Never Alone in the Wilderness

In one paragraph

Brian walked through a narrow passage in Exodus 4 where God sends Aaron into the wilderness to meet his brother Moses. The sermon sat with the weight of what it means to feel utterly alone in a hard season, and then turned to the idea that God, in his sovereignty, moves people toward one another long before the need is obvious. The story of Tribe's involvement with IDF soldiers visiting Jackson...

Read together

1. Exodus 4:27-29 read aloud by a congregation member as the main text for the sermon
2. Proverbs 17:17 quoted near the end to support the idea that a friend or brother is raised up in times of need

Talk about it

1. Moses was 80 years old, had committed murder, and described himself as a poor speaker, yet God chose him anyway. Is there an area of your life where you feel disqualified, and what does God's choice of Moses say to you about that?
2. The pastor talked about Moses spending 40 years as a shepherd in the wilderness before God spoke to him through the burning bush, and someone in the room said that sometimes God puts us in a lowly position so we can actually hear him. Has there been a season in your life that felt like a dead end but turned out to be a place where God got your attention?
3. Aaron traveled a much greater distance than Moses to reach him, which means God sent Aaron on his way long before Moses even encountered the burning bush. Has there been a time when you looked back and realized God had been arranging help for you before you even knew you needed it?
4. Gretchen described the IDF soldiers asking, over and over, why do you want to love on us with no agenda? What does it look like in your own relationships or community to love people without an agenda, and how hard is that in practice?
5. The pastor closed by pointing out that there are two sides to this story, that some of us are in the wilderness and some of us are being nudged to go out and meet someone who is. Which side of that do you think you are on right now, and what would obedience look like for you this week?