Becoming Like Jesus: Confession and RepentanceSample

An Oppressed Nation

God is a god of mercy. He loves us and responds to our cries for help with compassion. Today, we are going to be reading about one of the most significant examples of God responding to the cries of His people in the entire Bible.

You’ll want to keep reading.

Pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for revealing yourself to me throughout the Biblical story. Jesus, show me where you are in these passages and teach me how to become more like you. Holy Spirit, open my eyes to what you want me to see today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. Exodus 3:7-8 NLT

Consider….

In the story of the Exodus, God doesn’t just tell us who He is, He shows us.

It’s pretty uncommon compared to how we normally operate. People tend to “talk a good game,” but can’t always back it up. Not so with God.

He hears us when we cry out to Him and He doesn’t turn a cold shoulder. He acts on our behalf. He rescues us and protects us. He provides for us and is faithful to us, even when we are unfaithful to Him.

God heard the Isrealites’ crying out because of their oppression in Egypt, so He raised up Moses as a rescuer for them.

When Pharaoh finally lets the people go, God makes sure that they leave with more than they came with. And when the king regrets his decision, God parts a sea to save His people again.

Despite their disobedience during their time in the wilderness, God takes care of the Israelites. Even though they complain and forget how much God has done for them, God never turns His back on them.

The Exodus is the story of God rescuing the Israelites’ from slavery. It’s a story of undeserved grace and mercy. It’s a story of God being exactly who He says He is:

The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.” Exodus 34:6-7 NLT

The love and mercy of God is not just for the privileged and the powerful, or the deserving and the dignified. It’s for slaves, servants, and sinners too. And because of Jesus, that mercy has been made available to you too.

Practice…

Have faith in God.

We’ve spent the past few days examining the evidence we have to trust God and His mercy. What now? We place our faith in Him. We trust Him enough to do what He says.

So when He speaks to us, through authors like John, and prompts us to confess our sins to Him because He is faithful and just to forgive us, we do it. We do what He says because we trust who He is.

Listen…

Find a quiet place where you can continue to spend time with God. Maybe you have a favorite chair, a certain spot in your backyard, or a particularly cozy closet. Wherever you need to go to limit distractions, do it.

Set a timer for five minutes. Ask God to speak to you. When you get distracted, come back to God by praying this Scripture:

The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. Psalm 145:8 NLT

When the timer ends, thank God for the time you spent together and go into your day looking for opportunities to love Him and love others.