Eyes Like Jethro

It seems like I hear so much grumbling. I hear it from my daughter. I hear it from my students. I hear it from my fellow educators. I hear it from my family. Needless to say, I do my fair share of grumbling, also. I grumble the most when I have to get up in the morning. I also grumble a lot when it’s getting close to the time when I need to get my daughter out to the bus stop and her hair is still not brushed, she doesn’t have her shoes on, she isn’t getting her jacket or backpack like I asked her to…

And yet we haven’t missed the bus once in the 100 days of school that there has been so far this year. God never fails to get me through the morning, no matter how difficult I think it’s going to be as I’m putting on my slippers. And God never fails to make me feel chastened when He reveals to me how much time I’ve spent grumbling when I could have been rejoicing in His love.

It was my own grumbling I thought of when I read about how the Hebrews grumbled as Moses led them out of Egypt. It had been established how cruel a king Pharaoh was and what kind of existence the Hebrew slaves led under his rule. They had every reason to be grateful that they were free. God was with them- literally! And yet still they grumbled, and- at times- even openly fought with Moses over the conditions of their journey to the Promised Land.

Maybe we can’t see God in a column of smoke or fire they way the ancient Hebrews saw Him, but we know He’s with us constantly. And still, we grumble about the conditions of our journey. We grumble because we are short-sighted regarding His purposes. We know that, even if He’s leading us through the desert for now, His promise of eternal life awaits us. Despite the grumbling of the ancient Hebrews, they reached the Promised Land. Despite our grumbling, Jesus has lifted us up out of the depth of our sin and given us hope.

Instead of grumbling about our condition, we need to pray for eyes like those of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law from the land of Midian:

8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the LORD had saved them.
9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, "Praise be to the LORD, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly." 12 Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God. (Exodus 18:8-12)

Far removed from the suffering of the Hebrews at the hands of the Egyptians, yet still intimately involved because his son-in-law was one of the key figures in the drama unfolding, Jethro was a witness to the saving grace of God. His response to the freeing of the Hebrews is a reminder that regardless of their current condition, they were much better off than continuing to suffer under the rule of Pharaoh. May we remember that no matter what our condition, we are much better off in Christ than wallowing in the hopelessness of our sin.