Promises of God

Now the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.” Exodus 10:1-2

The people of Israel, even in the midst of facing slavery and injustice, were in the process of seeing and witnessing the greatest miracle in human history after the birth of Jesus Christ. The purpose of God to harden the heart of Pharaoh was to minister to the heart of Israel and the generations that which would believe in the God of Israel.

God has a plan for his own children's benefit during the times of hardship and grievance. He demonstrated his strength and ability to such an extent that even the Pharaoh's magician would attest that it was only possible with God's help! In addition to saving his offspring, God repeatedly asserted that he is the Lord. He did this by demonstrating his majesty and authority introducing himself in his name. God gave Israel instructions to write down the day and manner of their moving from Egypt and to teach their offspring to tell the next generation about it. Being the God of generations, his blueprint will live on in people's hearts and lives as a reminder of his lordship.

I was reading the book of Exodus and God's instructions to people when all of a sudden I was reminded of God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I was astounded by God's generosity and compassion, to the extent that he has found us deserving of trust in his promises and visions—not just for ourselves, but also for future generations! I was thinking about this Bible text a few weeks ago:

The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,

And He will show them His covenant. 

Psalm 25:14

Abraham's simple obedience to step into the unknown and embark on a journey to strengthen his relationship with God instantly brought to mind his faith. God did not keep his life's purpose and destiny  from him. He was an excellent intercessor and a friend of God. It was to Abraham that a promise was given and showed that God led them into the promised land. It was to Abraham that it was told that he would become father to many nations.

God then remembered his covenant and instructed Moses to lead the people out of Egypt after 430 years through the most humble person on the earth a man who understood that he could not accomplish anything without him, to the extent that he believed it would be preferable to remain in the wilderness rather than attempt to reach the promised land! I am guilty of it myself as I write this! How many times did we strive to bring forth our Ishmael or push ourselves toward the prophecies and promises? In the midst of wilderness, Moses cried out, God, if your presence does not come with us, don't send us! In other words, he said to God, I don't care about angels or any other provisions or human help. May we learn from the fathers of faith and how God brought them out of Egypt.

My friend regardless of what you are going through in life at the moment, know that God has defeated and will defeat the pharaoh of Egypt and any other adversaries you may encounter. To ensure that God's vision and promise are realized in your life as well as in future generations, have trust and allow God's commands and declarations of his faithfulness to flow from your lips. In order to become God's living epistle and a testament to future generations, would you allow God's visions and dreams to come true?

And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

Exodus 14:13-14

We are all chosen and empowered by God, yet just a few people will be entrusted with the divine vision, a vision that extends beyond the individual and has the power to impact generations or guide a nation toward salvation.

May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bless you