With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
“You have made us for Yourself. And our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” (Augustine)
Creator of all things, hear my voice, for you have made it. You who live in heaven, hear my prayer from earth. I am one person in one little town in one corner of your vast creation. Of all the people on the planet, hear me also. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Confession
O God, in the beginning you made us good, even “very good.” I admit the many things in my life that are far from your good intent. I try to change, and then find myself in the same place once again. Lord, you know me. Have mercy. Make me right. Forgive my wickedness. Bring me back to good, as you intended from the beginning. Amen.
Word: Exodus 14:8
“And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly.”
Meditation: Hard Times and Hardened Hearts
Today’s meditation is written by Megan Roegner.
Why does God harden Pharaoh’s heart again and again in Exodus? At first, Pharaoh’s hardened heart allows God to “multiply [his] signs and wonders” (Exodus 7:3), to demonstrate his might to the Egyptians. But after the deaths of Egypt’s firstborn, Pharaoh acknowledges God’s power with a plea to Moses and Aaron to “bless me also” (Exodus 12:32). Why then does God harden Pharaoh’s heart once again after the Israelites have had a taste of freedom? I guess the broader question is, why does it sometimes feel as though God gives his people trial after trial to endure?
The Israelites, trapped between the water and all the king’s horsemen and all the king’s men, are terrified. In what will become a motif throughout their journey in the desert, they complain about Moses’s leadership and do not trust God to provide for them. And I suppose that’s the answer to my question. Through the conflicts the Israelites face, God is showing them, time and time again, that he will provide for them, no matter the odds.
My sympathy for the Israelites’ grumbling does not extend for the entirety of their journey. Why are these people never satisfied? For example, God gives them manna to ease their hunger in the desert. But they soon grow accustomed to the miracle and clamor for quail instead. It’s not just the Israelites, of course. It is so easy for all of us to forget or to take for granted what God has provided for us, to think only about our troubles and not our triumphs.
A few weeks ago, I was full of anticipation for a fresh start after all of the Covid chaos of last year’s school experience, both for me as a teacher and my children as students. And then, the Saturday before my school’s first day, my eldest son got a positive Covid test. A positive test for my youngest son followed on Wednesday. My daughter never tested positive, which meant that she had to quarantine for twenty days after my youngest’s positive test. I missed half of the first three weeks of school. My daughter missed the first two weeks of first grade. And on top of that, on the same day my youngest got diagnosed, a drunk driver totaled my husband’s parked car. I texted my friends that evening, saying, “I think we’ve been cursed.” Just like the Israelites, backs to the water, watching the chariot dust, I felt abandoned.
But then…my administrators, colleagues, and students were so kind and understanding about my absences. My children’s symptoms were mild enough that we never had to worry about their health. Friends and family reached out with food and gifts to ease quarantine blues. Nobody was hurt when my husband’s car was totaled. We were able to find a new vehicle even though the pandemic has decreased inventory.
Fifteen years ago, I used to be naive enough to actually offer “everything happens for a reason” as advice to people. More life experience and empathy has taught me that that’s not always true. Sometimes bad stuff just happens because we live in a sinful world full of hardened hearts. But I do think it’s true that navigating the bad stuff gives us opportunities to rediscover God’s gifts. To see that God provides, sometimes through miracles, sometimes through the love we give one another.
Dear Lord, thank you for always providing for us. Help us to see you at work, even when facing challenges. Amen.
Benediction
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Rom. 11:33,36))