- araratchurch
- Jul 17, 2022
- 3 min read
“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.”
Exodus 13:21-22 NKJV
In the first few years of elementary school we engaged in “show and tell” once a week. As the name implies, we brought something interesting from home and talked about it. I had a few precious dolls—but like so many in my generation—I didn’t have a lot of other “stuff.” Well, at one point I got a pencil holder (red) on which a ruler slid and—wait for it—it also had a pencil sharpener at the end of the ruler! Now I thought that this was the neatest thing I had ever seen. You see, I have always been intrigued by multi-function gadgets. So, I commenced to take it for show and tell for the next two or three weeks. The last time I took it I was informed by self-appointed critics in my class that they had already seen that. Needless to say, I was devastated.
When I was a little older I was introduced to a Swiss Army Knife; now that wrecked my world. And don’t get me started on some of the survival gadgets out there. And, even though I now know that something being multifunction may simply mean that it doesn’t do a lot of things very well, the idea is still intriguing.
When it comes to multi-function operation, you can’t find something that more exemplifies that than the Presence of the Lord.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”
Isaiah 43:2 NKJV
Indeed, throughout scripture we find the Lord promising to be what we need, wherever we may find ourselves.
Today we find Moses being introduced to the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that would guide and protect the children of Israel on their journey to the Promised Land. This was no ordinary cloud, but contained the Presence of the Lord. As a matter of fact, even before they got very far on their exit from Egypt, the cloud served as a defense for them when they came up against the Red Sea.
“And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.”
Exodus 14:19-20 NKJV
After having protected the Israelites from the pursuing army of Pharaoh all night, the Lord then commenced—from the cloud—to bring trouble on the Egyptians by removing the wheels from their chariots. All of this was clearly seen and noted by the Egyptians to the point that this phenomenon provoked great fear in them.
“Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.””
Exodus 14:24-25 NKJV
We find throughout scripture the repeated promises of God’s ever present help.
“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV
Additionally, we find God’s people expressing their confidence in the same:
“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah”
Psalms 46:1-3 NKJV
The Lord doesn’t just bring whatever you need, whenever you need it; He is whatever you need, whenever you need it. His power, His grace, His mercy, all that He is, is never limited, restricted, or useless. You don’t get more multi-function than that!
For today let us discover what Moses discovered:
The Presence of the Lord brings what you need, when you need it.
- araratchurch
- Jul 16, 2022
- 3 min read
“Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of o went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 13:17-18 NKJV
The Battle of Milvian Bridge took place between Roman Co-Emperors Constantine and Maxentius (October 28, 312). Constantine’s victory in this battle ultimately led him to total victory over the other co-emperors of Rome, putting an end to the Tetrarchy (Rome with three emperors). The extremely interesting point about this victory is that it came after Constantine and his men saw the sign of the cross in the sky with a message to Constantine indicating that he should fight under this sign. He took this to heart and had the first two Greek letters of Christ’s name put on all the battle gear. This incident also marks the beginning of Constantine’s conversion to Christianity and his making Christianity the favored religion of Rome.
King David learned early in his life that odds don’t matter; preparation or even plans are not the ultimate determining factor of victory, but rather whether the Lord is with you or not.
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.”
Psalms 20:7-8 NIV
As we look through the Bible at examples of people who did great things in the name of the Lord, we find that they were able to do so because they learned to trust in the Lord.
The Apostle Paul said something very interesting in regards to the great persecution and resistance he had been facing in Asia:
“For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,”
II Corinthians 1:8-9 NKJV
Indeed, Paul is saying that these things came to pass so that they could learn to fully trust in the Lord to bring them through whatever they faced.
Today we find Moses being instructed by the Lord to explain that the reason for taking the children of Israel out of Egypt the long way around was to keep them from facing a battle too soon in their journey. The Lord knew that the people had not yet learned to put their trust fully in Him. But as we will find out, some of them eventually did, making all the difference for them.
Just before Moses’ death he would reflect back on this period of time with these words:
“When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.””
Deuteronomy 20:1-4 NIV
For today let us discover what Moses discovered:
We must learn to trust the Lord to bring us the victory.
- araratchurch
- Jul 15, 2022
- 4 min read
“And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the Lord did for me when I came up from Egypt.’ It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.”
Exodus 13:8-10 NKJV
I can never remember a time in my life when I did not believe in miracles. There is a good reason for that. As I was growing up, I remember hearing the wonderful stories told by my mother and father about the great things the Lord had done in their lives.
I remember my mother talking about a time when her little sister (probably under four years old at the time) was very sick and dying. Understand, giving her any sort of medicine was not an option for my grandparents. You see, the church in which my grandfather was serving as a pastor, did not believe in taking any sort of medicine. So, to protect my grandfather and grandmother, a local physician came to examine their very sick little girl. He told them that her condition was dire and left saying he would check back in the morning. My grandfather went outside their little home and presented an urgent plea to the Lord, begging for his mercy. Well, the next morning when the physician came by (expecting the worst), he found my mother‘s little sister sitting up and eating heartily. She actually sang him a little song. He confessed he had expected to find that she was gone.
Also—along with all the other stories my mother would tell—on everyone of my birthdays, she would recount how the Lord had worked a miracle to save my life when I was born. She would go through great detail in the telling; so much so, I was self-conscious that other people listening may not be quite as interested as I was in hearing the story retold.
I can’t even remember all of the wonderful stories my father used to tell; but I will share one he often retold (with relish) from his childhood.
My paternal grandfather worked hard for a living, basically being a junkman. Well, he lifted something he shouldn’t have tried to lift (he had an incredible God-given level of strength) and severely injured his back. He could not stand up straight and looked like a “horseshoe.” My father recounted how my grandfather called the children together into the dining room and explained the situation. He told them that if he couldn’t work they wouldn’t have anything to eat and would lose everything (this was during the Great Depression). He asked them to join together in prayer for him. My father told how—as they praying—my grandfather jumped high up off the floor and came down standing straight. He was totally healed!
I could go on with stories, but my point is that, having heard all of these wonderful accounts, I never doubted that God works in miraculous ways. And with that, it also made the miracles told in the Bible very believable.
Sadly, I know people for whom the Lord has done great and mighty things, yet they seem to have forgotten what the Lord has done; they certainly never recount the goodness of the Lord. What a tragedy for them and for their family!
Throughout the word of God we find references to the importance of teaching the next generation about the miracles we have seen and known.
“We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days of old: You drove out the nations with Your hand, But them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out. For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them.”
Psalms 44:1-3 NKJV
“We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;”
Psalms 78:4, 7 NKJV
These two passages from Psalms are just a couple of examples of an edict repeated throughout the Scriptures.
Today we find Moses hearing the Lord’s explanation for why the Feast of Unleavened Bread must be faithfully observed. The Lord explains that it will be an ongoing reminder of the greatness and faithfulness of the Lord.
You see, hearing the accounts of God‘s goodness toward us, as well as helping us believe in the miraculous, also builds faith and trust for the Lord in those who hear about His faithfulness. Sadly, all some children hear is their parents complaining about their circumstances, never giving any glory to God.
I thank God that I had parents who never let us forget what God has done; I pray I have done the same for my sons. Remember, long after you are gone, those wonderful stories of God‘s faithfulness will be remembered
For today let us discover what Moses discovered:
We must make sure we—and our children—never forget the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord.