By: Jessika Sanders
How do we keep pressing forward toward the promise when we’ve already messed things up?
In the latter chapters of Exodus we’ve seen the Lord do amazing things including delivering the Israelites from slavery, parting the sea, raining down food from Heaven, and instructing the people on how to build the tabernacle.
But despite all the wonders He performed, when the people were lacking direction and left to themselves, they backslid. In Exodus chapter 32 we read of how the Israelites fashioned a golden calf and worshipped it.
You might be wondering, how could they keep pressing forward toward the promise when they had already messed things up?
We find our answer in Exodus 34:5-9 in a very impactful exchange between the Lord and Moses atop Mount Sinai.
Perhaps expounding on His holy encounter with Moses at the burning bush when the Lord announced who He was, here we see God explicitly outline His character for Moses.
“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
Upon hearing the Lord’s character straight from His majesty, Moses bows before the Lord and worships him saying, “My Lord, if I have indeed found favor with you, my Lord, please go with us (even though this is a stiff-necked people), forgive our iniquity and our sin, and accept us as your own possession.” Exodus 34:9
Here Moses shows us how to persevere with hope. We can keep pressing on, even when we have already messed things up, when we humbly come before the Lord and ask for His mercy and forgiveness.
In fact, we read of similar encouragement in Matthew 7:7-11, this time straight from the lips of Jesus.
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You parents–if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”
Maybe like the Israelites, you have regretfully given into temptation.
Maybe walking by faith in your grief and suffering has become too difficult
and you’ve begun to stray or you’ve begun to doubt.
We pray this passage in Exodus will remind you that no mistake, no sin is too great for God to forgive. You’ve never wandered too far from Him that you can’t return to the safety of His refuge. Our God is the Father of compassion and mercy. His love is steadfast and unfailing. And thanks to Jesus who paid the price for all our sins, God no longer lays the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren. We pray this story encourages you to persevere with hope, even when you feel like you’ve messed up.
God, you are a good Father–rich in mercy, overflowing in love and kindness. In my humanity, my faithfulness waivers, but in your divinity, your faithfulness endures forever. As a covenant-keeping God, your promises to me will not be broken. That means, though I think I may have royally messed things up, you don’t withhold from me. God, I thank you for your unmerited favor and your undeserved grace. Thank you for walking with me through this, forgiving me of my sins, and calling me yours. In your name I pray, amen.
Dig Deeper
Reflection Questions:
Which of God’s promises are you clinging to in this season?
As you have navigated your circumstances, do you feel you’ve fallen short or messed up? How?
Put Your Faith Into Action:
When the Israelites were lacking direction, they created a golden calf and worshiped it instead of the Lord.
In this season, to you God may feel quiet or unavailable. This week we encourage you to lean in and pursue Him. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Meditate and think on the scripture below. Close your eyes and visualize yourself within the scripture as you sit and wait in stillness. Be open to what the Lord might reveal to you or communicate to you during this time.
Scripture to visualize: “The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.” Exodus 13:21 NLT
Further Reading:
Matthew 7:7-11
Jessika Sanders is a published writer who has been featured in Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Hope When Your Heart is Heavy devotional (2021), Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse Jr. magazine (2023), and Tyndale’s So God Made a Mother (2023). She is also the co-author of The Good Book Company's, In His Hands: Prayers for Your Child or Baby in a Medical Crisis ( July 2024). Jessika is also the founder and president of Praying Through ministries.
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