The Workings of God

Relatively few people who have been to church for worship or attended  a Bible study, have not heard of the name Moses.  The events and happenings that took place in his life are among the most remembered from the word of God. Moses was God's chosen to stand before Pharaoh and demand the release of the children of Israel, who had been held as Pharaoh's slaves. The Red Sea crossing  is perhaps one of the greatest demonstrations of the power of God working through the life of a chosen leader, ultimately leading to Israel's release from captivity. 

Moses was also the man through which God chose to reveal those commandments which we know as the Ten Commandments. Numerous strategic events were happening but in the midst of all that was going on in the lives of God's chosen people, the commandments were ultimately given through Moses. 

One of the writers that I love to read over and over again is Peter Marshall from a generation ago. He is better known from the book and later the movie, A Man Called Peter.  In a 1950's book I was reminded  of the way Marshall leads the reader through the miraculous happenings which surrounded the birth of Moses, and how through normal events, the miracles of God can be easily seen.

Moses was born during the time Israel was in bondage to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh, while reaping the benefit of the services of those he held as slaves, realized the possibility that the slaves could eventually outnumber Pharaoh's armies.  This fear of being overtaken by those he held in bondage caused Pharaoh to issue the edict that all male babies born to the Israelites would be killed.

  

Moses was hidden successfully for the first three months of his life, then his mother fashioned a cradle that would float, and concealed him in the bulrushes along the banks of the river. She also stationed an older daughter in hiding to keep an eye on the cradle.

Before long, Pharaoh's daughter came to the riverside and saw the cradle, went to inspect it and found the baby crying.  Then Moses' sister came from hiding with an offer to go get her mother to be help with the baby, and Pharaoh's daughter agreed. So rather than being another male fatality with the enforcement of Pharaoh's decree, God used the faith of Moses' mother and the natural event of a baby crying, to spare the life of Moses. Another added benefit is that Moses' mother was appointed as a nursemaid for her own son.

Would you call all those events, falling into place just right, a miracle?  I would! Peter Marshall's account of this story pointed out that today's follower of God needs to learn to recognize that many of God's miracles happen within the confines of normal events. 

You see, Moses was God's chosen one to eventually free his people, and no law of Pharaoh could stop that from happening. Nor could it stop David from defeating Goliath, and the greatest application of all, it could not stop Jesus' emergence from a sealed, well guarded tomb. Perhaps we should be more aware of the events in our lives and how God wants us to see his working in every step we take. 

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