“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.” Isaiah 48:17 (NLT)
Exodus 14:21-22, Exodus 24
The Israelites were slaves in Egypt. For four hundred and thirty years, they called out to God to rescue them from Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush and told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let God’s people go free.
Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites leave, so God sent plagues—bad things like diseases, disasters, and death. After each plague, Moses went back to Pharaoh, but Pharaoh still would not let the Israelites go. Then, after the tenth plague, Pharaoh set the people free, and Moses led them out of Egypt.
Just after they escaped, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to capture the Israelites. The Egyptians were right behind them when the Israelites got to the Red Sea. Moses raised his hands, and God split the sea in two. As soon as the Israelites made it safely to the other side, Moses raised his hands again, and God then put the water back into place, wiping out the entire Egyptian army.
God knew what Israel needed to be set free from slavery. He also knew what was best for them after leaving Egypt. Israel had a long journey ahead of them to the land that God promised them, but God made a covenant—an agreement—with Israel. God asked the Israelites to obey Him and trust Him to take care of them.
Just like God rescued Israel from Egypt, God rescues us from sin. Because God sent us Jesus, we can tell God that we’ve disobeyed Him,believe in what Jesus did for us, and choose to follow Him, and He will save us! He then helps us turn away from our sin and live His way. When we follow Jesus, we’re never alone. Just like He brought Israel through the Red Sea, He will bring us through whatever we are going through because He loves us, and He knows what’s best for us!
What does this story teach us about trusting God when we have problems?
How can we keep trusting God when we can't see what He is doing next?
Thank You, God, for Your many promises and blessings. We know that You have a perfect plan for our lives. Help us to trust You and obey You, even when we do not understand or know what the outcome will be. We love You and want to trust You more each day. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.” Isaiah 48:17 (NLT)
Numbers 13:25-33 & Joshua 14:6-15
After God rescued the Israelites from slavery and brought them out of Egypt, He had an amazing place prepared for them. Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan, the promised land, to explore. They reported that the land was beautiful and full of food. But the people living there were powerful, and they even saw giants.
Caleb told the Israelites they could make it theirs because God would help them. But the Israelites were afraid. They wished they were back in Egypt, turned against God, and found a new leader to replace Moses. Caleb and Joshua reminded the people that God had always taken care of them, but the Israelites didn’t listen.
God loved the Israelites, but after all their complaining and rebelling, He decided that He would keep His promise to give Israel the promised land. But before He did, Israel would have to wander in the desert for forty years. Only Caleb, Joshua, and the Israelites’ children entered the promised land. Everyone who turned against God died before they made it to the promised land. God kept His promise by helping Israel conquer Canaan and giving His people their promised land.
Sometimes we are like the Israelites. We don’t really believe that God knows what’s best, so we get impatient and disobey God. But just like Caleb and Joshua trusted God, we can trust God to save us from our sin and show us how to live. When we tell God we’ve disobeyed Him, believe in what Jesus did for us, and choose to follow Him, He saves us! And when we follow Him, we can see that His way is best.
Why is it important to trust that God knows what is best for us?
How can we remember to trust God when we feel afraid or impatient?
Thank You, God, for always being with us. We know that You know what’s best, and that You want us to trust You. We love You, and we want to put our trust completely in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.” Isaiah 48:17 (NLT)
Judges 13-16
One day an angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and told her that she would give birth to a baby boy. His hair must never be cut. He would be dedicated to God and begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines. She had a son and named him Samson.
Samson did a lot of things that he shouldn’t have, but God still made Samson very strong. Samson’s hair was the secret to God making him so strong.
Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistine rulers promised Delilah a lot of money if she could find out the secret to Samson’s strength, so she begged Samson to tell her. Samson told Delilah that the secret to his strength was his hair and that it should never be cut. When Samson fell asleep, Delilah cut his hair, and all his strength was gone. Samson was helpless when the Philistines captured him, blinded him, and took him to prison.
While in prison, Samson’s hair began to grow back. The Philistines brought Samson out and made him stand between two pillars holding up the temple filled with people. Samson prayed and asked God to give him his strength back and pushed his hands against the pillars. The temple crashed down on the Philistine rulers and all the people. Samson killed more people when he died than during his entire lifetime.Because of his strength, Samson was able to defeat many of the Philistines to protect the Israelites.
God wants us to trust that His way is best! We can remember this by reading the Bible to see how God tells us to live and by asking Him to save us. When we tell God that we have disobeyed Him, believe in what Jesus did for us, and choose to follow Him, He saves us! Then, as we follow Jesus, He shows us that His way is best.
What are some special talents or strengths God has given you?
How can you use your strengths and talents to help others and honor God?
Thank You, God, for always being with us. We know that You know what’s best, and that You want us to trust You. We love You, and we want to put our trust completely in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.