You have seen what I did to the
Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Exodus 19:4
God did not deliver
the children of Israel out of Egypt so that they could enjoy the Promised Land.
He freed them from their bondage so they could come to know and worship
Him. Three months after they left Egypt, God reminded His people why He had
delivered them “on eagles’ wings.” It was to bring the people to Himself. That is, God saved them so that they could
enjoy intimate fellowship with Him. The Israelites had been slaves with no
freedom to worship God. Now, with their own land, they could come to know and
serve God freely. God’s call was not to destroy the idolatrous nations in
Canaan, not to settle the lands they conquered, and not to establish a new nation,
although all of these would be accomplished. Rather, God called them primarily
to be a people who loved and worshiped Him. Through God’s act of deliverance
they came to know Him as an almighty and compassionate God, and they were now
free to respond to Him.
We are so activity
oriented that we assume we were saved for a task we are to perform rather than
for a relationship to enjoy. God uses our activities and circumstances to bring
us to Himself. When He gives us a God-sized assignment, its sheer impossibility
brings us back to Him for His enabling. When God allows us to go through
crises, it brings us closer to Him.
If we are not careful,
we can inadvertently bypass the relationship in order to get on with the
activity. When you are busy in your activity for God, remember that God leads
you to the experiences in order to bring you to Himself.
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