Exodus, Chapter 32

Wednesday, July 8

Read

Exodus, Chapter 32

Reflect

Israel’s great sin is lack of faith and trust in the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt.   While Moses is meeting with God and receiving the words of His commandments, the people grow fearful in the absence of Moses.   The God of the Exodus cannot be controlled or produced upon the people’s command, molded according to their wishes.

The people are unwilling to wait for Moses’ return and upon God’s timing.  Anxious and impatient, they seek to take control by producing a god that they ask Aaron to fashion for them.  The people choose to worship a false god.  God is rightly angered by the Israelites’ sin, and Moses must plead on behalf of the people for God’s mercy and forgiveness to be given.

We can become impatient with God’s timing.  We listen to the news of the increase in the number of persons infected with the coronavirus, the racial injustices and discord, the decline in the economic stability and growth in our nation.  We want God to step in and solve these complex problems now.  When God does not work in our timing, we want to take control in an effort to ease our anxiety and fear.

God wants us to seek Him and wait on His timing, His guidance, and His revelations through His chosen instruments.  Where would God have us act and where would God have us pray and wait on His timing?

Respond

The words of Proverbs 3:5-6 remind us to trust in the Lord our God with all our hearts and lean not into our own insights.  In all our ways to acknowledge Him and He will make straight our paths.  What are the issues that are making you feel anxious and fearful, impatient for speedy resolution?  Lift them up to God in prayer, with thanksgiving that He hears our prayers and is faithful, loving, merciful and kind.  Let us seek His ways and His timing, and not our own.

Pray

Great is Your faithfulness, O God.  In You we place our trust.  Calm our restless, fearful hearts.  Make we seek You and Your ways and worship You alone.  Forgive us when we seek to place our trust in false sources of security.  Use us in accordance with Your vision for Your world and our lives.  Grant us a purity of heart to will only one thing:  Your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

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