Mid-week Devotional:
Week of February 17, 2025
Scripture for this week’s devotional comes from the Old Testament, the book of Exodus.
In the book of Exodus, we find the account of God calling Moses to lead God’s people out of bondage from Egypt. In Exodus there are the accounts of plagues, the first Passover, Israel being guided by pillars of cloud and fire, Israel crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, and bitter water made sweet.
This week we focus on Exodus 16:2-4.
Hear the word of God.
“2 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.’”
This is God’s Word for God’s people. Thanks be to God. AMEN.
The book of Exodus is one of my favorite books in the Bible. Every time I read accounts from Exodus; I find myself connected to the people within the text. I can see myself there beside them responding as they responded.
I would have been complaining right along with the entire congregation of the Israelites. I would have been in the front row blaming Moses and Aaron for my being hungry. I would have been angry that my life had not gotten better than what it was before. I would have been disheartened for everywhere I looked there was wilderness.
The Israelites experienced both meanings of the word wilderness; an “area uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings” and “a bewildering situation.”
(Merriam Webster Dictionary, ‘wilderness’)
You and I do not live in a physical wilderness. We are surrounded by human beings.
But you and I have encountered times of wilderness through “bewildering situations” that occurred in our lives.
Consider the following.
In 2020 there was an outbreak of COVID. People became sick and many died. There was a feeling of fear in the air for there was no antidote. It was a wilderness experience.
There may have occurred within your family or among your friends; the breakup of a marriage, drug and/or alcohol abuse, or mental illness. If any or all of them occurred they were wilderness experiences.
Each time you made choices that distanced you from God resulted in a wilderness experience.
In each wilderness experience you have lived through you were unprepared for the outcome. You didn’t plan ahead “if this happens then I will do/say this…”
The reality is that no one can go back in time and change what occurred.
During all of your encounters within the wilderness in the past, those “bewildering situations;”
God didn’t leave your side.
God waited patiently for you to make the choice to place all of your worries, your hurts, your pain, and your fears in God’s hands.
Today and in the days ahead may you remember that there will always be changes within the world in which we live.
May you remember that life is not stagnant.
May you remember that bewildering situations will continue to come up from time to time.
And may you remember that through it all God will always be with you.
Peace be with you.
AMEN.