<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Exodus 2;21-25<div><br></div><div><b>21. &nbsp;And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah.</b></div><div><b>22. &nbsp;She bore him a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”</b></div><div><b>23. &nbsp;In the course of those many days, the king of Egypt died. And the people of Israel groaned&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;under their bondage, and cried out for help, and their cry under bondage came up to God.</b></div><div><b>24. &nbsp;And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.</b></div><div><b>25. &nbsp;And God saw the people of Israel, and God knew their condition.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><i>“Moses was content” </i>although his life had unfolded in a way completely different from what he had once imagined. &nbsp;Contentedness is a gift of God to hearts that remain trusting in the goodness of God and His plan for our lives. &nbsp;To not realize the fulfillment of our own plans does not mean that God has forsaken us. &nbsp;In Christ we are called into servanthood, not lordship.</div><div><br></div><div>When Moses named his firstborn son, “Greshom” was he thinking only of his most recent life in Midian, or did he not also remember his life in Egypt was&nbsp;not his “land”either?</div><div><br></div><div>When we read that&nbsp;<i>“God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob” </i>do not think that God was surprised. &nbsp;God himself knew from eternity that the descendants of Jacob would be enslaved in a foreign land. &nbsp;(see, Genesis 15;4-14)</div><div><br></div><div>Why is it that so often God’s good plans for our lives include great suffering?</div><div><br></div><div>The Lord delights in receiving from us the honor due his name. &nbsp;I believe he allows His much loved children into great suffering and&nbsp;helplessness, in order to show Himself strong for our deliverance and&nbsp;salvation. &nbsp;And, in order that we learn to entrust ourselves fully into His will and His care, and set aside our own plans in favor of His&nbsp;much more wonderful plans. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In Our Father’s perfect plans He leads His children through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and teaches us to feast, surrounded by our enemies. &nbsp;He is teaching us to walk by faith and not by sight.</div><div><br></div><div>It is in&nbsp;times of trouble and pain that we turn our hearts to the Lord most fervently. &nbsp;Suffering works in us a yearning for change. &nbsp;Comfortable people, do not want change, yet the word ‘repent’ means ‘change’ and changing us into <i>“children of God” </i>(John 1;12)&nbsp;is what God’s good plan is.</div><div><br></div><div>To be God’s own dear children is to receive the Mind of Christ&nbsp;and&nbsp;through new clean believing&nbsp;hearts, <i>“live for the praise of His glory.” &nbsp;</i><span>(Ephesians 1;12) not our own.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, when things go ‘wrong’ in our plans, bless us to trust in Yours. When suffering comes into our lives, bless us to remember, change is often fearful&nbsp;and painful, but always good, bringing about Your own better plans. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Exodus 2;21-25
21.  And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah.22.  She bore him a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”23.  In the course of those many days, the king of Egypt died. And the people of Israel groaned   under their bondage, and cried out for help, and their cry under bondage came up to God.24.  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.25.  And God saw the people of Israel, and God knew their condition.
“Moses was content” although his life had unfolded in a way completely different from what he had once imagined.  Contentedness is a gift of God to hearts that remain trusting in the goodness of God and His plan for our lives.  To not realize the fulfillment of our own plans does not mean that God has forsaken us.  In Christ we are called into servanthood, not lordship.
When Moses named his firstborn son, “Greshom” was he thinking only of his most recent life in Midian, or did he not also remember his life in Egypt was not his “land”either?
When we read that “God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob” do not think that God was surprised.  God himself knew from eternity that the descendants of Jacob would be enslaved in a foreign land.  (see, Genesis 15;4-14)
Why is it that so often God’s good plans for our lives include great suffering?
The Lord delights in receiving from us the honor due his name.  I believe he allows His much loved children into great suffering and helplessness, in order to show Himself strong for our deliverance and salvation.  And, in order that we learn to entrust ourselves fully into His will and His care, and set aside our own plans in favor of His much more wonderful plans.  
In Our Father’s perfect plans He leads His children through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and teaches us to feast, surrounded by our enemies.  He is teaching us to walk by faith and not by sight.
It is in times of trouble and pain that we turn our hearts to the Lord most fervently.  Suffering works in us a yearning for change.  Comfortable people, do not want change, yet the word ‘repent’ means ‘change’ and changing us into “children of God” (John 1;12) is what God’s good plan is.
To be God’s own dear children is to receive the Mind of Christ and through new clean believing hearts, “live for the praise of His glory.”  (Ephesians 1;12) not our own.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, when things go ‘wrong’ in our plans, bless us to trust in Yours. When suffering comes into our lives, bless us to remember, change is often fearful and painful, but always good, bringing about Your own better plans.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

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