God says, "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself."
I have to ponder the circumstances of God's chosen people during their time of wandering in the wilderness. It must have been an exhausting and difficult slog. It was probably more so because there was no definitive destination, no hope of arrival at the vaguely labelled "promised land".
It would have been a hot journey. Dust from countless feet would have swirled around, choking the last drops of moisture from tongue and skin. Their eyes would be full of grit blown in on a breeze that gave no cooling relief. Food became scarce over the years as most of the flocks of sheep and goats were slaughtered to feed the masses. Water was even more scarce in this land of desert and sun.
Feet would have blistered in the beginning, unused to such labour. Callouses on heel and toe would have cracked, making each step a painful one. How many people walked the sandals right off of their feet?
Parents would have grown weary of carrying the little ones unable to walk for very long. Others would become exhausted as they helped the elders to journey on.
Setting up camp and taking it down every day is a laborious job. I have to wonder if many simply sat down and slept where they were, huddled together against the chill of a desert night with no fire to warm themselves by...
What man sees as difficult, God portrays as being borne on eagles' wings. But then, His is a heavenly perspective. Ours, not so much.
This reminds me of the well known poem, "Footprints" and the part where there were two sets of footprints along the beach but, at times, only one set in the sand remains. It's meant to represent the moments in life when God walks beside us and the times of trial when God carries us.
"Today, if you will hear His voice; do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness."
Lord, I lift to you those who are going through troubles and trials. Let Your comforting presence be revealed from out of the dark and dreary wilderness. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen!
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Boundary Study Part 2
"Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God--truly righteous and holy...
To shed a little light on the Exodus scripture passage, God's reference to what He did was presumably the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, the miraculous feeding of manna and quail, the miraculous provision of water when Moses or Aaron (can't remember which) struck a rock with his staff. The people didn't have to walk every day, because sometimes the cloud and pillar of fire stayed in one place for a while. I would presume God gave the people rest when they needed it. Yet they felt as you describe, physically and emotionally. They complained as the decades passed, and the consequences were that the original people never reached their destination. The original generation died without being able to cross over into the promised land, and their descendants had that honour.
ReplyDeleteThe part of that scripture that makes my heart sing is "[I] brought you to myself". It expresses God's intimate desire to have us with Him, to accompany us on our journeys, to commune with us always. He will accomplish this through miracles if necessary, and through faithfulness in His Love for certain. We are carried one way or another into His bosom, provided we want to go. Despite their complaining, the Israelites wanted to go. And they were brought home... maybe not the particular individuals that started the journey, but their offspring, families, and nation. I picture the scene like those sappy old movies where the lovers run into each other's arms in slow motion. :)
Thanks for sharing what I didn't have time to write about yesterday.
DeleteGod is good! He knew what needed to be said!