Tag: Jen Wilkin God of Deliverance

Testing or Trusting

City lights twinkled in the rearview mirror as we crossed the Bay Bridge in stunned silence. Sitting in the backseat, I hadn’t begun to process the events of the past few days as my brother drove my mom and me home from the hospital. We’d left our active and strong father lying unconscious in a hospital bed looking frail and vulnerable. The grey tinge to his skin was unsettling, but the most alarming sight during our brief visit to the ICU was the ten inches of sutures running like a zipper down his chest. I’d been shocked when my mom called from the emergency room a few days earlier with news of his heart attack . There had been no indication he had cardiac issues, but now he was fresh out of triple bypass surgery.

Staring out the window as rain pelted the car, I sat thinking of my parents and the busy lives they led. They’d embraced being empty nesters and loved serving at church, going on mission trips, traveling, and spending time with their kids. They were best friends who did everything together. I couldn’t imagine what my mom would do if my dad didn’t survive. Leaning forward from the backseat, I broke the silence as we entered the Caldecott Tunnel “Mom, how are you doing? Dad didn’t look so good, did he?” 

I feared she was on the brink of falling apart and was surprised and relieved by her answer: “No, he looked terrible, but I’m doing alright. I haven’t been studying the Bible all these years for nothing. I know God is good. No matter what happens to Dad, He’ll be faithful.” 

My mom’s trust in the Lord’s goodness gives a stark contrast to the story of the Israelites’ testing Him at Meribah in Exodus 17. Scripture portrays the people quarreling with Moses and almost stoning him over a lack of water on their journey in the desert. Other books of the Bible fill in more details about why their attitude was so displeasing to the Lord. Several chapters in Psalms use the story as a warning for future generations:

“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.” (Psalm 95:8-9, NIV)

“He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas; he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers. But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High. They willfully put God to the test…for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance…their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.” (Psalm 78:15-17, 22, 37, NIV)

The Israelites test God at Meribah by asking “Is the Lord among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7b) Despite experiencing His power, provision, and presence during their deliverance from Egypt and their journey into the desert, they fail to trust Him. These psalms highlight their hard hearts and their poor memory for God’s goodness. They also point out the Isrealites’ disloyalty to the Lord and their lack of faithfulness to His covenant promises. “Doubting God’s ability, they put Him to the test expecting Him to do miracles for them when they were out of His will.”1

In the New Testament, the author of Hebrews uses the story of Meribah as a reminder for us not to harden our hearts but to remain confident and hopeful in Christ: “`Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,’ bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did.’” (Hebrews 3:5-9, NIV)

Although it’s unlikely we’ll ever be traveling on foot through a desert, all of us will experience painful, difficult, or challenging circumstances in different seasons. And when they occur, we can choose to test God or to trust Him. Seeking the Lord and studying His Word consistently will lay a foundation so that:

  • Instead of questioning if God is still good, we can choose to remember where He’s shown goodness and faithfulness to us in the past.
  • Instead of railing against the Lord in anger, we can choose to trust the promises in His Word. 
  • Instead of feeling offended thinking God “owes” us for the good things we’ve done, we can remember we deserve nothing and trust His grace to be sufficient in our struggles. 
  • Instead of asking “why?” we can invite the Lord to show us what He’s going to do in our lives through the hardship.
  • Instead of hardening our hearts, we can lean into God to keep our hearts tender.

My parents showed many of these responses through my dad’s rocky recovery from open heart surgery. They continued to demonstrate trust in the Lord several years later when a rare disease slowly took his life.

Scripture provides wisdom for how to avoid testing God: “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.” (Hebrews 3:12-14, NIV) 

Rather than testing the Lord by questioning His goodness or faithfulness in hard seasons, approach Him with your honest emotions and trust Him to be your refuge: “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” (Psalm 62:6-8, NIV)

Exploring Scripture for this post led me to an incredible verse where God implores His people to listen to Him and follow His ways. He concludes with a promise reminiscent of the manna that was sweet like honey and the rock that poured forth water: “But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” Click here and enjoy listening to this celebration of God’s perfect provision in “Honey in the Rock” by Brooke Ligertwood.

1. Walvoord and Zuck, Bible Knowledge Commentary of the Old Testament, Zondervan 1985, 851.

Inspired by Jen Wilkin’s God of Deliverance: A Study of Exodus 1-18, Lifeway Press, 2021.

