He spoke the world into existence. Plants and animals
appeared at His command. He created man in His own image. Man chose to disobey his
Creator. But God made a way for fellowship to be restored. A sinless sacrifice
was required. Only Jesus Christ could pay the price. He, "...made himself
of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians
2:7-8; KJV). Amazing love!
Over and over, throughout the Bible, God demonstrates His
power and love. Only an all-powerful God could deliver the Israelites from the
Egyptian ruler, Pharaoh. The children of Israel had been slaves to the
Egyptians for four hundred, long years. Using His servant Moses, God freed the
people and brought them to the banks of the Red Sea. All seemed hopeless, until
the mighty hand of God, "...caused the sea to go back by a strong east
wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground:
and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left"
(Exodus 14:21b-22). God cared for His people
.
Remember the walls of Jericho? Only a mighty God could cause
the walls of a fortified city to fall down flat, using only trumpets and the
shouts of people. An amazing feat? Not so much, when you consider an amazing
God who is, "long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9b). Before
Jericho's walls came tumbling down, one of the cities' residents and her family
was rescued: Rahab, her dad, mom, and brethren. Rahab had chosen to believe in
the God of the Israelites to the saving of her family. She was convinced of
God's love and experienced His provision.
I'm sure the orphan, Esther, never dreamt of being in a
beauty pageant, let alone being chosen as the queen of Persia. When she
realized the role for which she had been chosen by God, she saw His mighty hand
at work. In spite of King Ahasuerus' edict that called for the execution of all
the Jews on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, Esther approached
him, risking her life to beg for the life of her people. It wasn't that easy,
though. You see, what was put into law by the King, could not be revoked under
any circumstances. But the King of Kings triumphed. King Ahasuerus issued a
decree that the Jews would be able to defend themselves on Adar 13th. God's
plan prevailed and as a result, "many of
the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon
them" (Esther 8:17).
What are you facing today? Remember that the God of the
universe is all-powerful. Whatever you think He's capable of, He's capable of
more! His love for you is vast and beyond measure. "For I am persuaded,
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor
things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). Praise Him today, for His amazing love!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the all-powerful
God who loves me. No matter the challenges I face, help me to turn to Your Word
that I may re-discover Your greatness. Praise You, Lord, for who You are!
One of my favorite scriptures Maria, about Gods love. Great post, always encouraging and uplifting. Blessings,
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading this, Maria, a thought occurred to me. When we're placed in a strategic position, it's for His purposes not ours.
ReplyDeleteI always find your blog posts on days when I really need to hear an encouraging word. Thank you again, Maria. Have a blessed day.
ReplyDeleteDidn't get a chance to read this yesterday, but that's because I needed it today! Love your devotions, Maria. You've got a way of speaking straight to the heart:)
ReplyDelete