Every weekend I try to exercise- be it walking, jogging, a little bit of dancing, or just cleaning the house. I try to incorporate exercise in everything I do, because as I age, the slower my metabolism gets, and the easier for fats to accumulate. Ugh! So last Saturday morning was no different.
I woke up early, thanked the Lord for a brand new day, and started getting ready. Every Saturday morning, the clubhouse basketball court in my residential village is turned into a marketplace, and there the people in the subdivision come to buy their vegetables and fresh produce every week, and I am no exception. And usually I walk to get there, to have my morning exercise. The walk takes about 15-20 minutes.
The day was cloudy- in fact, it was drizzling, so I had my umbrella open, and music was playing in my ears, as is my usual routine when walking. I was singing to the music at times, and was just having a good time, when suddenly I looked up and saw this beautiful rainbow!
It doesn't look too bright in this picture, but it was so beautiful that morning. That's the difference between God-made eyes and man-made camera. :-) So when I saw it, I uttered a quick prayer of thanks to God, for letting me see a beautiful rainbow early in the morning. I thanked Him for reminding me that there is beauty all around me, and I just needed to look up to see that He wanted to greet me as well, and what a great way to say good morning to me indeed!
Sunday morning came, and we went to church, and there was a word of exhortation. The pastor shared a passage in the bible where the Hebrews were being bitten by snakes because they were grumbling against Moses and against God.
Here is the passage from Numbers 21:4-9
"4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
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I woke up early, thanked the Lord for a brand new day, and started getting ready. Every Saturday morning, the clubhouse basketball court in my residential village is turned into a marketplace, and there the people in the subdivision come to buy their vegetables and fresh produce every week, and I am no exception. And usually I walk to get there, to have my morning exercise. The walk takes about 15-20 minutes.
The day was cloudy- in fact, it was drizzling, so I had my umbrella open, and music was playing in my ears, as is my usual routine when walking. I was singing to the music at times, and was just having a good time, when suddenly I looked up and saw this beautiful rainbow!
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| beautiful rainbow |
Sunday morning came, and we went to church, and there was a word of exhortation. The pastor shared a passage in the bible where the Hebrews were being bitten by snakes because they were grumbling against Moses and against God.
Here is the passage from Numbers 21:4-9
"4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived."
So here we see that the people were grumbling. And as a consequence the Lord sent venomous snakes and they were getting bitten and a lot of them died. Naturally they were scared when they saw the snakes and people were dying- so what do they do? They repent. They then asked Moses to pray for them. And Moses did.
Now, if I was Moses, I would have asked God to take away the snakes. That would have been the expected prayer, and that would have been what the people expected as well, right? Imagine them having to walk around, carefully looking at where their feet will tread, just in case they step on a snake and get bitten. Their situation required them to look down and look at the snakes, so they don't get bitten and die.
But what was God's answer? He commanded Moses to make a snake and hang it on a pole, and anyone who gets bitten will only have to look at it and live. we say, WHAT? You're asking me to look up when I should be looking where I put my feet! But you see, God has ways that we may not understand, and He did command Moses to make a snake. Since He is God, He could have supernaturally made the snakes disappear, right? But no, He chooses to involve the people to bring about His miracles.
Actually, the snake that Moses made was in fact a representation of what Jesus did on the cross. He died, He hung on a cross, and all people who look to Him and ask forgiveness are given the gift of eternal life. So what does looking up mean? It means taking our sight away from our problems, trials, and other circumstances, and setting our sight on God, who is able to help us overcome everything.
Psalm 121 verses 1 and 2 says 'I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.' So here the writer of the psalm acknowledged that his help comes from the Lord, and he only has to look up to be reminded where his help comes from.
And as I looked up at that rainbow, I was reminded that I have a Father in heaven, who knows what I go through every single day, that no matter what comes my way, He always looks out for me. He always protects, provides, guides, direct, and does every thing for me and my family.
So every time you are facing a difficult trial, look up, and set your sight on the One who can lift you up. Every time you are feeling happy, look up, and give thanks to the One who gives you joy. Let us always lift our eyes to God, the Maker of heaven and earth.
But what was God's answer? He commanded Moses to make a snake and hang it on a pole, and anyone who gets bitten will only have to look at it and live. we say, WHAT? You're asking me to look up when I should be looking where I put my feet! But you see, God has ways that we may not understand, and He did command Moses to make a snake. Since He is God, He could have supernaturally made the snakes disappear, right? But no, He chooses to involve the people to bring about His miracles.
Actually, the snake that Moses made was in fact a representation of what Jesus did on the cross. He died, He hung on a cross, and all people who look to Him and ask forgiveness are given the gift of eternal life. So what does looking up mean? It means taking our sight away from our problems, trials, and other circumstances, and setting our sight on God, who is able to help us overcome everything.
Psalm 121 verses 1 and 2 says 'I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.' So here the writer of the psalm acknowledged that his help comes from the Lord, and he only has to look up to be reminded where his help comes from.
And as I looked up at that rainbow, I was reminded that I have a Father in heaven, who knows what I go through every single day, that no matter what comes my way, He always looks out for me. He always protects, provides, guides, direct, and does every thing for me and my family.
So every time you are facing a difficult trial, look up, and set your sight on the One who can lift you up. Every time you are feeling happy, look up, and give thanks to the One who gives you joy. Let us always lift our eyes to God, the Maker of heaven and earth.
For more articles like this, please go to this page.
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