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Hungry and Tired 

Over the years of raising kids, I learned they usually got grumpy for two reasons: needing food and needing rest. One of my sons would transform from a good-natured, happy kid to a foul and angry “devil child” when he was hungry. (Later we learned the word “hangry,” which described his demeanor perfectly at those times.) I wonder if this is how the Israelites may have been feeling as they trudged through the desert those first three days. It’s tempting to criticize them for being so quick to spiral into negativity after the Lord delivered them from Egypt, but I wonder if we’d be any different in their position.

After complaining to Moses and Aaron, the Israelites experience God’s incredible power again as He sends quail in the evening and then begins giving them manna to collect each morning. The food He provides comes with some clear guidelines. Moses instructs them to gather enough for each person to eat the same day. The only exception to this is on the day before the Sabbath, when the Lord tells them to collect a double portion. Moses explains: “Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.’ So the people rested on the seventh day.” (Exodus 16:29-30, NIV)

These simple commands highlight the Lord’s provision for two needs basic to all people: food and rest. Beyond physical replenishment and sustenance, the Lord also meets these same needs on a spiritual level.

God’s provision in the wilderness saved the Jews from physical death during their 40 years of wandering (Exodus 16:35). Similarly, the Father’s provision through Jesus saved us from spiritual death, meeting our greatest need for forgiveness of our sins. Through Christ, the Lord made a way for us to have a restored relationship with Him now and for eternity. (Colossians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21; John 20:31). 

The Lord’s Prayer uses bread as a symbol of God’s provision: “Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11, NIV) This is profound when we consider Jesus’ words in the book of John: “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:47-51, NIV)
 
Those listening to Jesus’ teaching would have noted the significance of asking for bread by remembering the Father’s provision for His people in Exodus. There’s one key word in the Lord’s Prayer we can’t overlook: “daily.” Just as our bodies were made to need sustenance from food every day, our hearts were made to need daily connection with God. Everything we have, including our ability to earn a living, ultimately comes from Him. Asking the Lord to meet our needs daily keeps us humble, but also enables us to grow in our connection to Him and our dependence upon Him. 

One commentary explains, “Yes, God sustains us physically and meets the less tangible needs of this life. More than that, He fulfills our spiritual needs. He is the bread that satisfies our spiritual hunger. He sustains our hearts. When we ask God for our daily bread, we are humbly acknowledging Him as the sole giver of all we need. We are living day by day, one step at a time. We are exercising simple faith in Him to provide just what we need, when we need it – for every area of life.”
 
The Lord’s commandment for the Israelites to gather a double portion of manna on the sixth day to allow rest on the Sabbath also has significance for us. Times have changed, but the need to rejuvenate our bodies, minds, and souls remains the same. There are many reasons to observe the Sabbath, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll touch on two highlighted by respected author, pastor and teacher Timothy Keller.

Sabbath Reminds Us We’ve Been Liberated from Enslavement
God told the Israelites: “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you” (Deuteronomy 15:15, NIV). When we fail to take a Sabbath rest, we are allowing ourselves to be enslaved to the tasks we’re compelled to accomplish. This could be a job, but it could also be any form of busyness that we do without ceasing. If we have the need to be productive constantly, something is out of balance and we are letting those activities enslave us. Sabbath rest reminds us that our work and our accomplishments don’t define us, our relationship with Christ does. He liberated us from enslavement to sin and freed us from needing to find our sense of worth in anything other than Him.

Sabbath Reminds us to Trust God
Being productive makes us feel powerful and in control. It can also make us have a misplaced idea that we are indispensable. The world won’t stop spinning on its axis and the sun won’t forget to rise if we take a day to rest. That’s why the Psalm says, “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10 NASB) When we pause from the acts of achieving and accomplishing, we’re reminded that it’s God who holds all things together (Colossians 1:17). We can rest because He is trustworthy. Everything doesn’t depend on us; taking a Sabbath is an act of humility that acknowledges this.

