Quiet Walk

[Judy Harder]

February 2
Exodus 8

Additional plagues are inflicted upon Egypt.

INSIGHT

In the Old Testament, God makes a distinct difference between how He treats the Jewish nation and how He treats others. God lets none of the plagues that fall on Egypt fall upon Israel.

How we wish sometimes that God would do the same for us in the church! How we wish that, because we are Christians, we would have none of the unpleasant things happen to us that happen to the world!

We must recognize that in the Old Testament, God wants the recognizable difference between Israel and the world to be physical. In the New Testament, He wants that difference to be spiritual. In the Old Testament, God's blessing is the fruit of the vine. In the New Testament, it is the fruit of the Spirit. We must focus on spiritual blessings to be the difference between us and the world.

PRAYER

· Think about how you have been spiritually blessed as you offer your praise to God:

Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears (2 Samuel 7:22).

· Now pray this confession to the Lord to keep your life free from sin and in fellowship with Him:

Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips
(Isaiah 6:5).

For there is not a just man on earth who does good
And does not sin
(Ecclesiastes 7:20).

· As you confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, voice your affirmation of God's Word:

The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him (Ezra 8:22).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· sensitivity to sin,
· the ministry of your church,
· today's activities.

· Now offer this prayer of worship to the Lord:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever (Psalm 23:6).

[Judy Harder]

February 3
Exodus 9

The plagues on Egypt intensify.
INSIGHT

Frogs and gnats? Boils and hail? Water into blood? What strange plagues! What reasoning went behind the selection of plagues? Were they chosen at random, or was there design behind it? Though we might not always be able to discern it, the God of omniscience does nothing without design. The Egyptians worshiped odd and debased gods. Each plague was designed to strike at the credibility of an Egyptian god and manifest the barrenness of belief in these objects.

God does the same today. Our gods are fortune, power, beauty, talent, and intelligence. There's nothing wrong with them as servants, but when we worship them, they are cruel. God shows the barrenness of worshiping them by allowing people without them to be deeply joyful while those who worship them are tortured. Again, today, God's personal mark of blessing is the fruit of the Spirit and not necessarily of the vine. Joy is found in God, not things.

PRAYER

· Offer the Lord praise for the joy He gives:

Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain
(Psalm 104:1-2).

· Pray this confession to the Lord:

Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning
(Psalm 30:4-5).

· As you agree with God's will, voice your affirmation of His Word:

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance
(Psalm 16:5-6).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater wisdom for living life,
· the needs of your immediate family,
· the concerns of your heart.

· Now offer this prayer of worship:

Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground
(Psalm 147:5-6).

[Judy Harder]

February 4
Exodus 10

Pharaoh's will hardens.

INSIGHT

God does not compromise. Moses asks Pharaoh to let the nation of Israel go into the wilderness to worship God. Pharaoh refuses but says the men can go. But those are not God's instructions.

Pharaoh pays the price. But, while God does not compromise, He does forgive. With the hand of judgment on him, Pharaoh begs God for forgiveness. God withdraws the judgment.

Have you compromised in your walk with God? He will not accept it. But He will forgive and restore you if you ask Him.

PRAYER

· Offer this psalm of praise to the God who is too holy to accept compromise:

The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them
(Psalm 145:17-19).

· As you contemplate the glory, majesty, and holiness of God, pray this passage of confession to Him:

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared
(Psalm 130:1-4).

· Now pray this confession to the Lord:

Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord
(Psalm 31:24).

· As you confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, voice your affirmation of God's Word:

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous,
And shout for joy all you upright in heart
(Psalm 32:11).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater insight into Scripture,
· the hungry around the world,
· today's activities.

· Offer this prayer of worship to the Lord:

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me-
A prayer to the God of my life
(Psalm 42:.

[Judy Harder]

February 5
Exodus 11

The final plague on Egypt is a Passover sacrifice.

