Good Morning Sunshine! It’s Time For A New Series!

Good Morning Sunshine! The Gift of Today; Lord, Show Me Your Ways!

Scripture: Exodus 33:13 (KJV) ~ “Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.”

Supporting Scripture: Psalm 103:7 (KJV) ~ “He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.”

Over the past fifteen days, you have journeyed through The Gift of Today ~ His Will, My Stewardship, His Breath, learning to surrender tomorrow to God’s will, become a faithful steward of today, and recognize His Presence in every breath. You were reminded that tomorrow is not promised, yesterday cannot be relieved, and today is a gift that requires intentional living. Through His Word, you were challenged to examine your priorities, address unfinished responsibilities, and become more attentive to the God who sustains your life.

But now, as we move into our next five-day devotional journey, a deeper question emerges. You have learned to recognize God’s Presence, but are you learning to reflect His character? You have acknowledged that your breath belongs to Him, but do your words, attitudes, actions, and responses demonstrate that you are allowing His Word to transform your life? It is one thing to recognize what God has given you; it is another to examine how you are living before the One who gave it.

This brings us to our new series, Show Me Your Ways, Lord! Knowing His Ways, Reflecting His Character, and Learning How to Act Accordingly.

In Exodus 33:13, Moses prayed, “Shew me now thy way, that I may know thee.” Consider this: Moses had already witnessed God’s miraculous power through the deliverance from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, and His provision in the wilderness. Yet Moses desired something deeper than another miracle. He wanted to know God Himself. Psalm 103:7 reveals that God made His ways known to Moses and His acts to the children of Israel. The Israelites witnessed what God could do, but their conduct often demonstrated that experiencing His power did not necessarily mean they understood His character or trusted His instructions.

And this is where the examination becomes personal. It is possible to know Scripture yet struggles to apply it, speak about forgiveness while holding resentment, or testify about God’s patience while becoming impatient with others. Knowing God’s ways requires more than recognizing His works; it calls for a willingness to allow His truth to correct your attitudes, influence your decisions, and transform how you treat people.

Throughout these next five days, you will examine the difference between God’s works and His ways, explore His revealed character, consider why your manner and conduct matter, evaluate the spiritual fruit your life is producing, and learn what it means to walk in obedience to His Word. Exodus 34:6 reveals God’s mercy, grace, patience, goodness, and truth, while Ephesians 5:1–2 calls believers to imitate Him and walk in love. The goal is not simply to gain more knowledge about God, but to grow in a relationship with Him that becomes evident in your everyday conduct.

The previous fifteen days challenged you to consider what you are doing with the time and breath God has entrusted to you. These next five days will challenge you to examine what your life is revealing about the God you profess to know. Your attitude matters, your words matter, your responses matter, and the way you treat others matters. Spiritual maturity is not demonstrated only through what you say about God, but also through your willingness to live according to His Word.

As we begin Day One, allow Moses’ prayer to become your personal desire: “Lord, show me Your ways, that I may know You.” Do not become so satisfied with what God can do for you that you neglect the importance of knowing who He is and allowing His character to transform yours and know what God can do should make you desire to know who He is, because knowing God’s ways should change your ways.

Let’s Begin Day 1: Good Morning Sunshine! His Works Reveal His Power, But Knowing His Ways Draws You Closer To His Heart! And This Should Be Your Declaration Today, Lord, Show Me Your Ways, Beyond Your Mighty Works!

Exodus 33:13 (KJV)  ~ “Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.”

Have you ever known someone for years, yet discovered that you really did not know them as well as you thought? You knew their name, where they worked, what they enjoyed, and even some of their habits. You could recognize their voice, describe their personality, and recall things they had done for you. But one day, a situation arose that revealed something about their character you had never taken the time to understand.

Imagine a daughter who calls her father whenever she needs something. When her car breaks down, she calls him. When a bill becomes difficult to pay, she knows he will help if he can. Whenever life becomes overwhelming, she reaches for the phone because she has learned that her father is dependable. Over the years, she has become familiar with what he does for her, but she has rarely stopped to ask about his experiences, his values, the lessons that shaped his life, or the sacrifices he made while raising his family.

One afternoon, while sitting together, her father begins sharing stories about his childhood, the difficulties he overcame, the decisions he regrets, and the principles that guided him through challenging seasons. For the first time, she begins to understand the man behind the provision. His generosity takes on a deeper meaning because she now recognizes the compassion that motivates it. His advice becomes more meaningful because she understands the wisdom developed through his experiences. She realizes that although she has benefited from his love for years, there is still much she has not learned about his heart.

That conversation changes the relationship. She no longer wants to call only when she needs something. She wants to listen, understand, spend time with him, and develop a deeper connection. What began as a relationship centered largely on receiving has become a relationship rooted in knowing.

Now consider your relationship with God. How often have your conversations with Him centered on what you need Him to do? The prayer requests may concern healing, provision, protection, direction, restoration, or an answer to something that has troubled your heart. There is nothing wrong with bringing your needs before the Lord. Philippians 4:6 encourages you to make your requests known to God through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. He invites you to seek Him and trust His care. But have you become so familiar with asking God for His help that you have neglected the importance of knowing His heart?

