The Red Sea: A Pillar of Fire…

On July 28, 2024July 25, 2024 By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

There is a familiar story in the Old Testament about the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years due to their lack of faith in God’s ability to deliver on His commitment to give them the Promised Land. Even though we may have read this story many times, there are lesser studied details in these cherished verses we will focus on.

Last week, we looked at the cloud by day. The second detail we will study is the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites by night as they wandered in the wilderness. In Exodus 13:21, the Bible says, ^“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²²Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people”.

At night in the wilderness, it could become rather cold. The pillar of fire was a source of warmth for the Israelites and their animals. The pillar of fire also provided light so they could see in the pitch black dark. There were dangerous animals and bands of criminals in the wilderness. The pillar of fire would serve as a deterrent to scare away any attacks either from beasts or thieves.

As the Israelites marched through the wilderness, the pillar of fire was also a constant reminder of the holiness of God and His love. God is an all-consuming fire demanding obedience from His people. The Israelites had seen God’s fire consume both land and people in their camp, see Leviticus 10:2 and Numbers 11:1.

The pillar of fire was the very presence of a holy, almighty God who was watching over and protecting His people. God looked down from the pillar of fire as the Israelites were pursued by the Egyptians in Exodus 13:23. “The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. ²⁴During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.” God was keeping watch over His people and protecting them, just as He does with His people today.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for guiding us and being with us as we go through life, especially when we are walking through a time of fear or darkness. Help us to remember that You are the Light of the world and we will never walk in darkness when we follow You. In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

The Red Sea: Cloudy By Day…

On July 21, 2024July 25, 2024 By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

The first detail is the cloud that protected the Israelites by day as they wandered in the wilderness. In Exodus 13:21, the Bible says, ^“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²²Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.”

In the Old Testament, the cloud signified the presence of the glory of the Lord. For example, when Moses went up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, the mountain was engulfed in a cloud that was the presence of the glory of the Lord. When the Lord’s presence descended to the Tabernacle, it was enveloped by a cloud.

The cloud would have been a visual reminder that the Israelites needed to revere their God, respect Him and His servant, Moses. The cloud would have also been a comfort as it represented protection to the Israelites as they wandered in the desert. The cloud would have served as an umbrella of sorts to protect them from the hot sun and it was a shield in times of confrontation. Exodus 14:19 says, “Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, ²⁰coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.”

The cloud caused a darkness to fall on the Egyptians so that they were unable to attack the Israelites during the night. The cloud even blocked the light from the pillar of fire so that the Israelites had light during that most scary night, yet their foes were engulfed in darkness.

The cloud that protected and guided the Israelites is now within us; as believers, we have the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. He is always there to shield us and lead us through life, just as He did for the Israelites.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for the protection that You provide us. Thank You for the knowledge that Your presence is with us at all times through your Son, Jesus. Guide us each day as You did with the Israelites. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

How to Parent Like Job

On July 14, 2024July 25, 2024 By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

The book of Job is known for its suffering and pain. It is the human example of all hell breaking loose in someone’s life. When one is struggling, Job is the book to read for perspective, hope and the reminder that God is always in control, even when we do not like what is happening to us. God is in control.

I want to focus on what Job did as a parent, before the suffering arrived in his life, and see what we can learn from him. As we read in Job 1, he was a very wealthy, blessed man. “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. ²He had seven sons and three daughters, ³and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.”

Job had ten kids and seemed like a very busy man. Yet, we are told his approach to parenting starting in Job 1:4. “His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.”

Job had a “regular custom” or habit of praying for his children and working to ensure they walked blameless before the Lord. He would sacrifice a burnt offering for each one of them just in case they sinned. It is also important to note when he prayed for his children to be purified before the Lord, “early in the morning”. Battling for children in prayer and through sacrifice is not to be taken lightly or to be done when there is a free moment. These acts of love must be a habit, a regular custom and they must be done first; they must be a daily priority in our lives.

Let’s pray.

Father in heaven, please help us to make praying for all children a daily priority. Help us to be blameless and upright as Job was to provide a Godly example to the children who see us. Strengthen and protect all children so they may walk blameless before You. It is in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

How Can We Have Effective Prayers?

On July 7, 2024July 25, 2024 By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

There are many Scriptures that show us we are all imperfect people. Romans 3:23 says that we all have fallen short of the glory of God. This verse does not say some people or even most, but all people have fallen short of the glory of God.

As it is written in Ecclesiastes 7:20, “Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.” But James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” How can we possibly become righteous when Ecclesiastes states that no one on earth is righteous?

God answered this question by sending His Son, Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross for us, He offered a way to put on His righteousness and holiness. It is when we believe in Jesus that we then become righteous because we are now in Jesus. We become ‘set apart’ which is another meaning for holy. We put on the righteousness of Jesus, which is part of the armor of God; the breastplate of righteousness is a piece of God’s armor that we have to pick up and put on. The action we need to take is belief in Jesus. Righteousness belongs to Jesus, He earned it for us – all we have to do is believe.

Let’s pray.

Father in heaven, thank you so much for Jesus and for what He did for us on the cross. Lord, we lift up all church leaders and members. Please give us the strength to pick up the armor of God and put on the righteousness of Jesus. Help us to share and follow the Word of God. Help us to stay on the paths that You have laid before us. It is in Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.