Last week I looked at the story of the Red Sea parting in Exodus 14. I focused on the reality that just as God was protecting the Israelites from their enemies while they waited for the sea to part, similarly, God is protecting and keeping us while we are waiting for our situation to turn around.
    In the case of the Israelites, the angel of the Lord and the pillar of cloud that was in front of them, guiding them, simply moved to the back of them. That way, their enemies who were right behind them could not touch them the entire night that the winds blew to part those massive waters. 
    However, something else gets my attention with this movement. Maybe God needed them to be confident that He had their back, that He was covering and protecting them so that they could keep their focus before them. He didn’t need them so distracted by what was happening behind them, that they missed the miracle that was taking place in front of them. Additionally, He had told them to move forward. He needed them to keep their focus in front not behind so that when it was time to move forward they would be able to do so. They would not be going backward trying to deal with what was behind them. 
    I think sometimes, we too get so caught up with what’s going on behind us, even around us, that we miss the miracles, big and small, that are taking place right before our very eyes. Just as the Egyptians were a distraction to what God was doing, in the same way, our challenges and fears can be a distraction to us. We miss being thankful for what God is actually doing. We may also become so caught up with feelings of discouragement and frustration that it is difficult to move forward into what God has in store.
    In Matthew 14:22-33, the disciples were on their way to the other side of the lake by boat. Jesus was not with them but up on a mountaintop praying. The winds became contrary and started to toss the boat around in the water. Jesus went to them walking on water. At first, they didn’t recognise Him but when they did, Peter asked to walk on the water also. Peter was doing fine until he took his eyes off of Jesus and focused once more on the strong winds and rough sea. Immediately, he began to sink.
    Jesus was doing something miraculous but Peter had to keep his eyes focused on Jesus in front of Him and to keep moving forward. From the time he took his eyes off of Him, feelings of fear stepped in and he was unable to keep moving forward. He cut short his opportunity to experience the miraculous.
    We, too, need to keep our focus on God and on what He has done and is doing in our lives. With our eyes fixed on Him instead of behind or around us we will not sink, we will not miss the opportunity to witness and experience the good He is doing in the midst of our challenging situation. And, when it is time to move forward into what God has in store for us, we will be able to do so, not hindered by the distractions around us.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. No matter what is happening around you, God is right there working things out on your behalf. As you keep your eyes fixed on Him, you will be able to move forward into the beautiful things He has in store for you.

    Recently, I was pondering the Red Sea parting in Exodus 14. As a child, the cartoons I watched on the story showed an immediate parting of the waters when Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. But, when I examined the text, verse 21 says that when Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, during the course of the night, a strong east wind blew, drove the sea back and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided and became a wall on either side of the dry path.
    I found that interesting because the Bible also says that the Israelites could see the Egyptians marching towards them. They, of course, became terrified and began to complain to Moses. The Lord instructed Moses what to do and in the meantime, He did something interesting. As the people moved forward, the angel of the Lord and the pillar of cloud that was in front of them guiding them, moved to the back of them. These were now positioned between the Israelites and the Egyptians. As if that wasn’t enough, throughout the night, that cloud prevented the two sides from connecting with each other (vv.19-20).
    I love the image that comes to my mind as I recall this story. While the Israelites waited for God to make a way for them through that Red Sea, He protected them from their enemies. Let’s be real. Their enemies were literally right behind them. I am sure they could have easily reached out and touched them. Yet, God prevented that from happening. Think about it. While you wait for your deliverance to come, for God to make a way, God is protecting you, He is keeping you. We may panic because we feel as if the problem will destroy us and we will never make it. That’s how the Israelites must have felt. Their enemies were right there. Would they ever be able to escape and make it to safety? 
    When you think about it, the Lord took hours to part that body of water (v.21). He could have taken minutes, I am sure, but the Israelites had to wait some hours before deliverance could come. To them, those hours may have seemed like an eternity. Isn’t that how it feels to us at times while we wait on God to come through for us? “How long Lord?” is probably a common cry for many. We wonder when will the pain end, when will the trauma end, when will deliverance come, when will complete healing take place. Waiting is never easy for anyone and although the Israelites had to wait some hours, those hours must have felt like an eternity. What made it worse was that their “problem” was so close to them they could probably pretty much reach out and touch them. Maybe some of us can relate?
    Yet, no matter how close their enemies were, God was even closer. He was the one preventing any actual connection between the two sides. I believe that was a miracle in itself. The Red Sea parting was one miracle, but God preventing His people’s enemies from being able to even reach out and touch them while they waited for Him to make a way of escape for them, was another miracle.
