Day 39
They
refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among
them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their
slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.
Nehemiah
9:17
Paul
charges us in Galatians 5:1, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore,
and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” There is a strange thing in the
heart of humanity. We so often prefer the known, even if it represents bondage,
as oppose to the new. We prefer bondage to freedom because freedom is unknown.
This
was true of the Israelite as well. They had been in slavery for over 400 years.
Those who were over them had become so oppressive that Israel was left with no
where to turn but to God. They cried out to God repeatedly asking for freedom
from their oppressors. God heard their prayer and set them free through a miraculous
turn of events.
Once
the people of Israel had left the oppression of Egypt behind, they found
themselves in the wilderness. Although God provided everything they needed,
they could not see what the future held. Because they were being asked to walk
by faith and not by sight, they determined they would rather return to the
oppressive slavery of Egypt than press forward.
The
heart of the Israelites has become an illustration of our hearts as they relate
to the slavery of sin. God calls us to leave sin behind, provides a way out,
and promises to walk into the future with us. However, like the Israelites, we
would rather stay in our mess that move into the unknown. Simply put, this
decision keeps us from walking as God has called us to walk. However, God is slow
to anger, abounding in love, and ready to forgive. Make the decision to turn
today. Do not stay in your mess simply because it is familiar.
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