LET MY CHILDREN GO

Genesis 12:51, “And on that same day the LORD brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt…”

Moving can be a spiritual experience as well as a physical one.

Last week a FOR SALE sign went up in front of my next door neighbor’s house. They lived in that house four years, now they’re on the move. Company transfer.

Lots of emotion goin’ on next door. Four little girls to pack up-toys, clothes, books, and memories. The baby was born here. Two of the little girls’ best friend lives across the street. No kidding- they have worn a rut in the asphalt running back and forth.

Right now they aren’t facing reality. They chose to spend the month vacationing with family. I don’t blame them. Although I have moved 13 times and now live in my 7th home, I can never get too excited about moving.

I make too many good memories and don’t like leaving them behind.

Are you on the move? Have you just moved? Do you plan on moving?

Moses’ family – that might include the 600,000 men with their wives and children— some historians estimate 3 million pilgrims crossing the Sinai! Any way his family might have had moving on their minds for generations.

Moses’ family had begged God to let them move.

Then one day the doors opened and the EXODUS occurred.

Now they were dancing and singing. The whole trip looked so exciting some Egyptians even hitched a ride into the desert, hoping to journey to the Promised Land.

The sea opened up, men, women, children, animals, and carts rumbled through and arrived safely on the other side. They watched and cheered as the waves closed. They had been set free from their past!

Moving does set us free from past mistakes and troubles. That is a positive about moving. We can run away!

Doesn’t mean no more troubles. Troubles get traded and that is what happened to the children of Israel. The sun came up one morning and it got hot. No water could be found. Children got hungry. Adults did too.

Followed by grumbling.

Has God finally answered your prayers? Has he moved you, giving you the desires of your heart? A new job, a new house, the day care of your choice, a new responsibility at church, a dream vacation, a diagnosis, healing in a relationship…

Now the challenges you face aren’t what you bargained for!

Resist the temptation to grumble and complain. Praise God for caring enough to change your comfort zone. He’s up to something big in your life. Ask Him how you can glorify Him in the midst of this difficult ‘move.’

Take Your Wait to God

Tonight our study of Hezekiah came to an end. He taught us many lessons about God’s Wait Room. While waiting we learned to worship, tear down our idols, dig deep into God’s Word, and guard ourselves.

Hezekiah’s final act in God’s Wait Room included repairing the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.

And then the enemy showed up knocking at the city gates. The enemy’s chief of staff hurled accusations, threats, and propaganda at the Israelites.

While in the wait room, have you allowed threats and accusations to weaken you. Do you allow fear and dread to overcome your emotions. Do lies that make no sense roll through your mind causing you to faint?
Hezekiah didn’t succumb to the lies. He marched right into the temple and called out to God,

“O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see… O Lord our God, rescue us… then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.” (2 Kings 19:15-19)

Has God ushered you into His Wait Room. Build your spiritual strength. Write the above prayer and fill it in with your story, your own time trials.

I know God will hear your cry. He will keep you in His Wait Room until He knows you are strong enough to face your next trial. Trust Him.

Moving with Moses’ Wife

Moses met his wife while he was on the move. Do you recall that Moses moved a lot? His first move occurred when his mother floated him down the Nile. Then he moved into the palace. His next move was not a choice he made. It was the result of a crime he committed. He moved into the desert where he stumbled upon a group of sisters shepherding their father’s herds of sheep. When they told Reuel, their father about the stranger, he commanded them, “Invite him to come and eat with us.”

The rule of hospitality in the desert states that no one should be allowed to remain alone. Survival in the desert is impossible without the help of others.

So Moses moved into the tents of Reuel and his daughters and learned to shepherd flocks of animals.

Eventually he married Zipporah one of Reuel’s daughters.

During this time in Moses’ life he came face to face with God at the burning bush where he received God’s call to liberate the children of Israel back in Egypt.

How did Zipporah respond to Moses when he announced their relocation to Egypt? She grew up as a shepherdess. She knew nothing of life in palaces. She lived her life in the open expanse of nature. How would she survive the populated streets of a foreign society?

I have had those same questions when my husband announced his career changes.

“Go where?”

“For what reason?”

“To do what?”

“I’m not familiar with their culture!”

