Oak Hill Church of Christ 7-21-24

Oak Hill Church of Christ preaching minister, Randy Sterling, delivers a message on the plans of God for our lives.

Life started badly for Moses. Due to Egyptian law, he was supposed to be killed, but his mother placed him in a river where he was rescued by a princess. The princess adopted him and raised him in the palace of the Pharaoh. But, since royal family members typically don't raise children on their own, God ensured that Moses was raised by his own mother.

Moses received the education of an Egyptian prince, offering the best possible training for his intellect. Then, due to his rash behavior, he fled into the wilderness where he lived in exile as a shepherd for many years. During that time he married and raised children of his own. After many years of exile, he returned to Egypt as God's own messenger, eventually leading his people out of their captivity in Egypt and to the Promised Land.

There were many points in Moses' life where things seemed to be falling apart. If you only saw those moments, you might conclude that God had abandoned him. Yet, looking at Moses' life in the whole, God certainly blessed Moses quite a bit. In fact, the setbacks Moses experienced turned out to be opportunities for him to gain the skills he would need to lead his people to the Promised Land.

There are times when your life might seem on a downward slope. It might feel like God stopped listening, or stopped caring. Unfortunately, we can't see things the way God does. God knows exactly what's going to happen, and He knows exactly what it will take to get there. Sometimes, this might mean seasons of difficulty, discomfort, or disappointment. In those times, remember Romans 8:28, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

If you love God, and you're doing things in accordance with God's purposes, and you're still going through tough times, trust in your Creator, and accept the challenge He has given to you, because you never know how God intends to use those moments for the good in the future.