Stepping in the Light

“And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.” Exodus 14:13

The Israelites were terrified beyond what most of us could possibly imagine. Pharaoh’s army was bearing down upon them and they were certain that they were about to be destroyed. Moses’ message to them in this passage is one that we would do well to remember in our times of distress. They wanted Moses to do something about their situation. They would gladly have done something themselves if that were possible, but they were no match for Pharaoh’s army and there was nowhere to run. There was no escape. Nothing they could do would change their situation. Moses told them not to be afraid. They were to stand still and watch what God was going to do. Before it was over, there was one thing that they would have to do; walk through the Red Sea. But first, they had to stand still and wait for God to part the water. They did not know what they were waiting for God to do; they were just told to wait. Sometimes our circumstances don’t quite make sense to us. Sometimes we feel that God needs to do something immediately or all will be lost. That is often when we need to just stand still and let God work. When we have prayed all that we can, and when we have done all that we can do, we must stand still and let God do what only He can do.

“But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.” Matthew 15:26-28

Jesus told this woman that she had great faith, and that because of her faith she would receive her request. Her daughter would be made whole. When she first made her request, Jesus did not answer her. She probably felt ignored, and perhaps she felt as if He did not care about her problem; but she would not be deterred. She requested that the disciples help her get Jesus’ attention, but their response was to ask Jesus to send her away. When Jesus finally spoke to her, what He said sounded like a refusal to help her at the very least, and it could even have been taken as an insult. In her reply, she showed humility by likening herself to a dog and portraying Jesus as her master. This woman believed Jesus was so powerful that this miracle would merely be “crumbs” compared to the “main course” of His potential. She knew that Jesus was her only hope, and she was determined to continue asking for His help until her daughter was made whole.

How is our faith today? Are we as humble and persistent as this dear lady was? God wants to meet our needs, but first, He wants us to place our complete faith in Him and Him alone.

“And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.” Exodus 8:9-10

Frogs were everywhere. How disgusting! This was not just a bad day, though; it was a plague sent from God upon the Egyptian people. Moses warned Pharaoh that the frogs were coming, and not long after the land of Egypt was filled with frogs, Pharaoh called for Moses and asked him to pray that God would take away the frogs. When asked when he would like for the frogs to be removed, Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.” Tomorrow? Why wait until tomorrow? Why not ask for the frogs to be removed today?

Sometimes we are a little bit like Pharaoh was about the frogs. We have this terrible problem, and we would do anything to get rid of it, but we are willing to put it off until tomorrow. Procrastination is something that all of us have to deal with in our lives from time to time. Sometimes it can be something harmless like taking out the trash or fixing a leaky faucet. Sometimes it can be dealing with sin or difficulties in our interpersonal relationships. Pharaoh’s life would have been better if he had said, “Now!” It is no different for us. Now is the best time to deal with a problem. Take care of it today!

“And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” Exodus 4:10-12

God chose Moses to lead the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. Moses was intrigued when he saw the burning bush, he was in awe when he heard the voice of God, but he was completely overwhelmed with the idea of leading the people because he felt that he could not speak well. Moses doubted his own abilities to the point that he could not imagine that what the Lord told him was possible. Moses saw obvious physical miracles that day: the burning bush, the serpent from the rod, and the leprous hand. It seems that Moses was more afraid of public speaking than he was of snakes and leprosy combined! He was convinced that it would take an even greater miracle than the ones he had seen that day for him to have the ability to speak in front of people. In spite of his objections, Moses eventually did speak to the people. He did lead them, and he also penned the first five books of the Bible, about one fifth of the entire Bible by word count. In an area where Moses felt especially weak, God made him strong. Is the Lord asking you to do something out of your comfort zone? When we yield ourselves to Him, He can do great things through us.

“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.” Exodus 1:8

God used Joseph to preserve his family and the nation of Egypt during a severe famine. Before the seven years of famine, the people in Egypt owned land, raised cattle, and produced crops each year. During the seven years of plenty, Joseph collected twenty percent of all of the crops from the people and placed it in storehouses. During the seven years of famine, the people bought food from Joseph until all of their money was gone. When the people ran out of money, they traded their cattle to Joseph for food. When their cattle was gone, they traded in their land. Finally, they sold themselves as slaves to Pharaoh so that they would not starve to death. By the time the famine had ended, Pharaoh owned practically everything and everybody in Egypt. It is difficult for us to imagine the impact that this would have had, but it may have created the largest economic gap between a ruler and his people in all of human history. Each successive pharaoh would have continued to benefit from the system that Joseph implemented. This new pharaoh still would have been enjoying the benefits of Joseph’s work, but he was unaware of what this great Israelite had done for him. His lack of appreciation led him to enslave the very people who had given him such great power. We all benefit greatly from the vision, expertise, and sacrifice of others. How sad it is when we fail to appreciate the investments that others have made to make our lives better!