    Believe it or not, even though it doesn’t seem so, God is protecting and keeping you while you wait. Sometimes, you may feel as if you’re not going to make it but you will. God seems to be taking so long to answer, so long to deliver you, that you may feel that the “Egyptians” will certainly be able to reach you and destroy you. But guess what? God did not allow that to happen to the Israelites, He will not allow that to happen to you. Just as He literally had their back while the Red Sea was being parted, He will also have your back while you wait for your season of testing to come to an end. While you wait, you are safe!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is very much a present help when you are in trouble. However, He isn’t just present, He is right there protecting and keeping you while you wait for your salvation, for your deliverance to finally come.

    I love the story of king Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah (2 Chronicles 20). Combined armies were coming against them and they were dreadfully afraid. Yet, Jehoshaphat resolved to turn to the Lord his God for help. He did not turn to man, he did not turn to another nation but to his God for help in a situation that was way bigger than them. He laid his claim before God and ended his prayer acknowledging that he had no idea what to do concerning the vast army coming against them but they would keep their eyes on Him. In response, the Lord assured them that the battle was not theirs but His (v.15). They would not even need to fight in the battle. All they would have to do was stand still and see how God would deliver them (v.17).
    The next day, as the army went out, Jehoshaphat put a group of singers in front of the army to sing praises to the Lord God. Believe it or not, this unusual strategy worked. As they praised, their enemies began to fight against one another until they were completely consumed. Not a man was left alive! By the time the children of Judah reached them, all they saw was dead bodies. It took them three days to remove and carry away all the valuables and jewellery they found on the dead bodies. God had come through for them big time!
    What catches my attention among other things, is the fact that as the army of Judah went out to meet their enemies, they went out with songs of praise to the Lord.  God was ultimately their King and they would do battle the way He directed them. They did not praise God after the battle ended but before the battle even began! God had told them not to worry, He would handle it and they chose to trust Him. He did not disappoint.
    Can you remember times when God told you not to worry, He would handle it and you chose to praise and thank Him instead of worry? Maybe it was a seemingly tiny insignificant instance or something major that happened in your life. The reality is that praise and thanksgiving are some of the most powerful weapons we have. When we choose to praise God and be thankful in the face of dire circumstances, even before a situation actually works out, it shifts our focus from the problem to God. He, in turn, has a way of using that attitude of gratitude to turn things around for our good. 
    I am reminded of the story of Paul and Silas in Acts 16:16-40, when they were thrown into prison simply because they cast a spirit of divination out of a slave girl. Her owners became angry because they were making money through her fortune-telling. While in jail, however, Paul and Silas chose to pray and sing hymns to God. As a result God delivered them out of their prison and salvation was brought to the jailer and his entire household. They did not wait to get out of prison to praise God. They praised Him while there, when they did not even know what their fate would be. 
    God wants us to trust Him enough to praise Him and give Him thanks because at the end of the day, He still has the final say on our situation. Yes, things may look as scary and as discouraging as that combined army that came against king Jehoshaphat and Judah. They were outnumbered just as you might feel outnumbered at times. But, when God is on your side, you truly don’t need to worry. Like Jehoshaphat, fix your eyes on the One who can solve the problem, and who is bigger than the problem facing you. Choose instead to praise and be thankful, instead of worry and complain. There is truly power in prayer but there is also power in praise and thanksgiving. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. You know the battle you are facing, whether it be external (outside forces) or internal (inner struggles). Yet, God is bigger than what you are facing and when you choose to fix your eyes on Him and praise Him even when it doesn’t make sense, God will come through for you. He will not fail you.​

    When the prophet Samuel goes to Bethlehem to choose a new king from among Jesse’s sons (1 Samuel 16), the very first son presented to him, he immediately believes to be the chosen of the Lord. The Lord, however, immediately stops him with these words: “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (v.7)
    God does not see or understand things the way we do. In fact, Isaiah 55:8-9 says that His thoughts and ways are not ours, rather they are higher than ours. Our perspective is limited, God’s is limitless. We are limited because we so often focus on what we can see and on our ability. God is not limited because He knows that with Him, nothing is impossible. As Matthew 19:26 says: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”     
    It is therefore interesting, the dialogue that takes place between David and various persons on the battlefield as they await someone to take up Goliath’s challenge. 
