SCRIPTURE UNION DAILY GUIDE DEVOTIONAL FOR JANUARY 22, 2023 (GOD ENCOURAGES)
TOPIC: GOD ENCOURAGES
OPENING PRAYER: Dear Lord, make me more like you through the power of your word as I meditate on it.
EXODUS: 6:28-7:13
QUESTION FOR REFLECTION
• Q 8: Is there any other Biblical passage that can help me understand this passage better?
MESSAGE
Look at the wonderful position in which God puts Moses and Aaron, and pity poor miserable little Pharaoh (7:1-2)! As Christians we are often blind to the fantastic position and authority we have in Christ (Romans 8:31; 2 Corinthians 10:4). Is this not why we are subjected to doubts and fears in the face of “powerful” enemies and difficult situations? As someone has put it, “Fear knocked, faith answered, and there was no one at the door!” Without a doubt, Satan is powerful, but how very small is his power when compared with the Almighty God (vs.11-12)!
Chapter 7:13 is not easy to understand or explain. Earlier, God had said that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart (4:21), and now it has happened. This is the same God who does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). Why then does He harden Pharaoh’s heart (9:16)?
We can understand this in the light of two facts made clear in Scripture. First is that God gives us the capacity and the freedom to decide to obey or disobey Him (Deuteronomy 30:19, Joshua 24:15). Second, God knows in advance the final decision and choice of each person and He judges accordingly (Luke 16:15). This shows that if God hardens Pharaoh’s heart, it is based on Pharaoh’s own decision to reject and oppose God.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
How does the story of Elisha’s servant in 2 Kings 6:15-18 help you to understand this chapter better?
• Any new insight or reinforcement of what you already know?
CLOSING PRAYER
Thank God for His promise in Ezekiel 36:26-27.
Offer a prayer of faith in line with Jeremiah 31:4
ONE YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
Genesis 38, 39, Psalms 17
NATIONAL PRAYER BULLETIN – Sun, 22-Jan-2023
PRAYER FOCUS
TRUST AND OBEY
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. – Jeremiah 17:7
THANK GOD FOR:
► Daily teaching us what it means to keep our faith in Him and to put all our trust in His ability to save us.
► His promise to straighten our path as we keep trusting in Him.
PRAY FOR:
► Grace to continue to trust in our God, maintain our hope and keep faith in our God.
► Deliberate decision to put into practice the virtue of speaking the truth as this is the basis of salvation.
► Deeper relationship with God and man, as we learn to maintain our hope, faith and trust and obey our God even in hard times.
PRAY AGAINST:
► Failing to trust God due to past experiences or failures, thereby allowing anxieties and doubts to take upper hands in our lives
► Any form of complicated situation that will make it difficult for us to speak the truth in honesty.
Scripture Union Daily Guide 22 January 2023. Scripture Union is an international, interdenominational, evangelical Christian organization. It was founded in 1867, and works in partnership with individuals and churches across the world. The organization’s stated aim is to use the Bible to inspire children, young people and adults to know God.
