Thought for the Day: Be Still

I didn't intend to linger in the story of the Exodus, but the truths just keep tumbling out on me, and I can't tear myself away. In so many ways, this story is one of the lynch-pins of all history. God continually refers back to this story when addressing Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Based on the Lord's own words, we know that this story is critical to understanding Him and His relationship to Israel.

And it turns out, He's stuck a few humdingers in there for us, too.

Exodus 14:10-14:
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"

Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."


1. Do not be afraid...
..."Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." -John 12:15
...Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. -John 14:27

2. Stand firm...
...Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. -Psalm 20:7-8
...Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. -1 Corinthians 15:58

3. Be still...
...Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." -Psalm 46:10

Honestly, it's that last command--the final instruction in the trilogy--that struck me:

...you need only to be still...

I am such a striver. I wrestle and work and maneuver. But when God's on the move, I need only to be still.

Trying to settle in,
-J

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." -Matthew 11:28-30

(c) 2009
All quotations taken from the NIV.

Thought for the Day: Are You Really Ready?

Exodus 13:17-18
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.

Note: "The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle," BUT, "God said, 'If they face war, they might change their minds...'" (So the Israelites did not fight a battle--God did.)

Just because you look ready doesn't mean you are ready. Only God knows when you really are ready--and then, you must believe Him and GO, or you might find yourself wandering in a wilderness for, oh say, 40 years.

Just my lesson from last night,
-J

(P.S. I think this passage is amazing for another reason: How often do the Scriptures just tell us what God was thinking/saying to Himself about a particular scenario? I love that He tells us His motivation for this move.)

(c) 2009
Quotations taken from the NIV.

Notations on Scripture Reading, Session 2

Okay, remember this? My 'Notations on Scripture Reading'? (If not, here's a hint: This is when you click on the link I provided and read it! :-D) Well, it's time for session #2.

Please remember that this is just a bullet list (thinking of you, Sarah) of the ideas and observations floating around in my head as I've been reading through the Scriptures chronologically. (And for those of you who note such things, yes, I haven't read bunches in this particular pattern since a month ago when I first did this...but I have been reading other parts for other purposes, just in case you were worried. ;-)

Okay...here we go:

• Abraham's loyalty to and love for Sarah was really remarkable, especially in light of the ancient cultural pressures to bear children. Sarah's barrenness seems to have made her a bit crazy, but Abraham loved her to the end. I'm waiting for a man like that (hopefully minus the crazy part...)!
• I've heard many people disparage asking God for signs or details, but the story of how Abraham's servant found Rebekah seems to indicate that God is willing to move in this way (do I need to list all the caveats here, or will you just assume I'm not a nut case?). Prayer: "God, let the one you've chosen be the one who waters my camels when I ask her for water." I just think that's cool. He's moved in faith, prayed in faith, and waited in faith, and God meets him there. That's the kind of woman I want to be. I'm not, but I want to be...
• It doesn't matter that I know that the genealogies are crucial to tracking this story, I still find them a tad boring. They're like cleaning the bathroom: necessary, but icky and uninteresting.
• God uses hard circumstances to put us in place to be blessed by Him. Genesis 12: Famine in land; Abraham goes to Egypt and leaves wealthy. Genesis 26: Famine in the land, but God tells Isaac to stay put; Isaac plants crops, and reaps 100-fold because of God's blessing, and when Isaac moves south (Beersheba), he leaves as a wealthy man. Genesis 41ff: Famine in the whole world, but God has strategically placed Joseph so that his family (Israel and descendants) will be saved. And when they move to Egypt, they are given much wealth because of God's favor on Joseph; and when they finally leave 400 years later, they plunder the land just by asking for it. Maybe I should be more willing to go hungry... ;-)
• Joseph was a truly remarkable man: filial, pure, honest, business/world savvy yet fully committed to Yahweh, patient, forgiving, and deeply blessed. Hard lessons learned from a pit/slavery/prison, I'm guessing. Oh God, whatever it takes to be a person who brings you glory...
• Watch this: Exodus 3:7-8: God--"I have seen my people's misery and have come down to rescue them." Exodus 5:22-23: Moses--"God, the situation has gotten worse and You have not rescued your people at all!" Exodus 6:1: God--"Moses, it's not what it seems. Watch me! I am going to make Pharaoh drive them out!" It often gets worse before God gets to put His glory on grand display. Little problems are no problem for God, but great problems bring Him great glory.
• God's purpose for "His people" was for it to be hard, so that when He rescued them, they would recognize Him as their God and deliverer. Exodus 6:6-8: "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.' " How often is God working the same pattern in my life (letting things get hard so I'll recognize Him as deliverer)...and I'm just crying, asking Him to 'fix it now!'?
• Last one: Pharaoh's magicians/'wise men'/sorcerers--what was wrong with them?!! Quit trying to COPY the plagues and start trying to FIX them! Crazy people! Whatev.

