The Lord is Engaged! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 14:1-4,

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, "The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert." And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.' So the Israelites did this."

This is such a stunning passage to me! Just look at how the Lord is busy at work here, implementing military strategy, directing the Israelites in such a way as to insure Pharaoh's defeat. The Lord is employing cunning tactics here to pursue the exact outcome he desires.

I suspect all too often the Lord is mistakenly relegated to the precincts found within church walls. Yes, the Lord may be found there (depending on the kinds and types of doctrine passed around these days)... but no, I am quite certain the bulk of most all activity the Lord is involved in is found outside the church walls.

What might the Lord be doing outside the church walls? It should be remembered that a church is just a building with people in it sometimes. The building is not the church at all. The people who worship there are the church. You would be amazed how many are confused about that.

I am entirely convinced the Lord is engaged in all sorts of things we probably never think about or appreciate. If you are not thinking the Lord is hip-deep in this COVID-19 disaster, you need to spend more time in Scripture to see what kinds of things the Lord involves himself in. I constantly have to seek help there as those kinds of things do not come to me by some kind of native insight - I have none of that.

If you are frightened at the specter of a pandemic, of the devastation to our economy, of those who are using this to seize control over our lives, or even of the sickness and potential death you may face by it, remember, the Lord is right here, right now and involved in this more than most suspect. He is afoot, he is doing things, he has his purposes.

And, what I love about the Lord so much is the nature of those purposes. God is building his kingdom! God is inviting us to his family! God is in control over all the events that take place on the planet. Whether we deem some things good and some things bad, God is moving in such a way as to usher in a new age.

Just as the Israelites experienced frightening things when the Lord was busily engaged in military strategies to usher in a new age for them, so he too is engaged in events today for all mankind! 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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