Packing Praise
I marvel at the mental picture in Exodus 15 after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. Moses leads the people in a song of praise to God for their miraculous deliverance, and then we see something extraordinary:
"And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances." (Exodus 15:20)
Wait a minute. Timbrels? You mean tambourines?
Let's consider the context. The Israelites had fled Egypt in haste. Pharaoh's army was bearing down on them. They were escaping slavery with only what they could carry, presumably just the bare necessities for survival in the wilderness.
Yet somehow, these women had packed tambourines. All of them?
Can you imagine the packing decisions? "Let's see... bread, water, extra sandals... and definitely my tambourine!" It makes me smile to think about it.
In the Valley of Praise
I love a good underdog story, don't you? The Bible is filled with them, but few capture my heart quite like the account in 2 Chronicles 20. Picture this: King Jehoshaphat of Judah receives the terrifying news that a vast army is marching toward Jerusalem. Not just one nation, but three allied forces coming to destroy God's people! Talk about overwhelming odds.
The Bible tells us Jehoshaphat "feared," which seems entirely reasonable given the circumstances. Yet, what he did next provides us with a masterclass in faith. Instead of panicking or immediately strategizing military defense, he "set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah" (2 Chronicles 20:3).
As the people gathered, Jehoshaphat prayed one of the most vulnerable and powerful prayers in Scripture. Then God's Spirit fell on a prophet named Jahaziel with this message: "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chronicles 20:15).
From Silence to Symphony
For authors like me, book reviews and word of mouth are the building blocks to success both for the author and the books they write. It is beyond discouraging when my best work is lost in the sea of worthless dribble and harmful lies that somehow still make it to the top of the bestseller charts. Meanwhile, my books sit so far down the ranking that no one could find them if they tried. All those long nights working, all that sweat and inspiration are gone with no recognition from anyone. Many writers know this feeling, the soul-consuming emptiness of unappreciated hard work. (Cue heavy sigh and heartfelt sob!)