Well, our Thanksgiving celebration time is over - sort of. We are done with the feasting - almost. There is only immediate family at our house as all the friends and extended family are gone now. Am I still thankful even in the middle of my mundane tasks of cleaning up after everything and catching up on important things? I sure am. I am still thankful for:

Our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, and His great love and mercy towards me. He is with me even in the mundane.

My health and the health of those I love. Even those in bad health - I am thankful they are still here with us and have another chance at salvation or healing.

My family is still all here under my roof. None have moved on or moved away. We are still all here together - and I know this time will go quickly. So, yes, there is a lot more to do with a lot of us living under one roof, but there is also lots of joy, and for that I am thankful.

I am thankful for dirty dishes. This means we live in an abundance of food and provision.

I am thankful for being able to communicate freely. Who knows how much longer we will be able to.

I am thankful for God's Word, His creation, His Son, and His church - even after Thanksgiving.

I am thankful that even in the daily tasks that don't seem exciting, He is always desiring my company, and that makes every detail of life more fully alive.

I am thankful that God has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3)

I am thankful for the blessing of children and being able to watch them grow and learn and discover new things everyday.

And - I am thankful for you! So many of you have encouraged me with kind words, prayer and godly wisdom.

There is still so much to be thankful for - are you still thankful? I hope so. And, if you're a little down after the holiday excitement (or maybe even disaster) remember that Jesus is praying for you. At His right hand are joys evermore. He desires that you would get close to Him again and experience His joy and peace. Don't allow temporary disappointments or depression to blind you from the great things God has in store for those who love Him.  Love Him deeply and watch Him work in and through you - even after Thanksgiving. :)

Deborah

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Thought I'd copy here what I wrote for the Home Where They Belong blog site this week.

Am I a Saint or am I Insane?

I normally receive one of two extreme responses when folks find out I am homeschooling my children. They either think I am a saint, or they think I am insane (maybe not using those exact words, but their attitudes and facial expressions reveal their amazement either way.)

Let's look at the first reaction for a moment. The grand response of , "You are lifted up in my eyes and must be on a whole different level to be able to raise all these children AND homeschool them on top of it - you must be a saint!!" Well, in reality, they are right. We are all called saints if we are called children of God. However, we are all on the same level before Him - one of humility before HIS greatness - not ours. And I think that all of us homeschoolers would be quick to say that, but for the grace of God, we would not be doing what we are doing. And that we are nothing and can do nothing without Him. So, really, HE is the One to be lifted up, and not we ourselves. We must always point back to Him and say, "God is good, not me." And yet, even knowing our lack of goodness (as there is none good, no not one) God calls us saints before Him - even 95 times in the KJV! Here is one of those 95 that proclaim just Who is the One to be not only "looked up to" but to be humbly, fervently, worshipped:

"And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." Rev. 15:3

Now the opposite extreme response is to assume we are insane! Don't you love those looks of disdain and condescension? Those voices saying. "how could you, why would you, don't you care, don't you worry, aren't you afraid, I would be crazy to attempt it." seem to ring throughout your being trying to shake your conviction. But praise be to God, when we stand strong in our calling and convictions, the Lord takes up our offense. Let's think about that word, "insanity." A current humorous definition, which I'm sure you've heard is this: "Continuing to do the same thing over and over and expecting different results." If that is true, then that is exactly what the government is doing by continuing to pour billions of dollars into a failing public education system and expecting different results. Oh but wait, the results have changed, and current research states that things are getting worse than ever before.

Insane. I kind of like that word. It really means "not in one's right mind. Utterly senseless or foolish." Now, why would I like such a word? Well, biblically speaking, God has made the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. While some look at homeschooling as foolish, God raises up children of excellence in character who are growing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Man's wisdom is really utterly senseless in the eyes of God. To not be in one's right mind can also be a good place as we seek to exchange our thoughts and feeble wisdom in order to know the mind of Christ and operate under His thoughts and wisdom. Totally foreign thinking to the world, but life changing to the believer. 

