Lent Week 4 - Day 23

TODAY'S BIBLE PASSAGES:
Exodus 8:1-9:12; Psalm 44:7-16; Matthew 7-9
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SUGGESTED FAST: CAFFEINE AND SWEETS
Consider fasting from your favorite caffeinated beverages or candy this week. Think about placing sticky notes with Scripture or prayer requests on or near where you keep those items so you are reminded to refocus your heart and mind on the Lord throughout the day. Consider setting aside the money you would typically spend on those beverages and pray about where you could give it to help those in need.
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PASSAGE: EXODUS 14:10-14
When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
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DEVOTIONAL
The story of the Israelites in Exodus is a reminder of just how much we grumble as the people of God. Though God has redeemed us, we too quickly forget His sovereign grace to carry us through every moment of our lives. How many times have we thought that it would be better to “serve the Egyptians” rather than to continue walking with God in the wilderness? The Israelites interpreted the uncertainty of the moment as God’s absence from their lives. When it appeared that death was drawing near, a return to slavery seemed to be the better option. In moments and in seasons, they preferred their former life of bondage rather than pressing into the Lord and trusting His plan of deliverance. Fear and anxiety welled up and engulfed their hearts. But what was the Lord’s response? Through Moses, God says, “Fear not, stand firm.” The Lord promised deliverance, and He came through on that promise.
In moments of desperation, when we see something that seems more powerful than we are, we must remember that the Lord will fight for us, like He did the Israelites. As we reflect on our current circumstances, fears and anxieties may well up within us, but the call upon believers is to fear not. We see the salvation of the Lord in Jesus Christ who fought sin and Satan on our behalf. When we reflect on this sovereign grace in salvation, our only response is to sit in awe and be silent.
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REFLECTION
What uncertainties are you currently experiencing in your life? What do these reveal about where you have put your hope? Take a moment to put those before the Lord in prayer.
Reflect on where you have tangibly seen the Lord work in your life. How does this encourage you as you look at your current circumstances?
Doubts, fears and anxieties will inevitably come in our lives. Based on the Exodus 14 passage above, how does God respond?
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SONG: “WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS”
When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died My richest gain I count but loss And pour contempt on all my pride
Forbid it Lord that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my God
All the vain things that charm me most I sacrifice them to His blood
See from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet Or thorns compose so rich a crown
Were the whole realm of nature mine That were an offering far too small Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all
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PRAYER
God of love, as in Jesus Christ you gave yourself to us, so may we give ourselves to you, living according to your holy will. Keep our feet firmly in the way where Christ leads us; make our mouths speak the truth that Christ teaches us; fill our bodies with the life that is Christ within us. In his holy name we pray. Amen
–Book of Common Worship