Guest Blog written by: Brad Kempson 

Today’s reading starts out with the Israelites complaining. First about not having water to drink, second about not having any food to eat. They would say, “Why did you take us out of Egypt? There at least we had food to eat, but you took us into this desert to starve!” Every time the Israelites complained, God talked to Moses and told him that He has heard the grumbling and complaining of the people. Every time, God had relief for them even in their doubts and anger.

That’s what God has for us. When we feel upset at God for not doing things the way we want, He hears us. He has put us in these situations to bring us something better in the end. Through all the suffering the Israelites went through in the desert, God and Moses ultimately knew that they would be taken into the promised land.

When the Amalekites attacked, the Israelites were probably scared and upset that God had done this. Moses took Aaron and Hur with him up onto a hill and looked down on the battle. When Moses had his hands raised, the Israelites would be winning, but if he lowered them, they would be losing. When Moses got tired, Aaron and Hur got a rock for Moses to sit on. They also held up his hands. In times like these now, we need people to help us hold our hands up when we get tired. In the same way, we need to be aware of others that need help and are tired.

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, visited Moses one day and gave him some good advice. Moses was taking on all the problems of the Israelites. Jethro told Moses that trying to solve all of the problems would wear him down. Sometimes we are like that today. We try to help everyone and we get tired. We need to have other people to go to and help problems. We can’t take it all on our own and God knows that so he gives us others to help.

After all of this, God gives the Israelites a set of rules to follow. These rules are more than just the Ten Commandments. They are rules about Idols and altars, servants injuring others, handling other’s property, how to act in social places, and rules about the sabbath. God gave these rules so that the Israelites would stay with God forever. These rules are still there today, and even though some aren’t enforced in the same way, we still should follow them now so that we can stay closer to God and be with him forever.

Guest Blog written by: Jessica Brown

have you ever gotten lost? searching frantically for directions?
mapquested your route? or used gps?

call me old-school, but i still use map quest when i am traveling for work.
and print the directions and map to read in the car! the white murano can
back up traffic and crawl at a snail’s pace when searching for an
unfamiliar destination. there is weeping and gnashing of teeth and honking
of horns. i’m sure of it.

anyway, i digress.

but much like the israelites, we need a pillar of smoke by day and fire by
night.
to lead us.
guide us.
direct us.
show us.

The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of
cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed
them to travel by day or by night. And the Lord did not remove the pillar
of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.
exodus 13:21-22

a pillar of smoke and fire.
to illuminate the path to take.
the way to go.
the direction to follow.

have you ever wondered where your pillar of smoke and fire are?
gracious knows, i have.
i have often asked for the flashing, neon arrow.
or the billboard on my way to work.
or a street sign plopped smack dab in the middle of my commute.

something. anything to confirm that i am on the right path.

i have pondered these verses all morning.
they have stirred in my soul and kicked up some toe-stepping realizations.

as followers of Christ, we want the tangible, see-with-our-earthly-eyes,
hear-with-our-earthly-ears road map.
the clear cut direction so we can stay the course.
and we neglect the truest way to discern the path.

His living, breathing Word.
for it is through it He speaks.
He guides.
He leads.
He reveals.
He illuminates.

the way to go.
the path to take.
the direction to follow.

for those joining us on this 90-day challenge, may you hear and see Him in
this journey. may you stop asking for the flashing arrows and pillars of smoke and fire.
and may you follow the leading of His still, small voice as He speaks
through His word.

much like the pillar of smoke and fire given to the israelites, may we know
His word has been given to His people and it will never depart.

Guest Blog written by: Ethan Pettigrew

Something that Christians and I especially find hard to deal with is understanding why things don’t go the way we plan or want them to.  Joseph, however, understood that God had a bigger view of the whole puzzle while we are stuck staring at one piece. Joseph’s early years as an adult consisted of bad endings in places at no fault of his own.  Despite this, he made the most of every new situation that he was put in and found favor in the eyes of his superiors.

In Genesis 45:1-13, Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers.  He recognized that ultimately when he was sold into slavery, it was a good thing.  He knew that because of that he was able to make it all the way to Pharoah’s palace and he became in charge of all Egypt.  Joseph’s brothers inadvertently helped Joseph save thousands of people.  Joseph was able to understand that all of this was achieved only by the hands of God.

Recently I was put in a situation in which I was confused by God’s will.  I was so eager to fulfill my own plans, which I thought at the time were God’s too, that when my plans fell through I was left in utter confusion.  It is honestly crazy how God has given me this passage to write about right now when it directly applies to my life.  I am excited to see how, as we continue through the Bible, more things hit me hard such as today.