Preaching Daily - December 7
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- 2022 Dec 07
Today's Reading...
"Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them." Exodus 1:6-7
Today's Devotional Insight...
Call the Midwife: Pain, Providence and Promise in Exodus 1-2
Michael A. Milton
Life is filled with mystery. Many of our sorrows and if we would admit it many of our successes are attributable to powers other than ourselves. It can leave us feeling helpless. It is as there is a deeper spiritual battle raging just beyond the veil of our existence.
This past weekend I had Chaplain duty. I am the command chaplain of U.S. Military Intelligence. A soldier came to me and said she had heard me in chapel that morning and was intrigued by the message and the Spirit that was pervasive in the chapel. I listened. She confessed that, of all things, she had stolen a picture-framed Scripture verse. It was a verse that dealt with this very theme. The Scripture was telling her to “commit her ways to the Lord, and He would direct her paths.”
“What does that mean?” I had to tell her that it meant for her to avoid stealing, first of all. Then, I gave her the framed Bible verse! I explained that we serve a God who goes before us, behind us, over us, and under us providentially to arrange—orchestrate, if you will—all the pathways of a believer to lead toward home—home with the Lord Himself— so that death, cancer, traffic accidents, homicides, war and old age are God-guided paths to lead us home.
She said, “Chaplain, I think you just gave me another sermon!” I told her she got a two-for-one deal today. Then, I had to tell her that while that was so, on this side of the Scripture promise, the pain can be unbearable. Faith in Jesus is how we hold on to the promise that providence will overturn the events and providentially transform the bad into good. It is hard. It is, in fact, life.
Today’s Pastoral Resource...
Preaching Media
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