REMEMBERING GOD'S BLESSINGS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

Moses said, "This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.'"

So Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come."

As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna in front of the Testimony, that it might be kept. The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.

Exodus 16:31-35

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we saw in yesterday’s message, God had commanded the Israelite people to rest on the Sabbath day, the only day of the week that they would not be able to collect the daily bread that the Lord provided to keep them Israel fed as they traveled through the desert. Scripture tells us they called this bread “manna” and we read where they would eat it for "forty years” which was the time it would take before they finally “reached the border of Canaan."

What did the manna taste like?

We find the answer in our passage for today, learning it “was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey”.

We also learn that God didn’t want His people to ever forget this miraculous act of provision as we see Him giving Moses the following command at the end of Exodus, chapter 16:

"This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Take an omer (approximately two quarts) of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.'"

And so Aaron, by Moses’ request, puts an omer of manna (approximately four dry cups) in a jar and this was to be maintained until the Lord gave His ten commandments on the two stone tablets, special orders that would be known as the "Testimony".

As we look at our passage for today, there are two very important points I want to illuminate, points that were important to the people of Israel then and are equally important for us today.

First, God wants us to never forget His goodness and providence.

Ask yourself this.

Why did He command for some manna to be collected and saved for generations to come?

It was because He didn’t want His mighty, miraculous works to be forgotten, not in the present nor in the future.

For when this Exodus generation would become older, they would surely tell the new generation all about what the Lord had done for them, how He had sent this unique food called manna. And if they doubted what they heard, the jar of manna would dispel that doubt as they looked upon physical evidence that supported the Lord’s mighty act of mercy and deliverance.

You know, we also go through life circumstances where we experience God’s goodness fully at work, experience that can turn into testimonies we can share with future generations. Like the Israelites, we should be ready to share all that God has done for us with others.

The second thing we find here is that the Lord wants us to testify about Him, to share accounts of how He has helped us in times of need. You see, God isn’t glorified before others when we remain silent and keep the stories of His provision and protection to ourselves. Rather, He expects us to tell others about Him so they know how He is always at work to bless those who place their hope and trust in Him. I don’t know about you but I am consistently inspired by the testimonies of others as they tell of what God has done for them. It’s no wonder why God expects us to proclaim His works to others.

Do you have a testimony to share about what the Lord has done for you?

Never hesitate to let others hear it and you may also want to consider writing your testimonies down so that they can be passed down to future generations. Through your words, you may be able to help lead others to a life that is centered and focused on the Lord, the One who is their Provider and Redeemer.

Keep in mind that God richly blesses us to not only address our needs within our circumstances and remind us of His power and provision, but He also produces a good news story with every one of His works, good news stories designed to be shared.

In any and all opportunities, let’s make sure we tell of all the great deeds the Lord has done in our lives, bringing Him full honor, glory, and praise.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

ON THE MATTER OF REST

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.

On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. He said to them, "This is what the Lord commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.'"

So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. "Eat it today," Moses said, "because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any."

Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. Then the Lord said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep My commands and My instructions? Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day He gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day; no one is to go out."

So the people rested on the seventh day.

Exodus 16:21-30

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we looked at the opening verses of Exodus, chapter 16 yesterday, we saw where God had once again shown His faithful protection and provision for His beloved Israelite people, sending quail and manna from heaven to feed them during their journey to the land He promised them.

The manna was as plentiful as the morning dew and the people gathered as much as they needed, gathering twice as much on the sixth day.

Why?

Because God designated the seventh day as a "day of rest, a holy Sabbath” to Him. No manna would be found on the seventh day as the Israelites were to rest on that day. And because of this God-mandated rest, the Israelites were to gather twice as much manna on the sixth day, so the people would have something to eat on the holy Sabbath day.

Of particular interest is the use of the word Sabbath in today’s scripture. It is the first time the word is used in the Bible, preceding the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) where we know God would include an order there to keep the Sabbath holy with no work allowed on that day. The Lord made it clear that the matter of the Sabbath was not only important to Him but it was to be to His people as well. This still stands true today.

So the question is, “Is the matter of rest on the Sabbath important to Christian believers today?”

