Welcome to Kendra Graham’s online Bible study. Our prayer is that you grow deeper in the knowledge and understanding of God’s Word and His promises for you. Below is the handout for Kendra’s final week of evening Bible study, with a few homework questions at the end.
*To view this final Bible study via Periscope, click here.
STEP ONE: Pray
STEP TWO: Read the Text.
Exodus 33:21-23 (NASB)
(21) Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; (22) and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. (23) Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.
STEP THREE: WHAT DOES IT SAY?
THE FACTS ONLY, PLEASE
In this step you need to list the outstanding facts of the passage. DON’T get caught up in the details; just list the facts. Do not paraphrase. Use the actual words of the passage. This is God’s Word; a lot of times this step seems tedious to some, but I urge you, as we read, and say and write God’s Word, it begins to sink deep into our hearts. If you just pick one fact out of the verse, write it down and meditate on it.
(21) The LORD: There is a place by Me…you shall stand…on rock
(22) It will come…while My glory is passing I will put you in cleft of rock and cover you with MY hand until I have passed
(23) THEN I will take My hand away and you shall see my back, but face shall not see
STEP FOUR: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
THE LESSONS
Look for a lesson to learn from each fact. What are the people doing that they should be doing? What are the people doing that they shouldn’t be doing?
Is there a command to follow? A promise to claim? A warning to heed? An example to follow? Meditate on these. Ask God what lesson it is that He wants you to hear or learn.
(21) If we want to see the glory of God first-hand, then we have to go where God is. To know “my God” will take effort and patience. God calls us to specific places because He wants to be personally known by us. He is often visible in our lives, but we don’t like the location, the effort demanded or the amount of faith that it will take to get there.
(22) God tells Moses that He is going to show Moses His glory; then, when God gets there, He places Moses in a dark and hard place, only to then cover it with His hand and make it even darker. This is not the “glory” we were anticipating when we asked. God trusts us with dark places for a reason. We need to hold on to His promise when we can’t see how it is going to work out and we surely don’t understand it. This dark, hard place would not be how I thought God would show me who He is. God’s promises are #ENOUGH to hold to in the dark.
(23) When God takes His hand away, we will be able to see His glory on the backside. Once God passes, His presence changes everything and we can see all the places He has unmistakably touched here in the desert. His presence is #ENOUGH to make this dry, unforgiving place, a place of refuge, not a prison, a place of blessing not curses, a place of thankfulness not bitterness. His presence is #ENOUGH in our deserts, period.
STEP FIVE: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME?
NOW APPLY IT… TODAY.
Take the lessons you learned and put them into the form of a personal question that you would ask your spouse, or a friend or your son or daughter.
As you write the questions, listen for God to communicate to you through His Word.
Do not rush. Do not write things down just to have something on paper, this step takes more time that you may think. This is where Scripture meditation becomes real, this is where you begin to hear that still small voice speak to you, and place His finger in your life and begin to direct your paths… this day, and the next, and the next. Do you trust Him enough to put into place that which He is moving you to?
(21) Do you want to see God’s glory in your desert? What are you willing to do, and what are you not willing to do? Has God called you to come to a place near Him but it doesn’t make sense, and the journey will be uncertain? Maybe God is calling you to the desert, and that is not where you want to see God, so you stay put? Did you realize that there is effort required each day to come to where God is in His Word and listen? When it comes down to it, do you really want to see God’s glory in your life on His terms or yours?
(22) How many times do we have more questions than answers about where God has placed us? When have we questioned God’s methods in our lives? Are we trying to get out of this hard, dry place on our own before God’s glory passes by? What causes us to bug-out early and forget His promises to us? IN this dark, hard, dry place, will we hold to the hope that God has not forgotten or forsaken us here? What promises are you holding to in the dark of your situation?
(23) Has God been working in this desert and you have missed it? Are you willing to look back and see all the places that God led you, held you, and protected you in your suffering? Has God ever flipped a dark place around for you, where you hated every minute of the struggle, but when you got to the end, and you looked back you saw God in unmistakable ways? Will you allow God to make this desert a place of refuge for you? Will you trust that God is #ENOUGH for you? Will your faith be forged or forgotten in this place?
STEP SIX: LIVE IT OUT.
Look over all your facts, lessons and applications for a given passage.
Is there a main theme to them? Does one verse stand out over the rest for some reason?
Hold yourself accountable to LIVE OUT in your daily life that which God impresses upon your heart. Write it out, sign it, date it and claim the transforming power of God’s Word and His presence in your life.
God’s presence is Available and is #ENOUGH
…Focus my feet to come.
God’s presence is #ENOUGH in the dark
…Focus my heart to hold on to His promise.
God’s presence is #ENOUGH to see me through
…Focus my eyes to look and see what He has done
and where He has been in my life.
Jehovah—who is highly exalted above all gods—wants to be known personally by you.
I pray that 2019 is the year in which God’s people allow Him to teach us and test us, even in the desert, and show us how to do more than preach the Message with our lips, but BE the Message with our lives.
Shalom and blessing to you
Shema Israel!
Adonai Eluhanu
Adonai Echad
I know the journey is hard and unbearable at times; hold to the promise of who Jehovah is, and we will find that I AM that I AM is more than, #ENOUGH
God bless you all!
–Kendra Graham
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