What have you done for me lately?

Yesterday, our pastor and family were on vacation and so we had a "prayer & share" type service. I am usually asked to organize the group and sometimes I even try to tie it all together for a bible lesson. This week's Bible readings were: Exodus 32:1-14, Psalm 106, Philippians 4:1-9. I admit I struggled with a way tie the story of the golden calf in Exodus and Paul's closing letter to the Philippians. Prayed a little and this poem came to be:

What Have You Done for Me Lately?

Moses went up on the mountain
To have a little talk with the Lord
The people started to get antsy,
They were grouchy, impatient and bored
Now it was just a while back they'd fled Egypt
Watched Pharoh defeated quite greatly
But there at the base of the mountain,
They asked "What have You done for me lately?"

Then one day when they were hungry
Afraid that they surely would die,
They cried out to God, He sent Manna
Do you suppose they were hoping for pie?
'Cause soon enough they were unhappy,
Their whining angered the good Lord greatly
With mouthfuls of the food of the angels,
They asked, "What have You done for me lately?"

Paul wrote a letter to the Phillipians,
To acknowledge their hard work and love.
Ministering, teaching, and praising.
Sharing the Good News from above.
The group had once worked together,
But there was one thing that troubled Paul greatly,
Two angry women who couldn't let it go
Asking, "What have You done for me lately?"

You know there are times in our own lives
When things just aren't going our way.
We start with the best of intentions
But our world is just gloomy and gray.
It's in those moments we should remember,
How the Lord has blessed us so greatly.
Think on what's good and just praise him
Not ask, "What have you done for me lately?"

Carrie Oehler
10/5/14