"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain." 1 Corinthians 3:18-20

"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:16

So, the next time someone thinks you are a saint or that you are insane, let them know that you are BOTH, and be sure to let them know that you will continue to keep those children Home Where They Belong.

Deborah Wuehler

Senior Editor, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
senioreditor@thehomeschoolmagazine.com

P.S. Don't forget to enter the awesome contest here on the Porch!

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I keep running into people and getting emails asking how little Hope is doing.

Those who read my monthly Devotional Enewsletter through The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, know that we have been praying for Hope who had a lot of head pain for about a year (she is only two years old). Every day or so she would hold her right temple and say, "eye hurt" whenever she lay down or got up from a lying position. Changing her diaper or playing on the floor caused the same result.

She had a CT-scan and we were all praying. Well, not only did the scan come back perfectly clear, she has not once held her head or said her eye hurts since that time. NOT ONCE!!! Richard and I are amazed. We are amazed at His hand on her life. We have said since birth that we put our "Hope" in God. and in Him she stays.

The doctors have made an appointment with a Pediatric Opthamologist. We have yet to go to that appointment. We will let you know the outcome of that as well.

To be honest, I have been questioning just why God chose to heal my baby and not other people's children. I came to this conclusion: God is Sovereign and can see eternity before Him. The past, the present, the future. I only see earth and my little blip of time on it.  He sees it all and knows the future. And, everything He does is good, is for our good, and for His glory. I can confidently say that I have known Him in my own suffering times, and I know that He remains Good no matter what else around me is bad in my limited view.


I was watching the movie of "John" recently and saw the disciples questioning Jesus as to why this man was born blind. Was it his own sin or the sin of his parents that he was born blind? Jesus answered that it was neither his own sin, nor the sin of his parents, but that the Son of Man might be glorified.

If you are questioning why bad stuff happens to good mommies, His answer might be that the Son of Man might be glorified through it .  Glorified in your life, in the life of the sufferer, in the life of the grieving. And if He is glorified, and if He is lifted up, He will draw all men unto Him. Perhaps there will be more for the Kingdom through it.

I don't want this to be a glib answer to those in the midst of extreme grief and suffering. I want you to know that I really pray for those who suffer, that God will bring comfort and strength.

Did my daughter's prognosis turn out okay this time? Yes, it did. Will it always be so? Only God knows and I will trust Him today and for her future. I want you to know that He is trustworthy.

"Those who know Your Name will put their trust in You, Lord, for You have never forsaken them that seek You." Psalm 9:10

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·       When Where and How God Speaks To Us

When God speaks:

God is ever speaking to us. God reveals Himself to us all the time if we are willing to receive from Him all the time. Time is really not an issue. He pursues us in order to have relationship with us. Jeremiah 31:3 says that God loves us with an everlasting love, and with lovingkindness He draws us to Himself. He draws us into relationship with Him. There is no relationship without communication. To say you love your own children, yet never spend time talking to them, would be to lie. You speak to your children because they are yours and you love them. You want to impart to them everything they need for life and godliness. Can you talk to your children when they are preoccupied with something else? Not really. They don't really hear you unless you ahve their attention. That is God's desire for you as well. Yet, we are so often preoccupied with something else that we don't listen. God is speaking to us every day, all the time, if we will but stop and listen.

What we can do is practice keeping our eyes, ears, hearts and minds open to God's voice throughout the day. Just making a conscious effort to keep our minds fixed on Him for a length of time. Walking around the house, taking care of business, schooling, all the while keeping that heart converstaion going with the Lord. Keeping that relationship open and active every minute of the day, and not just before meals and bedtime. Meals and bedtime do not allow time for relationship. A continual relationship - knowing that you are truly together and like-minded all day - is the key to developing a strong relationship with the Lord.