INSIGHT

God's dealings with Pharaoh reveal His longsuffering attitude toward such rebellion. The plagues start out fairly minor, thus giving Pharaoh a chance to change his mind before utter calamity strikes. With each successive act of rebellion, the subsequent plague intensifies. Beginning with the unpleasant but fairly harmless plague of frogs, the process ends with the death of the firstborn of every household in Egypt. At any point, had Pharaoh repented, the plagues would have been stopped.

Analyze your own life. If you've entered into conflict with God, abandon the fight before it escalates.

PRAYER

· Rejoice in God's patience with rebellion and praise Him:

Blessed be Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
You alone are the Lord;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You
(Nehemiah 9:5-6).

· Pray this confession to the Lord:

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities
(Psalm 103:8-10).

· Voice your affirmation of God's Word:

Since I am in Christ, I am a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (based on 2 Corinthians 5:17).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater love for fellow Christians,
· missions in Asia,
· your prayer list.

· Offer this prayer of worship to the Lord:

Now to You who are able to keep me from stumbling,
And to present me faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever. Amen
(based on Jude 24-25).

[Judy Harder]

February 6

Exodus 12

The Passover ends with the redemption of a promise.

INSIGHT

Exodus 12 is one of the most remarkable and important chapters in all of the Bible. In it we learn many things:

1. Only God can deliver us from sin.
2. Sin's penalty is death.
3. God is willing to allow a substitute death, so that we don't have to die.
4. Faith is the basis of our salvation. Our belief results in our obedience.
5. The Old Testament passover lamb is a foreshadowing of the New Testament Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ.
6. We are saved the same way the Israelites were saved: by faith in the substitutionary atonement of the Lamb which God provided.
7. Not to accept this avenue of escape is to suffer the wrath of God.

PRAYER

· Praise the Lord for His picture of salvation:

I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples,
And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
For Your mercy is great above the heavens,
And Your truth reaches to the clouds
(Psalm 108:3-4).

· Now pray this confession to the Lord to keep your life in fellowship with Him:

As the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us
(Psalm 103:11-12).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. As you agree with God's will, voice your affirmation of His Word:

I will remember the works of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds
(Psalm 77:11-12).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater faithfulness with your time,
· opportunities for personal evangelism,
· the concerns of your heart.

· Now offer this prayer of worship to the Lord:

Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
(Psalm 90:14). 

[Judy Harder]

February 7
Exodus 13

All of the firstborn, both man and beast, are consecrated to God.

INSIGHT

The spiritual truths, which God wanted to ensure were never forgotten, are memorialized in a ceremony-often involving a meal. The Passover meal and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are symbolic meals designed to commemorate the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, so the people of Israel would never forget what God had done for them.

The New Testament counterpart is the Lord's Supper, in which we eat a symbolic meal to memorialize the deliverance of the church from sin. When we observe communion, we celebrate a meal which has been observed in unbroken succession for 2,000 years.

PRAYER

· Give praise to the Lord for so graciously saving us from the consequences of sin:

Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain
(Psalm 104:1-2).

· Now pray this confession to the Lord to keep your life free from sin:

Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning
(Psalm 30:4-5).

· As you agree with God's will, voice your affirmation of His Word:

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance
(Psalm 16:5-6).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater wisdom,
· needs of your immediate family,
· today's activities.

· Now offer this prayer of worship to the Lord:

Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground
(Psalm 147:5-6). 

[Judy Harder]

February 8
Exodus 14

The Lord parts the Red Sea for the children of Israel.

INSIGHT

When we are obedient to God, nothing can touch us that does not come from God Himself. The armies of Egypt, symbolic of the armies of Satan, are no match for a God jealous to care for His beloved people. Resting in God's full protection in spiritual warfare, we may put on His full armor and stand firm, knowing that we will triumph in Him.

PRAYER

· Offer this psalm of praise to our forgiving God:

The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works,
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord;
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever
(Psalm 145:17-19, 21).

