He Is Yahweh: The Eternal God Will Carry You Trough
The journey of fatherhood remains filled with immense reward. One of my wife and I’s favorite pastimes has always been going for outdoor walks together. We love hitting the trails at local parks to soak in the fresh air, get in a cardio workout, and behold the beauty of God’s creation. When our son and first child, Joseph, was born, we decided to take him along for our weekly outdoor adventures. Accomplishing this meant strapping him to my chest in a snugli. He enjoyed the ride and smiled ear to ear to have the front seat view. And I didn’t mind the added weight, which equaled a better leg workout and more calories burned.
I carried our little guy up and down the rolling hills, around winding trails, and through rugged terrain for miles at a time. Of course, I had to exercise care. Some paths were too treacherous to tread with a toddler in tow.
Similarly, God looked after the Hebrew people as he led them through the barren land of the Sinai wilderness:
The LORD your God, who goes before you, is the one who will fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your very eyes, and in the wilderness, where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as one carries a child, all the way that you traveled until you reached this place (Deuteronomy 1:30-31, NRSVEU).
For 40 years, “the Lord” (Hebrew, Yahweh) ushered the Israelites through unfamiliar desert lands, revealing Himself strong on their behalf amid hunger, dehydration, and the many quarrels threatening to divide them. He steered his people’s course and, in due time, brought them into Canaan, the Promised Land.
Since Joseph, we added two more kids to the mix—our twin girls, Katarina and Theresa. While it’s not practical to strap two kids to my chest in snuglis, we found a double stroller and started taking the girls on many of the same excursions as when it was just three of us. As our kids grow up, I aim to be there for them, to guide and see them through no matter what obstacles lie in their path. I will walk beside them through whatever valleys they have to cross or mountains to climb for as many years as I have on God’s green earth.
Yet, as surely as the terrain changes, my days on earth are destined to come to an end. Thus it behooves my wife and me to build into our kids a solid foundation in the faith, teaching them the ways of God’s Word and the power of prayer. This way, even after our time on earth comes to an end, they (and we) can rest assured that Yahweh (literally, “I am the I am”) will carry them through. The meaning of this Hebrew name implies the self-existence and eternality of God. The life and purposes of Yahweh are not conditioned on any other being in the universe; indeed, He created everyone and everything. He is the eternal God, existing from the beginning of time (even before time since He’s the author of time itself). Because God has always been and always will be, I find consolation in the reality that although my days here on earth are numbered, He will still be standing by to look after my children long after I am gone.
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you (Isaiah 46:4, NIV).
Our heavenly Father walks beside us to steer our course and direct our path through whatever wilderness we face, now and forevermore. Indeed, even after we grow old and weary, Yahweh is still keeping watch over our posterity to guide, sustain, and rescue our dear ones in their hour of need. We can have confidence that the Eternal One will one day bring to fruition His plan, ushering every child of God into the Promised Land.<< The Crosswalk Devotional
Why Tests of Faith Are Important
By Liz Lampkin, Crosswalk.com
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:1
Faith in God is something all believers have. When we ask for anything through Christ Jesus, it is our faith that drives the assurance that we will receive it. However, faith is not only the confidence that we will receive what we ask according to God’s divine will for our lives. It is also having confidence that God will provide all that we need and trusting Him no matter what the situation looks like. Imagine praying for a son and watching him grow. As you watch him grow, so does your love for him. Then you’re told to sacrifice Him. This was one of Abraham’s tests of faith. God commanded Abraham to take Isaac to Mount Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice. Without question, Abraham gathered his things, two men, his son, and wood for a burnt offering, and went to where God told him to go. As they traveled, on the third day, Abraham saw Mount Moriah from afar. He instructed the young men traveling with them to stay where they were, and he and Isaac would continue towards the mountain to worship. When they were done worshipping, they would return to this place.
Then, Abraham gathered the wood, fire, and a knife, and he and Isaac went towards the mountain. As they went forth, Isaac saw that there was no lamb for sacrificing. He says to Abraham that he sees the fire and wood, and then he asks where the lamb is. Without hesitation, Abraham told Isaac that God would provide a lamb for a burnt offering. As they arrived to the place where God instructed them to go, Abraham built an altar, laid the wood in order, bound his son, and placed him on the wood. He then took the knife in his hand and prepared to sacrifice his son, but not before an angel of the Lord called out to him, commanding him not to lay a hand on Isaac. The angel knew that Abraham feared and trusted in God because of his willingness to sacrifice his son without question. When the angel said this to Abraham, he looked behind him and saw a ram caught in a bush by its horns. He then took the ram and offered him up as a burnt offering instead of his beloved son.
Abraham’s faith was tested by God to see how much he trusted Him. Not only this but his obedience was tested. He didn’t question God, He didn’t try to reason with God or compromise His instructions. He simply went forth, in faith and obedience, knowing that the outcome would be what God wanted and it would work out for his good.
God Acts on Our Behalf
By: Charlles Stanley, InTouch ministries
March 7
God Acts on Our Behalf
The Lord is a God of action. Even when He rested on the seventh day of creation, it wasn’t because He was tired and needed to recuperate. Although He deliberately made a choice to stop His creative activity, He never ceased working. While the Lord is always controlling the universe, He is, at the same time, intimately involved with individual lives.
God has a plan for each one of us and wants us to know what it is. Every time we take a step of obedience, He sheds more light on our path. But sometimes He asks us to pause awhile, and we may not know why. We long for direction in a particular matter, but our prayers just aren’t being answered, and we wonder, Why does He delay?
When you aren’t seeing any answers, it doesn’t mean that God is not working. He’s still actively involved in your life, but He works in ways that are not always visible He orchestrates circumstances, changes people’s hearts, and protects His children from making hasty decisions that will have disastrous consequences. Perhaps the Lord knows you’re not yet ready for the next leg of your spiritual journey. Waiting times are opportunities for growth in character, obedience, and faith. He may also need time to train you for future responsibilities and ministries.
When you intentionally choose to be still, God unleashes His mighty power on your behalf. He has planned good things for those who wait, and I believe what He has in store for your life will surpass all expectations. When He knows you’re ready to receive His blessings, they’ll flow into your lap.
Today’s Devotions
March 7
Numbers 13:30-32 30Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” 31But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.
Twelve spies went out to the Land of Promise, the land that God promised to Abraham. Upon their return, only Joshua and Caleb believed that they could take the land. These men were generals, the leading warriors in Israel’s army. The other ten spread a bad report and warned that they would all be devoured by the enemy. Looking back, it seems amazing that they did not have the faith to proceed. God had promised to go before them and drive out the enemy. They had evidence of wonderful fruit. The generals said it could be done. The alternative is to stay in the desert. Why would they listen to the eight pessimists?
Indeed, why do we? We have the promises of God. We have seen His provision. We have seen the wonderful fruit from the Land of Promise in the lives of those who have gone in before us. The Generals (Apostles and Prophets) all say, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” And yet we listen to the pessimists.
What giants are you fearing? Do you really want to wander in the desert? Are the giants so big in God’s eyes? And whose battle is it anyway? Obey the call of God, and march forward in faith. The Lord will go before you and the land and all the fruit of it will be yours. Walk by faith and not by sight!
Meditation: Am I listening to the voice of faith or doubt?