Jesus speaks to God: 

Do you realize that the Bible says that Jesus ever lives to interceed for you? What an awesome thought. That the Savior of my soul, the lover of my soul, the Advocate before the Mighty Judge, is standing before His Father's throne praying for ME! Jesus told Peter that satan wanted to sift him like wheat, but that He would be praying for Him. Jesus is praying for you. If we are to be like Him, shouldn't we be coming to our Father in prayer as well? Shouldn't we be interceeding with Him for our husband and children? For those whom God put directly in our circle of life?

Just as He has always desired to speak to His people, God never changes. He still desires to speak. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice." He opens our hearts and minds through His Word to speak His will and purposes and direction.

Where God speaks:

God wants communion with us whenever and wherever possible. To know that God is with you wherever you are is an awesome thought in itself. To know He will speak to you wherever you are is just as great. To know that He is close in proximity to you is neat, but to know that you are actually in Him is even greater. To be in Him is much closer than to just have Him added to whatever you are doing. To live and move and have your being in Him is to be so close that you are doing what He is moving you to do. What you are saying is what He is moving you to speak. What you are is Who He is through you. That is the relationship He desires. In John 17, Jesus prayed that we would be one as He and the Father are one. That's pretty close - becoming one. Too many christians are defeated and depressed and unsure of how to live because God is just a part of their life and not their Life. He is added to whatever they do, not the Cause of whatever they do. They are just a speaking to an entity up in a temple in the sky somewhere, not realizing His close proximity - that they are in Him and that He dwells within their temple.

How God speaks:

It was in 6^th or 7^th grade I remember that I would pray and pray but not ‘hear’ anything back.  I wanted God to speak to me audibly.  As my heart was crying out to God about this, I was prompted to open my Bible.  What I opened up to was this verse which was a direct answer and sounded loud and clear to my young ears:  John 10:27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  He actually spoke right to me through His Word and told me what my heart was longing to know – I could hear God!  From then on, I found the Word of God to be my comfort, my counsel and my companion.

Let's look at two of the words from that verse in John in the greek (don't be frightened of greek - it's just like looking in a dictionary) :

Hear:

akouo  ak-oo'-o

 a primary verb; to hear (in various senses):--give (in the) audience

 (of), come (to the ears), (shall) hear(-er, -ken), be noised, be

 reported, understand.

Know:

ginosko  ghin-oce'-ko

 a prolonged form of a primary verb; to "know" (absolutely) in a great

 variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with

 others not thus clearly expressed):--allow, be aware (of), feel,

 (have) know(-ledge), perceived, be resolved, can speak, be sure,

 understand.

So from the greek meanings, when that verse says we "hear" Him, it says that we can hear in various senses and understand what He is saying. We can "hear" Him through His written word.

To "know" Him according to the greek means to be aware of Him and perceive Him and understand Him. That is exactly what we need in every area of our lives, isn't it?

1 Peter tells us that "we have been given everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him..." Is there something you feel you need for life or something you need for godliness? The answer lies in knowing Him! The verse in John, spoken by Jesus said we are His sheep and we can hear Him and know Him!

To know Him is to dig into His Word and find out Who He is. Who is this God you say you serve? Who is this God that dwells within you? Who is this God you are to be like? Who is this God you want others to know? Dig in and find out Who He is. From Genesis to Revelation, He is revealed. I guarantee that when you "get into the Word, the Word will get into you."

Let’s not forget the glimpse of God we see in prayer, and as we go through the day, let’s keep a picture of Him in our minds eye. When He speaks to you something (after you search for Him in His Word), meditate on it throughout the day.  For example, if you read Proverbs where it says that He refines us like He refines silver, then go throughout the day asking God to refine you. Ask Him to show you areas you need refining. Ask Him to show you what is happening throughout the day that will allow you to be refined. Look at your children with the idea of finding areas they need refining. Look at the Refiner. Ask Him to show you all the junk that is falling off in order to make you brilliantly shiny for Him. Keep your heart always open to Him. Never cut Him off or turn from Him. Make it your goal to be, like Abraham, "a friend of God." Your life will change.