“My sons will grow up in the midst of strangers.”

What Zipporah didn’t realize, what I didn’t understand, was the purpose for the move.

Sometimes God moves us so we can be the liberators, so we can bring the good news, so we can lead the captives to freedom.

Is God moving you? Ask Him to show you the move from His perspective?

I am not the only one who waits! We are all in this together.

What do you do when God calls you to His Wait Room. Oh I know - the waits are heavy and you struggle to lift them. You long for the trial to end. You wish you didn't have to put your life on hold. Why can't we just get on with our plans?

I wish it were that simple. Tonight In Bible study - Wait Training, we finally accepted the fact that we are all called upon to wait and it just might be a good thing!

Hezekiah waited. We have been studying all about his waits. He didn't seem to be side tracked, though. He concentrated on what he could do instead of fretting over the things he couldn't do. He couldn't leave Jerusalem and go to battle against his enemy- or at least God didn't call him to do so. Instead he focused on worshiping God, tearing down all the idols in his nation and digging deep into the rock under his grand city. Why did he dig into the rock? He hollowed out a tunnel so water would freely flow into Jerusalem. He focused on providing for the citizens and he succeeded. The feat he accomplished made him famous and brought water into the city limits.

Besides looking at what Hezekiah did while he waited we studied the lives of nine Old Testament women and analyzed their waits. What inspiration we gained by simply looking up several women like Rebekah, Moses' mother and sister, Rahab, Deborah, Ruth, Naomi and others. After reading about each woman's life we asked ourselves several questions:

Who was she?
What was she waiting for?
How did she wait?
What was her focus?
What was her response?
What were her consequences?

We learned about the courage of these women, their intelligence and good choices. We found out they truly honored God with their lives and sought after Him. Their obedience, trust, and knowledge amazed us. We learned we have a God who stands in the ready to reach out a hand to us, if we would trust Him. He certainly provided for the women we studied and HE will provide for us!

I challenge you to choose a woman of the Bible and become intimately acquainted with her, especially where it concerns her time in God's Wait Room. Who knows you may find you have something in common with a woman who lived centuries, maybe millennia ago!

Let me know what you find out!

Moving With Moses and His Sister

Moses' big sister welcomed him into the world at his birth. She was old enough to participate in an undercover plot with her mother several months later, when it became obvious that Moses must be hidden away or risk death.

Today we go to adoption agencies or use the state's foster care program for the safe keeping of our children. In 1526 B.C. (ish)mothers put their children in baskets and floated them into the Nile.

Little Miriam became a private investigator. She followed the basket as it floated away. Hidden in the tall river grasses, she kept her distance until her baby brother miraculously floated past a princess who happened to be sunbathing and splashing with her girlfriends on the edge of the river.

Immediately big sis strolled into view and suggested a nanny for the baby boy-and the princess accepted.

Case solved!

Let's talk about this move and then another, years later when Miriam followed her little brother out of captivity.

Think of all the virtues Miriam must have had tucked away into her character to have participated in her mother's plot: obedience, trust, love, hope...

When God calls us to step out of our homes and participate in his plan of salvation how do we react?

Whenever a move looms on my horizon, suddenly the entire process becomes "about me." My loss, my pain, my sorrow, my insecurities, my, my, my!

Merriam stepped out in obedience. Consequently she experienced an incredible miracle. Her brother didn't succumb to alligators in the Nile; he grew up a prince in the palace.

Of course we know that was not God's ultimate plan. Growing up in the palace was simply a stepping stone to the real plan.

I have surveyed my life and realized that God has moved me several times to accomplish one plan. One move was a stepping stone to another goal.

The Bible's account of the Egyptian slaves paints a picture of extreme torture, agonizing labor, and total inhumane treatment of the children of Israel. Day and night they cried to God for protection and release.

God heard their pleas and pointed a finger at Moses. "You will be my instrument to let my people go."

Moses moved also. His move to protect the life of one of his own by killing one of his adopted family members moved him into exile. The move into exile moved him into a classroom of sorts where he would learn to lead his people through the wilderness. His move back to Egypt ushered in one of the greatest moves of all times - the mass exodus of an entire nation - millions of people.

