That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. (Exodus 14:30 NIV) After about four hundred years of Egyptian bondage, the Israelites were finally ready to walk away free. However, once again, Pharaoh had a change of mind and went after themContinue reading "Payday is Coming"

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD...Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again."Continue reading "Going Through Before a Breakthrough"

Abraham fell flat on his face. And then he laughed, thinking, “Can a hundred-year-old man father a son? And can Sarah, at ninety years, have a baby?” (Genesis 17:17 MSG) I'm reading the book of Genesis again and find it interesting that Abraham, 'the father of faith,' laughed at God's promise to give him aContinue reading "Why Did You Laugh?"

"Then God remembered…" is a recurring phrase in Genesis. I stopped at this one in particular: "Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb" (Genesis 30:22). Rachel is an interesting character. "When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister [Leah]. So sheContinue reading "And God Remembered…You"

Then he prayed, “LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jarContinue reading "Preserving Our Faith"

Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence”… So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence. (Genesis 4:13-14, 16 NIV) Even though God spared Cain’s life after he killed his brother Abel, Cain spentContinue reading "Don’t Live Without Him"

Late in the afternoon a breeze began to blow, and the man and woman heard the LORD God walking in the garden. They were frightened and hid behind some trees. The LORD called out to the man and asked, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:8-9 CEV) After disobeying God, Adam and his wife Eve did whatContinue reading "Don’t Run Away"

The man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won. That’s why your name will be Israel.” (Genesis 32:28 CEV) For years, Jacob struggled to prevail. First, he struggled with his brother Esau, then with his father-in-law Laban. As he was about toContinue reading "Wrestle With God"

And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:16-17 NIV) Interestingly enough, one of the trees that Adam andContinue reading "Choose Life"