That first fresh cup of coffee in the morning is like a wonderful sip of pure honey. It’s warmth and sweetness fills my own cup of joy each day. I look forward to waking up to my cup of Joe and I love sharing it with others.
In the morning, God’s Word is also like pure honey going down into my soul and lifting my spirit. His Word is alive and active with every breath I breathe.
New beginnings.
Fresh starts.
Abundant mercies.
When I read Exodus 34 today, my mind and heart exploded with incredible joy and gratefulness. I began to weep over the Gospel message in this chapter. God is so gracious to us even when we blow it. His grace abounds whether we are shoved into a valley unexpectedly or we create our own valley of suffering through our sin. His mercies never waiver and His love is more than we can fathom. Every morning we have the opportunity to be filled with His sweet words and breath.
This chapter in Exodus jumped off the page to me and I was reminded how God is the God of second chances.
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Cut two more stone tablets like the first two, and I will write the same words on them that were on the first two stones which you broke. Be ready tomorrow morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai.’” —Exodus 34:1-2
A few chapters back in Exodus, God wrote the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets for His people and revealed His glory to Moses. All the people were tired of waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain and built a god for themselves to worship. When Moses saw what they had done, he became incredibly angry. He threw the two stone tablets on the ground and broke them.
He broke them out of anger.
Valleys We Live In
Sometimes the valleys we are living in are created out of our emotional response to situations. We don’t always handle hurts and frustrations in a godly way. Sometimes we take God’s Word and throw it down not thinking through the consequences. I have been GUILTY of responding emotionally to many things without prayerfully considering my actions and the outcome. I look back in regret of those responses.
“…I will write the same words on them that were on the first two stones which you broke.” (verse 1)
Almighty God…the Creator of everything…showed Moses amazing grace right there! He rewrote His commandments on the tablets even though He didn’t have to. He gave Moses and His people another chance! They turned their back on God because they grew weary. They created their own god because they were tired of waiting on the One True God. Their leader broke the tablets, ruined the gift God had given them and yet the LORD STILL SHOWED THEM MERCY! Amazing!
New beginnings.
Fresh starts.
Abundant mercies.
Then in verse two, God says, “Be ready tomorrow morning, and then come up to Mount Sinai.” Even after the people turned their back on God and Moses responded in anger, the LORD still wanted to meet him in the morning. The LORD wooed Moses back to Himself the very next day. The LORD still wanted to fill his cup with his sweet mercy and kindness.
“The LORD passed in front of Moses and said, ‘I am the LORD. The LORD is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who doesn’t become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness and is kind to thousands of people…’” —Exodus 34:6-7a
No matter what valley we find ourselves in, we must remember that the LORD is kind and merciful. He wants to love us and be gracious to us. He wants to fill our cup full of Him each morning and give us His very breath through His Word. We can only survive the valley on His Word. It is life giving and as sweet as honey. It is the cup we should desire everyday.
Time Spent with God Changes You
What happened to Moses when he came down from the mountain the second time?
His face was shining because he spoke to the LORD. (from verse 29)
Time spent with God reveals His glory. We SHINE because of Him and for Him when we are full of His Word. We don’t have to put on a show, act a certain way or perform so others think we are a Christian. We can simply spend time with God each day, be transformed by His Word and our face will SHINE with His glory. When we are in the valley, we can claw our way up to the mountain top or we can stay put. God will meet us right where we are and give us what we need.
When you are in the valley or on the mountaintop, do you allow God to fill your cup? Do you SHINE His glory? OR…Do you get weary, give up and begin making your own god?
Let us receive new beginnings, fresh starts and abundant mercies from the LORD each day. Let us not grow weary but receive God’s grace. Jesus is always ready and wanting to spend time with YOU.
In the morning when I rise,
In the morning when I rise,
In the morning when I rise,
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus
And when I am alone,
Oh, when I am alone,
And when I am alone,
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus
(In the Morning When I Rise Lyrics)
2 Comments
WOW
“His face was shining because he spoke to the LORD.”
Amen.
Oh, let that be me!!
Thank you for being a great example. <3 Your words are so anointed. I love you!
Thank you for the fresh look on this chapter! Moses was the perfect example of how our own emotions can lead us into a valley, and how God can still show His grace! Thank you!