February 19th

When Life Gets Worse Before It Gets Better

So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.’ And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.’ Exodus 4:18

Do you remember back in school when you went on a field trip? What was it that you always had to get from your parents before you could go? You always had to get a permission slip. You see, even the mighty public school could not take you somewhere if your parents didn’t sign off on it first.

We see the same thing with Moses, that before he would go lead Israel out of Egypt, he asked his father-in-law’s permission.

But let’s go back-who was it that told Moses to go free Israel? Oh yeah, it was God. We might think that would excuse Moses from needing anyone else’s permission, kind of like if the commanding general gave you an order then you wouldn’t ask your sergeant if it was okay. But Moses knew the right thing to do.

It was all part of Moses being completely surrendered to God, honoring the authorities He had established in his life. This is the kind of honor that we need to see more of in our churches and families.

People church hop, looking for someplace that’s comfortable. Kids shake their fist at their parents, insisting that I just gotta be me! At work, every problem is our boss’ fault. Everywhere we go, we’re underappreciated, with our untapped potential being held down by the man.

But God knew that Moses could never be a leader if he couldn’t submit to one. He knew the first step in a mission of freedom couldn’t be taken with rebellion. And He knew that one day soon, Moses would need his father-in-law’s advice. This advice saved both himself and the people of Israel from a lot of trouble, stress, and strife, and it’s advice he probably would have never received if he had alienated his father-in-law by hauling the man’s daughter and grandsons away without permission.

There is a reward that comes from honoring authorities, even when God tells us things we don’t think they’ll like. Let’s learn from Moses today and honor those whom God places in authority over us.

Prayer Lord God,

I know that all authority comes from You, and I know that I have a lot to learn about what it means to honor the authorities over me. Please teach me what it means and help me to see the reward that comes from it!

Amen