January 10 – Devotional

Scripture Reading: Exodus 3:1-12

Key Verse: God said, “I’ll be with you. And this will show you that I’m the one who sent you. After you bring the people out of Egypt, you will come back here and worship God on this mountain.” – Exodus 3:12, CEB

Exodus chronicles the life of Moses, God’s call to him to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, and the incredible journey he and the Israelites took from Egypt on their way to the land God promised them.  Moses was born in Egypt and raised there by Pharaoh’s daughter, but he fled to Midian as an adult after he killed an Egyptian and Pharaoh sought to kill him.  In order to fulfill God’s call, Moses had to first return to Egypt which no doubt entailed a wide range of emotions.  There must have been wonderful memories of a privileged childhood, the anticipation of seeing familiar people and places again, and the trepidation of facing Pharaoh again.  Likewise, the journey toward the Promised Land also led to big feelings:  uncertainty about how the Israelites would react to his leadership, the fear of the unknown perils to come, and the excitement of seeing where God would lead the Israelites.

In many ways, the journey taken by Moses and the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land parallels our journey as a church.  For many years the Israelites lived good and prosperous lives in Egypt, but times changed and they became oppressed.  God heard their cries for relief and sent Moses to lead them into a new life.  Similarly, First Houston United Methodist Church enjoyed years of prosperity and growth, but, like many churches, has fallen on difficult times in recent years.  Like the Israelites, we are called to face the challenges of moving to a new place – not in a physical sense, but in the way we do ministry and make disciples of Jesus Christ.  We are going to spend the next few days looking at the Exodus story and seeing what we can learn about the way God leads us by seeing how He led the Israelites.  Like Moses’ journey, this one is wrought with emotions and hard questions.  That’s okay!.  God wants us to engage with Him and to trust Him enough to wrestle with the tough questions.  Just as God led the Israelites into the Promised Land, He will lead our church into His best

future.

Moses first encountered God in the form of a burning bush on Mount Horeb, and God told Moses that He was sending him to bring God’s people out of slavery in Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land. Moses knew he was a wanted man in Egypt and questioned why God would send him. Instead of answering directly, God  responded by telling Moses that the deliverance of Israel depended solely on the character and power of God, not on human strength or ability. Of interest is that

the sign God promised would come after the fact; that is, the people would worship on Mount Horeb after Moses brought them out of Egypt. In this age of instant gratification, how willing are we to wait for confirmation that God is leading our church as we follow Him into the future?

Pray:

• What enslaves our church today? How can we allow God to break those chains and set us free for joyful obedience and service?

• How can we redirect our focus from “Egypt” to God’s will?

• How do we trust that God is leading our church and acting on our behalf even when we cannot see the outcome today?

Listen: With open eyes, ears, and heart, listen for God to speak to you now and throughout the day.

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