God's Special Possession

Lately, I have been "Little Miss Traveler". Two weekends ago, I was in Singapore & Hong Kong. Last weekend, I was in Pingtung, Taiwan {South Taiwan}. I unpacked only to repack again. 

We were required to attend a TESOL retreat in Pingtung. But lately I have been feeling empty. Honestly, I felt so tired that I was rooting for a weekend at the dorm rather than going on another trip. We weren't even sure if we were going to make it. All the flights from Kinmen to Taiwan were fully booked. We had to wait on stand-by for 7 hours at the airport. 

As the last flight to Taiwan was taking off & we were ready to go home, the flight attendant yelled out, "There are 5 seats!" {There's 6 of us}. We were deciding who would stay, when she yelled out again, "There's 1 more seat!" I guess we were all going! 

The way we began this trip shows me just how God had everything under control. He knew that I needed to be filled up again. He knew I need to be reminded of His faithfulness. He wanted us to go to this retreat. 

For one of the sessions, we were given time for quiet time alone. God directed me to Exodus 34. A conversation between God & Moses. I separated this story into categories. This is what I needed to be reminded of:

The Lord is{vs.6}:

• The God of compassion
• The God of mercy
• He is slow to anger
• He is filled with unfailing love {never stops}
• He is filled with unfailing faithfulness
• He forgives our iniquities, our sins, & our rebellion
• He is a Jealous God. His name is Jealous. He is jealous about His relationship with me {vs. 14} 

Moses' petitions {...and my prayer}:

• "Please, forgive our iniquity and our sins"
• "Please, travel with us"
• "Claim us as your own special possession"

The Lord promises:

• ...that He has made a covenant with us
• ...that He will perform miracles that the world has never seen
• ... that all the people around us will see the power of the Lord
• ...He will display His power for us

God commands:

• ...us to listen to His commands
• ...be careful not to make a treaty with the people of the world {for if we do, we will follow their evil ways and be trapped}
• ...we must worship NO other gods {that could also apply to the things that brings us pleasure & consumes most of our time}
• ...we must bring the very best for the Lord
• ...we must always have something to offer our God {vs.20}

Moses spent 40 days in God's presence & the result was a radiant countenance. His face was so bright, that the people couldn't look at Him. When we spend time in God's presence, our countenance will also be radiant. People will know that we are different. 

I want to finish with a quote from a friend, Camellia Chan:

"It is better to be burnt out for God than never been lit at all."

God knew why we needed to be in Pingtung this weekend. God is so wise.