The origin of the word “Sabbath” comes from the Hebrew word, Shabbath, meaning "to rest". And of course, this isn’t the first time we see the word rest used in the bible, is it? For if we go all the way back to the creation account in Genesis, we find this:

"By the seventh day, God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that he had done." Genesis 2:2-4

Going back to our passage for today, we see that the concept of resting on the seventh day because it was holy was just a continuation of God’s word in Genesis. The point was that if God could rest from His work, then He expected man could rest from his as well.

The scriptures show us that there was advance preparation needed in order for God’s people to properly rest on the Sabbath. For we read where God directed the Israelites to "bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning."

Before, if the Israelites tried to save their manna for the next day they would find it spoiled and maggot-ridden. But this wouldn’t happen on the Sabbath for "they saved” the manna “until morning” as Moses had commanded and “it did not stink or get maggots in it." This fulfilled what Moses had told them when he said:

“Eat it today because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any."

And it was so, yet we read where some people didn’t listen. There was still a faction of the Israelite people who remained stubborn and disobedient. For the scriptures tell us that "some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none." In other words, they didn’t rest as directed and we get a sense they didn’t gather enough manna for two days on the sixth day either. This was probably because they assumed they would be able to get manna on the seventh day, even though God said otherwise.

We read where this behavior didn’t make the Lord very happy as He asked Moses:

"How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day; no one is to go out."

You have to believe that Moses must have been a frustrated leader at this point because although he was issuing the commands of God, he couldn’t control the actions of his brother and sister Israelites who continued to show they were sinners who had free will to do what they wanted.

I can understand how frustrated the Lord and Moses must have been more than 2,000 years ago because I find myself as frustrated today with this matter of rest on the Sabbath. For unfortunately, we find the Lord’s sacred and holy day Sabbath treated as if it were just as any other.

People work.

Sporting events are held.

Shopping centers and restaurants are open.

When it comes right down to it, there is more than ample opportunity for a person to do as much as they want to do on the Sabbath whether you observe it on Saturday or Sunday. And so, the Lord’s call to rest too often falls on deaf ears even though His requirements and expectations haven’t changed. Like in all things, Satan is always at work in our world trying to tempt and move God’s people further and further away from the obedience He demands. And just in looking at our present times, he is succeeding in a big way.

Friends, this passage and its associated message carry a big challenge for all believers who need to answer some very pointed questions:

How well am I upholding the Sabbath in my life?

Am I respecting and responding to God’s call to rest in obedience?

Am I keeping everything I do on the Sabbath holy, honoring God in the way I limit my activities to worshiping and praising Him?

If we’re honest, I think we all could use a lot of improvement in this matter and I pray you will join me in cleaning things up when it comes to this matter of rest.

After all, we have six other days of the week to do what we need to do, right?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

OUR DAILY BREAD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert, the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."

Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from Heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days."

So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening, you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?"

Moses also said, "You will know that it was the Lord when He gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord."

Then Moses told Aaron, "Say to the entire Israelite community, 'Come before the Lord, for He has heard your grumbling.'"

While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud. The Lord said to Moses, "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.'"

That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, "It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.'"

The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed.

Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning."

However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

Exodus 16:1-20

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

After God miraculously made bitter water drinkable at Marah, we see in the opening verses of Exodus, chapter 16 where the Israelites "set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin” which was located “between Elim and Sinai”. The scriptures tell us that this happened “on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt."

As we see in this passage, God’s people still were a work in progress when it came to fully trusting their Lord and perhaps we’re more like them today than we would want to admit. In this instance, we read where the Israelites became hungry as they traveled through the desert, perhaps running short on the unleavened bread they brought with them out of Egypt.

Just as water is needed for survival, so too is food so it’s easy to see how the anxiety level of the people of Israel began to elevate some. Unfortunately, this anxiety manifested itself in complaining as they said to Moses:

"If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."

Here, we find the Israelites beckoning back to their days of Egyptian captivity and oppression. In their minds, although they were enslaved, they never were worried about having food to eat as they “sat around pots of meat and ate all the food” they wanted.

