Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. (Joshua 3:15-16a) I want to be a person who lives in the space that's created beyond taking the first step. Here's what I mean by that. Until we take a first step, we ... [Continue Reading]
No Excuses (Deuteronomy 1-2)
"In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God..." (Deuteronomy 1:32) The Israelites had problems with trusting God. Though they had moments of clarity, it sure seems like their journey was one marked more by getting things wrong than by getting things right. The baffling part of their lack of trust is that God revealed Himself to them in such incredible ... [Continue Reading]
A Walk Down Memory Lane (Numbers 10-11)
The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Numbers 11:4-6) Oh, Israel. How quickly you forget from whence you ... [Continue Reading]
The God Who Fulfills Promises (Numbers 1)
All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families. The total number was 603,550. (Numbers 1:45-46) God doesn't make promises He doesn't intend to keep. When God promised Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars in the sky, Abraham had no idea what that would mean. In ... [Continue Reading]
A Home for God (Exodus 40)
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34) One of the remarkable features of the Old Testament tabernacle was the presence of the Lord's glory, which was displayed in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar by night. The Israelites knew that God was with them because they could see a physical manifestation ... [Continue Reading]
Making Room for Rest (Exodus 30-31)
‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. (Exodus 31:14) Is taking a day off really so important to God that a person should be put to death for violating the command? Apparently so. The real question is: why? The answer is a little complex, but ... [Continue Reading]
Do You Trust Me? (Exodus 16-18)
Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. (Exodus 16:21-22) As the Israelites were wandering through the wilderness, food became a great issue. After all, there were at least a ... [Continue Reading]
Be Still (Exodus 13-15)
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14) There are moments when time seems to stand still, aren't there? When the sun slowly descends below the horizon. When a heavy blanket of snow covers a forest of unrelenting pines. When a parent holds a newborn child for the first time. There is an inexplicable mystery in those moments where God's ... [Continue Reading]
Life’s Unknown Paths (Exodus 4-6)
Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” (Exodus 4:1) I have come to the conclusion that God does not reveal the paths that lie ahead of us for the simple reason that we’re not fully capable of welcoming them with open arms. The rational part of my brain likes to examine everything in minutiae, and such ... [Continue Reading]
Limited Vision (Genesis 41-42)
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” (Genesis 41:39-40) When life gets the best of us, it's easy to think that we'll never get out of the depths ... [Continue Reading]
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