Author: astherainandsnow

“Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water because it was bitter. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’ And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water. 

“They set out from Elim, and the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses, ‘Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you.’ And Moses said, ‘Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.’ And Moses said , ‘Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.’” Exodus 15:22-25,27; 16:1-4,8,33

As soon as the thrill of God’s miraculous dividing of the sea and deliverance of millions of Israelites from the feisty, dominant Egyptians had waned, focus turned inward and life became small again. The God whose awesome, unimaginable strength held back the waters for His people, whose breath dried the seabed beneath their feet and wheels, was now so small in their minds He was incapable of feeding them? Or was it that they forgot His majestic grandeur and failed to think of Him at all?

When life is all about me, how quickly I forget the goodness and power of God! I can be hasty to castigate Israel for so quickly grumbling– only three days after their supernatural escape– yet in moments, reduce my own attitude to grumble at any inconvenience, discomfort, delay. I can allow the poison of comparison, media negativity, personal rights to disgruntle my outlook, taint my speech, and squelch any gratitude in my heart.

Where do my eyes go when my going gets tough? Where does my mind travel? Do I spit the bitter water and growl for grumbling’s sake, instead of raising my sights and hope and trust to the One who is ready to answer?

How careful am I to store up God’s ‘manna,’ in a journal or my Bible, so I can readily recount His faithfulness? Whom am I telling of His deeds, that they might expectantly look to Him in need? Do I make a practice of writing letters or otherwise documenting for the next generation?

Father, keep my view of You large, and of myself small. Keep me glorying in Your magnificent splendor and greatness, and thanking You for every good gift. May I decrease, and You increase– in my mind, my spoken word, and my countenance. (John 3:30; James 1:17)

“Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying,

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning.” Psalm 27:13-14; 33:20-22; 130:5-6

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” Isaiah 30:18; 40:30; Lamentations 3:25 

The air was humid, the green water fluid with a misty sky this morning, the liquid surface spotted with buoys that held pots beneath. Pots that hung, waiting for crabs to come. Waiting over hours, waiting through tides, waiting to be pulled up and harvested of their bounty. Waiting.

Waiting.

So much is learned as we lean on God’s strength, look for His goodness, take courage and gladness in our waiting. By His grace we persevere. Our trust is deepened, our hope is inspired, our expectancy builds, our faith matures.

What pots spot my mind’s landscape? Where do nagging ‘unresolveds’ punctuate my life hum and disrupt my peace? Do I perceive all as calm and well in control, and plod on, thankful in all things– except for these annoying places God is asking me to wait? Do I allow myself to agitate and unsettle in the midst of spots, or accept them as reminders to delight in active, trusting, expectant waiting?

“Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heav’nly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.”  ~Kathrina von Schlegel (1865)

Our Lord may set us on the deeps, isolated, waiting, waiting, through moments and days, even seasons. Fog of confusion, curiosity at His silence, ‘no catch’ might prevail, yet still He orders that we wait. Longings go unanswered, dreams are unfilled, conditions worsen, distances grow farther rather than our hoped-for closer, but we wait. And all the while He rules. He presides over the long hours of our waiting, and prepares His treasures for His perfect time.

Lord, teach me patience in the waiting spots of life. With You is always joy and hope.

“As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’ And he cried out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He said, ‘Lord, let me recover my sight.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.” Luke 18:35-43

Being a beggar, the blind man appealed first to Jesus’s mercy for the opportunity to speak. And mercy opened the door. Once Jesus stopped, He drew out from this desperate man what he really wanted Him to do for him. He wanted to see.

