Exodus 3:7-10 NIV: “The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.””
Exodus 5:1 NIV: “Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ””
Growing through Leadership Concept 5: Stay Focused on the Mission
For all of the things God instructed Moses to say and do, his mission was beautifully simple: get Pharaoh to let the Israelites go so they could worship Him.
There is a great old gospel song called “Go Down Moses” whose refrain is “Let my people go!”. I’m listening to it now. As the verses and chorus unfold, there is a constant repetition of “let my people go!” (the link is at the end of today’s devo)
“Let my people go!” was the center of everything for Moses; when he first told Jethro and Aaron the story, when he first told the Israelites, his first meeting with Pharaoh, throughout the plagues and the escape to the Red Sea.
Moses could have easily gotten distracted by anxiety about speaking in public; or his doubt that Israel would believe his wild story about meeting God; or by the issue of having to make bricks without straw (Exodus 3-5). Sometimes our feelings and/ or the complexity of a task can overwhelm us into losing sight of the mission. We get consumed by the “what” instead of staying focused on the “why”.
Proverbs 16:3 NIV: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Hebrews 12:2 NIV: “…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Pray:
“Father God, thank You for calling me. Thank You for Your son Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life. I pray that as You have called me You would, by Your Spirit, help me to focus on that which You have called me to. Help me to not get caught up in distraction, but teach me wisdom and discernment. In Jesus name, amen.”