At the core of this issue was the truth that the people were unable to just appreciate that they were blessed to be alive, delivered more than once by their God and yet still reluctant to simply trust that He would never allow them to perish. And so, they resorted to direct their unhappiness toward Moses, accusing him of leading them to their demise rather the promised land filled with milk and honey. Indeed, within the hearts of the people of Israel, we see an attitude of complaining and blaming, two very counter-productive mindsets that only drew then further away from where God wanted them to be.

Let’s pause here for some quick self reflection questions.

For how many times do we complain about things in our own life?

Do we yearn and covet for more at the expense of appreciating what we do have and realizing just how very blessed we are?

And...have we ever chosen to blame others for our circumstances instead of facing challenges with the faith and trust that the Lord is always with us, never leaving or forsaking us and always ready to refine us and reveal His glory in due time?

I hope you can see why today’s message is important because I think it speaks to every believer and their struggles with their human condition, also referred to as the “flesh” in the scriptures.

Going back to the passage for today, the hungry people of Israel have expressed their need for food, even if it was inappropriately expressed and we find the Lord repond to their grumbling, saying this to Moses:

"I will rain down bread from Heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way, I will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions."

Friends, we serve a God who loves us and will always provide for our needs in accordance with His will. This is a truth I consider to be absolute and unchanging. As we enter each day, the Lord already knows our needs before we ask and already knows what will happen in the course of our day well before it happens. As Christian singer and songwriter, Steven Curtis Chapman, says in the song, Miracle of the Moment:

There’s only One who knows what’s really out there waiting in all the moments yet to be.

And all we need to know, is He’s up there waiting. To Him, the future’s yesterday.

In the case of the Israelites, they needed food so the Lord "rains down” manna and quail “from Heaven", providing just what they needed. The good news is that He will do the same for us as well, and if we really activate our memory in retrospect, we will see that He has been doing it through our entire life.

For the Lord still rains down His blessings from Heaven. He is the provider of every good and perfect gift from above (James 1:17) as He grants what we need to survive and accomplish His will on any one given day. And so instead of whining and complaining, we should be praying to our Heavenly Father as Jesus, His Son and our Savior, taught us, saying:

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…Give us this day our daily bread." Matthew 6:10-11

Just as the Lord delivered quail and manna to Israel, He is ready to deliver just what you need, in just the right measure, and in His perfect time.

All we need to do is wait for our daily bread with patience and faith

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

OUR AWESOME GOD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.

When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made a decree and a law for them, and there He tested them. He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you."

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

Exodus 15:22-27

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Water.

It’s one of the vital elements needed for survival. Our bodies need it, and in the right quantity, so they can function properly. Without water, dehydration will set in and death can follow.

As we read in today’s passage, Moses has "led Israel from the Red Sea” and “into the Desert of Shur." For three days, they traveled through the "desert without finding water."

Now ironically, the people of Israel were surrounded by walls of water as they passed through a divided Red Sea but now couldn’t find a drop until "they came to Marah" and finally found the water they desperately needed. On the surface, it appeared like all would be well for the Israelites, but there was a problem.

For the scriptures tell us that "they could not drink its water because it was bitter" and because of this "people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?’" through their words, we get a sense that the Israelite people still weren’t firm in their faith in a God who had already shown them His awesome power and love. Sadly, despite all the prior miracles that God had performed, the people didn’t even consider that He could do something about their current circumstance. So instead of crying out to Him, they complained to Moses.

I wonder if we haven’t done this at one time of another as we faced a dilemma and complained to other people who couldn’t do anything to change our circumstances instead of faithfully turning to the Lord who could. Definitely food for our spiritual thoughts.

Going back to our passage for today, we find Moses receiving the cries of the people God gave him to lead before interceding with God for them.

How did the Lord respond?

We see where he told Moses to make the water drinkable by showing him a piece of wood.

Huh?

Moses had to be thinking, “The answer to making the water safe to drink is wood?”

Well, in this instance, the answer was "yes".

For we see that as Moses placed the wood "into the water”, it became sweet." It was yet the latest miracle God performed right before the eyes of the people of Israel. And as we see, the Lord took advantage of the situation by sending a strong message to His people, saying:

"If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you."

