Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Plagues

Israel obeyed out of fear

from plagues numbered

now at crisis and a

desperate need for

leadership, so listened

carefully, acted explicitly

to Moses’ ritual, kept

even the surprise of blood

marked door without question.

Moses obeyed out of faith.

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1.     When struck by a crisis situation do you immediately react by instinct with a fight or flee reaction, or do you look for direction from others and/or God?

2.     In what ways has your response to a crisis brought hope into the situation or created more conflict?

3.     If you followed a leader through your experience, what qualities made you trust them without question? Were they genuine?

4.     How has the Lord carried you through confusing or unfathomable actions to safety?

Share: What key lessons have you incorporated into your life that you will rely on when another crisis occurs?

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Hebrews 11:28, “By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.”

Moses trusted God. He had heard His voice and seen the unbelievable. Moses saw God work through tangible things—a burning bush, a shepherd’s staff, the river Nile. Even when Pharaoh’s sorcerers mimicked him, Moses could identify God’s power.

Now, in the face of the plagues, he was called to enact a ritual with no understanding of why or what or how.

Still he obeyed—knowing the one who spoke the words—even when they didn’t make any sense. Knowing only the Lord had the power to free them forever.

Neither Moses nor Israel knew this Passover would also become a sustaining ritual for their people. An ongoing picture book of hope and grace and redemption and restoration. A ritual so complex that theologians have wrestled with its meaning for centuries and still one that a young child could grasp its truth.

How often do we face a crisis, seek help through prayer, and receive an answer that seems to make no sense? Then think we misunderstood and find a different solution. Instead of embracing the unfathomable we accept only the measurable and concrete. And lose the opportunity to experience a rescue with story power. A story of meeting God that will last us our whole lives. A story that will sustain our faith throughout all the crises yet to come.

Lord, please give us eyes to see Your refuge and courage to trust in You alone.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 141:8-9

“For my eyes are toward Thee, O God, the Lord;

In Thee I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless.

Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me,

And from the snares of those who do iniquity.”

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Invisible

Set forth in

calm confusion

surrounded by fears

ceaseless challenge

swirling.

Resisted angry buzz

focused solely inward

listened intently to

obey invisible call

followed.

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1.     What gives you a sense of security? Of refuge?

2.     In whom or in what do you find it difficult to trust? Why?

3.     Has fear of circumstances paralyzed you in the past? What changed?

4.     What major step of faith strengthened you with a difficult decision? How will it impact your next challenge?

Share: How do you recognize nudges from the Lord?

Faith Seeds: Prayers and Poetry

Hebrews 11:27, “By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger; for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible.”

There are times in our lives when either opportunity or catastrophe invades our lives along with the challenge to change. And fear can paralyze our response. Unless.

Richard Foster in his book Prayer notes, “As we begin to follow these nudgings of the Spirit, we are changed from the inside out.” From the time Moses began to examine his choices and decisions under God, he took stronger and stronger steps of faith. From his first encounter where he genuinely tried to explain to God why he wasn’t equipped for this role of leadership until the time came to put God’s plan into effect, he became not only the leader God called him to be, but also a leader no longer afraid of Pharaoh.

 Foster also says that in response to God’s overture of love that we can respond by a covenant of holy obedience. “Without reservation we vow to follow the Father’s faintest whisper.” What was ahead of Moses now became more important than what was behind.

Lord, please give us the strength to move into each new day and persevere under Your power and guidance.  Please remove any fears that chain us from fully following You or hearing Your words speaking into our hearts. Help us to truly see.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 118:8-9

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”