Skip to main content

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL: Journey to Plenty

                                                                                               04 February, 2017

 “He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." Deut 8:15-17

Your history may be filled with pain and tears. Years you questioned if God exists. Why do we go through tough situations? It is true we do not always know what God is doing, sometimes he doesn’t tell us what he is up to. Sometimes he does, but it doesn’t stop us from panicking. There is a great lesson to be learned from the Israelite's journey across the wilderness.

The dangerous journey of the Israelites across the wilderness had a purpose. After God’s miraculous salvation men, women and children had to cross the red sea, walk through a wilderness filled with very poisonous snakes, with no food, no shelter and no water. They had been rescued from the Egyptians but not settled. They were going to be a nation with a unique Identity in a land flowing with milk and honey. Their independence from Egypt was almost instantaneous but their journey to nationhood took a process of marching across a rough terrain.

The wilderness is an example of challenges and scarcity while Canaan represents fulfilment of God’s promises and abundance. God leads us through the wilderness so it can be evidently known, the void he fills in our lives. The Israelites couldn’t buy anything with their gold and silver in the wilderness, their precious jewels were completely useless to their survival.  Perhaps, rich people sometimes feel that way. However, God protected them from the snakes, gave Manna for their food, a cloud for shelter against the heat and water for their thirst to teach them (and us) just three lessons. First, our faith and trust in God is only as real as the challenges we have weathered. Second, humility only becomes a virtue when we see how helpless we are without God. Third, our hearts are exposed to see what lodges in it when we face challenges.


Challenges create needs in our lives only God can fill. When you are going through challenges a destination lies ahead. The road might be exhausting but God is never weary. Finally, when you get to the land of your plenty, remember the One who carried you through the wilderness, never forget none of what you enjoy would be possible without Him.

“But he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:13-14

One Week Reading Plan

TODAY                 Deuteronomy 8:15-18
SUNDAY               2 Corinthians 6:3-10
MONDAY             Isaiah 43:1-5
TUESDAY            2 Corinthians 4:16-18
WEDNESDAY     Psalm 126:1-6
THURSDAY         Mark 10:24-27

FRIDAY                Psalm 121:5-8

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

STORY: A DIARY OF TWO STRANGERS CHAPTER 2

... I turned my back on her exiting the scene, she had first grabbed at her chest, seeming to rip out her heart but grabbed her stomach rather, as if to bring a child out of it, like an evidence to refute my last words. She went down on the floor with a howling cry. I could care less if she wept... I banged the door so loud, the neighbours should have jumped out of bed… but they didn’t ... T hinking about it in this lonely park, I resented this night, “why did I have to come home tonight?” I said out loud.
Post a Comment
Read more

HEAVEN KNOCKING HANDS

Heaven reaches out Knocking roofs & Tar Heaven seeking us Crying out heavy drops Scattered hands drumming loud Every house, every Lot Bells of drumming tears A hundred miles within reach Heavens bid a cold return It reaches to mend the torn Separation cast men gone Heaven longs to seek the lost Elderly, woman, man flee its call It seeks to wash the blood, hatred Street down its core The sweat, cleansing all our sores It brings relief, wind and wet Travelled distance heart resolved With simple message kids  rejoice Drilling life, pounding crust We hear the sail flowing round We know His love we'd seen the cross Caged denial we refuse its thrust Heaven spits the body clean The heart, mind within a sheath The voice we hear, listen you hear Hard knocks knocking roofs out loud Return you vile and gone afar I bid a welcome return Heaven knocking hands reaching Drizzling tears seeking us Greed gripped goons within ...
Post a Comment
Read more