“By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27, NIV).
Here is another verse that had been a head-scratcher for me. What did God mean by stating that Moses did not fear the king’s anger? Wasn’t that the whole reason he left Egypt: to run away from Pharaoh’s wrath? Didn’t he flee for his life because the king was so irate that he wanted to kill him?
God loves it when we ask Him questions. He let me wonder about this one for a long while (sometimes He answers quickly; and sometimes in His wisdom, He takes His time providing the understanding). The day did eventually come when He suddenly dropped the answer into my spirit. He explained, this verse is not talking about the first time Moses left Egypt, but the second time he left — leading the children of Israel out of slavery. That second time around, he was fearless enough to lead the exodus in the face of the Pharaoh’s fierce anger.
Now that was an occasion where you would have to choose courage. From that very first face-to-face encounter with brutal, hard-hearted Pharaoh, Moses had to have a whole lot of inner strength to persevere. Tension must have built by intense degrees inside of this servant of God, each subsequent meeting he had with the Egyptian ruler. His faith was tested to the limit as again and again, the strategies offered by God did not seem to change the tide. Pharaoh’s heart just seemed to get harder and harder. But Moses, displaying enormous valor, saw it through to the historic climax we all love reading about.
How did he do it? Our verse for today gives us the answer. “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27, NIV). He saw God. He saw the invisible One. His encounters with the great I AM caused strength to reign in his heart instead of fear. They fueled his faith. God gave this testimony about him: “With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord” (Num. 12:8, NIV).
You know what? In the New Covenant, God has given us even closer access to Him than Moses had. You and I can speak face to face with God too, as a person speaks with their friend. He has given us the flabbergasting privilege of becoming the place where He Himself lives. You and I can see Him who is invisible too.
And in seeing Him, we can persevere. No matter what we face today, encountering God will cause strength to reign in our hearts instead of fear. He is waiting for you. With arms outstretched, He is longing to meet with you. Will you come face to face with Him today? Will you speak to Him as your Friend?
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Have you noticed that God sometimes answers your questions quickly, and sometimes slowly? Why do you think He does this?
Feeding On Jesus 
God’s timing is perfect becasue He sees then whole picture. Whereas we only see our immediate need.
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Aaaamen. I am so grateful that He does!
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This was very encouraging Jennifer. Thank you for sharing this
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Aw, I’m so glad. You are welcome, Manu!
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Yes. I have experienced both God’s miraculous answer to prayer and a provision supplied to go where in my own resources would have been impossible. Then in another incident I prayed for my young child but it has taken 40 years to see the coming to fruition of that prayer, Personal relationship what a glorious Gift from Abba our Heavenly Father. Thank you for your sharing and inspiration,
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Wow! Prayer answered after forty years of prayer! Now THAT is perseverance, and I know He is SO PROUD of you! Thank you so much for sharing from your life’s journey, Faye. This is precious to Him
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I love the way God answers questions – sometimes immediately that I search for an answer, sometimes later… sometimes it’s not immediate and I forget the question even, till a eureka moment and I smile at Him. Knowing he bothers to answer my questions quickens my faith that He also answering our prayers.
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Yes! That describes my experience perfectly “a eureka moment.” It also happens for me sometimes after I have forgotten asking the question. And amen! It really does build faith for answered prayers!
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From the book I’ve been reading recently, ’11 Days’ by Mark Holloway, I’ve started something a bit different. Previously I’d pray, but it would be all my words with very little space for actively listening. Very little time waiting in His presence to hear what He was speaking into my heart.
Now, I love writing, so this has been a really good way for me to spend time with God. I’ve been taking time every day, sometimes multiple times a day, to write out any questions I want to ask God, with pen and paper, or on my phone, or on my computer, then continuing to write expecting the answers to come. It feels silly at first (and still does sometimes), like I’m having a conversation with myself, and just writing what I *want* the answer to be and when I want something to happen. But the answers that God shows me, little and big moments, outside these conversations, that show me He’s been listening and working in my life.
It feels odd to even say, but I’d encourage anyone to try it, especially if there are a lot of questions floating in your mind. I’ll often get frustrated or confused by the answers, about what God’s asking me to do, but I always feel better after a conversation.
Thank you for unpacking another powerful verse of the bible. 🙏
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You are welcome, Hamish! And how delightful that you are giving so much space to listening prayer. I heartily concur, that everyone should try it! May we all grow more and more as good listeners in our relationship with Him 🙂
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