Giving Jesus Radio Lana Wynn Scroggins

As the Israelites had traveled from the land to their new home, God sent a cloud by day and a fire by night.
Both of these were very real symbols to the nation that God was leading them, and they represented three beautiful things for the Israelites.
First, the cloud and the fire were God’s provision. The cloud gave shade to the tiny nation traveling through the harsh climate.
When God does a new thing in our lives, it can be scary.
While the Israelites were certainly thankful to be free, the idea of journeying to a new place had to be overwhelming at times.
Let God be your cloud by day and your fire by night and rest in His love.
Together, Giving Jesus,
-Lana

Of course, the victory celebration doesn’t end with the Israelites merely leaving the land of Egypt.
That would be a great, Hollywood-worthy ending complete with a young, chiseled Moses staring confidently into the sunset.
But once again, the Israelites are faced with a desperate situation as the Egyptians chase them in the wilderness.
Ahead of them is the Red Sea and the tiny nation has no boats, ships, or even floaties among them. Behind them is the life they once knew—cruel oppression and open hatred.
If there were ever a moment to dig deep and try to muster some faith, this is it. Yet the Israelites respond the same way we do when faced with a crisis.
Together, Giving Jesus,
-Lana

The truth is that sometimes God uses opposition to His will to further His glory.
So often God turns a test of our faith into His testimony. He does this for the honor of His name and to draw even more people to Him.
But this doesn’t mean the road is easy or painless. What happened to the Israelites was degrading, unfair, and just plain cruel.
Yet God never left the wheel. He still reigned on His throne, even as it looked like everything was spinning out of control.
Together, Giving Jesus,
-Lana

The nation of Israel had been enslaved for four hundred years. Four hundred years of crying out to God as generation after generation hoped their children and grandchildren would one day know the sweet blessing of freedom.
Some scholars refer to this period in Israel’s history as “The Silent Years” because from all appearances, God was silent during this time. Have you endured “the silent years” in your own life?
In these moments, it’s natural to wonder what’s going on. You question yourself—did you miss what God said? Did you fail to walk in His ways? Was your faith simply not enough to prompt Him to show up?
The Lord is calling us to be open to the new thing in our lives Join in drawing nearer to God and invite Him to do a new thing in our lives.
Together, Giving Jesus,
-Lana

I know there are times that we get discouraged by unfulfilled dreams.
And you might be in that place right now.
Sometimes our dreams appear barely still alive and some are just dead.
Your dream may be so dried up that you wish it were such that you could just walk away and start on something else.
Your dream can be resurrected!
God can restore your dream and lost hope and give you purpose.
Dare to Dream again!
Together, Giving Jesus,
-Lana

What about perhaps the most well-known resurrection is Lazarus apart from the resurrection of Jesus.
When Lazarus became ill, his sisters sent Jesus a message.
Jesus did respond…though he seemed much slower than they would have liked.
Her words flowed from an aching heart. How many times have you whispered words similar to Martha’s?
If God had only acted, I would have had a family by now. If Jesus had only intervened, I would be fully healed. If God had only protected me, I’d still have a job right now. It’s not wrong to ache in the space in between pain and resurrection.
It doesn’t mean your faith is small if you cry because everything in you is aching.
It’s OK to reveal the anguish of your soul to the One who formed you.
Listen as He is Risen!
Together, Giving Jesus,
-Lana