God Sent Him

Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. Exodus 3:10.
The time for Israel’s deliverance had come. But God’s purpose was to be accomplished in a manner to pour contempt on human pride. The deliverer was to go forth as a humble shepherd, with only a rod in his hand; but God would make that rod the symbol of His power….
The divine command given to Moses found him self-distrustful, slow of speech, and timid. He was overwhelmed with a sense of his incapacity to be a mouthpiece for God to Israel. But having once accepted the work, he entered upon it with his whole heart, putting all his trust in the Lord…. God blessed his ready obedience, and he became eloquent, hopeful, self-possessed, and well fitted for the greatest work ever given to man. This is an example of what God does to strengthen the character of those who trust Him fully and give themselves unreservedly to His commands.
A man will gain power and efficiency as he accepts the responsibilities that God places upon him, and with his whole soul seeks to qualify himself to bear them aright. However humble his position or limited his ability, that man will attain true greatness who, trusting to divine strength, seeks to perform his work with fidelity….
On the way from Midian, Moses received a startling and terrible warning of the Lord’s displeasure. An angel appeared to him in a threatening manner, as if he would immediately destroy him. No explanation was given; but Moses remembered that he had … neglected to perform the rite of circumcision upon their youngest son…. In his mission to Pharaoh, Moses was to be placed in a position of great peril; his life could be preserved only through the protection of holy angels. But while living in neglect of a known duty, he would not be secure; for he could not be shielded by the angels of God.
In the time of trouble just before the coming of Christ, the righteous will be preserved through the ministration of heavenly angels; but there will be no security for the transgressor of God’s law. Angels cannot then protect those who are disregarding one of the divine precepts..
Conflict and Courage p. 87
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Prayer Requests
—– I’m asking for all my brothers and sisters in Christ to prayer for Bart, our friend and brother in Christ,…….He had major open heart surgery today and really needs our prayers at this time…Please uphold this dear family in prayer at this time…. Larry
—– I would kindly request my friends to pray for my Dad. I won’t post much, but he is currently in the ICU intubated. The condition he has is called “CLL” has made his hematology studies really bad leading to what doctors now think is possibly a brain bleed. Intubation was the only way to safeguard his airway. The next few hours and days are going to be highly critical. Thanks for listening and for your prayers. P
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Dear Friends,
When I was a little girl, I had a playmate named Janie, who was a year younger than I. She lived with her grandmother because her mother did not want to be tied down with a child. Her grandmother resented having to raise this poor little girl often beat her. Janie was never given quite enough to eat and was terribly thin. Perhaps it was because her grandmother could not afford the extra mouth to feed or was frustrated in having to care for her so did everything possible to make the child’s life miserable.
Many times a week, my grandmother would send Janie and me to the store to purchase some item that my grandfather had neglected to buy. He always did the grocery shopping. Collison’s Market was about three blocks from our house, so it was not a long way for us to go. It was one of those old fashioned neighborhood grocery stores that is rarely seen today. Big barrels of pickles, crackers, dog food, etc. sat open near the counter. They were very inviting for a seven year old girl who never got enough to eat.
Mr. Collison knew everyone in the neighborhood by name and took time to talk to each one. That was the problem. Janie and I knew every item in that store, because he took so long waiting on the customers ahead of us. One day while we were waiting for him to finish with a customer, the temptation to eat something out of one of those barrels was too strong for Janie. She reached into the dog food barrel and began to eat the chunks of the smelly, dry dog food. I was horrified! If she had eaten the crackers in the next barrel, I could have understood, but why dog food? She assured me that it tasted good. Finally, I picked up a piece and nibbled on it. It was awful!
How often we are content with the “dog food” of life, when we could have crackers instead. How often we are satisfied with the “crumbs” in life when our Heavenly Father has desires to give us a “sumptuous fare” if we will only ask Him. Jesus bids us, “Ask, and it shall be given you, seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:9-13 Precious promise!
Yet, how often we ask for something and do not receive it. James explains, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss.” James 4:3 Paul adds, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Rom 8:26-28
In our limited knowledge, we do not always pray for that which is best. We pray for the “dog food.” We long for the “crumbs.” Our Creator and Redeemer knows what we need to experience in order to fit us to dwell with Him on High. He always has our best interest in mind. He has better things in store for us than we can imagine. He Who sees the end from the beginning knows how to answer our prayer for our best good. He can see what would happen if He answered “yes” to our prayer, so because of His great love for us, He has to answer “no” or “wait awhile” or “here is something better.” God promises, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” Isa 30:21 Yet how often we fight against His leading. How often we kick and scream and reject His way. We want our own way, even if it is not the best way, even if it will only bring us sorrow. We forget that “there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Prov 14:12
The wise man advises, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Prov 3:5,6 Jeremiah adds, “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Jer 10:23
May we shun the “dog food” of life and receive God’s “sumptuous fare” the He so greatly desires to give us. May we take Him at His word claiming His promises as our own. May we allow Him to take full control of our lives “being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Phil 1:6
Rose