"When you come into the land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, and have taken possession of it, and live in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the LORD your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place which the LORD your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there. And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, 'I declare this day to the LORD your God that I have come into the land which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.' Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God. "And you shall make response before the LORD your God, 'A wandering Aramean was my father; and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. Then we cried to the LORD the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which thou, O LORD, hast given me.' And you shall set it down before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God; and you shall rejoice in all the good which the LORD your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you. (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)
No one likes to wander lost in the wilderness for very long. One can choose to hike in the wilderness for a spell, but there are limits to how long you want to be there. The same is true for our wandering lost in sin. There is no way out on our own, it takes God hearing and answering our prayers to lead us out of the wilderness of sin into the light and freedom of the new life found in Him.
This passage is a remembrance and thanksgiving one, reminding the Israelites that after forty years in the wilderness, the time was coming when they would rejoice and be thankful that God heard their prayers and allowed them to finally be free. In the same way, God has heard and answered our prayers and led us out of our sinful lives into ones that contribute to the work and ministry of God's Kingdom.
Remember to give thanks to God for having answered your prayers and for leading you to a better life today.
PRAYER: Lord, receive my thanks and praise for having led me here away from the sin and destruction of my previous life, to the one You guided me to. Bless those still on the journey to You, help them find You and Your love. This I pray in Your name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
