Exodus 34:9

[Moses said:] “O Lord, if it is true that I have found favour with you, then please travel with us. Yes, this is a stubborn and rebellious people, but please forgive our iniquity and our sins. Claim us as your own special possession.”

What an incredible job Moses had! The people had rebelled against God in the most dramatic way. They’d known that Moses had gone up Mount Sinai to meet with God, but they’d become fed up with waiting, so they had constructed a new god of their own who they’d then worshipped with great enthusiasm. To describe Moses as disappointed would be a huge understatement. He must have been gutted, and who would have blamed him if he’d decided to throw in the towel? Who would want to be the leader of such a rude and rebellious people? But Moses hung in there because he knew the nature of his God.

In verses 6-7, the Lord revealed Himself as a God of compassion and mercy who is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness, lavishing unfailing love to a thousand generations. Moses’ strength lay in the fact that he knew the nature of his God and was confident that, tough as it would be, he could lead the people so long as he knew that God Himself was travelling with them.

I am often struck by the huge challenges that people have to cope with in life. Betrayal, failure, illness, disappointment and death are shared out unequally. Life is totally unpredictable, which means we all need, like Moses, to be clear about the nature of God so that we are equipped to face up to whatever challenges might be thrown at us. I love the confidence of the apostle Paul, who asked the question: “If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son, but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:31-32). Paul could so easily have looked at the problems surrounding him and given up, but he, like Moses, kept his eye on the God who was travelling with him, and remained strong.

Question

What is it about God that gives you strength as you look to the future?

Prayer

Loving God, I thank You that I can live with confidence because You are always with me, whatever happens. Amen