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Genesis 50:20

Joseph’s brothers came to him after the death of their father Jacob and begged him to forgive them for the way that they had treated him. Jacob had feared that Joseph would retaliate against them after his passing, and he had told them to ask Joseph for forgiveness after he died. Joseph assured his brothers that their apologies were unnecessary, because he had already forgiven them. His brothers were undoubtedly surprised to hear this, because all of them (including their father) had assumed that the only reason Joseph was being kind to them was because of their father’s presence. It did not seem possible to them that Joseph could have actually forgiven them.

The basis of Joseph’s thinking was revealed in his reply. “Ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good.” Joseph was not looking at his brothers’ actions, but rather, he was looking at God’s intentions. Everyone experiences hardships in life. At some point, we all are mistreated in some way. During those difficult times, it will help us to keep from getting bitter if we remember that God is in control and that He has our best interests at heart. It will help us to forgive those who have wronged us if we will focus on the fact that God has a plan for our lives, and that, while they may have meant it for evil, God is working all things together for good.

“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:23

In the Parable of the Sower, there are four types of soil: the wayside, stony places, thorns, and good ground. Three out of four of these germinated seed, but only one brought forth fruit. As Jesus explained the characteristics of those who are represented by the good ground, He pointed out that these people hear the Word, understand the Word, and bear fruit. Could you say that you are doing all three of these things? Of course, we must hear and understand the Gospel in order to be saved, but we must continue to hear and understand the Word in order to bear fruit. Today I handed a lady a Gospel tract and she immediately swore and threw the tract to the ground. Right now, she would fit into the “wayside” category in this parable. I pray that God will work on her heart and that one day she will be willing to accept the Gospel. Last Saturday, my wife and I were talking with a lady and her adult son at their door, and they both sweetly prayed to receive Christ. Time will tell in their lives whether or not they will allow stony ground or thorns to choke out the growth in their spiritual lives and prevent them from bearing fruit. Ultimately, it is up to each of us to decide what category we want to live in. If we want to be considered “good ground” and bear fruit in our lives, we must hear, understand, and obey God’s Word.

“O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” Matthew 12:34-35

God is more concerned with our thoughts and words than most of us realize. We have a tendency to think that if we are doing good things (and refraining from doing bad things) we are pleasing God. The Pharisees prided themselves in the lives they lived. They were very careful to give the right impression to others with their actions. They always wanted to be in the right place at the right time. They wanted to be seen doing good deeds and keeping the ceremonial law, but they were not always so diligent about their thoughts and words. Just before Jesus said this to them, He was accused of being possessed with a devil. Jesus had cast a demon out of a man who had been both blind and unable to speak. When the people saw that the demon was cast out and that the man could see and speak, they exclaimed that Jesus was the son of David, the Messiah. The Pharisees refused to accept that Jesus could possibly be the Promised One. The more the people believed in Him, the more frustrated they became. Their accusations against Jesus were not based in truth and love. They arose out of hearts filled with envy and hatred. Our thoughts define who we are. God wants us to fill our hearts and minds with truth, righteousness, and love. When we do, it will be evident to everyone around us.

“And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” Genesis 41:16

Pharaoh had a dream, and none of his wise men could tell him what it meant. When Pharaoh heard that there was a Hebrew prisoner who could interpret dreams, he sent for him right away. When the messenger came for Joseph, I wonder what he was thinking. I wonder how much the messenger told Joseph about what Pharaoh wanted and how Joseph felt about the prospect of standing before the king. I wonder if he thought about the dreams that he interpreted in the prison for Pharaoh’s servants. I wonder if he thought about the dreams that he had as a teenager. I wonder if he got nervous thinking about appearing before Pharaoh, who had the power of life and death over him. Joseph had experienced more than his fair share of hardship since his brothers had sold him into slavery. Perhaps now he would have the opportunity to turn things around. Now people would see that he had a talent that made him special; one that made him extremely valuable. If Joseph had been thinking that way, this would have been his opportunity to let the world know how special he was. But instead of pointing out his own value, Joseph gave all of the glory to God. “It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” Joseph immediately let Pharaoh know that God was the source of any help he could provide. Joseph acknowledged God in this extraordinary situation, and God used it to direct Joseph’s path to the palace.

“And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?” Genesis 40:7

Joseph was in prison. His brothers had sold him to a band of Midianites, and the Midianites sold him as a slave to Potiphar, the captain of the guard for Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Potiphar’s wife had lied about Joseph, and Potiphar had thrown him in prison. Before long, the keeper of the prison began to give Joseph responsibilities within the prison. One day, when Joseph saw two of Pharaoh’s officers who were imprisoned there, he thought that they looked sad. He asked them, “Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?” Try to put yourself in Joseph’s situation. He was many miles from home. His brothers had sold him into slavery and told their father that he was dead. He was in prison. It seems that he would have had every excuse to be sad, and the same was true of the other prisoners. They had been doing important jobs for Pharaoh and had lost them because of something that they had done. But instead of being sad and depressed, Joseph was happy. In spite of the circumstances, he not only kept his own spirits up, but he was determined to keep everyone else around him encouraged!

How is your attitude today? Are you happy? Is it obvious? You can be happy today if you decide to be. Why not let Joseph’s example challenge you to always have a great attitude?