    When David goes before Saul as the one brave enough to take on this challenge, Saul immediately looks at his appearance and so judges his ability to fight: “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” (v.33) Instead of being daunted by his king’s words, David replies: “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” (v.37) David does not focus on his ability. He knows that he is only a youth. He knows that Goliath is way bigger than him. He knows that he is not a trained soldier. He knows all that he is not but he also knows all that his God was and is and that his God could do the impossible. While others were focused on the obvious, David was focused on his God.
    Even Goliath himself disdained David when he saw him (v.42) and threatened to feed him to the birds and the beasts. Yet, David was not afraid. He kept his focus on his God who could do all things: “…for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” (v.47) David never once flinched in the face of this seemingly impossible challenge. He knew his God and he knew what he could do because he had experienced God’s power in his life. He kept his eyes fixed on Him so that while everyone else was afraid, he remained calm and confident. In short, when others were focused on outward appearance and on man’s ability, David focused on God’s ability to handle the problem effectively.
    Similarly, when the doctor’s report, the health challenges, the marriage challenges, the financial issues seem daunting and discouraging, keep your eyes fixed on the God who is able to do the impossible. No matter what the situation is saying to you or even shouting at you, let God be the final authority, the One with the final say on any matter. He is the One who has the ability to handle whatever comes our way, we don’t. He can handle what is bigger than us, what is way beyond our ability. 
    So, be encouraged, the God of this universe, is not going to sit idly by and watch you be crushed and defeated by the challenges of life. Once you keep your focus on Him, you will be encouraged, you will be strengthened because you know that you know that the battle is still the Lord’s and He will not fail you. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is not a man that He should lie. If He says that the battle belongs to Him, it belongs to Him and He will fight for you, He will not fail you. 
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    Noel kept noticing a recurring number in scripture - 8 11 - and felt that God was speaking to her. One day, while she and her son were playing hide and seek, she discovered Romans 8:11 in a healing scriptures book: “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you.”
    She wondered what God was showing her. Later that night, she began experiencing chest pains. It immediately came to her that if God showed her this verse in a scripture healing book, then He wanted her to speak that scripture over her life for healing. And she began to do just that. Each day she would declare that scripture over herself as she experienced the chest pains. As if that wasn't enough, God also directed her to watch testimonies on healing.  As she did so, she started to feel better. She finally heard a word of knowledge that someone was experiencing heart palpitations and chest pains but God was healing them. She felt God directing her to look at the time the word of knowledge was given in the video. It was shared at 8 minutes 11 seconds. When she saw “8:11” she knew that God was speaking to her because the word of knowledge could have been shared at any other minute or second in that video. Within a couple of days, the pain completely disappeared.
    This testimony reminds me of the reality of the power of the Word of God. We take God’s Word for granted many times but more and more I am learning to believe and trust that His Word is indeed powerful and it is alive! As we face situations, let’s honestly ask ourselves which is more real and alive to us - God’s Word or the situation that we are facing? Of course, if we are honest, when we are actually in a negative situation, that situation seems and feels so real that the Word of God can seem so small and insignificant in comparison. Yet, God’s Word has the power to make big, intimidating situations shrink and become tiny and insignificant. 
    Chest pains are not something that we would take lightly. I am sure that when Noel felt that pain in her chest, she was concerned but she recognised that if God had given her that portion of scripture before she started experiencing the pain, then He had given her the solution to the problem before the problem even began. And that’s the thing. God has given us the solution to the problem before it even manifests itself. The problem is, we become so scared and intimidated by it that we forget that the Word of God is alive and powerful.
    Jesus was the Word of God in human form (John 1:1,14). Whatever He spoke, came to pass. His Word was and is so powerful, that it is not affected by distance or time. I recall the story of the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13). The centurion sent a message asking Jesus for healing for his servant who was sick. He did not ask Him to come to his home but instead to speak the word and his servant would be healed. That centurion had enough faith to believe that Jesus simply had to speak a word of healing and his servant would be healed. He was right. It happened just as he believed and Jesus did not even have to come to his home.
    The Word of God is powerful, it is real. We may be in the habit of not backing up our words with our actions, but God’s Word and His actions go hand in hand. We can trust His touch and we can also trust His Word.
    So, no matter what you are facing today, remember that God’s Word is powerful, it is alive. Do you need healing in your body? Do you need restoration in your home and relationships? Do you need a turnaround in some area of your life? Whatever it may be, speak God’s Word over your situation. There is scripture for any and every situation you may be going through. God has truly equipped us with all we need to survive and thrive in this life. Whatever God speaks in your ear or in your heart, whatever He says through His written Word, believe that it has the power to transform any situation and bring deliverance and restoration where needed. God’s Word will not return to Him void but it will accomplish what He purposes (Isaiah 55:11).
