An Outstretched Arm

He sees your obedience and your reward is coming.

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An extended arm from God is always towards us.  That will never change.  When we begin our journey with Him, there are still times that we need His arms extended to us.  This was the case with Moses, as well.  

Moses begins his work as he obeys God to shepherd the people of Israel.  Was it an easy task?  Certainly not!  He has to deal with stubborn hearts, moaning, and groaning people who seem never to be happy.  Sounds like the job description of a Pastor!  Pray for your Shepherd, it’s a difficult task.  

Whatever God has called you to do, do it wholeheartedly and remember and rely on Him to extend His hand and arm to you.  He sees your obedience and your reward is coming.  Stay the course and choose to: 

  • Obey God and do what He has told you to do.  Resolve today, that you will never please everyone.  
  • Expect some to not follow wholeheartedly; you will encounter resistance.  

Moses goes to Pharaoh telling him to let the Israelites go, but he refuses.  Moses goes back to God and says, “Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon these people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”  (Exodus 5: 23)  

Sounds to me like he’s a little frustrated and sarcastic. He reminds God that, “YOU” have not rescued YOUR people at all.”  

  • If at first, you don’t succeed, try again.  

Why do we blame God when we don’t see things immediately changing?  His timing is always different than ours.  

  • To receive the promise, there’s always a process.

While enduring the process, Moses goes back to God complaining, basically saying this isn’t working, I don’t see any release yet.  

  • Sometimes things will get worse before they get better.  Ugh!  
  • He understands our complaints in His love and mercy.    

After Moses complains, again, God instructs him to tell the Israelites He is going to rescue them.  He’s giving His people His promised word, saying, “I will free you and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.”  (Exodus 6: 6)  

  • When God’s arm is extended towards us, it is stretched over us.  

Today, Jesus is still extending His arms saying, “Come to me!”  He is the High Priest of the new covenant, a covenant founded on better promises.  “I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.  I will be their God and they will be my people.  For I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.”  (Hebrews 8: 10-12)  

  •  His arms extended to us are not always to correct us, but to embrace us.  He wants to be our Daddy.  

That outstretched arm and spoken promise were for the Israelites, and for us.  One of the most important ways of walking out that covenant is by embracing wisdom.  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”  (Proverbs 1: 7)  

  • Wisdom not only makes us wise, but it will provide a safety net. “Whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease without fear of harm.”  (Proverbs 1: 33)
  • Wisdom will tell us to follow God’s design and avoid moral pitfalls. “Wisdom calls aloud   in the street.”  (Proverbs 1:20)  Why is wisdom in the streets?  Perhaps looking for someone that will listen so they won’t have to pay the consequences of rejecting wisdom.  
  • Follow Jesus, who IS wisdom.  It’s His power that enables us to walk it out.  

Why wouldn’t we embrace that?  “When we are in Christ, He has become for us wisdom from God.”  (1 Corinthian 1: 30)  

It was with “His great power and outstretched arm that made the earth.”  (Jeremiah 27: 5)   His arms, arm us with strength!  That’s the best “firearm” ever made!  

(Exodus 5: 1-6: 27, Hebrews 8, Proverbs 1, Paraphrased)

 

 

 


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About the Author

Mary Beth Pecora, a faithful wife, mother, grandmother, friend, worshiper and servant leader, who loves life and loves people. More importantly, she passionately loves God and the fullness of who He is! For twenty-three years she has served in leadership positions within the ministry of Aglow International. Currently, she and her husband serve at The Secret Place--A Psalm 91 Ministry. It's a place for individual folks to come, be exhorted and prayed for, while being ushered to ministry stations within the room. They continue to serve monthly in the Prayer Room at their home church that they have been a part of for almost forty years. In April of 2022 they both received their Ministry License and were Ordained in May of 2023. She delights in encouraging folks of all ages within various walks of life. Her love of writing is now her passion, which led her to publish two books, "Restoration Explosion In The New Year," and "Navigating The Mysteries Of God." Above all that’s been accomplished and concluded, the BEST thing to her is knowing her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is her everything—her very best friend. Visit: Mybelovedsvoice.com