Topic: God’s ways
Text: Psalm 103
Key verse: He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: Verse 7
This is one of my favourite Psalms, it lists for us many reasons why we must praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being,praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits
God is faithful! No matter what you are going through right now, there are some benefits you want to praise God for.
Our Heavenly father is not just a good God, but he is a doing God. Constantly working on our behalf even while we sleep.
So many seek after him for the things he gives and does, but very few desire to know his ways, when you know them you will have understanding.
Our key verse says; ” He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel”
The people of Israel knew his deeds, they talked and sang about them, even passing it down to their children after them, but not many of them tried to understand God’s ways.
What did Moses know about God’s ways? Can we learn from his example?
By divine Providence Moses became Pharaoh’s daughter’s son when she rescued him from the river Nile, but was raised by his own birth mum who served as a nurse.
No doubt Jochebed did not fail to inculcate into Moses his true identity as a Hebrew, even though he learnt the art , language and culture of Egypt.
The oppression of his people was something he struggled with every day and deep down in his heart he sensed he was the one who God had chosen as the deliverer, having heard about his miraculous survival when most of his male age mates were killed. When and how God would use him was not clear.
One day he saw an Egyptian oppressing a Hebrew, he used his position to take the law into his hands,he killed and buried the Egyptian. This action made him a murderer.
Another day, he saw two Hebrews fighting, he tried to mediate between them, one of them challenged his right to be a judge and prince over them and wondered whether he also planned to kill him too like the Egyptian. Moses realized his secret was known. He fled Egypt to Midian for fear of Pharaoh’s wrath.
At birth we are all blessed with one or more natural gifts as listed in Romans 12:6-8. There are seven of them, do you know yours? Its time to discover it so you can develop and deploy it for kingdom benefit.
Moses like most of us, often rely on our gifts and position of leadership to begin ministry over God’s people without waiting to be prepared. God never uses vessels based on their natural gifts alone, you must be prepared, equipped and tested to God’s standard before you can represent Him. He sits as the refiner, the Potter and at the Quarry preparing his vessels till they are a reflection of him.
Moses was schooled in all the wisdom of Egypt but what God required was more about the heart and not the mind.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1Samuel 16:7
People look at result, but God looks at motives!
For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ Psalm 95:10
God is interested in the heart conditions of those vessels who represent him, they follow his ways.
Moses fled Egypt but Egypt was still in him.
God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, the first thing he points out to him is his holiness.
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground
The way of holiness is God’s way. Holiness is a matter of the heart.
Whatever process God might pass you through, it will be about your heart first, your affection, values, motives and character.
Are you ready for a heart change?
In prayer, surrender your natural gifts, position and resources to God, ask for forgiveness if you have acted without his instruction and direction. Surrender you mistakes in the past to him, he can fix them.
May the Lord grant you a new heart for a new beginning in Jesus name. Amen.
Roses&Thorns