Have you ever ridden in a vehicle with a stick shift? Here is my illustration:
You are sitting in the passenger seat next to a race car driver, a professional. You’re excited. You’re ready to go. He’s at the line ready to go and he steps on the gas and… you’re off. That sudden burst of acceleration sets you back in your seat. The thrill, the power of the engine, the feel of the vehicle. When, all of a sudden he steps on the clutch and the acceleration slows. You slip forward in your seat and you panic. Did the ride stop? Is that the end? I thought we were going. I thought we would just keep going faster and faster, racing forward. What went wrong?
This is what Moses’ experience must have been like. But God wasn’t hitting the brakes, he was tapping the clutch, he was simply shifting gears.
Why did this happen? Why didn’t God just have Moses do the miracles and have the people set free? We see similar things in our journey as Christians. We’ll work with a new believer only to see them stumble in their faith. We’ll pray for those in our groups, but see them still struggle. We’ll have a spirit filled event that gives us clarity of direction only to face obstacles that cause us to question our understanding or ability.
But the point of a Christian life is not simply to get from point A to point B – to get from this life into heaven. The reason to sit next to a race car driver is for the journey not just the destination. Seeing them in command of the vehicle, feeling the way they handle this instrument and any obstacle, that is where the joy is.
Don’t panic when God pops the clutch to shift you out of first gear – the journey isn’t ending, it is just about to get more exciting.
My Answers:
6.
a.
Why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me?
b.
That he had failed or misunderstood. That something had gone wrong or that God had changed His plan.
7.
a.
Only temporarily. We have stepped away from deals in business because, while lucrative, they did not fit our values and obedience to honor God. We lost in the short run, but it always has turned out for the better.
b.
Remember God does not change, that He and His plans are perfect. While I am short sighted, He sees eternity. He knows what is best and what needs to be done – a bump is not a cliff.
The Notes are Good 