Exodus 15:26 “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

Keep this in mind: In the days leading up to this scripture, Moses, & the rest of Israel, was only a couple days into a bold & new wilderness walk. Egypt’s army had been completely destroyed @ the Red Sea & God’s children had just experienced one of the most awe inspiring events this world had ever seen. So far so good, right? But by the time we read this scripture, those events had all but been forgotten. For those of you who have never read about the Red Sea, then do yourself the service of going here before you continue reading. Now that we're all on the same page, try to imagine forgetting about the Red Sea! But 24, 48, maybe 72 hours after the Red Sea, Israel (God's people) had completely lost their awe for Him. They were no longer impressed with his recent display of wonder working power. They were now fixated on something much greater… Their next immediate need. What problem could have eclipsed the overwhelming power of Pharaoh's army? What forthcoming catastrophe could have overshadowed their near death days at the Red Sea? It was Water… Those people were thirsty & they were dying for/crying out/complaining of their need for a drink. In a way, this scenario seems to answer a question that often goes unspoken. The Question: What is your greatest need? The Answer: The one 1 am currently facing. I once heard a preacher say, "Stop telling your God about the size of your problems & start telling your problems about the size of your God." If we truely want to  change our world, then I believe we must 1^st change our mind. Instead of focusing on our lack in general, we need the Lord’s help to focus on our only way out… Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, Hope in our Heavenly Father, & Love for His Holy Spirit. To fast track the story, God eventually led them through the place of bitter water to another place called Elim. There they found twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees. But what speaks loudest to me today is this. Once God satisfied their most basic & threatening need, He made a point to do 2 more things. 1. He identified himself  2. He dealt with their fickle faith.

Read it again, He said “For I am the LORD who heals you.”

He is completely aware of where we’ve been, where we are going, & what it will take to get there. But, His power is always available now. Aren’t you glad we serve a now God? He’s more than the God who has healed. He’s more than the God who will heal. I’m encouraged today that he’s the God who HEALS. He's the one who is currently & constantly healing! That's Good News! People, places, & things change, but God stays the same. No matter what you may be facing the same God who brought you this far will be the same God who takes you all the way. He does not change. Imagine if you were asked to introduce yourself to someone new today, but instead of telling them your name you had to tell them what you do. How would you complete this sentence… “Hello, I am the man/woman who …” That is exactly what God did with the Israelites. He set the record straight when He identified himself. It was as if He was saying, “You will know it’s me by what I do.” He’s a God of action & He knows that “It’s what you do that defines who you are.” We know what God Does... So what do you do?

My prayer for us today is that He will… “Heal our families. Heal our church. Heal our homes. Heal our hearts.” For he is the God who heals…

Full steam ahead,

PB