Blessings-Go

But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the LORD will go
before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. … Isaiah 52:12

Background.

In Exodus 17, the Israelites left the Desert of Sin, when God told them to GO, they went from place to place until they came to Rephidum and there was no water to drink. Instead of asking the Lord for water as he had met all of their needs so far, they fought with Moses. They said, “give us water to drink.” Moses must have been beside himself. He asks the Israelites, “Why do you fight with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” They felt sorry for themselves, they were thirsty. They asked Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to make us die of thirst?”  In verse 3, Moses was beside himself and he prayed to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are about ready to stone me.”  God tells Moses to take some of the elders and go ahead of the people,  to use the stick with which he had struck the Nile and to strike the rock and water would come out of the rock for people to drink. God performs yet another miracle. He was with the Israelites and gave them water from the rock at Horeb. Yet the place became known as Massah and Meribah because the people complained and they put God to test when they asked, if God was with them or not.

Here are my five minutes of free writing on the word Go.

Go.

God had sent Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. In the beginning of Exodus, Moses went before Pharaoh and telling him what God had told him to say, “Let my people, GO.” Before Pharaoh would let the Israelites Go, ten plaques had to happen with the last one being the loss of the first-born of every living thing that was not covered by the blood of the lamb. The Angel of death passed over the homes that had blood on the door posts, the blood of the lamb kept the Israelites safe. Then Moses led the Israelites out of the land of Egypt. They would go through the Red Sea on dry land and they would follow the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. God had met their needs, yet when they needed water, they did not approach God and ask for water they were so angry Moses was afraid for his life. However, Moses goes to God with the problem of no water. You see dear one,  God never asks us to go where he has not gone before us or equipped us to go. Just as God was with the Israelites, God is with us and is sufficient enough to meet all of our needs.

Stop.

Father God, you never ask us to do what you have not already prepared us to do the task at hand. When you ask us to go you equip us with your strength, mercy and grace. Lord I do not know where you might be asking the person who  is reading this to go but I ask for the one who is afraid, to come to you with his or her fear. Your word in 2 Timothy 1 :7 says, For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. Your word in Isaiah says you go before and behind us. You whisper in our ear, which direction to go and you give us peace meeting all of our needs. Lord I pray for the person who is having a trust issue like the Israelites, let them give his or her doubts to you because Father God you said we can do all things through Jesus Christ who gives us strength. I praise you and I love you Lord. Let me go wherever you want me to go. Blessings.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9