A Few Sound Bites From History

Marcia Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she lives with her husband, two golden retreivers and a six-toed cat. She was the winner of the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel One Smooth Stone and her devotionals have been endorsed by Mark Buchanan, Phil Callaway and Jeanette Oke. Visit her website - www.vinemarc.com

Scene One (Exodus14) - Over a million Hebrews are camped at the Red Sea. The massive Egyptian army comes against them. They are trapped. Imagine a T.V. commentator asking Moses, "How far will your God go, Moses?" Moses answers, "Just watch Him," as he touches the water with his staff and leads his people "through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left."

Scene Two (Joshua 10) - Joshua's army is assembled to save the people of Gibeon from the armies of five kings united against them. For days the battle rages. Imagine the commentator again - "How far will your God go, Joshua?" Joshua answers, "Just watch Him," then prays aloud to his God, "O sun stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." And the sun "stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day," and the battle was won.

Scene Three (Judges 7) - Gideon's army is assembled. The Midianites, Amalekites and other Eastern peoples had oppressed the Israelites for years. The Hebrews prayed and God sent them Gideon. But God said, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands," so twenty-two thousand men went home. Again God said it was too many. Imagine the commentator now - "How far will your God go, Gideon?" Gideon answers, "Just watch Him," and with only 300 men against thousands, he defeats the Midianites.

Scene Four (1 Samuel 17) -Two armies are massed for battle - Israel with her King Saul, against the Philistines and their giants. A small Hebrew boy is the only one brave enough to face their enemy. The commentator asks, "How far will your God go, David?" David answers,"Just watch Him," and fells the nine foot Goliath with a single stone.

Scene Five (1 Kings 18) - The people of Israel are assembled on Mount Carmel. They have come to watch a performance, and they won't be disappointed. The prophet has given the challenge to the prophets of Baal - "Call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord." The commentator asks, "How far will your God go, Elijah?" Elijah answers, "Just watch Him," then gives the order for buckets of water to be poured over the sacrifice and the altar, enough to fill a trench around it. When the site is soaked, Elijah prays, and "the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench." (v.38)

Scene Seven (Luke 23) - Once more the Hebrews are massed to watch a spectacle. They jeer and spit at one of their own, while the Roman execution is carried out. The commentator climbs a rough ladder leaning against the cross to get the microphone close enough to the victim's lips."How far will your Father go, Jesus?" The man's agony is apparent as He groans, "Just watch me."