And one of those in that nation was sister Miriam, made famous by the song she sang as she walked through the sea on dry land. She took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced, once again experiencing an incredible miracle while following her brother to freedom.

"Sing to the LORD,
For He has triumphed gloriously.
He has hurled both horse and rider
into the sea.
.
Exodus 15:20

Has God called you to move? Consider this, maybe he is moving you toward liberty. Possibly He is placing you in the middle of a greater plan. Maybe He is simply calling you to obey, trust, love, have hope, and sing a song of victory because you know the God who has called you to the Promised Land.

I'm headed in that direction and I can't

E-mails have been flying back and forth since we all went our own way after She Speaks. We miss each other and we want to get back together! Well - we here in Matthews are ahead of the game! We got together yesterday afternoon because we also know the P31 woman

I like Wednesdays almost as much as I like Fridays. Mondays are hard because I can’t wait until Friday and the weekend. I get through the week remembering that Wednesdays are hump day – over the hump day, meaning only two more days left before the weekend. I feel if I can wait and get through Wednesdays, I have it made!

So welcome to Wednesdays are for Waiting!

Twenty eight women showed up tonight for our Bible Study – Wait Training.

We have been studying the life of King Hezekiah. His story can be found in 2 Kings 18 and 2 Chronicles 29. King Hezekiah had a huge weight on his shoulders: he was responsible for protecting his nation from the rapidly approaching Assyrian army that had defeated and destroyed every city in ins path. Now news had arrived at the palace. Hezekiah’s capital city –Jerusalem was next on the map.

How would we spend his time waiting for his enemy to arrive and attack? He certainly didn’t wring his hands, nor did he pace back and forth on the city walls fretting about the certain demise of Judah.

Hezekiah focused on God. He realized that the citizens of Judah had turned their back on the One True God and had built idols to take the place of God Almighty. Hezekiah knew that before he could expect God to hear his pleas and petitions Judah had to clean up.

First he reopened and repaired the temple doors, inviting the nation to return to worshipping God. Next he rid the nation of its idols. How is God going to hear if the people esteem other gods instead of the one we know to be Lord?

Hezekiah found himself in a predicament. The enemy was outside the city gates. Hezekiah would not surrender to the enemies. Instead he looked up to God and worshipped him.

When we find ourselves in the Wait Room we need to remember that when our life is put on hold, it is a good thing. Waiting is not a waste of time. Waiting stretches, strengthens, and builds.

We cannot become spiritually strong if we allow other gods, idols to cloud our view of God.

While in the Wait Room it is important to ask, “ Who is my God?”

It’s time to choose- which will it be? God or idols.

Are you waiting for your circumstances to change. Maybe it is time to examine yourself. Who is your God?

A lady in my Wednesdays are for Waiting Bible Study sent me this poem. As far as she cann tell the author is unknown. If you know who wrote this, please tell me as I would love to give credit to the one who wrote this.



WAIT (Author Unknown)

Desperately, helplessly, longingly I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently, said, "Child you must wait."
My future and all to which I relate, Hangs in the balance,
and you tell me to WAIT?
I'm needing a "yes," a go-ahead sign, Or a "no," to which I then can resign. And Lord, you promised that if we believe, We need but to ask, and we shall receive. And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry, I'm weary of asking, I need a reply! Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate; As my Master replied, once again, "You must wait." So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut And grumbled to God, "so I'm waiting... for what?" He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine, And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign." I could shake the heavens and darken the sun, I could raise the dead, and cause the mountains to run. All you seek I could give, and pleased you would be. You would have what you want, but you would not know Me. You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint. You'd not know the power that I give to the faint. You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair, You'd not learn to trust by knowing I'm there. You'd not know the joy of resting in Me, When darkness and silence were all you could see. You'd never experience that fullness of love, As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove. The glow of My comfort, late into the night, The faith that I give, when you walk without sight. The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked, Of an infinite God, who makes what you have, last. You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee, What it means that "My grace is sufficient for thee." Yes, your dreams for your loved ones, overnight would come true, But, oh the loss if I lost, what I'm doing in you! So, be silent, My child, and in time you will see, That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me. And though oft' My answers seem terribly late, My most precious answer of all, is still WAIT.