And God said,
“I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you:
When you have brought the people out of Egypt,
you will worship God on this mountain.”
Exodus 3:12
The presence of God makes the impossible possible.
Enslaved in Egypt for 400 years, the Israelites had most likely ceased to even dream of freedom. Getting out of Egypt seemed unlikely. Hope perhaps evaporated with each new generation born into slavery, without memories or knowledge of freedom or the Promised Land.
But God remembered.
The Promise Keeper never forgot His promise. God called Moses, and sent him back to Egypt to rescue His people from bondage and lead them to freedom.
God’s rescue of the Israelites back then points to His rescue of us now. He sent Jesus forth from heaven to save us from our own “Egypt” – the sin that so easily entangles and keeps us in bondage.
Jesus came to free us: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free….” (Galatians 5:1a)
God told Moses that when the people had been delivered, they would worship Him.
We were created for worship: to make much of God, to glorify Him. Indeed, freedom calls for praise! Those living in the darkness, slavery, and yoke of oppression in Egypt were rescued. And they were to respond to God’s provision with worship.
Today, we are to do the same.
Have you recently thanked God for providing your salvation? Have you expressed gratitude to Jesus for leaving heaven’s throne, putting on flesh, and dying a death He didn’t deserve?
If you are a child of God, you have been rescued from “Egypt” and can praise Him on the mountain!
My rescue from Egypt was many years ago. I praise God for the salvation He provided. But it also occurs to me that in many ways, I have failed to treasure and value my freedom. In fact, there have been seasons where I have run back to “Egypt” … back to the sin that entangles and robs us of freedom. But in His great love, He continues to rescue me. I’m not talking about salvation – that matter was settled all those years ago, when I accepted His gift of redemption – but the process of sanctification, refinement, and transformation.
Sin wants to capture us. Our faithful God saves and rescues us. By our choice and free will, we cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s prompting, choosing to stay out of Egypt after being rescued. Abiding in Him, making the daily choice to walk in worship and obedience, keeps me satisfied and content in the place where God has planted me.
Worship is our response to our salvation … and also what keeps us abiding in Him and delighting in our new identity.
Is your daily life of freedom characterized by worship? Would you give it a try?
If God has rescued us from Egypt, let’s stop trying to run back. I believe praise has the power to change our “I-can’t-go-back-there” to an “I-have-no-desire-to-go-back-there” heart and mindset! Our “have to” can be transformed to a “want to” through worship.
Let’s wrap up by looking again at Galatians 5:1 – this time in its entirety:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again
by a yoke of slavery.
I don’t know about you, but I find it far easier to stand firm, when I stand in praise and worship! To HIM be the glory!
This week’s devotional video features Laura’s teaching lecture from her weekly Bible study. In Nehemiah 4, the work of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls continues and is going well. But not everyone is happy about the progress. This chapter reveals opposition to the rebuilding project in many forms. We invite you to watch as Laura discusses how Nehemiah responded to the opposition then … and how we can resist and stand strong in our battles today!
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1 Response to Sunday Soaking: Freedom Prompts Worship