Few people would disagree with the idea that we are over-stimulated and under-rested in our society today. But how should we spend our time when we downshift one day a week to let our souls catch up with us? Tim Keller suggests three ways to observe the Sabbath:

1) Enjoy an activity that is outside your usual daily routine/ occupation. Do something that re-charges and rejuvenates you. Don’t use the Sabbath to accomplish tasks on your to do list.
2) Make time for contemplation. This means taking your eyes off yourself and putting them on God. Start by attending a worship service. Add to it by spending time in prayer or reading Scripture. Set aside specific time to give the Lord the honor and praise He deserves.
3) Make time for inactivity. Let your brain and body rest. Give God room to speak to you by clearing your mind. For highly productive and capable people, doing nothing is often the one thing they struggle with most. (If this makes you twitchy, know that I’m right there with you.)

Johnny Diaz’s song “Breathe” beautifully captures the importance of rest. If you don’t think you have time to watch the video, then you need to click here right now!

Inspired by Timothy Keller’s sermon “Work and Rest” and Jen Wilkin’s God of Deliverance: A Study of Exodus 1-18, Lifeway Press, 2021.

Commentary quotation from https://www.gotquestions.org/daily-bread.html

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Becoming Spiritually Durable

Moses’ conversations with the Lord may have happened thousands of years ago, but there’s something so relatable about them. Consider, for example, how he complains to God after Pharaoh increases the Israelites’ workload: “Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.’” (Exodus 5:22-23, NIV)

Maybe you’ve felt like Moses at some point– you stepped out in faith and took a risk to obey the Lord. Despite your best efforts, things didn’t turn out as you hoped or expected. If we’re pursuing God’s will, should we anticipate encountering difficulty? Is it reasonable to expect the path of God’s will to be free of roadblocks or conflict? While we tend to label challenges and setbacks as “bad” because they’re painful, uncomfortable, or frustrating, I don’t think God sees them through the same negative lens. From His vantage point, they’re just tools that are part of the process helping us to grow, mature, and understand our need for Him. 

Think of this concept in terms of physical fitness. If you want to have a healthy cardiovascular system, strong muscles, and durable bones, then challenges need to be a regular part of your exercise routine. Instructors for my spin classes are constantly pushing me to increase resistance to make it harder to pedal. It’s grueling, but if a workout is too easy, it’s not building endurance or strength. Making our bodies work hard may not feel good in the moment, but it produces durability that will benefit us in the long run. 

This same principle applies in our spiritual lives. We don’t grow through easy, comfortable, or predictable circumstances. Progressing in spiritual maturity comes from trusting God through conflicts, roadblocks, and setbacks. Let’s take a look at some passages of Scripture and see what we can learn.

1. Difficulties help us build perseverance and character. Trials remind us that our hope isn’t in earthly circumstances going the way we want, but in knowing that God deeply loves us. “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5, NIV)

2. Hardships lead us to experience joy knowing we’re persevering and maturing in our faith. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4, NIV)

3. Trials refine our faith and show that it’s authentic. God receives glory when we endure hardships without losing hope in Him. “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:6-7, NIV)

4. Setbacks keep us spiritually sharp. When the enemy tries to thwart God’s plans, we can fight back using the spiritual authority we have through Christ. As we stand firm in the faith, we experience God’s power at work in and through us. Trusting the Lord through hardships also gives us empathy and unity with other believers experiencing similar difficulties. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8-9, NIV)

5. Challenges help us clarify our purpose and identify areas we need to surrender to the Lord. Sometimes they humble us and reveal sin we’ve been ignoring. Once we confess and repent, we’re freed to move forward and focus more completely on God and His plans for us. We’re also able to identify with Jesus, who experienced and overcame opposition. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV)

When you experience setbacks or conflicts as you’re pursuing God’s will, don’t fall into the trap the Israelites did. Although Moses provides reassurance that the Lord will redeem them and bring them to the land He promised their forefathers, they refuse to receive his encouragement: “Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.” (Exodus 6:9, NIV) Sometimes we can be so mired in difficult circumstances that we reject truth offered to us by others. In seasons of challenge and hardship beware of becoming bitter or incapable of receiving encouragement. Don’t let setbacks harden your heart, causing hopeful and positive words to bounce off you.

Rather than seeing difficulties as roadblocks to accomplishing God’s plans, we can see them as necessary parts of the maturing process. Jesus reminds the disciples: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NIV) When we expect troubles to be part of life, we’re less likely to let them surprise or discourage us. Instead, we equip ourselves with encouragement from God’s Word. Then we’re more prepared to press on and trust Him to use hardships for our good and His glory.

