Reader.

I am so excited to start Born for Deliverance: the Women of Exodus next week; hybrid via Zoom and in the Living Room.

Just like with studies before, I feel like the image below. I'm in that little yellow boat on the surface, looking at the tip of the iceberg. I'm excited knowing there is so much to explore beneath the surface. And it’s going to be so beautiful!

I do these studies in "real time," directed by what God leads me to and what I discover as I study. So as of right now, that tip of the iceberg is just how I’ve thought about these women up until today. The midwives, the mother of Moses, and many more... all amazing.

But under sea level? We will find out there is so much more; and it's incredible. Truly, God's word is so amazing.

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For those who were with me last year for "Women of Wisdom", you know what I’m talking about. Once we started, we began to see wisdom everywhere in Scripture. Even finishing the year differently than I had anticipated. We ended with the Wise Woman of Tekoa (2 Samuel 14) and the Wise Woman of Abel Beth Maacah (2 Samuel 20), women we didn’t even know about at the beginning of the year.

If you are new to this community, this is the perfect place to jump in.

And don’t panic! I know you want deep, well-researched content, but you don't have the hours in the day to hunt for it yourself. That is why I never assign homework. My role is to do the digging so you can simply show up ready to learn!

I’m already finding women in surprising places. Just last night I wondered: were any of the gods of Egypt actually goddesses?

Turns out, yes!!!

See, nine of the ten plagues were not just to set the Israelites free. They weren't intended to "wear down" Pharaoh. (Actually, that had the opposite effect. Pharaoh’s heart was never softened.)

Rather, with each plague, God was sending a message to Egypt. He was taking on their false Egyptian deities one by one, demonstrating His sovereignty.

And they weren’t just gods; some were goddesses.

So, one of our sessions will be exploring these goddesses. Like Heqet. In ancient Egyptian mythology, Heqet was the goddess of regeneration and fertility, often depicted as a woman with a frog's head. When God sent the frogs, He was speaking directly to that belief.

What has also been beautiful this year is seeing the Exodus story surfacing throughout the Bible. For example, while I had known there were references to Exodus throughout the Psalms, they seem to be popping up in my personal devotions on repeat. Lectio 365 highlighted Psalm 77 this morning, a Psalm from Asaph who "cried earnestly in the night from his troubled spirit... [and] found comfort in meditating on God’s mighty deliverance at the Exodus."

We begin one week from tonight for a year-long look at the women in Exodus alongside the deliverance by the mighty hand of God.

Our first session will be a sweeping overview of the book of Exodus AND a revisiting of the purpose God formed us for: ezer. Not merely "helper" or "helpmeet" as your Bible often translates it, but more accurately: "Delivering Ally."

I’ll leave you with this prayer from Lectio 365:

Father, deliverer of your people, free me today from all that has bound me. Lord Jesus, lead me and guide me on your life-giving way. Holy Spirit, empower and strengthen me for all that lies ahead. I put my trust in you.

$110.00 Born for Deliverance: Women of Exodus Last year, as we studied Women of Wisdom, a friend sent me The Bible Project episode 7 Powerful Women in the Bible Who... Read more Save My Seat!

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