There is a difference between recognizing God’s hand and understanding His ways. His hand speaks of what He does, while His ways reveal His character, principles, and purposes as He has made them known through His Word. The miracles may capture your attention, but knowing Him should transform your relationship with Him. When your prayers are focused only on what you want God to change around you, it becomes easy to overlook what He desires to change within you.

Exodus 33 takes place during a critical moment in Israel’s wilderness journey. God had delivered the Israelites from Egyptian bondage through extraordinary demonstrations of His power. They witnessed the plagues, crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, received manna from heaven, and experienced His guidance through the wilderness. Yet despite these mighty works, their relationship with Him was repeatedly marked by unbelief, impatience, complaining, and disobedience. In Exodus 32, while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving God’s instructions, the Israelites became impatient and persuaded Aaron to make a golden calf. They worshiped the image and attributed their deliverance to it, even though they had personally witnessed the Lord’s power. Their actions exposed a serious spiritual problem. They had experienced God’s deliverance, but their hearts were still vulnerable to idolatry and unbelief.

The consequences of their disobedience carried into Exodus 33. God addressed the seriousness of their rebellion, and Moses interceded for the people. In Exodus 33:12–13, Moses acknowledged the responsibility God had entrusted to him and asked for a deeper understanding of His ways. His request was not merely for another miracle or an easier journey. Moses desired to know the Lord more deeply so that he could walk faithfully in the assignment God had given him. Notice the words of his prayer: “Shew me now thy way, that I may know thee.” Moses connected knowing God’s ways with knowing God Himself. After everything he had witnessed, he still recognized that there was more to learn about the One who had called him.

Psalm 103:7 later declares, “He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.” This distinction does not mean the Israelites had no opportunity to know God’s character, nor does it suggest that Moses understood everything about Him. Rather, it highlights the deeper understanding Moses sought through his relationship with God. The people witnessed His mighty acts, but Moses continually sought His direction, His Presence, and His ways. In Exodus 33:14, God responded, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” Moses then declared in verse 15, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” His response revealed that God’s Presence mattered more to him than simply reaching the destination. Moses understood that arriving somewhere without the Lord’s guidance and Presence was not the outcome he desired.

This is an important lesson for your own spiritual journey. Reaching a destination, receiving an answer, or obtaining something you have prayed for should never become more important than maintaining your relationship with the God who leads you.

Have you ever considered the prayers you have prayed over the years. Some have been answered in ways that brought tremendous joy, while others may still be waiting for an answer. There have been moments when God made a way you could not have made for yourself, provided what you needed, strengthened you through difficulty, or protected you from circumstances you did not fully understand. Those experiences are worth remembering, and gratitude for His faithfulness should remain part of your testimony. But what happens when the answer does not come as quickly as expected? What happens when the door remains closed, the circumstances do not change, or the direction God gives is different from what you wanted? Does your confidence in Him remain steady, or does your trust begin to weaken because His works are not unfolding according to your expectations?

The Israelites struggled with this very issue. Exodus 16 records their complaints about food, despite having experienced God’s deliverance from Egypt. In Exodus 17:1–7, their need for water became another occasion for questioning whether the Lord was among them. Their circumstances were genuinely difficult, but their responses revealed how quickly they could forget His previous faithfulness when confronted with another challenge. Before judging their behavior, consider how easily the same pattern can develop in your own life. A prayer is answered, and gratitude fills your heart. God opens a door, and you testify about His goodness. Then another challenge arises, and suddenly the question becomes whether He will come through again. The memory of yesterday’s provision begins to fade beneath the pressure of today’s uncertainty.

Knowing God’s ways helps you remember His character even when His actions are not immediately understandable. Numbers 23:19 declares that God is not a man that He should lie. Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds you of His compassion and faithfulness. Psalm 145:8 describes the Lord as gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy. These scriptures reveal truths about His character that do not depend upon whether your circumstances are comfortable, or your prayers are answered according to your preferred timetable.

There is another important distinction to consider. Knowing God’s ways does not mean understanding every decision He makes. Isaiah 55:8–9 declares that His thoughts and ways are higher than yours. There will be seasons when you cannot explain what God is allowing, why an answer has been delayed, or how a difficult experience fits into His purposes. Faith does not require pretending to possess explanations God has not given. It requires learning to trust what He has revealed about Himself while acknowledging the limits of your understanding.

Proverbs 3:5–6 instructs you to trust in the Lord with all your heart and not lean upon your own understanding. This kind of trust becomes especially important when obedience requires you to follow God’s Word without knowing every detail of what comes next. The question is whether you are willing to trust His character when you cannot trace His hand.

