Grace Comes In God’s Timing
SCRIPTURE: When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from [a]the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well. 16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 18 When they came to Reuel[b] their father, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?” 19 And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.” 20 So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”21 Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. 22 And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom,[c] for he said, “I have been a [d]stranger in a foreign land.” 23 Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.
Moses at the Burning Bush
3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover 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 upon God. 7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their [e]sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” Exodus 2:15 – 3:12
Moses at the Burning Bush
3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover 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 upon God. 7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their [e]sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” Exodus 2:15 – 3:12
Ultimately it is God who provides for His will to be done in and through our lives. His plan, His purpose and His will for our lives must be seen not just for us, but we are His vessels through whom He works for His glory. The entire Book of Exodus helps us to understand how God saves people whom He has chosen, and then He trains them to know Him and understand His commands are to make them better and useful people in this world. If we are to be useful for the purposes for which He has saved us we must first understand that God’s Ways Are Always Are Always the Wisest. His ways are predicated upon His sovereignty and His power to bring them to past despite any obstacle or circumstance that we may face. This is essential for us because we must rest our faith on this truth because we will encounter in life many situations for which we cannot always have an immediate answer or solution. Moses’ parent had no plan or solutions for the protection of their baby’s, but they had faith in their God's ability, if it was His will, to work the unpredictable and even the seemingly impossible. Knowing this and believing it allows us to let go, even if it involves that which is dearest to us, and trust the sovereign will of our almighty God and Father.
We must also rest our faith on the fact that God’s timing is also an important part of God’s will. God promises to His people grace to help us in time of need, (Hebrews 4:16), but His times and timing are always under His sovereign control. God heard the cries of His people and He hears our cries and prayers also, but His timing in our lives are often only a part of a bigger plan that requires His working with others He plans to use to help us. Moses was kept, protected and prepared so that in God’s timing he could be the servant whom God would use to be an answer of His grace in the lives of His people. Whom He wills, how He wills, and when He wills is always under the authority of His sovereignty. Moses needed time to grow, time to fail and time to run before it was God’s timing to raise him up to be used by God.
The last wonderful truth for us from this passage is the God’s Grace Is Greater Than Any of Our Failures. God can use us and grow us despite our failures and sins. God’s will for Moses life was bigger than Moses’ sin. This in no way means that God condones any of our sin, but it does show that even our failures in life do not stop the sovereign purposes of God that involve our lives. God knows where we are, and what we are feeling. He knows every sin and every failure. He also knows every shortcoming, weakness and insecurity and yet His plan for each of us is and never will be dependent upon our perfections, but in spite of them.
Prayer: Almighty God, Your ways are so beyond our understanding at times and yet we can trust you for what we can and can’t see. You are the God who needs no one and yet You have chosen to invite us into Your will and invest grace to a people that don’t deserve it. Thank You in Jesus Name, amen.
By Pastor Wayne Cockrell
We must also rest our faith on the fact that God’s timing is also an important part of God’s will. God promises to His people grace to help us in time of need, (Hebrews 4:16), but His times and timing are always under His sovereign control. God heard the cries of His people and He hears our cries and prayers also, but His timing in our lives are often only a part of a bigger plan that requires His working with others He plans to use to help us. Moses was kept, protected and prepared so that in God’s timing he could be the servant whom God would use to be an answer of His grace in the lives of His people. Whom He wills, how He wills, and when He wills is always under the authority of His sovereignty. Moses needed time to grow, time to fail and time to run before it was God’s timing to raise him up to be used by God.
The last wonderful truth for us from this passage is the God’s Grace Is Greater Than Any of Our Failures. God can use us and grow us despite our failures and sins. God’s will for Moses life was bigger than Moses’ sin. This in no way means that God condones any of our sin, but it does show that even our failures in life do not stop the sovereign purposes of God that involve our lives. God knows where we are, and what we are feeling. He knows every sin and every failure. He also knows every shortcoming, weakness and insecurity and yet His plan for each of us is and never will be dependent upon our perfections, but in spite of them.
Prayer: Almighty God, Your ways are so beyond our understanding at times and yet we can trust you for what we can and can’t see. You are the God who needs no one and yet You have chosen to invite us into Your will and invest grace to a people that don’t deserve it. Thank You in Jesus Name, amen.
By Pastor Wayne Cockrell
Archive
2024
January
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February
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March
LOVE x LOVELove is CommitmentSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER with Pastor CockrellTHE HIGHEST DEBT OF LOVEPREVAILING IN LOVE, AND IN THE LIGHT OF THE PROMISEReturn Your Love to METhe Loveless ChurchWhat Do You Want First: the Good News or the Bad News?POSITIVE FRICTION THAT MAKES US BETTERSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER with Pastor Wayne CockrellHis Love Versus My FearsJESUS LOVES YOUBe Surrendered to 'Love'Victory Over Fear: Life’s Small LessonsJesus, Our VictoryTRUST CHRIST, BANISH FEARSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER with Pastor Wayne CockrellHarmony and Discord Aren’t FriendsHOLY PARAMETERSBlinded by HateACT or REACTRESISTING ANGER AND HATE IN CONFLICTPeculiar PeopleSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER with Pastor Wayne CockrellONWARD & UPWARDHow To Fall ForwardThe Front Windshield is Much Bigger than the Rearview MirrorONE THING TO DOLooking Back Will Have You SaltyGreat Cloud of WitnessesSUNDAY MORNING PRAYER with Pastor Wayne Cockrell
6 Comments
Amen!!
All other ground is sinking sand. Grace is our sure foundation. Thanks be to God!
Amen.
Praise Him!!! Praise Him for being "I AM WHO I AM"!!!
Hallelujah!! Our God is so immeasurably omnipotent, omniscient that He can factor our failures into His amazing, saving, redemptive plan; and we're still safe in His arms to serve, worship and glorify Him!!!🙌ðŸ¾ðŸ’ƒðŸ¾
Hallelujah! Our God is an on-time God ...Who is and always will be Father and Almighty God of this universe.
God's timing is awesome. When I'm all messed up at how long God is taking, I just bow my head and whisper, "Oh, You must want me to wait for this one."