Why do we want to be set free to serve the Lord? The word serve also means to worship. The goal of freedom in the Lord is not freedom for its own sake, but freedom for worship.
The anger of the people of Israel toward Moses and Aaron, claiming that their lives had been disrupted, lives that were defined by slavery, causes us to reflect on our current times. When Pharaoh said, in effect, “If you have time to worship, then you have time to think about your God,” his response was simple: “Then I’ll give you more work.”
In this modern day and age, we have become the Pharaohs of our own lives. We make ourselves so busy, packing our days and silencing our minds. We convince ourselves that we have no time to think about God because we are “too busy.” But in reality, we do this to ourselves.
We become slaves to an unmanageable pace of life—so much so that even the thought of slowing down feels impossible. We adopt a mindset that says we must always keep going, leaving little to no space to spend time with God. In doing so, we place ourselves back into bondage.
If there is one thing revealed to us through the story of Moses, it is this: God does not free His people so they can do more work. He frees them so they can worship Him. We are created and designed to worship and to connect with God.
Scripture reminds us of this truth:
“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
Stillness is not laziness; it is an act of trust. Worship requires space. Let us find the time to worship—not by adding another task to our schedule, but by releasing our need to always be productive. May we stop being our own slave drivers and allow ourselves to be still, resting in the freedom God has given us, and knowing that He alone is God.
Elize About Faith 