We come into communion with Jesus on the basis of mercy, and once there, we can seek His good, pleasing and perfect will. What exactly do we want Jesus to do for us? Are we thoughtful long enough to consider what He might do in our spirits, our minds, our hearts? How might He intervene in our marriages, work, relationships, future? If we truly want these things, do we take the time to ask? When and where? (Romans 12:1-2)

Do we believe He can do all things, and is on our side? He wants us to grow, to be sanctified, to be strong and resist the world’s temptation and the devil’s schemes, to be miserable in and convicted of sin. He is able to make His grace abound to us as we deal with difficult people, and wrestle with painful lessons. He provides courage for battle, and comfort for grief. He offers wisdom in great measure, and is able to do beyond what we ask or imagine. We can ask for mercy, help, more fruit of the Spirit, insight, hope, guidance. What do we lack? His sources are unlimited! (Romans 8:31-32; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4; 9:8; Ephesians 3:20; Hebrews 4:15-16)

“Thou art coming to a King, large petitions with thee bring, for His grace and power are such none can ever ask too much.”  ~John Newton

And do we not come? Do we not ask? Get we tangled in misery and self-loathing and fail to seek His mercy? Turn we our eyes down and fail to look to His welcoming face? When we do ask, what drives us? Greed, pride, self-protection, to preserve an image, ease? Or do we seek to know Him and His glory? Ask God to reveal and purify motives! “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (Exodus 9:27-30; 33:13,18; James 4:2-3)

Bountiful Lord, may I ever delight myself in You and commit my ways to You. Teach me to seek You and pray as You do, according to Your will, that every desire You fulfill will glorify You, the Giver. (Psalm 37:4-5; Romans 8:26-27)

“When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, ‘What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?’ So he… pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea. When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.’

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.’ Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud [came] between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them into the midst of the sea. And in the morning watch the Lord threw the Egyptian forces into a panic... And [they]said, ‘Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.’

“Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. As the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw [them] into the midst of the sea… not one of them remained. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord.” Exodus 14:5-6,9-10,13-14,17-25,27-31

The Israel millions began their exodus from Egypt bold, brave, defiant, but the vast Sea before and angry army behind paralyzed them with fear. Moses, observing their pivot, revives them. ‘Fear not, stand firm, be silent, see God!’

Do we panic, and manipulate to avoid the places of adversity, testing, impossibility? Do we eschew roadblocks, and forge elsewhere in our own strategies because God’s don’t make sense? Does our courage dissolve into fear when circumstances get tough? Do we lose sight of God when we see the Sea? At the edge of His directed hard place, will we stand still, silence our fretting, and expect Him to make a spectacular way of salvation? An easy, smooth route has nothing on a divided sea.

Father, keep me in step with You, wherever You lead. Train my eyes to see Your salvation in every impossible Sea, and advance in faith in the way You provide. And beholding Your magnificent power, may I exalt Your glory.

“At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, ‘Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!’

“The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, ‘We shall all be dead.’ So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders. They had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

“At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.” Exodus 12:29-36,41-42

At the stroke of midnight (does anything good happen after midnight?) the angel of death struck the Egyptians, just as the Lord had announced through His servant Moses. Finally, with this tenth plague, Pharaoh was convinced to release the Israelites. And what a night it was.

Buzzing parents, groggy children and animals, fearful yet in wonder at the supernatural death for Egypt and protection for Israel because of the blood…. the blood, the smell of lambs’ blood over their doors permeated the warm night air with the wailing, the spoor of death lingered as they plundered, pushed, packed together, made haste to leave everything they’d ever known, memorializing in their minds the provision through the slaughter of the innocent.

We face such nights, not so much necessarily fleeing our homes, but death vigils over loved ones, extended longing for spiritual awakening, sleepless seasons of physical pain.

And our Lord watches. He is present, keeping guard over His own, active to deliver, to provide, to direct next steps into the unknown, to open His way out and onward.

When I’ve been forsaken, betrayed, afflicted with suffering, do I trust the loving watch of Jesus? In the misery of conviction, will I yield to God’s merciful, chastening hand? When anxious storms engulf and choke, will I look to the One who watches in peace, and rules? (Job 30:16-17; Psalm 32:4; Matthew 8:23-27; John 6:16-21)

When God calls “it’s time,” and leads me on, will I set aside fear, take up His provision, and make haste to obey and follow?

