01/23/23 Reaction, not Reliance

READING: Exodus 12-15

Sometimes our crying out to the Lord is quite short-lived. The immediacy and urgency of the moment drive us to our knees, but our prayerful desperation too often quickly moves in a different direction—as it did for the Hebrews as they fled Egypt. 

They had finally left the land of their bondage, but they also saw and heard Pharoah’s forces chasing after them. They did what we would want them to do when they saw those powerful forces pursuing them: they cried out to the Lord. They knew their safety depended on Him—so they prayed.

Based on their accusation and criticism of Moses soon thereafter, though, it seems apparent their prayer was an expression of fear more than it was an expression of faith; it was more a reflex to danger than it was reliance on God. I fear that you and I sometimes treat prayer the same way. 

PERSONAL REFLECTION: Are your prayers ever short-lived?

DAILY PRAYER: “God, bring me to the place where I want You—not just Your help.” 

TOMORROW’S READING: Exodus 16-19

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.