Only half of the story…

Louis Armstrong was an American jazz musician back in the 1920’s. A few decades later he had become an international musical icon. Affectionally nicknamed Satchmo (or Satch) and Pops, his rendition of “Go Down Moses” popped into my head this morning.

When Israel was in Egypt land
(let my people go)
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
(let my people go)
So the Lord said, “Go down Moses,
way down in Egypt land.
Tell old Pharaoh to let my people go.”

lyrics from “Go Down Moses”

I was reading in one of the early books of the Old Testament, the book of Exodus. The Israelites, who had been living in Egypt for 430 years, were languishing in that land. They were ruthlessly made to work as slaves. They were dealt with shrewdly by taskmasters who afflicted them with heavy burdens. They were oppressed. If anyone had reason to want out of a bad situation, these people had multiple reasons. If anyone had reason to wonder if God had forgotten them, these people had ample opportunities to question His presence, His care.

But God did hear their groaning. He remembered that He had made an agreement with their forefathers that this nation would represent Him to the world, that they would be His people. He saw their situation. He knew their pain.

And so God put into motion a plan to rescue His people. To save them. A plan that involved a somewhat reluctant leader, Moses.

Moses was tasked with going to Pharaoh — the King of Egypt — to relay God’s message:

“Let My people go,
that they may serve Me…”

God’s words to Pharaoh,
as communicated by Moses in Exodus 7:16 and other verses

Louis Armstrong’s song only tells half of the story. The popular spiritual neglects the other half of the story, the most important part.

The reason God wanted Pharaoh to let My people go was so that they may serve Me. Not that they would be rescued from a hostile environment (which did, indeed, happen). Not that they would have another leader (instead of the oppressive Pharaoh). Not that their lives would be better, easier, more “normal.”

Hmm… how does this relate to me?!?

When I was a university student, I became a Christ-follower by putting my faith and trust in the Son of God. I was “saved,” as the vernacular puts it, from having to pay the penalty for my sin — attitudes, actions, thoughts that go against God’s standards — myself. Jesus paid the penalty for me through His death.

Reading about Moses, the Israelites, and Pharaoh reminded me that I have been saved to serve God. Ultimately, that’s my purpose here on planet Earth. Anything else is a fringe benefit, so to speak.

There are a lot of ways that each Christ-follower serves God:

• by loving others in the same way Christ loves us — not just pretending to love, but loving unconditionally, with genuine affection
• by holding tightly to what is good
• by hating what is wrong
• by showing honor to one another
• by helping those in need
• by praying for our leaders
• by blessing those who persecute us instead of cursing them
• by being happy with those who are happy… and weeping with those who weep
• by doing all that we can to live in peace with everyone
• …. and the list goes on and on!

But in addition to these things — which I’m constantly working on! somedays I do better than others!– how do I serve Him? What is God’s particular assignment for me?

For we are God’s masterpiece.
He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,
so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10

God has wired each of us differently. We each have unique ways that we process and relate to our world and to others. We each have different talents and abilities. Different seasons of life cause us to evaluate our capabilities and limitations — and to make mid-course corrections, if necessary. And yet it’s important to not lose sight of the most important thing:

… that I may serve Him…

May we encourage one another to keep serving God our focus, and together, may we have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”