(Exodus 3:7-10 NLT) Then the LORD told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”
This morning we continue our mini-series on “Purpose and Vision” by taking a brief look at the life of Moses. Most of us are familiar with the famous ‘burning bush’ encounter with God. Our focus text details what the Lord said during this encounter. Notice that the Lord said He had heard the cries of His people and He was ready to do something about it. The Lord said he was going to do two things: 1) “rescue them from the power of the Egyptians” and 2) “lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land.” So, in no unclear terms, the Lord said He was going to get the Israelites out of Egypt and into Canaan. What followed next was Moses’ assignment (his purpose). The Lord said, “Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” Once again, the Lord said He was going to do two things (lead them out and lead them into), but the assignment He gave Moses was only the first one; leading the nation of Israel out of Egypt. If the Lord wanted Moses to lead the Israelites into Canaan, then it seems logical that the Lord would have told him so right then and there. However, after explaining to Moses that He was going to do both things, the Lord only assigned one of them to Moses.
If we fast-forward to Numbers chapter 20 we learn of an incident where Moses disobeyed God and it resulted in the Lord saying, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” (v.12). Now, here’s my point. The Lord may have used the incident in Numbers 20 as the reason why Moses was not allowed to lead the people into Canaan, but the Lord did not have to wait until Numbers 20 to find out what Moses was going to do. The Lord knows the end from the beginning. So the Lord, based upon His foreknowledge of Moses’ actions, gave Moses his marching orders way back in Exodus 3. And since the Lord knew Moses was not going to lead the people into Canaan, He setup divine purpose in another person, Joshua, to do just that. Moses could have cried out to God and asked the Lord to allow him to lead the people in, but the bottom-line is that it was not part of his assignment. Since it was not part of his assignment, then no prayer, fasting, crying, tears, etc. could force God to do something He did not purpose Moses to do. This is why it is so important for you to know your purpose.
So what does this mean to you today? I will give it to you in the words of Dr. Myles Munroe. Dr. Munroe said, “If you pursue the wrong assignment, you’re going to need things you can’t get, because the provision isn’t there unless the vision is yours. It’s someone else’s assignment, and he has his own warehouse. Sometimes, people make demands on God that He can’t supply because He can’t give us what doesn’t belong to us. Again, knowing God’s will for your life is the key to your prosperity.”
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for blessing me to understand my assignment in life. I want to clearly know my purpose and I believe that You will enable me to know it, without a shadow of a doubt. I know that I can’t force You to do anything You don’t want to do. I can’t fast, pray, or cry my way into something that You have not ordained for me to have. Therefore, I understand that my prosperity in life – physical, social, mental, relational, and financial – is tied to my purpose. You will freely give me everything I need to accomplish my purpose in life. My goal then is to find it, follow it, and finish it before I die. Life is much easier when I am flowing in my purpose and I am praying for things that You want me to have. That’s the way I want to live and I declare by faith that it is the way I shall live from now on. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
