Day 23: Ex 13:1 - 15:27

I think that the command that God gave the children of Israel to separate the firstborn is a very important one to take note of. I know that the symbolism here deals with them remembering that God took them out of Egypt after putting to death the firstborn of all of the Egyptians, but I think we can also learn alot from it. God doesn't want our leftovers, He wants the first, healthiest, most important part of all that we have. The firstborn in the Bible is always a picture of the most valuable, most important part and we see here that God wants us to give Him the best that we have. If we will be faithful to offer Him our best, then He can truly bless our lives.

It's interesting to note the order of events in the the story of God parting the Red Sea. We see a group of people in trouble, whining and panicking before God, freaking out because of the "trouble" that they're in. God steps in, does an enormous miracle, and then once they're on the other side, they start to rejoice. It's a wonderful story, but I can't help but wonder what would've happened if they had praised the Lord before He ever did the miracle. What would have happened? I can't even imagine things working out better than they did in this story, but as far as I can tell, it wouldn't have hurt them any. The point I'm trying to make is that God is going to rescue us from whatever "army" is chasing us, so we may as well just go ahead and thank Him now for it. Who knows, it may even prevent us from getting another ulcer or loosing anymore sleep! 

- Lord, right now I feel a little like I'm running for my life, just trying to keep breathing. I have seen in Your Word time and time again where You have delivered Your people from all sorts of disasters. Help me to thank you right now for it rather than panicking until the very end when I know it's safe. I don't want to miss out on everything right now simply because I'm scared. Thank You, Father, for rescuing me from this army. Thank You for picking me up and setting me on dry ground as I watch my enemies be destroyed in pursuit. Thank You for loving me and for giving me the strength to be thankful even when I can't yet see why. -