Category: Psalm

Exodus 31:12 Then the Lord said to Moses, 

The Israelites are coming off of 400 years of slavery to the Egyptians, where there was no One True God and no Sabbath rest. There was only work, work, and more work. God is trying to show the Israelites a better way, His way, which involves working FOR Him, sacrificing TO Him, and resting IN Him. 

Exodus 31:13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

That rest–in His love, in His mercy, in His power–was not something they were familiar with while toiling under Egyptian rule. God is trying to reestablish the now-free Israelites in His sovereignty, which involves specifics for building, sacrificing, AND resting. 

Exodus 31:14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that while there is much work to do FOR You, we are also called to rest IN You. In this world of noise and motion, resting is hard. Help us all to find a way to be still in the chaos of this world and know that You are God (Psalm 46:10). Help us, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 31:15 For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 30:5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 

Today is Holy Saturday, a day of darkness and silence. Christ has died but is not yet risen, though, thankfully, we have the promise of His resurrection on Easter Sunday. It hurts my heart to think of His disciples and loved ones who didn’t have that hope, who only knew the reality of His death.

Exodus 30:6 Put the altar in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law—before the atonement cover that is over the tablets of the covenant law—where I will meet with you.

Holy Saturday, traditionally, is somber. The echo of the pounding nails from the Good Friday service are still ringing in our ears. The darkness at the end of that service still feels oppressive and complete. The danger, the fear is that we lose hope, that we forget that tomorrow at sunrise, His tomb will be empty, that He is not dead, that He is not gone, that He is our Risen Savior.

Exodus 30:7 “Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. 

Precious Savior, “As for me, I will always have hope. I will praise You more and more” (Psalm 71:14). Thank You for the hope of You, for the promise or Easter Sunday, for the reality that no matter how dark it feels, You are with us. Always. Thank You. Amen.

Exodus 30:8 He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 29:23 From the basket of bread made without yeast, which is before the Lord, take one round loaf, one thick loaf with olive oil mixed in, and one thin loaf.

I woke up this morning with Naomi Raine’s song “God Will Work It Out” running through my mind, which is ironic because I’ve listened to it only a handful of times in my life.

Exodus 29:24 Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and have them wave them before the Lord as a wave offering.

It’s a catchy song, though, and the bridge is incredibly similar to a breath prayer: “Be still/Be still, my soul/Be still and know my God/ He’s in control, He’s in control”.

Exodus 29:25 Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the Lord, a food offering presented to the Lord.

Precious Savior, Thank You for allowing me to wake up with this song of praise in my head. Help me to remember that whatever the day brings, You are in control, You will work it out. I just need to be still. Amen.

Exodus 29:26 After you take the breast of the ram for Aaron’s ordination, wave it before the Lord as a wave offering, and it will be your share.

Have a blessed day.

Exodus 18:1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

Verse 1 has me, once again, thinking about God-stories and how sharing how we see God showing up in our lives is such a blessing, to us and to others. Just this week I have seen the power of sharing our God-stories with others, how those stories lead to other stories and to encouragement and hope.

Exodus 18:2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her 

And now I am thinking of Psalm 71:14, “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.” I can’t help but think that sharing those God-stories, that encouragement, makes God happy as we praise Him and encourage each other.

Exodus 18:3 and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; 

Precious Savior, Help us never underestimate the power of sharing our God-stories. Thank You for the hope and encouragement that comes from sharing with each other reminders of how You show up for us in our lives. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 18:4 and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

Have a blessed day.

Exodus 16:28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 

The first thing that comes to mind about verse 28 is that God’s yelling at Moses because the Israelites aren’t behaving, which feels grossly unfair. It’s a knee-jerk reaction on my part to be sure. Moses is the leader of the Israelites, and he did tell God no several times even before he said yes.

Exodus 16:29 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 they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 

The second thing that snags my attention is verse 30. I wonder what that rest looked like for the Israelites. Were they able to “Be still and know” that God is God (Ps 46:10)? Was it a forced stillness where they had to continually reign in their errant thoughts? Were they able to relax, focus on, and praise God on the seventh day?

Exodus 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the thoughts and questions that come to me as I read Your word. Each day, help me to learn more about who You are, who You are to me, and who I am to You. Help me to draw closer, to shine Your light, to be still and know You are God. Always. amen.

Exodus 16:31 The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 14:13 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. 

Exodus 14:14 is a favorite of mine, and it always makes me think of Psalm 46:19 “Be still and know that I am God….” Both talk about the need to be still in the Lord, to know Him, to trust Him. For many, myself included, that being still part can be incredibly difficult.

Exodus 14:14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

I’m a huge “God helps those who help themselves” person, which implies that I have to go, to do, to work. And if I’m honest, I know that underneath all that busy-ness is the hope that somehow it is enough, that somehow I’ve done enough, that, hopefully, I’ve done my part, which always makes me wonder if I’m not still missing the directive to “Be still…” in the Lord.

Exodus 14:15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 

Precious Savior, You call me to be Your hands and feet in this world. You also call me to “Be still” in You, in Your presence, in Your goodness, and to know that You are God and You are all I need. As You know, I struggle, mightily, with the balance between stillness in You and working for You. Know that my heart is Yours. Help me to find stillness in You. Amen.

Exodus 14:16 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.

Have a blessed day.