Freedom For Today

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 17 before reading the devotional below.

Pay close attention to this story, because you will need to remember it later. Once again, the people are wandering the desert with no water and it’s making them more than cranky. Moses has had it as well, and he gives it right back to the people. Meanwhile, God seems to wait to act until Moses comes to him. As much as we can sit here and judge Moses for waiting so long to pray, we know we all do the same thing on a daily basis. God tells Moses to strike a rock with his staff and sure enough, water comes gushing out. But we will see later that paying attention to all the directions will matter down the road…

The land that the Israelites are passing through, and later on the land that they intend to occupy, is already taken by other people. The Amalekites are one such group, and they attack the Israelites while they are camped at Rephidim. This story is a weird one: as long as Moses keeps his arms raised, the Israelites are winning the battle. When he lowers his arms they start to lose. You might be wondering why God would work that way. (Me too). But what we do know is that Moses couldn’t keep his arms up for very long.

Here’s your freedom for today: you need help to accomplish God’s purposes for you. Moses could not hold his arms up, yet he needed to hold them  up in order for the Israelites to have victory. Was God teaching Moses a leadership lesson here? Maybe God wanted to protect Moses from pride by showing him that he was going to need to rely on others even after he was clearly a proven leader. Even if you are trying to do what God wants you to do — and even if what he wants makes absolutely no sense to you — you cannot do it alone. Who do you have in your life that can hold your arms up when you have nothing left to give?

 

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 16 before reading the devotional below.

Isn’t it interesting that the past and the future always look brighter than the present? Moses has now come full circle, back to the area near Mount Sinai where he saw that burning bush. The Israelites are complaining about him (one of the major downsides of all leadership positions…). They wish they could go back to slavery (which has been glamorized quite a bit at this point), or zip on ahead to the Promised Land. Yet they are here in the desert, and God isn’t about to leave Moses hanging now. The people need food, and food they shall receive.

My dad always says that “manna” was marshmallows. Given the lack of nutritional value this doesn’t seem accurate, but he has said it for so long now I genuinely can’t picture manna being anything else. All we know is that it tasted like “honey wafers” and they had no idea what it was. So maybe my dad is right after all.

Here’s your freedom for today: it is okay not to understand God’s provision. God’s ways are weird sometimes, and he comes up with ideas that are literally out of this world. When he gives you something good, whether it is a material provision or a positive change in circumstance, it’s okay not to know exactly how it all worked out. We know from James that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father who does not change. If you receive a blessing, go with it. Eat those heaven-marshmallows if that’s what God decides you need. (And for the record, Marshmallow Fluff is made right here in my city of Lynn, Massachusetts… the Spirit is at work!)

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 15 before reading the devotional below.

Have you ever experienced a victory so sweet that you just burst out into song? The Israelites are singing and dancing, praising God on the other side of the Red Sea. God knocked out the bad guys at the last possible second and it was a sight to remember and celebrate. (And for such an occasion, if you are ever wandering in the desert and you can only bring a limited number of objects with you, be sure “tamborine” makes it onto your list…)

If only the song had been on repeat on their iPods during their desert stay, because it doesn’t take long for the Israelites to emotionally crash once again. When you are taking in the sweet smell of victory, it’s an exhilarating high that can’t be sustained. The adrenaline rush will fade and when you are hungry or thirsty you are likely to become irritable. Even though God keeps coming through for them, the Israelites panic at every negative turn.

Here’s your freedom for today: God will never leave you thirsty.  I don’t know how strong my faith would seem if I were walking through a desert (with children, by the way…) for three days with no water. You just can’t mentally keep it together after a certain point. But God had not left the Israelites in that moment of thirst, and he has not left you. When Jesus came, he talked about thirst. He talked about the spiritual and physical value of sharing a cup of cold water. He also described a different kind of living water that will eliminate the entire concept of thirst. God will not leave you to wither and dry up. Come, drink his water today as you take hold of the truth that he loves you and is working all things out for your good.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 14 before reading the devotional below.

The Israelites look confused, and that’s God’s plan right now. Once again, his plans are not a straight line to the next destination. Rather, to further his story of victory, he sets a trap for the Egyptians. They felt pretty burned by the Israelites’ defiant raised fists on the way out of town, and Pharaoh is second-guessing his decision to let them go. The Israelites understandably freak out when they see the Egyptians in hot pursuit.

Moses, the model of tranquility for the people, freaks out to God. He cries out for answers after assuring the people that God will come through. Perhaps this reflects an inner conflict and identity crisis for Moses — he has gained a confidence through this process but he is also very aware of his need for God’s leadership. It’s not a bad place to be spiritually. God tells Moses that he needs to focus on leading and let God show up when he needs to show up. “Get moving!” is God’s reply. And of course, the sea is parted and the rest is history.

Here’s your freedom for today: you don’t have to wonder if God will show up. You just have to keep moving. Do the thing he told you to do. Until you get another direction, keep using the last one he gave you. If it seems like time is of the essence, trust that God will show up in the right moment. Most of the time, we feel like God needs to show up a lot sooner than he actually needs to show up. His timing is not our timing. Trust that he is deeply involved in every moment of your life and will come through with the most amazing victory story you’ve ever seen.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 13 before reading the devotional below.

Freedom is worth celebrating. A lot of places in the Bible contain instructions for celebrations, usually focused on remembering a time of significant victory. God wants the Israelites to pause in this moment and connect with their freedom. He knows that if they encounter too much hardship immediately they will give up and head right back into oppression. (We will see this in coming chapters.)

At the end of this chapter God sets up a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud. These pillars are a continual reminder of God’s presence with them and of his nurturing character. He leaves a nightlight on for his children in a time when they are fearful and confused about what will happen next. He guides them with the cloud every day to take the guesswork out of their journey. It’s a long, hard road ahead and even God’s provisions won’t fully calm their hearts.

Here’s your freedom for today: you don’t have to know where you are going. God is leading you if you have turned your life and will over to him. He will tell you what you need to know at certain key moments, but a lot of the journey is also about trust. Do you need to know what is coming up ahead? Maybe. But maybe not. Can you trust that God will tell you what you need to know? Can you leave the rest of the questions there for him to handle?