By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo
Psalm 103:7: “He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.”
The psalmist praises God for Who He is and what He does. It’s one thing to see things happen, the miraculous acts of God, or the things people do. It’s yet another thing to know the reason behind these acts. Whatever is done is for a purpose, driven by a motive or intention.
To Moses, God made known His ways. Ways go beyond the acts. It’s the reason for the acts. Ways have to do with purpose, motives, values, character, the bigger plan or the heart matters. It’s the ‘why.’ So Moses knew God deeper than what he saw Him do. Acts on the other hand is the display of His power, manifesting in miracles, signs and wonders. Acts catch the eye, brings excitement and wows the observers. But don’t establish a person in the faith.
These two represent levels of our walk with God. Those who only know Him by the acts are continually looking for ‘new’ miracles, signs. They are excited to see them. When God is silent and not doing them, they interpret that to mean something gone wrong. Their faith is shaky. The Isrealites were like that. Even after watching all the miracles in Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea and walking on dry ground, afew days in the desert without meat made them complain bitterly to Moses as they wished to go back to slavery in Egypt. By knowing God’s ways, whether there is a sign or not, provision or not, pleasant or tough times, your faith is firm in the God you have come to know as ever faithful, loving, good regardless of current circumstances.
Job 13:15 “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.”
Psalm 25:4 “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.”
Psalm 46:1-3: “God [is] our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; [Though] the waters thereof roar [and] be troubled, [though] the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.”
Shalom children of God.