If you’re in a season of challenge or discouragement right now, let Mac Powell’s song “New Creation” lift your spirits today. Click here to listen.

Post inspired by Jen Wilkin’s God of Deliverance: A Study of Exodus 1-18, Lifeway Press, 2021.

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God in Present Tense

Tending sheep alone in the desert, eighty-year-old Moses first encounters the Lord when he investigates a burning bush that remains intact despite the flames. A voice from the fire speaks to Moses and identifies Himself as the God of his forefathers. The Lord tells him to return to Egypt to free the Israelites from their 400 years of slavery. Obviously, Moses has a few reservations about what God asks him to do:

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’  God also said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.’” (Exodus 3:13b-15, NIV) 

As a former English teacher, I tend to notice writing elements that others overlook—like verb tenses. Studying Exodus, I’ve been pondering God’s name and the fact that instead of calling Himself “I was” (past tense) or “I will be” (future tense), He refers to Himself in the present tense as “I AM.” In this same conversation, the Lord reassures Moses saying, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:12) Over a thousand years after Moses, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream to tell him about Jesus’ birth. He says, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us).” (Matthew 1:23, NIV) God’s present tense name reminds us of His presence with us in every moment.

For the past few years, I’ve been choosing one word to pray for consistently from January to December. This year I sensed God inviting me to choose the word “presence.” Too often I miss how He is at work in the present because I’m distracted, distressed, or disengaged. So, I’ve been praying for a greater awareness of God’s presence in each day. Doing this slows me down and helps me to be more observant. Consciousness of God’s presence enables me to recognize His character displayed in creation, to notice answers to prayer, and to sense when He’s prompting me to take action. 

Reading Sarah Young’s devotional Jesus Calling has also inspired me to be more attuned to God’s presence daily. Using Scripture to inspire her words, she writes as if Jesus speaks directly to readers. Each day’s entry encourages us to marinate in God’s Word and to enjoy His presence. There are many benefits to doing this. I’ve included a few below along with quotes that I’ve highlighted in her book over the years.

Engaging God’s presence brings peace: “Refresh yourself in the Peace of My Presence…because I am your constant companion, there should be a lightness in your step that is observable to others. Do not be weighted down with problems and unresolved issues, for I am your burden bearer.” (January 3, inspired by Psalm 31:19-20 & John 16:33)

Engaging God’s presence brings perspective: “When My Presence is the focal point of your consciousness, all the pieces of your life fall into place. As you gaze at Me through the eyes of your heart, you can see the world around you from My perspective. The fact that I am with you makes every moment of your life meaningful.” (January 28, inspired by Matthew 28:20 & Psalm 139:1-4)

Engaging God’s presence keeps us from projecting our fears into the future: “I will get you safely through this day and all your days. But you can find me only in the present.” (February 3, inspired by Romans 8:31, 2 Corinthians 4:18 & Genesis 16:13-14)

Engaging God’s presence gives us guidance and clarity: “Instead of single-mindedly pursuing some goal, talk with Me about it. Let the Light of My Presence shine on this pursuit, so that you can see it from My perspective…Seek me first and foremost, then the rest of your life will fall into place, piece by piece.” (March 8, inspired by 1 Chronicles 16:11, & Matthew 6:33)

In Exodus, Moses witnesses God’s presence in a burning bush that isn’t consumed by the flames. In the book of Acts, God’s presence appears again in the form of fire: “When the day of Pentecost came, [the disciples] were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1-4, NIV) It’s incredible to realize that the same Holy Spirit who empowered the disciples in the past lives within every person who follows Jesus in the present (see John 14:15-27).

Despite this amazing reality, I forget to marvel at God’s holy presence living within me. Instead, my interactions with the Lord become transactional; I go to Him not to enjoy His presence, but to ask for what I need or want. It’s convicting to recognize I often seek results more than relationship. If you can relate, click here and listen to the song “This is the Air I Breathe.” Let it inspire you to revel in God’s presence living within you at this very moment.

Sarah Young, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, Thomas Nelson, 2004.

Post inspired by Jen Wilkin’s God of Deliverance: A Study of Exodus 1-18, Lifeway Press, 2021.

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