SCRIPTURE UNION DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR JANUARY 14, 2023 (IN GODS GOOD TIME AND IN HIS OWN WAY)
 

TOPIC: IN GODS GOOD TIME AND IN HIS OWN WAY 

OPENING PRAYER: Grant me depth of insight, revelation and knowledge as I meditate on this passage, O Lord.\

MESSAGE

Introduction to the Book of Exodus\

Exodus means “exit” or “departure”. The book is the story of how God, through a series of miraculous interventions, delivered His people, Israel, from Egypt. Egypt, their land of deliverance from death during Joseph’s days, had become the land of slavery. God led them from Egypt into the desert on their way to the Promised Land. He moulded them into a strong nation, gave them laws and a system of government and worship. They faced many challenges in the desert, but God demonstrated His immense power through His miraculous interventions. Instead of trusting God, however, Israel grumbled each time they faced a new challenge. Their grumblings finally brought God’s judgment upon them. Many who departed Egypt never made it to the Promised Land; instead, they perished in the desert.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Exodus 1:1-22

QUESTION FOR REFLECTION
• Q 1: What does the passage teach about God the Father, or God the Son or God the Holy Spirit?

Scripture Union Daily Guide 14th January 2023 MESSAGE
Our God knows the end from the beginning. He had told Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved and ill-treated in a foreign land for four hundred years but that they would experience a glorious deliverance at the end (Genesis 15:12-14). The great Pharaohs of Egypt did not have a good sense of history, but God did. His time for the liberation of His people has now arrived. The darkest part of the night is just before the dawn. Things often get worse before they get better. Pharaoh thought he had a great idea and a winning formula (vs.9-10; 15-16). God always knows how to rescue His own people.

There are many things about the ways of God which our limited human brains can never fully understand. One of them is why He allows tyrants such as this Pharaoh to rule over His people. In recent times Hitler killed 6 million Jews; and even today there are countries where children of God are being tortured and killed for their faith. Jesus Christ Himself says that in this world we would have tribulation. Thank God, that is not the end of the verse, and it is not the end of the story (John 16:33; Revelation 21:4)

HYMN: My Times Are in Thy Hand

1 My times are in Your hand;
my God, I wish them there!
My life, my friends, my soul, I leave
entirely to Your care.

2 My times are in Your hand
whatever they may be,
pleasing or painful, dark or bright,
as You know best for me.

3 My times are in Your hand;
why should I doubt or fear?
My Father’s hand will never cause
His child a needless tear.

4 My times are in Your hand:
Jesus, the Crucified;
those hands my cruel sins had pierced
are now my guard and guide.

5 My times are in Your hand;
such faith You give to me
that after death, at Your right hand
I shall for ever be.

CLOSING PRAYER
Meditate on Revelation 6:9-11 and pray for the persecuted church today.

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
► Pray for the leaders of our nation that they will rule in the fear of God.
► Believe God to guide them and give them the needed wisdom to rule.
► Pray for the health of our leaders and their safety too.

Offer a prayer of faith in line with Psalms 52:8