In other words, God demanded that the Israelites be obedient or else. God didn’t really want to bring hardship on His people but reserved the right to do so if they failed to respect Him and follow His commands and decrees. After all, He was the one and only God, a God of great power who had delivered them from Egypt through the great miracle at the Red Sea. They also had seen where Pharaoh’s stubborn heart and refusal to be obedient to God led to the Lord bringing "diseases" on Egypt. And so, it definitely was in their best interest to follow God’s command and you think they would have learned their lesson, never again disobeying God but as we will see later, they didn’t.

Quick question:

How much are we like the Israelites today?

I mean, like them, we see miracles happening all around us all the time as God is still at work and yet we still often refuse to respect God by showing the kind of faith that says, "Lord, I know you can fix anything in my life according to Your will and I am placing my trust fully in You."

Friends, our God expects our full faith and trust to be in Him for the truth of the matter is that there’s nothing we’ll go through that He can’t handle. Over and over again, He shows that He has a solution to our problems when we have none. For He is God, our awesome God in Heaven above, who reigns and rules in unmatched and unrivaled wisdom, power and love.

He is an awesome God. Believe and trust in it, now and forever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

REASONS TO PRAISE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

"I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted. The horse and its rider He has hurled into the 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. Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea. The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone.”

"Your right hand, O Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy. In the greatness of Your majesty, You threw down those who opposed You. You unleashed Your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble. By the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood firm like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.”

"The enemy boasted, 'I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.' But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”

"Who among the gods is like You, O Lord? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? You stretched out Your right hand and the earth swallowed them.”

"In Your unfailing love, You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength, You will guide them to Your holy dwelling. The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away; terror and dread will fall upon them. By the power of Your arm, they will be as still as a stone—until Your people pass by, O Lord, until the people You bought pass by. You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance—the place, O Lord, You made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands established. The Lord will reign forever and ever."

When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted. The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea."

Exodus 15:1-21

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

After Moses and the people of Israel are delivered out of Egypt through God's miraculous act at the Red Sea, we see in the opening verses of Exodus, chapter 15, where Moses and the Israelites burst into a wonderful song of praise. Within it, we find reasons that we too should bring our gratitude unto this Almighty, all powerful God.

This praise song contains the following highlights:

1. Praise God…for He is highly exalted.

We need to realize that God deserves our highest exaltation. No one is more worthy of it because nothing is of greater importance than our Lord. Therefore, we should worship the God who created everything above all things in life, lifting Him up while bowing down before him out of respect and admiration.

2. Praise God…for He is our strength.

None of us should think that we make it through any one day on our own strength. For the truth of the matter is that our Lord empowers us in spirit from within through the power of the Holy Spirit. This should lead us to echo the words of the psalmist David when he proclaimed:

"I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:1-2

3. Praise God…for He is our song.

Do you have a favorite song? If so, why is it your favorite?

It’s probably because it moves you emotionally in some special way, holding some significance for you in life - either past, present or future. And when you hear that song, you can't help but to sing it out from the depth of your heart.

As believers, this should be the way we respond when we think of God as well. I know my favorite songs are the ones that life Him up in honor, glory and praise. Nothing helps my soul soar higher than a well written and performed Christian song, one that celebrates Him as being the most significant thing in life, one that makes us want to sing to and for Him at the top of our lungs.

4. Praise God…for He is our God.

Our God is a personal God, One who has a vested interest and love for every one of His children. Like a good father takes care of his children, our Heavenly Father stands ever ready to guide and direct us. There isn’t any time or place where we can’t find Him and He is the only One that we can truly rely and trust in.

He is our God.

5. Praise God…for He is a warrior.

Every day, believers awake to enter a spiritual battlefield where the enemy lies in wait. What a comfort it is to know that our Lord stands ready to fight alongside and defend us. He has even made special armor available for us to wear for protection (Ephesians 6:11-17) but that armor is of little use if we don’t put it on.

The good news in the daily fight with Satan is that he cannot have the victory when we have God on our side in the fight. Truly, as we find the Apostle Paul ask in Romans, the eighth chapter, verse 31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

The answer is no one.

6. Praise God…for His majestic power.

The scriptures make it clear that there isn't anything the Lord can't do.

He created the heavens and the earth.

He placed the stars and planets in the sky.

He made every living thing on the earth.

And as we saw in yesterday’s message, He took a sea and divided it, allowing His people to walk to freedom.

