Exodus 25-27; Psalm 90; Philippians 1

By Becky Martin

 What if people hadn’t followed the assembly instructions when they made God’s Tabernacle and the Ark – all the things listed in Exodus 25-27? What if they cut corners and used cheaper materials to save time and money? There might have been a lot more face-melting than Spielberg imagined in the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” movie. God gave His people precise directions, so He could be near them and they could be safe in His presence.

Assembly instructions – do you scour them for every little detail before you get the shelves out of the box? Or do they end up buried under the peanuts and bubble wrap, along with 3 screws and some weird u-shaped piece you were looking for until you decided the shelves were OK without them?

“Destructions” are my last resort. They’re for AFTER I’ve messed up something. I’m too busy checking the next box off my to-do list. That’s a problem. The list does end, eventually. And instructions – especially the ones from God, are meant to save us from a disaster much worse than setting books and knick-knacks on shelves made with missing parts.

PRAYER: Lord, the next time I think I’m the SME and the instructions in your “Manual” are merely suggestions, help me remember that You have an intricate plan for my life. Following Your instructions makes it so that when I check that final box off my list, Yours will be the first face I see.