Stories From The Wilderness-Week 2

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday         Exodus 32:1-6

Tuesday        Exodus 32:7-10

Wednesday   Exodus 32:11-14

Thursday       Exodus 32:15-18

Friday            Exodus 32:25-29

Saturday        Exodus 36:2-7

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, help us to see the forgiveness that is available in the wilderness.

In Jesus’ name,

AMEN

Reading:

Have you ever come to a crossroads in life and earnestly sought the voice of God—only to eventually give up on hearing from Him and take your best guess at which direction to go?

You could say I’m not a patient person, but I think the root of the problem goes even deeper than that. I’ve jumped into jobs rather than waiting on the Lord because I’ve idolized work as a source of purpose and security. I’ve jumped into relationships because I’ve idolized people as a source of comfort and love. I’ve made all sorts of decisions apart from God because I’ve idolized myself, believing I’m fit to rule my own life.

Just like the Israelites, we make idols because we lack faith in God. Our fallen hearts doubt He is good, mighty, and always present with us. Believing He is absent, we are all too happy to place ourselves upon the throne that belongs to God alone.

In Exodus 32, we see the Israelites do just that. When Moses was slow to come back down from the mountain, they quickly lost their faith. They believed that if Moses was absent, then God must be, too.

Keep in mind, God had just rescued the Israelites from enslavement in Egypt. They’d watched Him send plague after plague to free them (Exodus 7-11), and pillars of cloud and fire to lead them in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21). He’d parted the Red Sea, giving them dry ground to flee from their enemy (Exodus 14:15-31). He’d even provided manna from heaven to nourish them, and drinking water from a rock to refresh them (Exodus 16; 17:1-7).

God is jealous for our undivided and devoted worship (Exodus 34:14), and He knows that worshiping anything other than Him will only lead to heartbreak. He alone can satisfy the desires of our hearts. By His grace, may our hearts learn to solely direct our worship to the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.     Katie Stoddard