Friends, if you are up against difficult circumstances today, place the matter in the hands of the Lord, knowing and trusting that there isn't anything impossible with Him and His majestic power.

7. Praise God…for His unfailing love.

When someone wrongs us, we usually get hurt.

When that happens, sometimes we find it easy to forgive but in other instances, we may find it difficult to ever pardon the wrongdoer.

Hurting can be hard to shake and at times, people continue to hurt over and over and over again to the point where they can become emotionally numb, losing the ability to feel anything and, in the worst cases, find it hard to love.

With these truths in mind, let’s think about God and our relationship with Him for a minute. For every time we commit a sin, we hurt Him. After all, He gave up His only Son, Jesus, as a living, atoning sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins and yet we continue to violate His Word and will, over and over and over again.

Despite that, He still forgives and loves us when we repent of our sins, essentially letting Him know we’re sorry. My brothers and sisters, our Lord shows us the proper way to deal with those who might hurt us. In some cases, it might seem hard but He will always give us the strength to do as He does. All we need to do is turn to Him.

8. Praise God…for He redeems us.

Not only is God’s love unfailing but so is His forgiveness. Out of His deep love, He didn’t wish for us to perish but rather to have everlasting life (John 3:16) but for this to happen, our pardon needed purchased and this happened when Jesus willingly died on the cross at Calvary. There, His shed blood cleansed any sinner afterwards who would simply place their belief in Him and brought the gift of redemption.

In the end translation, God didn't have to save us. He could have turned His face from us because of our sinfulness and allowed us to be separated from Him forever.

But He didn't.

Instead, He saved us through His Son and gave us the opportunity to live with them both forever instead of the damnation of Hell.

9. Praise God…for He will reign forever and ever.

Friends, there is no question who sits on the Throne of Heaven, no doubt who reigns and rules over all creation.

It is God, the Maker and master of all things, and Him alone with His Son Jesus, who sits at His right hand. God delegated all authority over Heaven and earth to His Son and one day He will return to judge the world, ushering in the new Kingdom of God, the new Heaven and earth.

With this, we know that this holy and divine Kingdom endures forever and ever, both now and when our Savior returns again. The reign of God never ends and this means we always have the most incredible all powerful, all knowing, and all present Ruler ever in charge.

Indeed, what an awesome King we have, One who is the King of Kings!

The point here is clear.

For there is a multitude of reasons why we should praise our God.

The Israelites cried out in their song, "Who among the gods is like You, O Lord? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?"

Today, we can ask the same questions.

For who IS like our God?

Who IS majestic in holiness, awesome in glory and working wonders?

The answer is no one…because no one is greater than the Lord our God. Christian songwriter and singer Chris Tomlin, one of the best Christian artists of all time, penned and sang these words, words of praise I hope you too will lift up to the Lord:

How Great is Our God

Sing with me, How Great is Our God

And all will see how great, how great is our God.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

DIVINE DELIVERANCE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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."

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."

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. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt."

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen."

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses his servant.

Exodus 14:10-31

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The Israelites thought it was all over.

They had fled Egypt and followed Moses who was leading them to the Promised Land using the God’s divine cloud by day and fire by night as their navigation aid.  But Pharaoh decided to try and recapture them for slave labor and set off in pursuit of God’s people with his Egyptian military forces. This caused great fear to come upon the Israelites who began to feel that Moses had led them to their execution, complaining about what had happened.

We should notice one key thing here. For the Hebrew people were criticizing Moses, not God. They still didn’t get it that God was the One responsible for everything that was happening to them but as we see in today’s passage, events unfolded that let them know that their Lord was at the center of it all as He puts His full power and might on display.

First, God made sure that the Israelites were shielded from the Egyptians.

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. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

Then, God divided the great sea in front of the Israelites so they could cross on dry land with a wall of water on either side of them, nothing short of a miraculous, awe-striking sight.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

Imagine for a moment that you were one of the Israelites who had just been complaining about Moses leading you to your death. Now, you see him simply raise his staff and the body of water that was once a barrier to cross becomes parted with a pathway created to walk to the other side.

As you start to walk this new, amazing trail, you suddenly remember the words of Moses:

"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."

