In the Joseph narrative of Genesis, we learn that God works behind-the-scenes to fulfill his plan for his glory and our good. When it appears that events are routine or even tragic, God is working behind-the-scenes to bring about great things! (Gen 50:20)
We see a whole different perspective of God in the Moses narrative of Exodus. God is not working behind-the-scenes here. He is in plain view, and he means to be! God not only has his reasons for what he does, but also for how he accomplishes what he does. One of the grand purposes in God being so visibly evident in Exodus is so that the people of Israel, who have been long under the weight of slavery and spent years crying out to God, would once again believe in him. (Ex 4:31) And so that Moses would too! Therefore, the Lord appears in a burning bush to Moses. He changes his staff to a serpent, his hand as leprous, and will change water to blood. When Moses shows these signs to the people, they believe, and they worship! That was the intention all along.
As we will see soon, God is also going to work in plain view before Pharaoh and the Egyptians as well, and he has other grand reasons for doing so. The Plagues and the Red Sea crossing are just ahead. So sometimes God works in ways that it is undeniably the hand of God like the unexplainable disappearance of cancer, and sometimes he works in quiet, hidden ways like steadfast joy and faith in facing cancer. Either way, he is working things for the good of His people and the glory of His name.
Take heart then dear believer. Whether you see him big today in plain view or do not see him at all, he is there with you, and he is working!
Hurrah for the women of Exodus 1 + 2!!
ReplyDeleteShiphrah and Puah, Jochabed, Miriam, the Egyptian princess (possibly Hatshepsut!)--each one plays an heroic part. Would any of them have guessed that an essential part of God's plan was being accomplished while she delivered babies, protected the life of her baby boy, watched out for baby brother, or took pity on a crying baby?
But faithfulness in the small things leads to the God-built character to be ready for the big things: answering Pharaoh for their stand for life, closing the cover on a small bulrush basket and trusting that God will preserve her child, speaking up to the princess: "I know someone who can nurse that baby for you!" and facing father Pharaoh with the baby she has chosen to rescue from his edict.
Neither do we know how everyday faithfulness in the little things might end up figuring into His plans, do we?