Preparing the Sacrifice

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
 

Do you believe God called you to write but nothing much is happening?

Do you feel stalled in your career?

Do you wonder if God forgot His promise to bless the work of your hands? 

In Exodus, we see the phrase, “And God remembered the Israelites.”

Did He forget them?

No, but God’s timing is impeccable.

Understandably, the Israelites felt forgotten. After all, it had been nearly 500 years since Jacob brought the family to Egypt to live under Joseph’s protection. But after time passed, a pharaoh reigned with no allegiance or knowledge of Joseph nor felt compelled to keep the promises the then-reigning pharaoh made to Joseph, long dead. The Israelites had become so many, that the Egyptians felt threatened. Now the Israelites were in bondage, their treatment so harsh they cried to God.

God freed them from Egypt’s hold, but the time was not yet ripe for them to head into the Promised Land. 

I note further in Exodus in chapter 23:27-31, that God through Moses explains that He is working on the land and would drive out the idolatrous inhabitants a few at a time. If he wiped them out in one single blow, the people were too few to efficiently manage so much territory; the land would become barren and overrun with wildlife. God said He would be slow in driving them out until the Israelites were strong enough to function as a nation. 

Perhaps the years of wandering might have been fewer if the Israelites had not rebelled. However, there would still be a need for forming a cultural and spiritual foundation … something that was lost in Egypt. 

And so God gave them the Law and set up a system of government. By Deuteronomy, the people were ready to possess the land after receiving a final discourse from Moses. Even then, the path would be difficult, and the people were warned to stay true to their Lord their God who brought them out of Egypt.

God does not forget His promises.

He calls us apart from the world to write for Him. We sometimes think this should be instantaneous. We falter in our belief when other writers seem to have instant success. 

Sometimes we thwart God’s intentions, as did the Israelites, through disobedience, self-interest, and lack of comprehension of God’s direction. Even then, He does not forget His promises. He takes this time to strengthen us, to teach us the skills we need to succeed, and to teach us to lean on Him for direction 

Christian author, you can trust God’s timing in your life. What do you need prayer for?