Father, every night of the soul is one of Your watching. You alone are worthy of absolute trust.

“I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him… Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:8-14

A vibrant and flourishing life in Christ is an oxymoron of divine realities. Contentment in Christ, a gift of His indwelling Spirit, presupposes it is never enough. Satisfaction in Christ, another gift of His Spirit, awakens hunger for more. The better we know Him, and the more content and satisfied we are in His sufficiency, through a peculiar spiritual dichotomy, the more we long… for more.

We live as Christians in this world in an enigmatic tension. We cannot have both deep satisfaction in Christ and contentment in our status quo. To know Him to the point we find our all in Him, we continually want more. When once we taste and see He is good, our appetite for Him arouses and we desire to partake again and again. He who satisfies our hunger for significance, our longing for purpose and meaning, is the One who daily feeds us on His bread of life. He who slakes our spiritual thirst is our infinite well of living water. (Psalm 34:8; John 4:14; 6:32-35)

He who saves and declares us righteous is the One who continually sanctifies us, making us increasingly Christ-like as we work out our salvation. He who has lifted us out of the pit is He who leads us ever upward, He who freed us from sin and shame the One who teaches us to say no to them. He who has made us a new creation is He who renews us day by day, honing godly character and refining our personality until the moment we see Him face to face and are like Him. (Psalm 103:3-5; Romans 7:6,22-25; 2 Corinthians 4:16; 5:17; Philippians 2:12-13; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 3:2)

The Lord who grants us soul rest is the One who keeps our minds in perfect peace as we trust Him, and offers rest when we yoke to Him. The One who has given us the mind of Christ is the same who renews our minds and grants us wisdom generously when we ask. We who are rooted and grounded in Christ’s love can live all our days exploring its infinite measure. (Psalm 62:1-2; Isaiah 26:3; Matthew 11:28-29; Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Ephesians 3:14-19; James 1:5)

So in this mysterious paradox, where do we stand? Are we content, and satisfied? Good! Are we also yearning to go deeper, and higher? Good!

“Prayer is the heartfelt expression of holy dissatisfaction.” ~John Piper

Lord, keep me content, and wanting more; satisfied, and hungering for You.

“Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no’ at the same time? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” 2 Corinthians 1:17-20

“This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true.” Psalm 18:30

“Every word of God proves true.” Proverbs 30:5

While Paul altered his plans to visit the Corinthians, he did not waver in his love for them or concern for their spiritual growth. Circumstances, not his gospel message and impetus, had changed. To keep them from questioning his motive or commitment to them, he points them back to Jesus, the unchanging, faithful Savior.

And this Savior is a God of His word. He Himself fulfilled dozens of Old Testament promises in His coming, and fulfills every promise He makes to us. He is the embodiment of truth, of unchanging Yes and Amen. So be it, Agreed, This is true. Our Lord is able, benevolent, creative, divine, enough, faithful, and good. He is holy, immutable, just, kind, loving, merciful, and near. Jesus is omnipotent, present, quick to forgive, our Redeemer and Savior. He is trustworthy, unshakable, victorious, wise, and exalted. He yields His glory to none, and is zealous for His own. This is my Jesus, and all of His attributes are Yes and infinite forever. (Matthew 5:17-18; John 14:6)

What difference does this make in my daily perspective, my pondering, my plans? Do I fidget in foibles, or follow in faith? Will I scuttle out of meandering in ‘maybes’ to live with conviction in ‘Yes’?

All of God’s promises and provisions are given in Jesus. Do we grasp and rejoice in His every ‘Yes’ to us in Christ? Can and do we say a hearty ‘Yes’ to Him because of Christ? Where am I delaying, putting off, or turning down His call because I fear saying ‘Yes’ to Him? Are there places I stumble in my inadequacies rather than trek forward in His sufficiencies? Do I focus on my weakness instead of His strength? What would change in my life trajectory if I stood and with gusto consented a vigorous ‘Yes!’ to my King? (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

“‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know, ‘Thus saith the Lord!’

