JANUARY 27, 2022

 “My idea of God is not a divine idea. It has to be shattered time after time. He shatters it Himself.” 

― C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

EXODUS 13-15

13Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”(14:13-14)

MATTHEW 19:1-15

13Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

14Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”15When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

JOURNAL 

It is hard to be still and trust God. It is hard to not panic when things are falling apart. I can't blame the Israelites for the panic that ensued when Pharaoh began to pursue them. Over and over again though the command of God is to have the faith and trust of a child. 

Not only personally is this difficult but even more so when it's with your own children. I think one of the hardest things in life is watching your child struggle. It’s agonizing and too often stepping in and helping is the absolute wrong thing to do, especially as they get older. More often they just need understanding and someone to walk the tough road with them…rather than finding the quickest solution. Failing to allow struggle can rob them of so many good things...like endurance, toughness, perseverance and ultimately confidence. 

This has been a hard lesson to accept at times and ultimately I have to accept that struggles and adversity are not to be feared…but rather embraced. In my recent devotions walking through the life of Joseph and Moses, I can see this play out so clearly. God’s provision of struggle was their greatest gift. It molded them into great leaders…for what would Joseph have been without the humility of prison, or Moses without the humility and knowledge of the desert. 

It ultimately comes down to the reality that the journey is just as important if not more important than the destination. Joseph becomes ruler of Egypt but that's not what makes him so special...it's how he got there. All that he had to endure, sold by his brothers, falsely accused, forgotten and abandoned yet every single day he gets up and continues to give his best. Moses was born into favor but then falls out and is on the run for 40 years. Moses thought his days of influence were over...yet they were just beginning. 

Today I woke up with a whole day before me, it's easy to dismiss the day as just another day, but in reading scripture, it's never just another day. It's a gift...never is it to be wasted or dismissed, and never to be feared. 

6But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

JAMES 1:6-8