Read: Exodus 14:5-18
The Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward." —Exodus 14:15
Bible In One Year: Exodus 14-15; Matthew 17
The woman chuckled as she told me about the time she woke her husband to tell him she was in labor and needed to go to the hospital. He jumped out of bed, dropped to his knees, and said, "Honey, let's pray." She told him that it was not the time to kneel and pray. It was time to get dressed and head for the hospital. It was time for action!
I think this was the type of message God gave Moses when He said of the Israelites, "Why do you cry to Me?" (Exodus 14:15). Not long before that, Pharaoh had permitted the Israelites to leave Egypt, but then he changed his mind (vv.5-6). Wanting to bring them back, he and his army chased after them (vv.7-9). The Israelites were terrified when they saw the Egyptians approaching. They were trapped at the shore of the Red Sea, with nowhere to go! But Moses assured Israel that God would deliver them. Now was a time for action—not crying to Him. It was time to "go on dry ground through the midst of the sea" (v.16).
There's a proper time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1), including a time to pray and a time to act. When we see someone who lacks food and clothes, it's right to provide what they need (James 2:15-16). Sometimes we need to trust God and take immediate action. —Herb Vander Lugt
Mornin', everybody ! Happy Monday !
Jake, the rancher went one day, To fix a distant fence. The wind was cold and gusty; The clouds rolled gray and dense.
As he pounded the last staples in And gathered his tools to go, The temperature had fallen; The wind and snow began to blow.
When he finally reached his pickup, He felt a heavy heart; From the sound of that ignition, He knew it wouldn't start!
So Jake did what most of us would do, Had we been there. He humbly bowed his balding head And sent aloft a prayer.
As he turned the key for one last time, He softly cursed his luck. They found him three days later, Frozen stiff in that old truck.
Now Jake had been around in life And done his share of roaming. But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked -- It looked just like Wyoming !
Of all the saints in Heaven, His favorite was St. Peter. (Now, this line ain't really needed, But it helps with rhyme and meter)
So they set and talked a minute or two, Or maybe it was three. Nobody was keeping score -- In Heaven time is free.
"I've always heard," Jake said to Pete, "That God will answer prayer, But one time when I asked for help, Well, HE just plain wasn't there."
"Does God answer prayers of some, and ignore the prayers of others? That don't seem exactly square -- I know all men are brothers."
"Or does he randomly reply, Without good rhyme or reason? Maybe, it's the time of day, The weather or the season."
"Now I ain't trying to act smart, It's just the way I feel. And I was wondering, could you tell me -- What the heck's the deal?!"
Peter listened patiently, And when old Jake was done, There were smiles of recognition, And he said, "So, you're the one!!"
"That day! Your truck; It wouldn't start, And you sent your prayer a flying, You gave us all a real bad time, With hundreds of us all trying."
A thousand angels rushed, To check the status of your file, But you know, Jake, We hadn't heard from you, in quite a long while."
"And though all prayers are answered, And God ain't got no quota, He didn't recognize your voice, And started a truck in Minnesota !"
BETTER KEEP IN TOUCH!
Woke to a strange-for-southwest-South-Carolina scene of ice-coated trees and wires! It had rained yesterday and through the night, and created ice and icicles everywhere, although the roads were fine...just wet.
The rain resumed most of the day, however, and for most of the day there was lightning! on and off!
It kept striking transformers all over, blipping off the power and tripping the shriek of the smoke alarm...poor Binky was terrified, and kept running under my bed to hide - would come out and then have to flee again and again.
Needless to say, I had to give up on Freeping, losing two attempts at posting, as well as my source for news. Even the cable television was off for a couple of hours.
Of all days, my daughter and her husband in icy Columbia are in the process of moving; first my 21-year old granddaughter and 18-year old grandson to an apartment there; and tomorrow, the rest of the household (daughter, 13, and son, 5) and belongings upstate. Bill received a promotion, necessitating this change.
It was a strange day indeed, with lightning accompanying the ice storm...the ice did not melt until about an hour ago.
