Bible Reading
- Exodus 13
- Proverbs 15
Devotional
I don’t know about you, but I am way too quick to forget how good God is when I am facing a challenging situation. For me, those most often come in relation to money. God has been so faithful and has always provided. And yet, when we have a low month, or two, or three… I am so quick to worry rather than remember.
In Exodus 13 God knew the children of Israel would have the same problem. So, not only did he provide salvation for them through the Passover, but gave them the Passover as an unforgettable reminder of His faithfulness and His promise. (Exodus 13:16) This ceremony will be like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. It is a reminder that the power of the Lord’s mighty hand brought us out of Egypt.”
I love what Solomon wrote in Proverbs 15:11, “Even death and destruction hold no secrets from the Lord. How much more does he know the human heart!” He knows our hearts. He knows everything about us. Because God is Omniscient, He knows instantly all our thoughts, and all our desires, He knows our personality, He knows where every one of our hang-ups are. He never has to discover anything about us.
As God prepared the people of Israel to leave Egypt, not only did he give them an unforgettable reminder of His love, care and faithfulness because He knew they would forget, He also knew they would be prone to fear. So, (Exodus 13:17-18) God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an troop ready for battle.”
I don’t know how many times I have been tempted and God has prevented me from following through. How many other things has he protected me from because He knows my weaknesses? Psalm 23:2 says that “He leads us to “green pastures” and beside “still waters.” How many times has he led me on the “easier path” simply because he knows I won’t do very well if the path is too hard? Do I believe the path He has chosen is the most effective for teaching me what God has for me to learn?
In chapter 4 of “The God of All Comfort, Hannah Whitehall Smith said, “You need not be afraid to follow your good Shepherd whithersoever He leads, for He always leads His sheep into green pastures and beside still waters. No matter though you may seem to yourself to be in the very midst of a desert, with nothing green about you inwardly or outwardly and you may think you will have to make a long journey before you can get into any green pastures, the good Shepherd will turn the very place where you are into green pastures.”
Heavenly Father, thank you for understanding our weaknesses and meeting us where we are. Thank you for laying out our path before us in the way that will be most effective for our growth. Thank you that, at times you lead us on the easy path, but also thank you for the difficult paths you take us on. Because, just like Israel, you didn’t leave them in Egypt, you brought them by your strong hand! You did lead them to where you wanted them to go. Thank you that I can rest in you to get me where you want me to go. While it’s nice when the path is easy, I know there will be, and are times the path may be full of enemies ready to pounce on me. But thank you that I can rest in the fact that you know what I can handle and you will not put me into a situation you know is too much for me. (1 Cor 10:13) When I am in the valley of the shadow of death, I have nothing to fear, because you are with me! (Ps 23:4) Thank you, as Solomon said in Proverbs 15:3 “The Lord is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.”
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