God's Got My Back

Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. (Exodus 14:19)

I cannot imagine a more frightening event, nor a more exciting one. One day you are a slave to Pharaoh and suddenly you are leaving Egypt as part of this gigantic caravan. You have been freed from the cruel Egyptian rule and are heading into a bright new future, albeit unknown. There are hundreds of thousands of you, all moving in the same direction...toward tomorrow. 

There must be some confusion, perhaps commotion too. But, now, it is apparent that Pharaoh didn't simply let you go, in fact he has changed his mind and now there are soldiers chasing after you. 

You have faith that the LORD has placed Moses in charge of you and is using him to bring you, the nation of Israel, out of bondage and into the Promised Land. But still there is an undercurrent of fear and panic.

Then, the angel of God...moved from in front of the people, to the rear. He took his place between God's people and their enemies. What a profound picture this gives me. This is a beautiful picture of God, having your back. And don't you know that He really does?

Knowing that I can turn to God in prayer, cry out for forgiveness and mercy, and understanding that He is there for me, takes my breath away. My journal is filled with instances like this. I imagine yours is too...or at least your memory is filled with such times.

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. (Isaiah 58:8)

Exodus 14:19-31

God Saves His Firstborn

Being the first to do something is typically quite an accomplishment.


Edmund Hillary was the first to reach the top of Mt. Everest. Amelia Earhart was the first women to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon. Roger Bannister was the first to run a mile in under four minutes.

Leif Ericson was the first European to sail to America. Ferdinand Magellan was the first to sail around the world. Roald Amundsen was the first to travel to the South Pole.

 

History remembers people who are first and we have a name for some of them: Pioneers.

 

Pioneers pave the way for others to do what they did. Pioneers, for whatever reason, are history’s “favorite”.

 

Today’s reading is Exodus 11:1-10, the story of the last plague God imposes on the Egyptians.

 

The Israelites were captive to Pharaoh. God, through Moses, told Pharaoh to “Let my people go” nine previous times. Each time Pharaoh disobeyed, and each time God delivered a plague on the land.

 

The tenth plague is the plague of the firstborn, where all the firstborn children (and animals) are put to death.

 

A harsh punishment to be sure, but the wages of sin are death.

 

Earlier, God told Moses that, “Israel is my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22). Today’s reading is also a story of redemption: God saved Israel, his firstborn son! He saved Israel not only from the Plague of the Firstborn, but also from the slavery of Pharaoh.

 

Through Jesus Christ’s atoning death, we too, as believers, are also God’s firstborn. God saved us from eternal damnation and freed us from the slavery of sin. We are God’s favorite, his selected people to carry on the “family name” and carry out his Will.

 

Tonight and tomorrow we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

 

While we go through the gifts in our stockings, while we open our presents, while we eat our dinner and while we visit with relatives and friends, let’s pause a minute or two and thank God for making us his firstborn.

 

Have a blessed Christmas!

 

The powerful call to worship

Then say to Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, ‘Let my son go, so he may worship me...’”  Exodus 4:27

[Requesting permission to speak honestly.]  For much of my Christian life, something inside bristled a bit at God’s insistence upon our worship.  Perhaps the call to glorify him brushed up against my egalitarian notions of equality (admittedly misapplied in this case).  Maybe “worship me” seemed out of character for a humble God.  Most likely it was a “Bah! Humbug!” predictably bubbling up from a sin nature preferring not to exalt anything but itself. 

One morning, the devotional scripture included such a call to worship.  As I meditated on the passage and journaled the thoughts it evoked, my heart began to see worship from another perspective.  For the God who has called us to be his own is a good God, and all we wish life would be – beauty and friendship, peace and joy, life and truth, justice and mercy – is precisely what we find in him.  So what’s not to celebrate?  And who else is worthy of it? 

Moreover, God fights for us, his people and frees us from spiritual bondage.  So to all of the “pharaohs” that oppress us today, God’s command still thunders in authority, “Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, 'Let my son go, so he may worship me.’” 

Now, all who are in Christ are Abraham’s offspring¹ and have become “the Israel of God”².  And at his word, the darkest of dungeons have no choice but to release us to the goodness of God.

Brokenness must let us go to worship our God who heals. 
Anxiety must let us go to rest in God's perfect peace. 
Sin must let us go to stand before God in righteousness. 
Despondency must let us go to celebrate God in whom we find joy. 
Fear must let us go and worship God in confidence and faith. 
Shame must let us go and worship the God who has claimed us as his own. 
Loneliness must let us go and worship God who calls us friends. 
Weakness must let us go and worship God in whom we find all strength. 
Injustice must let us go and worship the God who claims justice as his own. 
Weariness must let us go and worship in God's rest. 

In his boundless love for us, God wields his limitless power for us.  He is our God, and we are his people. 

So come, let us adore him!  For he is good.  And we are free. 

¹ Galatians 3:29
² Galatians 6:16

Genesis 41:33-45

Joseph Finds Reward Through God Given Dreams

I have dreams of flying sometimes. I love it when I do. I feel amazing and free! Once in a very vivid dream I recall placing my shoes in my back pocket, leaping from the top of an offshore lighthouse and soaring over the water on a turbulent summer night. It was beyond wonderful. In time I started to lose altitude and became frightened I would fall into the depths of the ocean. As I pushed with my legs and turned slightly sideways in an attempt to ascend, I prayed, “Please God, let me get to shore.” I had full faith in my heart that he would not let me fall. 

I was lifted, guided to shore and then gently touched down on my feet. After a few strides I yanked the shoes from my pocket, put them on, and continued down the street. My heart was nearly bursting with happiness for two reasons. I had the opportunity to fly again, and my God had come through for me once more!

Current research indicates that dreams are the mind’s way of processing strong feelings and experiences. I love the feeling of flying- I experienced it once during the free-fall while sky-diving, and I am a Christ Follower. That explains my dream right, or should I question; “Is God trying to tell me to trust him more? Should I be taking more risks? Is he assuring me that he is always there for me? Was God the lighthouse, my beacon and though I left him he still loved me enough to save me?

In the case of the Pharaoh of Egypt, he was not able to make a connection to his dreams, so was eventually led to Joseph who had been known to interpret dreams in the past. Joseph made it clear to the Pharaoh that he had no power to decipher the meaning of his dreams. It was done by God. Never the less, Joseph was rewarded.

Genesis 41:39-40 Then the Pharoah said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

God, Joseph's beacon was finally calming the waters for him.  Joseph had waited for many years with patience and faith for the Lord to turn bad into good. And good it was! Joseph was adorned with robes of fine linen, given the Pharaoh's ring for his finger and a gold chain about his neck. Joseph rode in the chariot as second-in-command. Pharaoh respected Joseph's connection with God.

As we dream during sleep, daydream, or simply be still in hopes of understand God's will for us, there may be times we sense God is leading us in some way or sending us a message. When that happens the NIV Bible (The Journey A Bible For Seeking God and Understanding Life) recommends taking some specific steps;

Carefully research the issue (Proverbs 14:15)                                                                                      Ask God for Wisdom (James 1:5)

Seek out the counsel of advisers:  (Proverbs 15:22)

Make sure what you propose doesn't violate a scriptural command (Joshua 22:5)

Be sure your plans include God (Psalm 127:1 and Proverbs 3:5-6)   

I urge you to write down these verses and keep them in an easy to locate place. When you feel the Lord may be speaking to you, you will already be prepared to act.   

Read/Listen to Genesis 41:33-45 

        

More Powerful than Water

Water is powerful. A flood can destroy your house in a second. An unchecked drip can rot your house over a several year period. Besides being powerful, water also brings something powerful.

 

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

 

Peter spoke these words, from today’s reading, Acts 2:29-41, in Jerusalem during Pentecost.

 

What a blessing baptism is. Water and the Word of God: a common liquid coupled with profound wisdom that transcends human understanding. Baptism.  Simple, but effective.

 

The Lord saved the Jews from Pharaoh’s army about 3400 years ago. The Jews were slaves in Egypt, and Moses was God’s instrument to afflict the Egyptians with 10 plagues. Eventually Pharaoh relented and released the Jews. However, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to crush the Jews. God parted the waters of the Red Sea allowing the Jews to cross. With the Egyptians still on the sea bed, God released the water and the army drowned.

