Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt;

 

 

God is near

Moses is told to go and gather up his leaders the ‘elders of Israel’ there is something that he must tell them. The words we speak to our leaders are very important, they frame the way they see us and see their future, even more important is the words we speak to our wife and children.

Moses reminds the men that the God that led their ancestors the God of generations has appeared to him, this name reminds them of the ways the Lord has kept their fathers in generations gone by, it also brings a family bond that is yes emotive but so powerful, it is a very compelling thing for us if we have a Christian heritage to share with our sons and daughters the stories of generations before us who have walked with God and put their trust in Him. Even though I don’t know the details of their faith I can even imagine what it may have been like 200 years ago for my forefathers farming the green land of Devon and paint that picture of faith to inspire my son.

And the main thing we can pull out of this verse is that God is near us, just as he had seen what had happened to Israel, he is not distant from us and he is concerned. Too many times we can think that God is not too bothered by the pressure we are under and the trials we face. But it is useful to remember that he may well be responsible for a good chunk of those issues, we are told to rejoice through trials and we all grow more through adversity than ease.

God promises us that he will never leave us or forsake us (Deut 31.6) especially in this area of family. The greatest thing we can do for God is raise children that will follow after Him and help us build His Kingdom, equally the highest calling you have apart from loving God is to love your wife as Christ loves the Church and although that is a hard mission (it does not often come naturally to us) God desires to help us through it! If he has given us the task and it is the greatest thing we can do for Him we can expect his grace and favour to help us – lest we forget that we do any good in this world except by His Spirit enabling and renewing us.

So go, go to God, know that he is near, know that he hears, know that he has seen and know that he desires to give you grace and favour, he desires to give you strength right now to lift that load!

You can do it – Go do it! Ask  him for it!