Come Home for Christmas
Friday, December 1, 2006
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, the crossing of the Red Sea is one of the most famous miracles You performed in the Old Testament era. I pray that as I consider how you lead people home, that I will remember that You have always made a way where there seems to be no way. Let me see through the trials and challenges I am facing in my life right now, to the joy that You have prepared for all who take the journey home to Jesus. I pray, too, for all those who do not yet know or trust You, for those for whom trials and challenges just seem to be dead ends. I pray that You will show Yourself to the lost in a powerful way, and that by Your Holy Spirit You will use me as a light to those living in darkness that they may come to trust You to lead them home as well. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God’s Word Today
Focus Scripture: Exodus 13:17-18
17When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them on the road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest way from Egypt to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18So God led them along a route through the wilderness toward the Red Sea, and the Israelites left Egypt like a marching army.
Supplemental Scripture: Exodus 14:15-18
15Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! 16Use your shepherd’s staff—hold it out over the water, and a path will open up before you through the sea. Then all the people of Israel will walk through on dry ground. 17Yet I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will follow the Israelites into the sea. Then I will receive great glory at the expense of Pharaoh and his armies, chariots, and charioteers. 18When I am finished with Pharaoh and his army, all Egypt will know that I am the LORD!”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Of all the miracles you have read about in the bible, which one is the most amazing to you? Why?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
As you review today’s supplemental Scripture from Exodus 14:15-18, what made Moses cry out to the Lord?
What was God’s plan for saving the Israelites?
What was to be the ultimate result of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea?
Understanding God’s Purpose for Us
What do we learn about God’s purpose for our lives, and how they may be part of His bigger purpose through Exodus 14:15-18?
Applying God’s Word to Our Purpose
The Israelites seemed to be facing certain destruction, but God provided their way out through a miracle. Stop to consider the miracles that God has provided in your life to this point. Can you think of a time when you faced a “dead end” and God made a way for you when there seemed to be no way? If so, take some time to thank God for that deliverance. If you can’t think of such a time, take some time right now, to thank God for the miracles He has provided to others, and to ask Him to meet your “dead ends” in such a way as well!
Thoughts—“I Am the Lord!”
The leader of the Egyptians—Pharaoh—had stubbornly held to the position that the God of the Israelites was not going to tell him what to do. His hard-heartedness had cost his people their wealth and ultimately their first-born sons. Now, even after he had released the Israelites, Pharaoh reconsidered, and sent his army after them. For the Israelites, it seemed that their journey home would end nearly before it started. But in God’s great plan, this was just one more opportunity to show the Egyptians that He was the Lord. We must remember that in our lives we face many challenges, many “dead ends.” We are sometimes hemmed in with the “Red Sea” on one side and the “Egyptian army” breathing down our necks on the other. Such hopeless situations are simply opportunities for God to reveal Himself as the Lord. As we go about this day, we must remember that NOTHING is going to happen in our lives that will catch God by surprise, or without a plan that will deliver us and that will show others that He IS the Lord. With that in mind we may face the challenges of life with a sense of anticipation rather than dread. Let’s live today remembering that God has promised to take us home and God ALWAYS keeps His promises.