offering them.
It also would have given them time to focus on God.
Did the people’s lives get better? Because of Moses’ request, life got harder, but the seeds were sown. The children of Israel would soon be willing to abandon Egypt and strike out into the desert, trusting in the grace of the almighty Father.
When we feel life is pressing in, we need to spend time in the desert. We can’t let the pressures of life stop us. Visit a spa. Go fishing. Dig out the tent. Walk the mall. Enjoy the sunshine. Read a book. Take a drive. Find time to let the Lord reveal his love to us, so that we can find our direction in him.
It’s through the cross that the judgment of God is restrained from destroying the world. The early sacrifices required in worship to Yahweh were no more than an intermediary step to restrain the flood of God’s wrath until the coming of Jesus. Our sacrifices now are of our time, our money, and our involvement with the world.
When we look away from the hustle-bustle, we’ll discover God in the quiet moments of our day.
Copyright © 2017 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: FGO.G.03.17a.vp.kjv