You did it. WE did it! Hooray for us! 24 days of reading God’s word. 24 days of devoting a little time to learning God’s voice. I’m so proud of you and me!
Take a moment to scroll all the way back to Day One. Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and jot down the websites, books, Instagram accounts, Music, Photography, Email subscriptions, Apps, Artists, Podcasts, Places, People, Recipes.
Then, take note of what struck you most – was it the beauty, the pain, the encouragement, the community?
Finally, we should list all the scripture from the posts. The Bible still blows my mind with all those words written so long ago and somehow still very alive and so powerful.
You know what ALLLLL this tells me?
GOD
WILL
STOP
AT
NOTHING.
God will stop at nothing to get YOUR attention.
These 24 days have just been a glimpse of how relentless God is trying to grab your attention.
Christmas gives us the sweetest example of this. Immanuel is God with us.
Jesus IS God with us.
But wait, the story doesn’t end here. There’s Good News! Jesus wasn’t just born, end of story. Jesus lived a life full of friendship and story telling and healing and teaching and loving. There’s more to learn. Jesus didn’t just live for you and me. He also died for you and me.
Today we celebrate His birth but there’s so much more.
And hey, if you’re reading this you’re alive too which means God’s not done with you. Your story with Him might just be beginning. Or maybe you go way back. Either way, keep walking with Jesus. Read His Word. Learn His voice. Look for Him.
Remember how we started this journey with Gods word as a “lamp for our feet”? Today let’s celebrate because the light is here. Jesus – God with us – is here “to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:79)
Thank you for being with me this Advent. You have made it so special for me.
“Children, weep no more Hope is on the horizon Weary world behold Your promised Messiah
Angels, let your song begin Here comes Heaven Christ is born in Bethlehem Here comes Heaven
Sinner, wait no more Love has broken the silence Come let us adore The Savior is with us
Angels, let your song begin Here comes Heaven Christ is born in Bethlehem Here comes Heaven Here comes Heaven
Now, behold His glory Glory in the highest All the earth rejoice for Christ is born Now, behold His glory Glory in the highest All the earth rejoice for Christ is born
Lily’s been home sick with the flu this week. We HAD to get out of the house to pick up groceries at Walmart. I told her this would be the easiest “job.” We park, we wait, we get the groceries and off we go.
“Moooooom. That’s the hardest. Waiting is the hardest. Waiting feels like hard work.”
Doesn’t it though?
The hard work of waiting makes me think of Moses. Everybody knows Moses. And while we could look to his story for so many reasons; for now, let’s focus on his relationship with God. The connection Moses has with God is goooooooood. In fact, it is so goooooood; Jews, Christians AND Muslims recorded his walk with God into words on pages for you and me to read.
So, let’s do this: Moses and God. Me and God. And yes, You and God.
Exodus 14:21-22 describes this scene: “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the seas into dry land. So then waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall to them on their right and their left.”
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea.
Right this moment, would you stand up and stretch out your hand? I dare you. Hold your hand out there for a moment.
In this story, Moses is struggling but Moses is trying. He’s all vulnerable, stretching his hand out away from his body over a mass of dark water. God told Moses to stretch his hand over water and Moses is listening.
The next sentence reads “the Lord drove the sea back… all that night.” This is profoundly beautiful and powerful. At Moses’ darkest, God himself is working right alongside him. Moses wasn’t able to see it happening but God was working.
Moses does his part and God is right next to him. Moses’ blind faith and God’s almighty power working together so “the waters were divided and the Israelites went THROUGH the sea on DRY GROUND.” Come on. There is real power when we say yes to God.
Now, there is another element to Moses’ life story that is so worth lingering with just a bit longer. When Moses couldn’t hear God, he didn’t give up on Him. And because God wasn’t showing up in a burning bush or booming voice, also doesn’t mean that God wasn’t still right alongside Moses.
And just a few chapters later, we read about one other way God works with us, for us. While the Jews were still recovering from their escape, they came under attack by the Amalekites. Moses ordered Joshua to choose a group of elite soldiers to go fight. In the meantime, Moses would go stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in his hands to pray with his friends, Aaron and Hur.
Standing on the top of that hill, watching Joshua and his men fight the angry Amalekites; Moses holds up the rod and prays to God. But war takes time. And over time, the three men noticed something interesting.
Exodus 17:11 “As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands the Amalekites were winning. When Moses hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Then, Aaron and Hur held his hands up — one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady…”
The outcome of war depended on Moses holding his hands up. That’s a lot of pressure. And when the weight of the waiting and war became too much, God sent Moses a few friends to carry the burden. So they “held his hands up… and his hands remained steady.” The Amalekites were defeated.
Sometimes, when we’re looking, trying, holding our hands up; God sends a friend. I see it over and over in my life. I’m sure you do too. After I shared about Grounding and my pain, you showed up in the most beautiful ways – with carefully mixed essential oils for my pain, with a mug that says “Stay Grounded,” with fun earrings, with messages of encouragement. You, my beautiful friends, reflect God in the sweetest ways.
Grounding Roller and Pain Roller of essential oils – seriouslylove this
The detailed, loving ways YOU show up for me give me glimpses of the way GOD cares for me.
Here’s where it all comes together.
The God who helped Moses – the God who worked right beside him, the God who sent Moses a friend, the God who split the sea, the God who listened, answered, kept showing up – Moses’ God is your God.
Present tense now.
That means God works right beside you, God will send you a friend, God will make a way for you, God listens to you, God answers you, God keeps showing up.
Maybe you’re still waiting. Maybe you’ve seen or heard God before but it’s been a while. Maybe you’ve never seen or heard God. Scroll through some of my older posts. Let my glimpses be your first glimpse.
This is where I WISH I could fade in the music! But I can’t so click on this link.
Do It Again – about 3:45 minutes in…
CLAP. YOUR. HANDS.
God did it for Moses. He is doing it for me. God wants to do it for you.
