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REVIEW
Throughout Exodus, one theme keeps surfacing: God is bringing His people to Himself. Israel’s story is not primarily about people finding their way to God. It is about God moving toward them, carrying them, providing for them, and making a way for them to draw near, and this correlates with His desire and approach with us today.
Little by Little
God’s work in Israel did not happen all at once. Their journey included the Red Sea, bitter water, no water, manna, refreshing places like Elim, and eventually Mount Sinai.
Some places were joyful. Others were hard. But each was part of the process.
God often brings us nearer to Himself little by little.
That changes how we view our own circumstances. God may be doing something deeper than simply making life easier.
Nearer Matters More Than Easier
God is more interested in bringing us nearer to Himself than in simply changing our circumstances.
A “land flowing with milk and honey” can produce gratitude and draw us toward Him. Difficult seasons can also become places where we learn His faithfulness and experience His presence.
Both can be part of His work of bringing us near.
Covenant Makes a Way
In Exodus 24, God establishes His covenant with Israel. Moses reads the covenant, sacrifices are offered, and the covenant is confirmed with blood.
Then something remarkable happens.
Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders are allowed to come farther up the mountain. They behold God and eat and drink in His presence.
God is making a way for His people to experience deeper communion with Him.
Learning to Rest
That same invitation to nearness continues for us. We can easily respond to difficult circumstances by striving, worrying, or trying to control the outcome.
But abiding in Christ means learning to rest in His grace and trust what He will do.
Whether life feels abundant or difficult, God is still at work—graciously and often little by little—bringing us to Himself.
REMEMBER
God is more interested in bringing us nearer to Himself little by little than in simply changing our circumstances.
REFLECT
Where am I most tempted to treat God like an ATM machine—mainly asking Him to fix, provide, remove, or change something—rather than asking how He may be drawing me nearer to Himself through it?
What part of my current path feels slow, difficult, or unfinished, and how might God be working “little by little” in that process?
What would it look like for me to rest in God’s presence this week instead of striving to control the outcome of my circumstances?
Word of the week: NEARNESS
RESPOND
God,teach me to trust the path You have me on,even when I do not understand the process.
Quiet my urge to control what comes next.Help me want Your presence more than an easier circumstance.
Draw me nearer, little by little,and teach my soul to rest in You.Amen.
RELATE
Don’t make changing the other person your main goal.
In relationships, we can slip into “ATM mode” with people too—wanting them to respond differently, fix something, meet a need, or make life easier. Instead, ask: How can I draw closer, listen better, and stay present even while this is still a process?
REHEARSE
Everything the LORD has said we will do; we will obey. – Exodus 24:7
READ
Revisit Exodus 24:1-18
Read Ahead: Exodus 25:1-27:21
REJOICE
I Believe