· Now pray this confession to the Lord to keep your life free from sin and in fellowship with Him:

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared
(Psalm 130:1-4).

· Voice your affirmation of God's Word:

Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord
(Psalm 31:24).

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
(Psalm 32:11).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater commitment to the Lord,
· the hungry around the world,
· your prayer list.

· Now offer this prayer of worship to the Lord:

The Lord will command His
lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me-
A prayer to the God of my life
(Psalm 42:. 

[Judy Harder]

February 9

Exodus 19

The Israelites migrate to Mount Sinai where Moses meets with God.

INSIGHT

God's love for us is nothing less than total. And He leaves no doubt in our minds as to His commitment to us. The Lord goes so far as to establish a covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai and with us at Calvary as an expression of His absolute commitment to us.

We should have two responses: we should love fully the God who first loved us. And, if we are to love our family as God loves us, we must leave no doubts in their minds as to the totality of our love for them. Communicate your love to them in certain terms.

PRAYER

· For His unconditional love, praise the Lord with this psalm:

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! . . .
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
(Psalm 150:1-2, 6).

· Now pray this confession to the Lord to keep your life in fellowship with Him:

As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust
(Psalm 103:13-14).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. As you agree with God's will, voice your affirmation of His Word:

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore
(Psalm 121:7-8).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater commitment to the Lord,
· specific Christian ministries,
· the concerns of your heart.

· Now offer this prayer of worship to the Lord who has made a covenant with you:

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make us complete in every good work to do His will, working in us what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen
(based on Hebrews 13:20-21). 

[Judy Harder]

February 10
Exodus 20

Moses meets with the Lord on top of Mount Sinai where he receives the Ten Commandments.
INSIGHT

The genius of God's moral system is that everything He asks of us is for our good. Often the Ten Commandments are seen by people as restrictive, keeping them from doing something that would make them happy. Initially, perhaps. But ultimately, nothing could be further from the truth.

Sin is self-destructive; righteousness is self-constructive. It makes no more sense to sin willfully than it does to become a drug addict. In both cases, the person is destroying himself.

Abandon yourself to the moral law of God. It is glorifying to Him, but it is also good for you. Understood in this light, we see the truth in the statement that anything less than the glory of God is anti-human.

PRAYER

· The holy God of Mount Sinai is worthy of our praise:

I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies
(Psalm 18:1-3).

· As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this passage of confession to the Lord:

I return to the Lord my God,
For I have stumbled because of my iniquity,
I take words with me and return to the Lord
And say to Him, "Take away all iniquity,
Receive me graciously,
For I will offer the sacrifices of my lips"
(based on Hosea 14:1-2).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· the renewing of your mind,
· the needs of your extended family,
· today's activities.

· Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer
(Psalm 19:14). 

[Judy Harder]

February 11

Exodus 32

The Israelites sin by worshiping an idol-the golden calf.

INSIGHT

Sin does not mind rubbing shoulders with righteousness. Even while Moses is on Mount Sinai communing with God, the children of Israel are fashioning a golden idol to worship in His place. Fueled by shamelessness and a short memory, the Israelites rush headlong into one of the most remarkable displays of indiscretion in the Bible.

Beware! Even when you are rubbing shoulders with righteousness, sin can trip you up. Even when you are basking in the light of Mount Sinai, evil may be lurking in the shadows.

As Peter wrote, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:.

PRAYER

· Offer praise to the Lord for His truth and light:

The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The Lord is clothed,
He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved (Psalm 93:1).

· As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this passage of confession to the Lord:

Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
According to Your mercy remember me,
For Your goodness' sake, O Lord
(Psalm 25:6-7).

· As you confess your sins, voice your affirmation of God's Word:

You are my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
You are the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
(based on Psalm 27:1).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· the leading of the Lord in your life,
· Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith,
· the concerns of your heart.

· Offer this prayer of worship to God:

May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen
(1 Peter 5:10-11).