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You Led Your People
Andrea Lende • June 8, 2020
Psalm 78:19-20
You Led Your People
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/You-Led-Your-People-ef5bic
Daily Word:
Psalm 77:19-20
“Your way [in delivering Your people] was through the sea, and Your paths through the great waters, yet Your footsteps were not traceable, but were obliterated.”
“You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”
The Israelites had become a strong people.
They were growing in numbers so much so that the Egyptians became afraid.
The king started taking them captive.
Fear drove this atrocity thousands of years ago.
Fear still drives people to commit unthinkable acts today.
But God had a plan to set the Israelites free.
He prepared the right leaders.
The Israelites living in that time would have never thought that Moses would become their leader.
The one who would lead them out of slavery to freedom.
He was, after all, raised in Pharaoh’s palace.
He was brought up to become a leader in the Egyptian society.
Our verses today show us that God had a plan to set His people free long before His plan was shown to them.
He used an Egyptian leader, whose true heritage was kept secret even to him years, to set His people free.
Then he led them through the sea.
How miraculous that must have been to watch the waters part!
I love how our verse depicts this wonderous act: “Your way [in delivering Your people] was through the sea, and Your paths through the great waters, yet Your footsteps were not traceable, but were obliterated.”
“God’s footsteps were not traceable”.
He did not show Himself.
He was not seen before the sea opened up, nor after.
Yet, His miracle was AWESOME!
God has a plan for us today as well.
We know not His ways.
Yet, I do know that He has a plan.
He has everything prepared for us to carry out His perfect plan.
Today I choose to believe in God’s mighty works and know that He is still a God of miracles and desires to show His people that He reigns.
May you find that God is all powerful and all mighty, and His plan is perfect.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, You are God of this universe and God of my heart. Your wonder working power is shown all throughout the Bible. You wonder working power is also shown to me and has been shown to me all throughout my life. Thank You for being the God of miracles. Thank You for being the God that sets Your people free. You sent Your Son to live and die so that we can live lives abundant in love and peace. Help me live into the freedoms that You have given to me so freely. Help me love with the kind of love that changes peoples’ lives, Father. Help me grant mercy to those around me. Help me offer grace instead of condemnation. Help me forgive more easily than I feel like forgiving. May Your Holy Spirit flood my spirit today, Father. Lead and guide me through this day. To You be all power and glory, Lord. Help me bless someone this day. Thank you for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the Great I AM and I AM working in all things that are seen and unseen My child, and will fill you with My love.
Response: Thank You, most gracious and powerful God.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.