God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways

Each of the four readings this week remind us that God’s purposes may pull us in surprising directions. We might have our own plans, but God’s providence is bigger than our thinking. In Exodus, we see Moses taken away from the mundane world of shepherding to meet God in a fire. The psalm recounts how God’s people, under the leadership of Moses, were able to defeat mighty Pharaoh. In Romans, Paul teaches us to overcome evil with good, even offering deeds of love to our enemies. And in Matthew’s Gospel, we read how Jesus’ disciples simply can’t fathom that he has come to die for them and to show them an abundant life beyond their imagining.

Read Exodus 3:1-15. Have you ever turned aside to meet God in a surprising place, or maybe missed a chance to go find God?
Read Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b. Have you ever met an unlikely leader? How is God calling you to a surprising new thing?
Read Romans 12:9-21. How might it change our world if we all learned to heap kindness on our enemies? When have you tried overcoming evil with good?
Read Matthew 16:21-28. Jesus’ disciples are clearly looking for a different kind of Lord than the Savior whom God sent. What are the aspects of Jesus’ life, work, and ministry that challenge your idea of who you’d like Jesus to be?