(Exodus 10:1-13:22)

The eighth plague came from the east. Pharaoh had refused to even listen to the counsel of his fellow Egyptians. They had warned him that Egypt was already ruined. But he would not humble himself.

So the locusts blew in with a vengeance. The Hebrews watched in horror as the locusts devoured everything in sight. Would the locusts come to Goshen? Had they been good enough? Had they pleaded enough for their deliverance? But it wasn’t their own merit that would save them. It was simply the fact that they belonged to YHVH. He had chosen them to be his people. He had separated them from the Egyptians. They were saved because they were His people.

It’s all about relationships. Are we in a relationship with our Creator? Don’t answer too quickly!

When is the last time you talked to Him like you would talk to a friend? Did you share with Him how excited you were that the new recipe you tried for dinner was a big hit? Did you ask Him to help you find your keys? Did you lay aside your troubles, and have a nice little chat with Him? Did you seek Him, knowing that He is working behind the scenes to take care of everything else?

It’s all about relationships. But relationships can’t be measured on a scale of 1 to 100. It grows and changes. Our relationship with our Creator is not measured on a scale. He doesn’t save those that have a relationship score of 43 or higher. We don’t have to worry about whether our relationship is good enough to warrant deliverance. He delivers us because we belong to Him. We also don’t seek His face just to be delivered.

But as we share our heart, our dreams, our struggles, just as we would with a close friend, He draws closer to us. We draw closer to Him. The relationship blossoms. That is what He wanted all along. It just so happens that while we are busy communing with Him, He is also working for our good behind the scenes. When we look around us, we see that He delivered us while we weren’t looking. We forgot about the locusts just for a minute so we could delight in Him. That delights Him, too. And He delights to deliver us, simply because we are His.

Are there locusts around your life? I know I can see them devouring everything around me. But I am His. I belong to Him. He doesn’t want me to worry, or wonder if I have been good enough for His help. So I am going to go tell Him about my day. I’m going to share the little delightful moments, the things that made me sad, the problems I am tempted to worry about. I’m going to rest in the reassurances He gives me, enjoy His smiles, laugh at His light hearted responses. And I have a feeling that when I look up, those locusts will have flown a bit farther west, right past my house, right past my life.

When plagues of darkness come, there will be light at my house. We’ll be having a great time, my Creator and me, remembering the wonderful things He has done, trying to imagine the wonderful things He will do in the future. I might even tell Him some of the silly things my children said to me today. He likes that. He loves children.

I’m so glad I’m His, because He delivers His own. The deliverance is wonderful, but the relationship is even better! What a delight to enter into my Father’s presence as a little child!

~~Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. ~~