 

God used water to save the Jews from its enemy.

 

When we are baptized, Satan, can no longer touch us. Sure, he can wreak havoc in our lives, but our souls belong to God.

 

God uses water to save Christians from its enemy.

 

Joshua led the Jews through the Jordan River to Canaan. Out of water, the Jews came to their Promised Land.

 

Our baptism ensures us eternal life with God. Out of water, Christians come to their promised land, Heaven.

A theologian would say baptism Justifies us. That is, baptism makes us right with God.

 

Baptism is more than that. Peter tells us the Holy Spirit enters us on our baptism.

 

The Holy Spirit allows us to have faith and be aware of, if not fully understand, God’s Plan and Christ’s Mission. In addition, it equips us with the skills necessary to carry out that Mission, the Mission of the Church.

 

Baptism also Sanctifies us. It allows us to reach out to others.

 

Baptism: Justification and Sanctification!

 

Yes, water brings the Holy Spirit, more powerful than water itself!

Anyone Can Be a Firstborn Child

While growing up, my brother and sister constantly reminded me that the firstborn in the family has all the advantages. I got to stay up late, eat more desserts and got to see some TV shows that they could not watch. “It just isn’t fair!” they would say.

Perhaps my siblings exaggerated, but there is some historical basis for their belief.

In antiquity in the Middle East, the firstborn received a double portion of food. During medieval Europe, the firstborn son usually inherited his father’s business. Firstborn sons were expected to carry on the family name, with health and prosperity thought critical to that end. Yes, firstborn sons did have an advantage.

Today's reading is Exodus 11:1-10, another story of firstborn children, and not a pleasant one at that. The Israelite Nation had prospered under Pharaoh’s watchful eye. They grew from a population of under 100 to well over 1.5 million people. God had plans for this nation and it was time for them to leave Egypt.

Pharaoh locked horns with God and would not let the Israelites go, in spite of nine painful plagues. The tenth, the death of Egypt’s firstborn (my brother and sister probably loved this part of the story), finally caused Pharaoh to acknowledge God and let the Israelites leave.

In Exodus 4:22, God told Moses, “Israel is my firstborn son.” It is rather Ironic that when Pharaoh would not let God’s firstborn leave, God took his vengeance by taking Egypt’s first born. Nonetheless, God saved his firstborn and freed them!

Through Jesus Christ’s atoning death, we too, as believers, are also his firstborn. Like in the reading, God saved us and freed us from sin. We are God’s favorite, his selected people to carry on the “family name” and carry out his Will.

Even my brother and sister can be “firstborn” and have all the spiritual blessings of those born first!

I hate to admit it, but, yes, it is fair!

The Story - Chapter 3 - Genesis 41-42

It is ironic that it was Joseph's dreams that got him into such trouble with his brothers, and now it is Pharaoh's dreams that will get him out of trouble. Joseph's ability to interpret dreams, a gift from God, put him in Pharaoh's good graces and he was elevated from prisoner to person in charge of everything and everyone in the nation, with the exception of the throne.

Genesis 41:39-40 (NIV)

“Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."

Joseph’s story is amazing and the road he traveled is one that encompasses many emotions. First, when the young conceited boy used the fact he was best loved by their father I cringed with embarrassment for his youthful bad conduct. But when his brothers got carried away in their jealously, I was stunned by their behavior. To consider killing the lad because their father favored him was appalling.

I breathed a bit easier when Reuben went to bat for his younger brother, but the boy was still sold into slavery. Deceit seemed to come easy for the eleven when they approached their father, Jacob, to inform him of Joseph’s death. Sound like a soap opera yet?

Chapters 41 and 42 are so interesting to read. I couldn’t possibly do justice to the story in this short devotional space. You have to read it. Chapter 42 illustrates what happens when God is obeyed, when His people believe in Him and act accordingly. I have to admit, the first time I got the full picture of this story was in a movie. I was spellbound by the storyline and couldn’t wait to read it in my own Bible.

God works like this in our lives today too. I would love to be sitting you, listening to your stories. Let me know if you would like to do this sometime. Our stories need to be told.

Read Genesis 41-42 here

Listen to Genesis 41-42 here