April 17 – Keep Calm

“The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” - Exodus 14:14 (NLT)

Our promise is found in a specific Old Testament context for Israel but it is a promise for all of us as well.  After 400 years of slavery to the Egyptian Pharaoh, the Children of Israel were leaving Egypt.  God had sent ten plagues on the land of Egypt in order to convince Pharaoh to let them leave.  Now, camped on the shore of the deep-water sea, they see Pharaoh has again changed his mind and pursues Moses to stop the Israelites from leaving Egypt. Frightened, the people respond by crying to, and complaining, and blaming Moses for their certain destruction and death. They can see no other solution.  But Moses says to them, “Keep calm. The LORD has this fight won for you.”  Moses also tells them that this is the last time they will ever see these Egyptians.  God promises us the same.  In the direst circumstances, we too can stay calm and trust God to have our side.  When danger and opposition threaten us. God promises to be with us and to never desert us.  Whatever we're battling today or tomorrow, our LORD will fight for us. He promises to do so.

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December 30 – Remembering God's Goodness First

“The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’” Deuteronomy 1:30-31 (NASB)

Today we have a verse intended to remind us of how gracious and loving our God is. We are at the end of another year. This is a good time to remember how much God has done for us in these days gone by. Moses was reminding His people about how God had cared for His people. God had been faithful to the people of Israel and He has also been faithful to us who believe and are His people today. It is good for us to think back and to recall how the Lord has helped us during this past year.  Our God deserves all the glory for His involvement in our lives. He has not helped us all in the same way because our needs are different and He knows what each one of us needs. We can thank Him today for the way He has responded to our needs this year. Remember Him instead while the world is trying to reminds us of themselves.