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He is making a way…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 15:25a 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 fit to drink.

Lord, I am reminded again today of Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness….”

Exodus 15:25b There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 

Father, The Israelites felt trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptians, and You made a way. They were so thirsty without safe water, and You made a way at Marah. You even provided them with rest at Elim.

Exodus 15:26 He said, “If you listen carefully to 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.”

Precious Savior, Again and again You make a way in the wildernesses of our lives, a way we cannot even perceive and You are already on the other side of it. Forgive us our grumbling. Help us to trust. Thank You for Your fierce love and unwavering faithfulness. Amen.

Exodus 15:27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

Have a blessed day. 

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On grumbling, grace, and gratitude…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 15:21 Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.”

Welp. That didn’t take long. At the beginning of this chapter, the Israelites were singing to God and praising His name. By the end of this chapter, they are already grumbling. Granted, the grumbling is directed at Moses, but, by extension, they are grumbling at God as well.  

Exodus 15:22 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. 

But just a moment’s reflection shows me that I am no better. I have been just as guilty of singing God’s praises one minute and grumbling about something the next. It’s human nature. Doesn’t make it right, but it helps me to at least consider the need to give myself grace, just as I would give grace to others. 

Exodus 15:23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your mercy, compassion, and grace. We don’t deserve it. We could never earn it. Yet You lavish Your love upon us simply because we are Your deeply loved children. It truly boggles the mind. Thank You seems wholly inadequate, but I am so incredibly grateful. Amen.

Exodus 15:24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

Have a blessed day. 

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The power of our God stories…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 15:17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance—the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.

Verse 18 ends the song of Moses and Miriam, and again, I am reminded of the power of sharing our God-stories. And on this Christmas Day, sharing God stories seems like a fitting thing to talk about. I recently reposted on social media pictures and descriptions of my Christmas mantle decorations, which is a case in point of sharing God stories.

Exodus 15:18 “The Lord reigns for ever and ever.”

Almost everything that adorns my Christmas mantle has a story, and almost every story is tied to a person whom I love. Many of those people are still with me, some have gone before, but by sharing the stories of those adornments and those people, I am sharing ways that God has blessed me, that God has shown His unfailing love for me. 

Exodus 15:19 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. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the power of our God stories. Thank You that the stories of the people and things that we love can keep those people and those memories with us, even when those people have gone before. Thank You for the birth of Your Son, our Savior. Thank You for this day. Help us to see Your presence everywhere we look. Amen.

Exodus 15:20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing.

Have a blessed day. 

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Unfailing, unchanging, unshakeable…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 15:13 In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.

The first part of the first verse of today’s reading is what jumps out at me this morning: “In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.” The Lord’s love is UNFAILING. Read that again: His love WILL NOT FAIL.

Exodus 15:14 The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia.

I fail in big and small ways every single day. I am, as most people are, hyper aware of my failures. I am quick to lambast myself for the myriad ways that I fail. I’m not saying it’s right, but it is human nature. I’ll bet I’m not the only one guilty of counting my failures. HOWEVER, the Lord’s love is UNFAILING. Period.

Exodus 15:15 The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away;

Precious Savior, In a world where things seem upside down in a minute’s time, thank You that Your love is unfailing, unchanging, unshakeable. Help me to give myself grace upon grace. Help me to treat others with that same unending grace. Help me to never forget that Your love is unfailing, even though I am not. Thank You. Amen.

Exodus 15:16 terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone— until your people pass by, Lord, until the people you bought pass by.

Have a blessed day.

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Legacy of love…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 15:9 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.’

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and the contrast between God’s destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea that I’m reading about today and the virgin birth of the Savior of the world that we celebrate day after tomorrow is stark and sobering.

Exodus 15:10 But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

God used force repeatedly in the Old Testament. He wiped out almost everything with the flood. He wiped out Pharaoh and the Egyptians with the Red Sea. I wonder if He ever thought, “They just don’t get it. They do not understand my mighty, all-encompassing love for my creation. Let me try something radically different to see if I can reach their hardened hearts.”

Exodus 15:11 Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your lowly birth in a manger, for Your radical ministry of love. I don’t think we still fully understand what You were doing, turning the ways of the world, the systems of power, on their heads. Thank You for Your legacy of love. Help our hearts to be eternally changed by Your fierce, all-encompassing love for us. Amen.