Lord, may my life be proof of my ‘Amen’ to Your ‘Yes’ in Jesus. May I daily take You at Your word, and live it out in such a way that others say ‘Yes’ to You too.

“Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!’” Luke 9:28-35

“When he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour?’  And he said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’” Mark 14:37-38; Luke 22:45-46 

The disciples, especially Peter, had a sleeping problem. Repeatedly, Jesus alerts them from sleep, and warns them to watch and beware, yet we see Peter, time and again, awake from drowsiness to petulant violence, blurting words, and careless denials. (John 18:10,15-27)

While sleep is certainly vital to life and health, spiritual slumber is a dangerous habit. The vivid scenes of Jesus getting alone to pray, of going out early in the morning to commune with His heavenly Father, should inspire us to make a practice of rising from sleep to deliberately rejoice, realign, renew, and rest our souls in Him. (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16)

An older, wiser friend told me early in my marriage, “Do not speak to anyone in the morning until you have spoken to God, do not read anything until you have read His word.” We have biblical examples of how we slip into sloppiness when this advice is ignored. We can rise physically refreshed and mentally sharp, but it bodes us well to take time to commune with Jesus and focus on the unchanging truths of God’s word before embarking on our day. Worship of the Lord illuminates our minds, the Holy Spirit convicts and corrects, God’s word lights our path and sets us free to speak, understand, serve, and stand firm in His power. (Joshua 9:14-15,22; 1 Chronicles 10:13-14; Psalm 119:105; John 8:32; 14:6; 16:8)

Where have I given in to just ‘a little slumber and folding of [my] hands’? Where have I allowed complacency to creep in to my discernment of the news, scheduling of time, spending of resources? Have I grown slack, weary, and depleted? To stay sharp, I must shake off sleep and invite my Lord to fill and engage all my faculties, every moment of every day. (Proverbs 6:10-11; Galatians 6:9; Ephesians 5:18)

Lord, guard me from slipping into spiritual sloth. Arouse me from the soporific hum of the world to full alertness and zeal for You. (Romans 12:11)

“Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.” Exodus 12:3-6,8-10

Remembrances are sprinkled throughout the Scriptures. It is important to God that we recall and commemorate important events, because He is the Author of them all. He has implanted in us the ability to bring experiences and lessons to mind, to apply understanding and feel with emotion, to develop perspective and be thankful, so that, at these times again and again, we honor Him and His good gifts to us.

For Israel, they were never to forget the oppression in Egypt and their glorious deliverance from slavery there. For us who were also slaves, we must never forget our deliverance afforded by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Every time we feel temptation’s pang of a former destructive habit or an alien affection, we can rejoice in Jesus’s finished work and the victory of His cross. Every time we turn the calendar on a sad anniversary of death or loss, we can remember and thank the One who won victory over death, and sorrow, and pain. (Romans 6:17-18; 1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Revelation 21:4)

Every birth, and spiritual re-birth, is cause for remembering our gracious Giver of breath and life. Every birthday, we can rejoice in the One who numbered our days before we were born and has remained faithful another year. Every wedding anniversary, we can trace and celebrate another year of God’s help and care and abiding. Each day of reconciliation, we can celebrate our Redeemer who reconciled us to Himself, and teaches us to forgive as we have been forgiven. (Job 14:5; Psalm 139:16; Matthew 6:25,31-33; John 4:14; Ephesians 4:32)

Do I take time to remember and rejoice? Am I deliberate to tell the next generation the faithful deeds of the Lord, to teach them to look for His magnificent works through history and on their behalf? (Psalm 78:1-7)

Lord, You have done many and marvelous things for me, and I am filled with joy. Adorn me with gladness and thanksgiving. Keep me remembering and celebrating Your merciful deliverance and great salvation. May I ever tell of Your wondrous deeds, to the praise of Your power and glory. (Psalm 126:3)