A Pause for Self-Reflection (#4)

This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.”  On Fridays I have been taking a pause to give us a moment to reflect on what we have been learning, prior to heading into the weekend.  In this case we have a long weekend, so let’s see what the Father wants us to think about.

This series is about grace.  Since we are walking through the life of Moses I am obligated to tell you what happened in his life, but we are doing so as we examine his life through the lens of grace.  Our Presidential elections were held this week and there has been lots of chatter on the internet about God’s providence in the selection of President Obama for a second term.  Many have made the claim that God put Barak Obama in office for a second term.  Let’s be clear.  The citizens of the United States elected Barak Obama, not God.  Now, did God know it was going to happen?  Of course.  Does God have plans for Barak Obama.  Yes, just like He had plans for Moses and He has plans for you.

While I was personally not fond of either candidate, and I keep my vote to myself, I bring this up because our faith must be in God and not in man.  Jeremiah 17:5 says, “This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.”  Don’t put your trust in man, keep your trust in God.  Now, you may be thinking, “Wait a minute Rick.  You were talking about Moses and you then shifted to our Presidential elections.  What’s the connection.”  The connection is twofold: it is about providence and grace.  I will briefly discuss each to give us something to meditate on for the weekend.

Providence:  When Moses was out in Midian, minding his own business, thinking that he had wrecked his life and aborted his dreams, the Lord sought him out.  The Lord initiated the contact because He had plans for both Moses and Israel that had not been completed.  At the burning bush the Lord shared with Moses some of what He wanted to do for His people (Israel).  The Lord then shared with Moses what his part was going to be in the overall plan.  Some of what the Lord shared with Moses would not happen until Moses was dead; driving home the point that this was more about God than it was about Moses.  God had plans for the nation and for the individual.  Likewise today, God has plans for our nation and He has plans for the individuals in the nation.  So no matter who wins or loses an election, at the end of the day, our confidence must be in God and not in man.  While God DOES NOT DO everything, He surely knew everything that would happen and He made plans accordingly.  That’s providence, and it applies both to the United States (corporately) and to you (individually).

Grace:  Moses had a tremendous assignment in life.  Leading Israel from Egypt would be no easy task and then leading millions of people through the desert would be even harder.  But before Moses was born God had a plan for his life and if you see how things worked out for Moses you can see God’s fingerprints all over him.  Even when Moses made a major mistake (murdering a man) and he seemingly derailed himself from his destiny, God still had plans for him.  Since God already knew Moses would mess up, before he did so, Moses’ mistakes had already been taken into consideration when God made plans for his life.  Said another way, God does not expect you to be perfect in order to fulfill His plans.  If that were the case, none of us would qualify for anything, because we all make mistakes; even major ones.  God made plans for Moses and He worked with Moses to bring them to pass by His grace.  Moses could not earn God’s plan for his life.  Moses had to receive it by grace and seek to fulfill it by faith.  The same can be said of President Obama (because he is not perfect and many of his policies do not line up with the Word of God), and the same can be said of you (even though we may have never met, I know you are not perfect).  God uses imperfect people by grace.

Closing Confession:  Father, I thank You for this reminder.  When I look at how Your Kingdom plans and purposes were manifested for both Israel (as a nation) and Moses (as a person), I find hope for myself and our country.  When I think about our nation and the challenges we face, and I then think about my life and the challenges I face, I have to put my trust and confidence in You, not in man, and not even in myself.  Man will surely fail me and I will even fail myself, but You will never fail me.  While You don’t do everything, You know everything and You made plans – for nations and individuals – according to that foreknowledge.  Thank You for Father for making plans for me and my country.  And thank You Father for not making those plans contingent upon my perfection.  If I had to be perfect for Your plans to come to pass, then they would never be realized because, as You know, I am far from perfect.  But by Your grace You chose to use me and for that I will never cease to give You praise!  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.