OUR DAILY BREAD : "DON'T WORRY, DAD!"

[cimi]

May 9
Thursday


"DON'T
WORRY, DAD!"

READ:
Exodus 14:19-25
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The glory of the LORD
shall be your rear
guard. __Isaiah 58:8
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Last summer my husband and I hosted a concert and fundraiser for childhood cancer research. We planned to have the event in our backyard, but weather forecasts were dismal. A few hours before the event, we began calling our 100+ guests to inform them of a change in venue. As our friends and family began feverishly toting food, decorations, and equipment from our house too our church gym, our daughter Rosie took a moment to give her dad a hug and remind him on behalf of the kids and grandkids that they were there for him: "Don't worry, Dad! We've got your back."

Hearing that expression is comforting because it reminds us that we're not on our own. Someone is saying, "I'm here. I'll take care of whatever you might miss. I'll be a second set of eyes and hands for you."

As the Israelites were escaping a life of slavery, Pharaoh sent his army of chariots and horsemen to give chase (Ex. 14:17). But "the Angel of God...and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them" (v.19). In this way, God hid and protected them throughout the night. The next day, He parted teh Red Sea so they could safely cross over.

God tells us "Don't worry" as well. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31). __Cindy Hess Kasper

`````````````````````````God's hand that holds the ocean's depths````````````````
```````````````````````````````Can hold my small affairs;`````````````````````
```````````````````````````His hand that guides the universe```````````````````
```````````````````````````Can carry all my cares. __Anon.````````````````````
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Our work is to cast care; God's work is to take care!

**************Today's Bible Reading __ Exodus 14:19-25*********************

19 And the Angel of God,
who went before the camp
of Israel, moved and went
behind them; and the pillar
of cloud went from before
them and stood behind
them. 20 So it came between
the camp of the Egyptians
and the camp of Israel.

Thus it was a cloud and
darkness to the one, and it
gave light by night to the
other, so that the one did
not come near the other all
that night.

21 then Moses stretched
out his hand over the sea;
and the LORD caused the
sea to go back by a strong
east wind all that night, and
made the sea into dry land,
and the waters were
divided. 27 So the children
of Israel went into the midst
of the sea on the dry
ground, and the waters were
a wall to them on their right
hand and on their left.

23 And the Egyptians
pursued and went after
them into the midst of the
sea, all Pharaoh's horses,
his chariots, and his
horsemen.

24 Now it came to pass, in
the morning watch, that the
LORD looked down upon
the army of the Egyptians
through the pillar of fire
and cloud, and He troubled
the army of the Egyptians.

25 And He took off their
chariot wheels, so that they
drove them with difficulty;
and the Egyptians said, "Let
us flee from the face of
Israel, for the LORD fights
for them against the
Egyptians."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The event recorded in today's passage is reflective of the title of the
book__"Exodus," The word exodus means "a going out," and we
see here the ultimate going out__Israel's deliverance after over 400
years of bondage in Egypt. This going out marks the first steps of the
people moving forward to the land of promise.