As these words rush back into your mind, suddenly things begin to make sense. You finally realize that God is indeed with you, wanting to deliver His people just as He said He would, and He was willing to do something spectacular to show it, something that would draw everyone to respect and fear His power.

Well, as soon as the Israelites had cleared the divided sea, God still had one order of business to take care of and this was the eradication of Israel’s enemy. We read in great detail how He made it happen:

The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt."

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen."

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

So how did the Israelites respond to after witnessing this mighty act of God, one steeped in divine deliverance?

The scriptures give us the answer.

...when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses his servant.

At least at this moment, the people of God were all in with Him and they were ready to continue their exodus toward the Holy Land, fully trusting God and His appointed leader Moses.

Friends, I think everyone has gone through times in life where they may have wondered if God was really with them while in the midst of difficult life circumstances. In a place where deliverance is needed, even the most steadfast faith can be challenged.

Maybe you can relate or maybe you are in that place right now.

This is why this passage is so important for any believer for in it, we find the Lord revealing His true character to us, showing us that He really does care for His people. Out of His deep love for us, He truly does want to deliver us from our hardship but He will only do this in accordance with His will and perfect timing.

And so, we need to trust Him, knowing that only He knows what’s best for us. We need to maintain our faith and persevere through hardship, seeing that it’s actually good and spiritually healthy for us as we learn to rely on the Lord. We also need to gain a full understanding that no one has the strength or power to escape life’s difficulties on their own but through God, a person or people can make it through anything.

In the case of the Israelites, it was a great sea of water dividing in two for them to cross safely to the other side, an act that no mere human power was capable of doing. Only God could make that happen. They also saw how that same sea came crashing down on the enemies they feared most, completely eliminating their threat. At that point, the Israelites realized they were fearing men (Pharaoh and the Egyptian forces) when they should have been fearing God.

As I get set to close, a couple of questions for self reflection:

Have you seen the amazing works of power that God has done in this world? In your life? In the lives of others?

As you read the scriptures, have you really grasped how God has shown His awesome might over and over and over again?

Finally, in considering this, have you come to the conclusion that anything is indeed possible with God, that nothing is beyond the works of His almighty Hands?

Hopefully, we will be able to say, “Yes!” to all these questions, finding ourselves in the same spirit of the Israelites as they learned to "fear the Lord and put their trust in him." For the Bible tells us this:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise. Psalm 111:10

The Word of God calls all believers to be wise and to have a full fear and respect of God, complying with His expectations so to gain good understanding. For if we do, then we will have faith and trust in what He can do through His might and power, and in doing so, know He loves us and desires to provide divine deliverance when needed.

Today and every day, let us give thanks to our God.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com 

DON'T BE AFRAID, STAND FIRM AND BE STILL

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord."

So the Israelites did this.

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them.

The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians—all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

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."

Exodus 14:1-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

If you thought that the releasing of the Israelites would be the last we would hear of Egypt’s Pharaoh in the scriptures, you would be wrong. For as we begin to look at Exodus, chapter 14, we see that there is yet one more confrontation between Egypt’s supreme leader and the God of Israel. Look again at the first fourteen verses of this chapter here:

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord."

So the Israelites did this.

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them.

The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians—all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

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."

The one-sided conflict of God versus Pharaoh is not yet finished as we enter Chapter 14. God knew Pharaoh had not truly surrendered his heart to Him and would make yet one more attempt to go back on his word and return Israel to slavery. God, however, showed once again that He had other plans.

You know, we can draw a parallel between Egypt’s Pharaoh, who repeatedly sought to keep oppressing the Israelites, and Satan, who repeatedly seeks to oppress us. In the case of the people of Israel, the only way they were going to be freed from their oppressive bondage was if they completely turned their trust over to God.

Likewise, if we wish to ward off our greatest spiritual enemy, an enemy who wishes to first deceive and then destroy us, then we need to constantly place our hope and trust in the Lord, keeping Him closer to us than anything else in life. For the absolute truth of the matter is that Satan cannot stand in the presence of the Lord who has gained unchanging victory over him and so it’s impossible to be afflicted by Satan if you keep the Lord always by your side, ever near Him and Him ever near you.