Keep the conversation going throughout the day, as He desires and we desire a continual relationship. That's what prayer really is.

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Wow. I haven't posted in quite awhile. That must mean I am busy mothering, teaching, and doing God's bidding elsewhere. At least, I hope and pray that is what is happening :) Thank you all for your patience with this busy mom. I wrote about busyness in this month's TOS Devotional e-Newsletter

I want to share with you a study I did on prayer back in 2001 for a women's retreat. I just found it and it really blessed me again. First, I will give you the outline we will go over, and as time permits, I will fill in the blanks for you, adding fresh insight I've gained in the six years since.

I will start today with the outline, and then fill in point one for you.  Here goes:

PRAYER – A CONTINUAL RELATIONSHIP

·        When Where and How We Speak to God

a.                 When

b.                  Where

c.                   How

 ·        When Where and How God Speaks To Us

a.                 When

b.                  Where

c.                   How

 ·        His Response When We Come

·        Our Response When He Comes

·        When We Reveal Ourselves to Him We Are Found Wanting

·        When He Reveals Himself to Us We Find He Is All We Need

·        His Response When He Hears Us

·        Our Response When We Hear Him

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 Spiritual vs. Physical

 "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6

The very opposite of that verse in Matthew is that those who do not hunger and thirst for righteousness will be left empty (or wanting). Emptiness leads to a craving or a hunger for something to fill the void.  And as humans, we tend not to hunger and thirst for righteousness, but for something more tangible to fill the void. Therein is the dilemma:  we try to fill our spiritual void with physical things. Let me give you some examples of what that might look like in the life of a homeschool mom.

Maybe you’ve been missing your devotion time in the Word for awhile, and you feel empty.  You don’t associate that empty feeling with the lack of time in the Word, you just think you need to get some fellowship with others, or, if that isn’t possible that day, maybe a shopping trip will do the trick, or perhaps just that special coffee drink and a foot bath.  Sounds good, doesn’t it?  The only problem is you will be empty again tomorrow because you didn’t get to the source of the emptiness.

You lack energy in your relationship with the Lord; you miss that once close, fervent relationship with God and are left wanting. But you think it is physical and that you have lost energy as a teacher and mother and need a fresh hobby or new and improved curriculum to get you energized again.  There may be some new energy with the implementation of these things, but it will be short lived if the spiritual source of the problem is not addressed.  You try different things, only to end up in the same depressed cycle of craving something else to make it right. What you really need is fresh oil in the lamp of your soul so that the dross of self-desire can be burned away and the desire for closeness with your Heavenly father can be rekindled.

 What Drives Us

 What we crave, desire or “hunger and thirst” for is what drives us and is what we are driven to. Are you driven to staying on track with your daily agenda? Do you “have to have” complete organization? What about those math and grammar obstacles – do they lead to complete frustration in you?  Maybe you are driven to perfection only to be disappointed on a regular basis.  If these things are what we hunger for, then these are what we are driven to become or make happen. This driving sense of  having to “make it happen” (whatever the “it” is) will only cause agitation and frustration and our soul will find no satisfaction or fulfillment even if we get what we want.  Why?  Because our souls will still be left unsatisfied.  The only thing that will bring true relief and fulfillment is the hungering and thirsting after God Himself and nothing else.

 “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.  My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”  Your face, LORD, I will seek.”  Psalm 27:4, 8 

 We spend so much of our time and labor elsewhere – concentrating on where we dwell rather than on where He dwells.  We need to make it our life purpose and the primary purpose of our little schoolhouses to seek the Lord first and foremost.

