Divine Appointments

Exodus 18:13-18 "13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?" 15 Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws." 17 Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone."

Moses was excited about what God was doing in their mist. Finally, Moses is enjoying the respect and trust of the people. It wasn't too long ago that the the nation of Israel wanted to stone him to death. But now all the people are coming to him. This must have felt good! Moses gets a visit from his wife, children and his father-in law (Jethro). Now I don't about you, but if divine appointments are going to come my way, its definitely not coming from my "father-in-law." In-laws, although I love them, have a tendency to be very opinionated. It becomes really hard to listen to anything that they have to say, but "father-in law" Jethro was different. He was a priest himself and from the way the scriptures talk about him, you can tell that he had a living relationship with God. He was a man of wisdom and insight. When he saw all that Moses was doing he said, "What you are doing is not good." If Jethro was my father-in-law, I would have said, "Don't you see all the respect the people are giving to me. They are finally obeying. What do you mean this isn't good." Moses did not say anything. What did Moses do? He listened!

Friends, even in doing God's will and the right thing, God will sometimes use others to speak into our lives. It's not a time to get defensive. It's a time to listen! Maybe God is using that individual as a divine appointment to speak into your life. We have to recognize that still small voice; and sometimes it will come from unlikely sources, even your father-in-law. In the end, Moses put what Jethro was saying into practice and it blessed him personally, his family, and his ministry.


"God is Good, All the Time, And All the Time God is Good"