Lord, Don't Let Me Go!

Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel:"I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The LORD has said to me, 'You shall not cross the Jordan.' The LORD your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the LORD said. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:1-3,8)

Can you imagine working on your job for 40 years and suddenly one day being let go for something you done wrong years ago? Can you imagine working hard, serving and sacrificing your self for others only to learn that while everyone else is moving on to the next level that you will not be able to go and partake in the joy with them? How would you feel if after starting a great work or ministry for the Kingdom of God you weren't able to reap the blessings of all of the hard worked you sowed?

Well, this is what happened to Moses. God used Moses to speak to Pharaoh and instruct him to let His people go. He used Moses as the messenger, a judge and a prophet. Moses was also used to deliver the 10 commandments to the Children of Israel and was even appointed to be the leader through the wilderness for 40 years. However because of Moses' disobedience, he was not allowed to cross over into the Land of Canaan. Moses had to pass the torch on to Joshua to carry out the assignment that was originally his and help prepare Joshua for his new assignment. Moses had to do all of this knowing that it was soon time for him to die. Not only did Moses prepare Joshua to posses the Land as the Lord instructed him to, he also encouraged Him in the Lord.

For a lot of us, that would be a difficult task to accept. Some of us may have questioned God, told Him that it wasn't fair and maybe not even wanted to help Joshua feeling that it was our "rightful position" to be the first one into the Promised Land after all the serving we did. But not Moses. Moses understood that although God forgave him, there were still lasting consequences to his actions. (See Numbers Chapter 20)

As believers we must learn to follow the Word of God to the "T", He has given us clear instructions in the 66 books of the bible and through His Holy Spirit which lives in us. When we disobey God, we are in essence telling Him that our way is better. We must move how God tells us to move and when God says to move. Delayed obedience is still disobedience.

So as we seek the Lord and meditate on His Word, let's examine ourselves. We want to be in position and on task. We do not want to labor for the Lord only to find out that we are doing the right thing but the wrong way or in the wrong place.

Shanita Waters
Author of By His Stripes We Are Healed
visit my site www.waterplantgrowth.com
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