2009 – Day 68.Mar. 10 – Covering Home Base

2009 – Day 68.Mar. 10 – Covering Home Base

Passage of the Day: Exodus 4: 18 … 18 So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

My Journal for Today: Today we have an extension of our discussion from yesterday on Moses’ communication of God’s big plan to his father-in-law and family. And Swindoll, in discussing this, lauded Moses as an exemplar of humility, sensitivity, and grace in the way he communicated this incredible set of circumstances to his family, especially to Jethro who had adopted him. This plan of God’s was to be a big deal for Jethro and the family; and Moses was so gentle and caring in the way he laid out God’s plan for him.

And Swindoll points out two sets of principles we can all learn from this Bible story in the life of Moses. And the first of these is somewhat redundant from yesterday in highlighting the need to be very sensitive in communicating a God-ordained course change to others in your life who might be effected by the change. Swindoll reminds us that we are the ones who have gotten God’s calling; and others have not. They will not feel the same tug on the heart that the called one will feel. In fact, they may have a tendency to see only how that change in the life of the called one will affect them or the risks it might bring about for their loved one who is proposing the change. Therefore, Moses here is a great example of being very sensitive and simply giving out the basics of where God is leading with the Lord’s new directions.

The second principle is related to the first. When God calls, providing the calling for a new direction in life, He will open the doors of hearts and set out the providence to make things happen for His own glory. If God’s plan is truly the way of the Master, the Lord is going to smooth the way and lay out the resources for His plan to be carried out. There are other examples of this in Scripture, like how Nehemiah’s calling to go back to Jerusalem from Babylon was shaped and smoothed by God to soften the heart of the Babylonian king and to provide the resources for Nehemiah to change his life course completely to move as God directed. And here we see the same thing. God called, Moses answered; and when he went to Jethro, giving the Old Sheik only sketchy information, Jethro was all go – primarily, I believe, because it was God’s Spirit leading the way to provide for that attitude from Moses’ daddy.

So, we learn a good lesson from this. When God sets out a radical plan for our lives, if it’s truly God’s plan, the hearts of those who are affected will be prepared, even though we should be gentle and sensitive in laying out the change for them. And also, if it’s truly God’s life-changing plan, He will provide the resources and the directions for God’s plan to happen. Doors will fling open and provisions will come forth; and all the called one must do is walk through the doors and receive God’s grace along the way to make the plan happen for God’s glory.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, when You call; help me be ready to go. Amen