Exodus 15:12 “You stretch out your right hand, and the earth swallows your enemies.

Have a blessed day.

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With us always…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 15:5 The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone.

I think we make God happy when we share our God-stories, the times in life where God has shown up, has made Himself known to us in our circumstances. I honestly don’t think He cares whether we sing or write poetry or simply share those stories by word-or-mouth. I think it is the sharing, the telling, that brings Him joy.

Exodus 15:6 Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy.

That sharing, that telling, is also important because we will all hit a wall at some point in life (more than once), where we can’t see beyond the mountain in our path, where we can’t fathom that His all-encompassing presence and love can reach us in our darkness. Those stories are important during those times because they remind us that He IS present, He IS with us, even if we can’t perceive it. 

Exodus 15:7 “In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminders in life that while we are all broken, it is only through our brokenness that Your light, Your love can seep in, infusing us with Your presence, Your peace, Your strength. Help us to share our God-stories with others. Help us to shine Your light in this weary and broken world. Thank You that You are with us. Always. Even now. Amen.

Exodus 15:8 By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood up like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.

Have a blessed day. 

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The Lord is my strength…. (devo reflection)

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Forgive us and strengthen us…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 14:28 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.

The first thought that comes to mind after reading today’s scripture is, once again, Isaiah 43:19  “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” In today’s scripture, God has literally made a way where there was no way, straight through the Red Sea. That gives me hope for those times when I cannot fathom how He will make a way through what feels impenetrable.

Exodus 14:29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

The second thought that comes to mind is how fickle are the Israelites. They see this miracle and then, suddenly, “the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.” Yet I know that in a few short chapters, their doubt and fear will come slinking back. And I know that I am just as guilty of sliding back into fear and doubt again and again, even though I have seen the Lord show up and make a way repeatedly. Jesus, Help me.

Exodus 14:30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that You are making a way in the wildernesses of our lives, even if we cannot fathom the way forward. Thank You also for the reminder that, just like the Israelites, we will most likely doubt and fear again, yet You will remain with us because You promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Forgive us and strengthen us. Amen.

Exodus 14:31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

Have a blessed day.

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Fighting for you…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 14:25a He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! 

Oh the surety of knowing that the Lord is fighting for you. Based on the dialog, the Egyptians know with certainty, without question, that the Lord is fighting for the Israelites. Interestingly, in several conversations about God, Jesus, and their commandments lately, the idea that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are 100% for preserving the sanctity of human dignity has come up.

Exodus 14:25b The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”

Think about the women at the well. She is so outcast that she comes alone in the middle of the day to get water from the well. Jesus knows that she has had five husbands and is living with a man who is not her husband, and yet, he breaks all kinds of social rules to treat her with dignity and respect, allowing her to know the deep, fierce, profound love He has for her, for all of us.

Exodus 14:26 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.” 

Precious Savior, It is so easy to use You as an exclusive badge of honor, but that is not who You are. You love each and every one of Your children, regardless of their mistakes and missteps, regardless of whether they recognize Your sovereignty. You want a relationship with us all, simply because we are Your beloved children. Thank You. Help us to show that kind of all-encompassing love to ourselves and each other. Amen.

Exodus 14:27 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.

Have a blessed day.

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God’s mysterious ways…. (devo refletcion)

Exodus 14:21a 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. 

Once again, I am reminded of Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Interestingly, commentary references a 1992 LA Times article demonstrating that natural phenomena shows such a parting is possible. Commentary then seems to cast shade on those who need such a non-miraculous explanation.

Exodus 14:21b-22 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.

Like many stories in the Bible, I’m left wondering if it is literal or symbolic and whether it really matters. The parting of the Red Sea, to me, indicates once again the truth of Isaiah 43:19, that God can make/will make/is making a way in our wilderness, even if we cannot yet perceive it, and, like Isaiah 55:8, His ways are “far beyond anything [we] could imagine”.

Exodus 14:23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.

Precious Savior, You know I love a good explanation. Thank You that I can also accept that Your ways are mysterious and that I don’t have to understand them or be able to explain them. Help me to trust You, especially when I cannot fathom a way in the wilderness that I face. Help me to trust that You ARE making a way, even if I cannot yet perceive it. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 14:24 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.far beyond anything you could imagine

Have a blessed day.