Back to our scriptures now where we find God providing the following instruction to His messenger, Moses:

"Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord."

As He gave these directions, God knew how Pharaoh would behave before he actually pursued Israel with his army with a hope of returning them to slavery. In Pharaoh’s eyes, the Israelites were nothing more than a labor force but God saw them in a while different way. To Him, they were His beloved nation, one He would protect her against any foe.

Like Pharaoh’s view of the Israelites, Satan sees us, the people of God, as sinful pawns that he can manipulate and move during the course of games he likes to play and win. God, however, sees us as a people in need of mercy, forgiveness and love, and He will always make good on His promise to protect and shield us from the devil, the evil one who is our foe.

So with the stage set for a coming climatic showdown between Pharaoh, his army, and the people of Israel, we see that there were more problems in play than just the fast approaching Egyptians. For we see in this passage and through their own words how the Israelites allowed themselves to lose faith in what God could and would do for them.

"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!"

Here, we clearly see how anxiety and fear had overcome the people of Israel, just as Satan had hoped it would. For his greatest desire was that they would simply give up hope, attacking their shallow faith, and as we see his wish was being fulfilled.

I wonder if we’re not like the Israelites sometimes, experiencing life problems that come rushing toward us with the desire to entrap and hold us captive. In our human nature, we can easily find ourselves allowing anxiety, stress, and worry to lead us away from faith and toward fear.

With this, I think we can see the words of Moses speaking to believers today as much as he was the Israelites when he speaks these words at the end of our passage for today:

"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."

Here, Moses speaks into the frightening place the Israelites found themselves with four simple words of power:

“Do not be afraid.”

These words are found throughout the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments as God speaks into situations where His people were troubled and scared. And in the case of the words here, we find the call to be unafraid followed by words of encouragement and strength:

“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."

From these words, words that the Israelites would soon see God fulfill fully, we find four key truths to remember as we live this thing called life here on earth and face our own challenges:

First, we don’t need to be afraid.

We need to remember that we serve an awesome God who has promised to always watch over us, to never leave us nor forsake us, and to never give us a burden we couldn’t bear as long as we trust Him. Indeed, our God is an awesome God, an almighty, omnipotent, all holy and all loving God who we should trust in all matters because there is nothing beyond the work of His hands. All things are possible with Him and we would be well served to never forget that because it’s a truth that displaces fear.

Secondly, we need to stand firm.

When life’s difficulties arise, we need to refuse to waver in our faith.

In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, you can revisit the account of Jesus’ disciples being afraid while in a boat underway on the sea when a great storm came. The storm caused the waves to build up and toss the boat to and fro.

While this was going on, the scriptures tell us that Jesus was fast asleep below deck and the disciples, fearing for their life, woke Him up, wondering how He could be sleeping when it appeared they were about to perish.

Do you remember what happened next?

Jesus admonishes His disciples for not having faith before quickly calming the storm and stilling the raging seas with a simple wave of His hands.

Here in these verses in Exodus, when we find Moses telling the Israelites to "stand firm", he was essentially telling them to just trust God, their mighty God who was there to help them then just as He is alive and present to help us today.

Third, the Lord fights for us and delivers us.

God wants us to be free of the life burdens that can come on us quick and plague us.  His great desire is for us to just put our faith and trust in Him, knowing that He can and will deliver us in accordance with His will. When our enemy attacks, He will fight our battles and ultimately reign victorious.

Finally, be still.

Philippians, chapter 4, verses six and seven, tell us that when we trust God to handle our problems through prayer and petition, we find the peace of God that transcends all understanding and our hearts and minds are guarded by Christ Jesus. Yet so often, we refuse to let go and let God have our issues, failing to find the peace that He has promised.

Friends, the Lord wants us to pause every day and reflect on what He has done for us, counting the blessings we have received through Him. He would want us to be still and listen to His comforting still, small voice. And He would want us to be patient and know He will help work out any situation we might be going through.

So...don’t be afraid, stand firm, and be still. All these are God’s expectations as we step out in the world each and every day, facing uncertainties while holding onto the certainty that we truly serve a powerful God who loves us so much, a God who will always fight for us and deliver us. All we need to do is maintain our faith.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.