Okay, my verbosity knows no END! I'm forcing myself to shut up now, as I've probably just lost all my readers by just blabbering on and on like I am still doing! Ahhhhhh! Shutting up now.

How about you tell me what you're reading and thinking? That'll fill the silence I'm going to leave for the next 15 seconds before I start blabbering again... Which means, you'd better HURRY! :-)

Joyful in this journey,
-J

From Moses' & Miriam's Song, after passing through the Red Sea:
The LORD is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise Him,
my father's God, and I will exalt Him.
The LORD is a warrior;
the LORD is His name…
Who among the gods is like You, O LORD ?
Who is like You—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?...
In Your unfailing love You will lead
the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling...
The LORD will reign
for ever and ever.
--Exodus 15:2-3, 11,13, 18, NIV

(c) 2009

A Meditation

Thought for the day:

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : 'Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message.' So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?' declares the LORD. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.' --Jeremiah 18:1-6, NIV

Sometimes God must put you in a position to SEE before you're in a position to HEAR.

Working on it,
-J

(c) 2009

Notations on Scripture Reading...

One of the deals I made with myself (NOT a New Year's resolution--'cause those only get broken 'round here) recently was that I was going to read through the Bible this year. Now I'm going to handle this like I handle my weight-loss efforts: I'm going to give it my best shot, but if I don't accomplish it by the deadline I have set, I'll just be grateful for the progress I have made thus far...and reset the deadline. (Meaning: don't hold me to the 'year' part too harshly.)

ANYway, using a coupon and some Christmas money (thanks Grandpa & Mema!), I purchased a chronological Bible, just to add a new dimension to my reading. And I'm really enjoying it so far--it feels so orderly...and I LIKE order very much! :-)

Back to my point: I thought I would pitch a few observations at you from time to time, just to share what I'm learning/thinking about this read-through. This is session #1.

• Job's friends really stunk the big-one. May I never have friends like his.
• God writes lovely poetry (see Job 38-42).
• Genesis 15:7 says that God brought Abraham out of Ur to give him this land. But when you review Genesis 11:31, you realize that to accomplish this, God moved Abe's FATHER. Ever wonder what kind of moves God was making on your behalf in the generations that came before you? I love that God is so ahead of the game!
• BOTH Abraham and Sarai laughed, but Abraham's laugh appears to be one of wonder, while Sarai's is one of doubt. God doesn't take kindly to us doubting His promises.
• Ever wonder why Lot got saved? The NT tells us that he was a righteous soul who was tormented day and night by the sin around him. But I think the most defining answer is found in Genesis 19:16, "When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand, the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them." That's it. That's how any of us are saved: "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5, NIV) 'T'aint about OUR righteousness. We're saved because God is MERCIFUL. (This is SO about HIM!)
• Lot's daughters were WHACK. {ewwwww...}
• Isaac married Rebekah at 40 years of age, and then lived to be 180 years old. So...if *I* wait until I'm 40, do you think I'll live another 140 years? Maybe THAT's what's wrong with all you early-marry-ers! HA!

Okay, enough for one night. Time for beddy-bye. Hope you're enjoying your time in the Word too! :-)

Blessings,

-J

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! --I Corinthians 10:11-12, NIV

(c) 2009