and the people believed when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel…..they bowed their heads and worshipped. (Exodus 4:3)
The proper response to the Lord’s visitation in our life is to bow down in worship, an expression of submission & gratitude. That is what Israel did here. Yet this worship did not follow by trusting in God, that’s where Israel failed. When they saw the miraculous signs Moses did before them they easily believed that the Lord did visit them and bowed their heads and worshipped. But in the next chapter when they heard that Pharaoh was not moved by the miraculous signs of Moses but only increased their workload, these same people began to curse Moses & Aaron(Ex.5:20,21). It is very easy to believe that the Lord is visiting us when we are surrounded by miraculous signs but hard to do so when things aren’t moving the way we desire. Sadly, this became the lifestyle of Israel throughout the wilderness journey and even in the promised land. They believed God visited them but they failed to trust this God who visited them for their daily living, especially during tough times. Centuries later, when God visited this same nation through His Son, she failed even to recognize the time of the Lord’s visit about which Jesus wept in Luke 19:41-44. The nation didn’t bow down and worship this Messiah because his visit was not in their terms of expectations. We should never miss the visit of God in our lives simply because it is not according to our expectations.
God visits you through delays, denials, failures, and even through humiliating moments. Very often they are the evidence that God is visiting your life in order to be gracious to you. How often we miss this point completely isn’t it? Only in eternity we may know the terrible results of many of our prayers had God answered them according to our expectations, then we shall burst in praise for all unanswered requests and worship him for all the delays and denials he allowed in our lives. On this side of eternity, we often bow down in worship only when we see all things moving according to our desires and plans. That’s a big mistake we are making. Maybe God is right now visiting you in a most unexpected manner, through that most unexpected experience, maybe even in an unexpected place. Don’t fail to realize the time of the Lord’s visit just because the experience is bitter or the result of that visit is delays, denial, failure, or even humiliation. I encourage you to bow down and worship him today for his delays and denials because those could be indications that he loves you. Trust God because he knows only the best for you, even if not on your terms.
-Pastor