Category: God Has No Plan B

Exodus 3:13-15 (NIV) – Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.'” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me, from generation to generation.'”

Salvation and our answers in life to all our issues and needs are found in “I AM” and who He is. The answer to Moses’ fears and confusion were not in the details of the plan, but in the One who has the plan. God will accomplish His plan, in His name, on His terms, and for His glory and the people’s blessing. He did this in Christ for us, and in Christ His plan will continue to be accomplished in and through us, His Church.

In Jesus and the faith we have graciously been given, we live out God’s plan. His plan unfolds as our hearts and lives align under His name. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). This is the plan, this is what being saved is all about, and this is how God brings us into Plan A – to bring His glory and salvation in our generation.

Let’s pray and ask the Lord to bring every area of our lives under the Name (authority) of Jesus; and, that at His name in our lives we will bow and worship Him, we will joyfully follow Him, and we will obediently love like He loved us. Let’s end singing to, “Exalted Over All” by Vertical Worship.

– TR

Exodus 3:11-12 (NIV) – But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 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.”

“In reply to Moses’ qualms, the Lord, in effect, said to him – and this is reflected throughout 3:11–4:17 – ‘But what about me? Are you taking me into account? Where are your eyes fixed?’ The Lord did not take away – or even promise to take away – Moses’ nervousness, or to impart boldness to him. He did, however, call him to a position of trust. Consequently, the proposed solutions to Moses’ problems involved him resting in the Lord’s presence (3:12), bearing simple testimony to the Lord’s revelation of truth about himself (3:14)…

“Exodus is very clear about where true Christian service begins. It begins in the presence of the Lord. The Lord said to Moses, ‘I am sending you to Pharaoh’ (3:10), but before he sent him out he brought him in and let him stand in his presence and commune with his God. The biblical preparation for service is always that we be found in the presence of the Lord.” [Motyer, J. A. The Message of Exodus (The Bible Speaks Today Series), p. 61,63]

What a privilege and honor to be invited into God’s presence through faith in Jesus Christ. God’s presence is our assurance and hope in the midst of His plans. Can you hear the Lord’s patient words to you today, ‘But what about me? Are you taking me into account? Where are your eyes fixed?’ Fix your eyes on Jesus, put your trust in Him, and let the hope of the Gospel guide your thoughts, sweeten your words, and empower your love for those that God is coming to rescue. Let’s ask the Lord to fill us with His Presence today, for His glory and honor in all we do. And let’s worship to, “This We Know” by Vertical Worship.

– TR

Exodus 3:7-10 (NIV) – The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.⁹ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

“God is a sending God. Notice three parts to this commission: (1) God’s motive, (2) God’s purpose, and (3) God’s plan. God’s motive is especially seen in verses 7 and 9… God hears the groans of people who genuinely cry out to Him…. Notice also God’s purpose. His purpose is to transfer His people. He will take them out of Egypt and put them in a place with milk and honey (3:8). It is a land occupied by other nations, and they will have to conquer them later. God is going to save them from something (slavery) for something (worship and witness). That is exactly what has happened to us in the gospel. Finally, see God’s plan. After revealing His great purpose of redemption, God told Moses the plan: ‘You’re it.’ God says, ‘I am sending you’ (v.10). God is a sending God.” [Merida, Tony. Exalting Jesus in Exodus (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary), p. 24-25]

God’s plan is the only plan, His plan includes each one of us experiencing His salvation from something (slavery and sin) for something, worship and witness of His glory and love. As we experience the glory of God’s Presence in our lives, that experience is to become an expression of God’s likeness and love to others. It is the natural outcome – the norm – of a people embraced by God and transformed in His glory. What is most natural to you today? In Christ, the most natural thing is to be like Him for the world to see and know.

Today, let’s say, “Yes Lord, I will go and live Your plan today.” Let’s ask the Lord to make what is most natural to us in Christ – to display His glory and love – be what is most expressed to those we interact with. Let’s pray that the Lord will open the doors to reveal His grace and mercy through us. And as we pray and come into the presence of the Lord, let us worship to Matt Redman’s song, “Gracefully Broken.”

– TR

Exodus 3:5-6 (NIV) – Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

God’s holiness is our beginning point. Being called by God means being confronted by His holiness. This was the first lesson Moses learned as God was preparing him for the task ahead. God’s holiness may not be something we readily frame our calling as Christians within. We are aware and ‘know’ God is holy, but the immediate reality and awe of His holiness don’t often register in our day to day activities. In part, because life feels so unholy.

But it is this same Holy God that Moses stood before that also confronts us into this calling and life of love. Because God is holy, His plan is holy. It will honor Him and bring Him glory. And it is and will always be the perfect plan for us – pure in love, perfect in its outcome, and good in all its ways. Not only will it accomplish His purpose but we will be transformed through it.  It’s in this deep understanding and awe, that we truly realize just how great and amazing our salvation really is. And what is even more humbling, more sobering is that the one and only Holy God extends His invitation to us, so lacking in perfection and holiness, to join Him…to be His plan.

Hebrews 10:19-23 (NIV) – “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

As we pray today, let us draw near to God through Christ with a sincere heart and with full assurance that faith brings. In Christ we have been washed of the old ways and brought into the holy and pure way of God. Let’s ask the Lord to deepen our sincerity for His plan in and through our lives, and let’s ask Him to strengthen and empower our resolve to love Him and bring Him glory today. Let’s sing to Matt Redman’s, “Greatest Hallejuah.”

– TR

Psalm 96:1-4a (NIV)

Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
    proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.

In William Shakespeare’s play, “As You Like It”, the melancholy and often critical Jacques begins his well-known monologue like this:

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts…”

Take a long broad look at Exodus and we can see that world has become the stage, but its focus is not the mere players, famous as they may be – Moses, Pharaoh, Aaron, Miriam, etc. In Exodus the stage is set for the main player, the Lord Himself! He doesn’t just merely play His part, exiting and entering on a whim; no, He takes center stage to reveal Himself in all His glory. It is by Him that the rest of the world will now find their parts and their role. He is center stage – not Moses, not Pharaoh, not the Israelites…not even us.

The God of “center stage” has come to save His people, and that was Plan A! The good news is that there is no plan B. Therefore, He continues to save! This is the God of Moses, and this is our God too whom we know through Jesus Christ. Therefore, sing a new song…really sing! Sing to the Lord and praise His name. Proclaim His salvation! Yes, the salvation that has rescued you and brought you into the wonder and blessing of God’s great love. Proclaim that today in your homes, in your workplaces, with your friends, with your families, and in your communities. Sing it, shout it, talk about it, demonstrate it in love. Let His glory fill your life today. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.

Spend time in prayer and singing to your favorite worship song, remembering the great things that God has done in and through your life – thanking Him and rejoicing in Him. Let God and His greatness be center stage in your life today. “For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise!”

– TR