I led a discussion using the questions in the Week 41 devotion and these were some of the conclusions and lessons drawn that I summarised for the group.
- Plan B
Moses was clearly intended to lead his people out of Egypt but failed right at the beginning and had to flee. God nonetheless stuck with him and in due time called him to fulfil his mission. God demonstrates his faithfulness even when we fail. We do not need to fear or despair over our failures. We may suffer the consequences but God demonstrates that he can still work with us and in us. Peter would be a good NT example. - First Impressions
God’s choice of a burning bush, his initial warning to Moses about holy ground, his introduction of himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, connecting him to their experiences and his promises, but also differentiating himself from other gods, caused Moses to move from an eager “Here I am” to fearing to even look up. This sense of the otherness of God, awe and reverence, and the unworthiness of self, was an important first impression that God sought in Moses. We do well to cultivate a similar attitude in our view and approach to God. - Call
God pronounced his observations, concerns and decision and called Moses to be his agent to accomplish this but Moses brought up his own inadequacies. God did not address Moses’ inadequacies and implied that He is sufficient and with Him alongside everything will be accomplished. Similarly we tend to focus on ourselves but God wants us to focus on him and to learn to know him and listen to his voice. I suggested that we learn this by responding to Him in small matters (eg saying yes to lead Worship Committee) where failure would not have heavy consequences, so that we develop experience in knowing and recognising God’s way of interacting with us so that when bigger decisions come our way we are better prepared to exercise faith in the world outside the church. - Nothing and Everything
KH shared that he was encouraged by this paragraph that I had written in the devotion: “We are nothing but God is everything and when we stand with God then we are no longer nothing” which perhaps is a good conclusion to our discussion.