“He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel” –Psalm 103:7.
This verse is very thoughtprovoking. Have you ever wondered why God made His ways known to Moses, but not to all the Israelites? It was not His original plan.
In the Sinai Desert, God offered to let them hear His voice while He spoke with Moses. Moses went up on the mountain to meet with God. The thick clouds, thunder, and lightning on the mountain frightened the people. When he came back down, God asked to talk with the people, but they told him they wanted Moses to serve as a go-between. They didn’t want to hear God’s voice.
The Israelites lived 40 years in the wilderness, seeing and benefitting from God’s acts, but never hearing His voice or understanding His ways. They ate the manna, drank the water from the rock, and walked around in clothes that never wore out. Yet they showed no interest in getting to know the God who performed all these miracles.
After many centuries of speaking to His people only indirectly through judges, kings, prophets, and priests, God sent Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the Law, doing away with the Covenant of rules with rewards and punishments based on obedience. He made it possible for ordinary men and women to hear directly from God.
As believers in Christ, we each have been given the opportunity to know Him personally. We are now free from the burden of trying to obey an impossible-tofollow Law
We don’t please God by following a set of rules. He longs for a relationship with us. He wants to show us His ways. The closer our relationship with God becomes, the more we will find ourselves walking in His ways — doing what is right — without even trying.
I love sharing stories about the marvelous acts I have seen God do in my life and the lives of others. But even more, I want to know His ways, His heart, His thoughts. He has called out each of us to Himself. The children of Israel rejected His offer. Let’s not make that same mistake, settling for seeing His acts when He wants to show us His ways.
If you would like to learn more about hearing God’s voice and knowing His ways, visit Charis Christian Church, 4811 E. Julep Street in Mesa. Sunday services begin at 10 a.m.