 “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.  Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. … Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” Psalm 84:2, 3, 10

  If we are seeking Him first and foremost and are hungering for His fellowship, we will then be driven to seek His agenda rather than our own. He will be faithful to direct our path towards His agenda for us. And we may be surprised at where that path actually leads.  Perhaps His agenda has more to do with you blessing your husband than with your own plans of having your husband more involved in the schooling.  Or maybe His agenda has more to do with you really loving your children by treating them kindly and disciplining them consistently rather than your agenda of having them make the grade or get all the spelling words correct.  Perhaps His agenda will lead your little school on the path of finding out more about His Character rather than your agenda of finding that new and improved history curriculum.

 Get Yoked Up

 There’s nothing wrong with needing a rest or needing more organization or a new approach to schooling.  We all will need these things sooner or later. The fault lies in what priority that thing is taking in our lives and in who is at the controls. As women, we naturally want to be in control of everyone and everything around us. But we soon find that not everyone and everything is cooperative with our plans. We become burdened with a yoke that is too heavy for us. However, the Lord’s yoke is easy and His burden is light.  If we are finding that our yoke is increasingly difficult and our burden is definitely not light, then it is just that – OUR yoke and not His. Get yoked back up with Him and follow His leading in the work that lay ahead of you.  His path will lead to peace if we would let go of the controls and follow His lead. Our path, which seems so right, will only lead to destruction.  How do we do this? We need to train our ears to hear His voice speaking to our hearts through His word and through prayer.

We Will Fail

“Whom have I in heaven but Thee?  And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.  My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  Psalm 73:25, 26 

 Even in the midst of our seeking God, we sometimes feel like all has failed. And especially in this homeschooling endeavor, where much is required of us, our flesh and our heart will fail, and has failed - that is a fact.  However, the next two words in the verse say it all, “but God!” But God is the strength of my heart (all that my heart needs.) But God is my portion (all that my flesh needs) forever!  And there is no failure in Him, there is only victory.

 In our efforts to seek God and His Righteousness, there comes a greater awareness of our total lack of righteousness.  This is turn creates a craving for true righteousness which can only be found in Jesus Christ.  There is no one righteous, not one.  Over the years, we can pride ourselves in so many things through the different seasons: How well we discipline our children, or how tolerant we are.  How we submit to our husband, or how we have him in submission.  How good our kids are doing in school, or how unschooled they are.  All of this is filthy rags and it stinks.  What we may consider is right or good is sometimes detestable.  We are to hunger to know what is righteous to God.  To put it succinctly, only Jesus is righteous to God.  Therefore, as we come to a fuller understanding of Who Jesus is, we will find out what pleases God.

 Hunger and Thirst Quenched

 Consider these verses relating to what we are to hunger and thirst for and how they are quenched:

  Jesus is the Bread from Heaven which satisfies hunger:

 “In their hunger, you gave them bread from heaven.” Nehemiah 9:15 

 We can feel pursued by enemies, or crushed, or dried up, or out of breath – but following the Spirit’s leading is what quenches this thirst:

 “The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.  So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.  I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.  I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah.  Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails… may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143:3-7, 10

 Meeting with God quenches our thirst: 

 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1, 2   

 We are to crave the nourishment of the Word in order to experience spiritual growth:

 “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”  1 Peter 2:2

 Our knowledge of Him gives us everything we need for life:

 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”   II Peter 1:3

 The Greek word for ‘filled’ is to satisfy or gorge - this speaks of abundance:

 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” Isaiah 55:1

 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.  Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 7:37…

 We crave after and are driven toward many things.  We devote our minutes, our hours, our days and therefore our lives to what we desire.  May we begin to devote our lives and our homeschools to be close to Him and may we begin this very day.

 “Who is he who will devote himself to be close to me? declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 30:21

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THANKSGIVING: CELEBRATING DIVINE GOODNESS

We cannot go through the month of November without thinking, “I have so much to be thankful for!” But, instead of thinking the same old thanksgiving thoughts, I want to encourage you to look at Thanksgiving in a slightly different way this year.

