January 18

God’s deliverance of His ancient people Israel from bondage in Egypt is one of the great miracles of the Old Testament. He sent Moses to lead forth these children of His who had been slaves from the land of their captivity—with its wealth—and He destroyed Pharaoh and his mighty army when they pursued them!

Yet even in experiencing such a miraculous deliverance, the people grumbled and Moses had to seek God’s assurance that He was still with them. When he was distraught by the “stiffnecked” attitude of the people, Moses sought the Lord God. He says to the Lord, “If I have found favor in Your sight, please show me the right way to go so I may understand You, find grace in Your sight, and lead Your people rightly…for how else will everyone know that YOU are indeed God and we abide through Your grace?” Exodus 33:13-16

Moses yearned for the nearness to God that we who serve Him still long to have, and He comforts us in our search for a deeper and more fruitful walk with Him as He did Moses. When we have determined to turn aside from the worldly endeavors that have left us unsatisfied and give ourselves to Him in full surrender, He takes us through the deep waters of the sea of life on dry ground as He did the children of Israel!

He speaks to us words of comfort as He did to Moses when He cried for affirmation. He tells us the same thing He said to Moses, “You have found grace in My sight and I know you by name.” Exodus 33:17 The Lord’s presence and power in our behalf has no limitation. He can do all things, He can perfect all that concerns us. The only thing that can cause us to lose our way is to be stiffnecked and unwilling to follow.