Stop, Look and Listen

Read Ex. 19:1-2. The people stopped to camp in front of the mountain. This was God's mountain. I want to challenge you to go to God and stop. Stay a while. Gaze at the beauty of His holiness.

Read 19:3-15. Look carefully at the words used in these verses. Find some that you think are key words and look up their definitions. Use a concordance to see where they might be used elsewhere in the Bible. If you have a word study book, find out their origin. I chose about 12 words that seemed extra-important. We'll discuss them Sunday.

Listen. The research you do will enable you to hear what God wants to say to you. Listen for His voice.

Last fall I attended a national writer's conference in the mountains of New Mexico. It was situated at the opening of a box canyon with mesas all around. I climbed up a small mesa, sat on a boulder, and gazed across the valley to a much larger mesa, adorned with strands of pine trees and red rocks. It appeared to be wearing a one-of-a-kind necklace made from precious stones of emeralds and rubies. I sat there for over an hour, just letting God speak to me through what I saw. I still carry that memory close to my heart, because God told me what to do with the rest of my life while I sat on that rock. I'll never be the same again.

If you have a memory like that, pull it out and dust it off today. Polish it and set it in the window of your heart. If you don't, find some time this week to be alone with God. Sit silently before Him and wait for Him to speak. Another time God spoke in a very real way while I sat before him happened at my kitchen table, so don't think you can't do it without going off someplace.

I'd love to hear about your experience. If you'd like to share, write a comment.

How to write your own Song of Deliverance

Several who were not able to be in class the day we wrote our personal Songs of Deliverance as a guided writing from Chapter 15 have asked for the instructions. They are as follows:

Read Exodus 15:1-18

Read verse 1. This is praise for deliverance from a specific thing. Spend a few moments in prayer, asking God which event in your life you should write about. Write a word of praise and name your deliverance.

Read verse 2. Write your own praise verse.

Read verse 3. Tell who God is to you. Write one of God's names and tell why He is that to you.

Read verses 4-5. Tell what God did for you.

Read verses 6-8. This is the display of God's power. How does God display His power to you?

Read verse 9. "The enemy said . . ." What did the enemy say about you?

Read verse 10. "But God . . ." What did God do for you that refuted what the enemy said?

Read verse 11. God is like . . . He . . . Fill in the blanks.

Read verses 12-13. In the future God will . . . for me. Fill in the blank.

Read verses 14-16. In the future God will . . . to my enemies. Fill in the blank.

Read verse 17. Heaven will be like . . . Fill in the blank.

Read verse 18. End your song with these words: The LORD will reign forever and ever.

Sunday Summary

We discussed chapter 18 in class. When Jethro brought Zipporah and her sons to Moses, he and Moses talked. Moses shared all that God had done. We recalled the Song of Deliverance from chapter 15 and realized Moses simply shared his experience with Jethro, giving all the credit to God.

Jethro gave his life to the Lord that day, evidenced publicly by the burnt sacrifice and the sacrificial meal he shared with the elders.

Immediately afterward, Jethro was able to use his gift of administration to help Moses establish a more effective system of government for the people.

This is God's program for evangelism. Tell those we love about what God has done. Then they can enter His service in the fellowship of believers.