Noah Webster was a man who knew his own history. In his 1828 dictionary, he defines Thanksgiving as: “The act of rendering thanks or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies. 2. A public celebration of divine goodness; also a day set aside for religious services, specially to acknowledge the goodness of God, either in any remarkable deliverance from calamities or danger, or in the ordinary dispensation of his bounties.”

A celebration of divine goodness and remarkable deliverance. These were probably at the root of the feelings of gratitude in the pilgrims. I believe they were more than simply thankful for their families, friends and their feast. I believe it touched those things but also went much deeper than that. I believe they were thankful for the God of their feast. Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it. Of course they were thankful for their God – aren’t we all? But just how are we thankful for our God today? I would guess that most of our thankfulness has to do with His provision and not necessarily His Person. The pilgrims knew that His provision was because of His character.

From my historical readings, the first Pilgrims knew their God! They knew Him to not only be a Provider, but a God of Mercy; their Creator; Redeemer; Life-giver; Deliverer; Rescuer. They knew Him to be all these things and were filled with Thanksgiving that He would even acknowledge mortal men!

How about us? Do we know Him in this way? At this time of year especially, we tend to give thanks for what God does for us, more than for who He is.

So, my recommendation is not to simply celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday – but celebrate the God behind the holiday and give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

Here is a great thing to do with your family before Thanksgiving. Read Psalm 136 with your family and verse by verse write down things about Him on little slips of paper. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, pass out the slips to friends and family and read what you have all written as reasons for giving thanks. I have listed below some things to think about and write down as a reminder of Who God is and why we can be thankful for Him.

Psalm 136

1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

One of the main reasons we can give thanks to the Lord is because He is good. In describing the character of God, we can say, God is good. Exodus 34:6 says He is abundant in goodness. Goodness defines Who He is. Have the children write how God is good and how He has been good to them.

According to every verse in this Psalm, we can see that God is good because His mercy endures forever. Talk about His mercy. What is mercy? How does God show mercy? Write down how He has shown mercy to you personally.

Go through each remaining verses of the Psalm in the same manner writing your findings on the little slips of paper.

2 Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. (He is the One True God. Why are we thankful for this?)

3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever: (He is the Lord of lords. Talk about how He is ruler over all kings and governments)

4 To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever; (He does great wonders. Have children name some of the great wonders in their own lives)

5, 6 To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, For His mercy endures forever; (God is wise. God created the heavens and the earth. Talk about why it is important to know that a good, wise God created all things. Talk about the false god of evolution.)

7, 8, 9 To Him who made great lights, For His mercy endures forever; The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endures forever; The moon and stars to rule by night, For His mercy endures forever. (He cares for us and provided light in the darkness. Talk about how Jesus is the light that came down from heaven to bring light to our darkness.)

10,11 To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, For His mercy endures forever; And brought out Israel from among them, For His mercy endures forever; (Talk about the greatness of God in delivering His children from the wickedness of Egypt. Talk about how the children of Israel were saved from death by the blood of the lamb over their doorposts. Tell how Jesus is the lamb that was slain to deliver us from death and bring us eternal life. Don’t forget to write these things on the slips of paper.)

12 With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, For His mercy endures forever; (God is strong. Talk about the arm of God. Why is His strong arm important in our own life?)

13, 14, 15 To Him who divided the Red Sea in two, For His mercy endures forever; And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His mercy endures forever; But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His mercy endures forever; (Talk about God’s miraculous deeds. Talk about how God not only delivers His children, but also defeats their enemies. Write down why you are thankful for this.)

16 To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His mercy endures forever; (Talk about how God provided a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night as He led them. Talk about how God provided for all their needs in the wilderness. How does God lead you? How does He provide for you? Write it down.)

17, 18,19, 20 To Him who struck down great kings, For His mercy endures forever; And slew famous kings, For His mercy endures forever— Sihon king of the Amorites, For His mercy endures forever; And Og king of Bashan, For His mercy endures forever (Talk about God’s sovereignty in placing kings and replacing kings according to His plan. How does this show His mercy?)