Counted With the Stars (Out From Egypt, #1)

by Connilyn Cossette

Shira’s stories, of her people and her God, were like wild honey. They had the curious effect of making me hunger for more, and I did not want to wait long for another taste.

“Perhaps Adonai chose Mosheh to show us all this is not about Mosheh, but about Yahweh.”

My understanding of creation was so drastically different—so many gods took credit for building the world and certainly none had done so to bring delight to mankind. I had never heard of a god wanting to have fellowship with men, to cherish them like children. As if he were an adoring father.

All my life, I had been told that animals must be sacrificed to appease the gods, to please them and coerce them to answer our prayers. But this god called Elohim, or Yahweh as I now knew him, asked for sacrifice not to please himself or to be appeased, but as a gift to his people, to cover their sins.

“Yahweh is a master craftsman after all.”

The God who parted the sea could surely mend the rift in my heart.

“I’m stealing Kiya, Sister. Are you finished with her?” Shira lifted an eyebrow, pursed her full lips, and folded her arms. “Well, there are a couple more pots to clean . . .” “Hmm . . . I’m sorry to hear that.” He pulled me by the hand with a mocking grin, and Shira’s musical laugh floated behind us as he led me outside the reach of the firelight.

Yahweh is the creator of all that there is. He is the most real thing, the only eternal thing. Our hearts will stop beating, our eyes will close, the mountains may someday crumble, the trees will wither away, but Yahweh will always be.”