A deeper relationship with God also changes the purpose of your prayers. Instead of approaching Him only to ask for an answer, you begin asking Him to examine your heart. Rather than praying exclusively for circumstances to change, you become willing to ask whether your attitude, expectations, or responses need correction. Psalm 139:23–24 records David’s prayer for God to search his heart, know his thoughts, and lead him in the everlasting way. That is a prayer of someone who desires more than outward blessings. It reflects a willingness to be examined and guided by the Lord.

Think about how your relationship with God might deepen if your daily prayers included a sincere request to understand His character. What would change if you began asking Him to teach you patience rather than only removing every frustrating circumstance? How might your relationships improve if you sought His wisdom concerning forgiveness instead of focusing entirely on the wrongdoing of others? What would happen if you asked Him to develop humility within you while you continued praying for greater opportunities and responsibilities?

Knowing God’s ways should influence how you respond to people, not merely how you respond to circumstances. It is difficult to claim that you desire to understand God’s mercy while consistently refusing to extend compassion. Speaking about His patience carries little weight if impatience governs every difficult conversation. His faithfulness should challenge you to examine your own commitments, and His truth should influence the honesty and integrity of your decisions.

Jeremiah 9:23–24 provides a powerful reminder of what deserves your greatest confidence. The Lord declares that the wise should not boast in wisdom, the mighty in strength, or the rich in riches, but that the one who boasts should boast in understanding and knowing Him, the God who exercises lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. The emphasis is not on what a person possesses or accomplishes, but on knowing the Lord and recognizing the character He has revealed. Even Jesus emphasized the importance of knowing the Father. In John 17:3, He described eternal life in terms of knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. This knowledge is more than collecting information or becoming familiar with religious practices. It concerns a genuine relationship with God through Jesus Christ, one that should increasingly influence the way you live.

As you begin this five-day journey, examine what has been shaping your understanding of God. Has your relationship been built primarily around what you hope to receive, or are you developing a desire to know Him through His Word, prayer, and obedience? When disappointment comes, do you measure His goodness by the outcome, or do you return to what Scripture reveals about His faithfulness? When His instructions challenge your preferences, are you willing to submit to His wisdom? Moses had witnessed enough miracles to fill a lifetime of testimonies, yet his prayer remained, “Shew me now thy way, that I may know thee.” He understood that there was a difference between being impressed by God’s power and becoming deeply acquainted with His character.

Let that distinction challenge you today. Do not become so occupied with seeking His hand that you neglect His heart. Continue bringing your needs before Him, but also make room to listen, study His Word, examine your motives, and respond to His instructions. The Lord who provides for you is also the Lord who calls you into a deeper relationship with Him. As this first day comes to a close, consider whether your desire for God’s works has been greater than your desire to know His ways. The answer may reveal an area where your relationship with Him needs renewed attention. There is nothing wrong with celebrating what God has done, but His blessings should lead you toward a deeper knowledge of the One who gives them.

The invitation today is not to stop asking God for what you need. It is to stop allowing your needs to become the only reason you seek Him. Make room in your prayers for a request that reaches beyond another blessing, another open door, or another miracle. Ask Him to reveal His character through His Word and teach you how to live in a manner that reflects what you are learning.

As you reflect upon today’s devotional, consider whether you have spent more time asking God to change your circumstances than inviting Him to transform your character. Examine how you respond when His answers are delayed, when His instructions challenge your preferences, or when the journey becomes uncomfortable. What do those responses reveal about your understanding of His ways? Identify one attribute of God’s character that you need to study more carefully and one area of your conduct where that understanding needs to become visible.

Let’s Pray:

Thank You, Father, Thank You for life and all that You do for me. Father, I come before You with a grateful and humble heart, thanking You for every way You have demonstrated Your goodness, mercy, faithfulness, and sustaining power throughout my life. Thank You for the prayers You have answered, the provisions You have made, the doors You have opened, and the strength You have given me through difficult seasons. Yet today, Lord, I acknowledge that I do not want my relationship with You to be centered only on what You can do for me. I want to know You more deeply, understand Your revealed character, and learn how to walk according to Your Word. Forgive me for the times I have sought Your hand more than Your heart, questioned Your faithfulness because circumstances did not unfold according to my expectations, or allowed impatience and disappointment to influence my trust in You. Search my heart and reveal any attitude, motive, or desire that has become more important to me than obedience to Your will. Teach me to trust Your wisdom when I do not understand Your decisions and remain faithful when the answers I desire have not yet come. Father, just as Moses prayed, I ask You to show me Your ways that I may know You. Open my understanding as I study Your Word, develop patience where I have been impatient, humility where pride has influenced my responses, and compassion where I have struggled to extend grace. Let my relationship with You transform my words, decisions, attitudes, and treatment of others. May I never become so satisfied with receiving Your blessings that I neglect the privilege of knowing You. Continue drawing me into a deeper relationship with You through Jesus Christ and let the evidence of that relationship become visible in the way I live. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Nugget ~ Don’t become so familiar with God’s hand that you neglect His heart. Knowing His works should lead you to seek His ways.

Blessings…

Love, Dr. Jean…