Part 5 – God Says Now

Complete these famous phrases:

• Here and ___
• Anytime ___
• ____ what?
• ____ hear this
• ___ or never
• All together ___
• Don’t look ___
• For ___
• or from Queen, “don’t stop me __”
• or Shakespeare’s “___ is the winter of our discontent”

The missing word of course is NOW. Not the National Organization for Women, but the adverb meaning, “at the present time or moment. At this point in the series of events.” (The Free Dictionary)

This small, powerful word, “now”, has the potential to drastically change the immediate situation. Consider a fully pregnant woman who says to her spouse, “It’s time to go to the hospital, now.” Or a father who has given instructions for his child to follow, who loudly and emphatically, says, “NOW!

“Now”, being an adverb modifies (limits or restricts) the meaning of a verb. Remember what they taught us in school, it answers the question when, where, how, how much or how long.

• When will you release your people from Egypt, God? Now.
• How much longer will we be enslaved? Now.

After Moses and the people experienced things getting worse instead of better, they had reached their last straw, And in fact, God, too, had reached His last straw. Geesh, after 430 years, I guess you could say, “Now, was the time”. Check it out –

And the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh…”

Exodus 6:1 ESV

You’ll remember, in the previous 4 lessons of this series, we saw:

• Part 1 – God Sees
• Part 2 – God Shows Up
• Part 3 – God’s Signs
• Part 4 – God’s Last Straw

And now, finally, after five chapters of prepping the Israelites and their leadership, God says, “NOW“. “Now” is the time for you to see what I will do. “Now” is the time for you to see what Pharaoh will do. “Now” is the time for you to leave Egypt. “Now” is the time for you to step out of slavery and into freedom. “Now”.

That short, little adverb was about to drastically change Moses’, Aaron’s, and Israel’s immdediate situation.

For generation after generation they had been in bondage to Egypt. That’s all they had known and what they had learned to live with for 430 years! Growing within Egypt from 70 people in the days of Joseph to anywhere from 200,000 – 2 million in Moses’ day.

NOW YOU WILL SEE WHAT I WILL DO, God says. What a powerful statement, and what a long awaited one, too.

My friend, I don’t care how long you have struggled with family issues that have enslaved your mind, will or emotions, and ancestral ties that have bound up your Spirit. God is speaking into your heart right now, “Now, you will see what I will do.” Now is the time of your exodus. Now is the time God wants to totally deliver YOU from your own personal Egypt, from your own years of personal bondage and compromise and set you totally free.

He has heard your cries, and is showing up on your behalf with powerful signs for you to see and be encouraged by. Your last straw is His last straw and today, He says to you, “Now you shall see…”.

After Noah built the ark, the day finally came when God said to the rain, “Now“.

After Abraham was given a miracle son, God said to Abraham, now, give him back to me.

After Sarah, and Rebekah failed to conceive, God released the seeds to meet one another and said to them, “Now“.

After Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and abandoned in prison, God said, “Now, go interpret Pharaoh’s dream.”

We could name others, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, David, Elisha and the prophets all were told at their appointed time, “Now”.

John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, and Paul, each came on the scene at their appointed time and brought deliverance to thousands, when God gave the word, “now”.

Our God lives beyond time and functions on an eternal clock that we hope to one day understand and experience. But He works by design and intentionality according to His time. His appointed time, His set time, and it is often called suddenly. (Although it had been in the works for thousands of years…)

• 2 Cor. 6:2 – now is the set time…
• Rom. 13:11 – now is the set time…
• Gal. 4:4-7 – in the fullness of time
• John 13:1 – Jesus knew that His hour had come
• 2 Chron. 29:36 – God had provided for the people, for the thing came about suddenly
• Gen. 18:14 – at the appointed time next year
• Psa. 75:2 – when I select an appointed time
• Acts 7:17 – as the time of promise was approaching
• Eph. 1:10 – in the fulness of time
• Mark 1:15 – the time is fulfilled
• Hab. 2:3 – the vision is for an appointed time
• Ecc. 3 – there is a time and season for everything under heaven

If God plans it, it happens on time. His time. “He makes everything beautiful in it’s time.” Ecc. 3:11

God had been preparing His people for over 430 years for their great escape from Egypt, and now their time had come. It was the fullness of time, their set time for freedom. They were as ready as they were going to be. It was show time.

In Moses’ days, like in Jesus’ days, transgression and sin had degraded people to the lowest level of morality. People were given wholly over to the dominion of the devil and his violent works. The social and political conditions were ripe for God to make Himself known. Ripe for God’s powerful arm and acts of judgment. Exodus 6:6 (1)

Is our day really any different?

Sin and depravity are rampant. Violent and destructive demonic actions have been released upon our generations, including the youngest of the young. Social norms are no more. Wrong is touted as right and right derided as wrong, Political conditions have simmered and are now boiling over with deception, shame, harrassment, cancelling, and lies.

Dare I say it again, NOW is the time for God to show up and display His powerful hand. Now is the time for Him to lead His people from bondage to freedom. Now. Now. Now.

When God says, “Now”, look for Him to drastically change your immediate situation.

I believe this coming year, 2023, will be a year when our hearts and minds fill with those proverbial questions of when, where, how, how much, how long. And God will give instructions to His children, emphatically stating, “NOW!”.

Now hear this – God has been preparing you for your exodus, NOW get ready to move out, my friend. It’s now or never. All together now. Here and now. You are now free to move about the country.

The time is now,

Debbie

1 – Bibleask.com