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is not a God who does not keep His promises or His Word. If He says it, that settles it. You can trust Him to fulfil His own Word and to bring about His very best for your life.

    The book of 1 Samuel 17 recounts the story of David and Goliath. The Israelite and Philistine armies were at war and they each formed their battle lines against each other. A giant from the Philistine army came forward and challenged the Israelites. If one of their men could fight and kill him, the Philistines would become subject to the Israelites. However, if he, Goliath, killed the Israelite, the Israelites would serve the Philistines. This challenge was presented for forty days, morning and evening.
    David was not a soldier in the army. In fact, he was a shepherd boy, faithfully tending his father’s sheep. One day, his father sends him to the Israelite camp to carry some food for his three oldest brothers who are soldiers in the army and to find out how they are going. When he gets there, he overhears Goliath’s challenge but he notices something else - when Goliath issues his challenge, all the Israelite soldiers run away in fear (v.24). 
    A few things came to my mind when I read that line in verse 24. These soldiers were trained for battle yet, they were running away in fear whenever Goliath issued his challenge. The sad reality is that if we allow it, fear can cripple us and prevent us from being who God has called us to be and from doing what He has called us to do. We can all testify of those times when fear crept into our lives and we felt paralysed. We could not see anything but that fear and that fear started to dictate our thoughts and actions. 
    In my own life, I have allowed fear to play an all too important role. Many years ago, I realised how much fear can and was crippling me and preventing me from being and doing my best for God. Even today, there are times when I still battle to prevent fear from dictating my life. How many of you can relate? These Israelite soldiers were trained for war. Any of them could have taken on Goliath but because fear was blinding them, they kept running away from the challenge instead of facing it. 
    Another thing that comes to my mind is the reality that if God gives us a job to do, He will equip and enable us to handle it. As I said before these soldiers were trained for war. On top of that, they had God on their side to fight their battles for them. Unfortunately, all they could see was Goliath’s size and hear his defiant words striking fear into their hearts. They couldn’t see what they needed to see because their focus was on the wrong thing. 
    God has enabled us to handle what He has called us to do. Just because circumstances and challenges come our way, does not mean that we are unable to handle it. Maybe all we need to do is shift our focus. Take our eyes off of the challenge and reposition it to where it’s supposed to be in the first place - on God. The battle is still His … but the job is still ours to fulfil. 
    David was not a trained soldier but he knew his God and what his God was capable of doing. He witnessed God helping him to kill the lion and the bear that had come to attack his sheep. He knew that this same God would not allow Goliath to kill him but would instead deliver him into his hands. When David went out against Goliath, he faced him with a slingshot and five smooth stones. David was equipped to do the job but the battle was still God's to fight and win.
    So right where you are, be who God has called you to be and do what God has called you to do. He has equipped you, He has enabled you. Don’t let fear stop you from being and doing your best for Him. The battle you may be facing is still His, but what He has called you to do and who He has called you to be, is still yours to fulfil. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God has not given you a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Simply put, God has given you all you need to carry out His purpose and plan for your life. You don’t have to be afraid, you just have to trust that your God will see you successfully through whatever comes your way.
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    There is an interesting story in 1 Kings 17:7-16, about a widow God uses to provide food for the prophet Elijah. But, here is the interesting part: this widow did not have what was required but when she chose to be obedient, God used her and blessed her abundantly.
    It so happened that the prophet Elijah had declared a drought over the land. God sent him to Zarephath where he met a widow who was gathering sticks. He asked her to bring water for him to drink and some bread for him to eat. She in turn responded that she did not have any bread. All she in fact had was a little flour and oil with which to prepare a final meal for her and her son. After this, she expected to die. Elijah, however, encouraged her and insisted that she first make a small loaf for him and then also for her and her son. He added that the Lord promised that her flour and oil would not run out until the day that He sent rain on the land. She obeyed and the Lord did as He promised and she was able to feed Elijah and herself and her family all the days of the drought.
    What comes to my mind with this story is the fact that the woman was preparing to die. Because things seemed hopeless and a turnaround impossible, she simply gave up and prepared for her and her son to die. How many times do we feel the same way in challenging situations? We don’t see a way out and our attitude and actions show that we have given up. Yet, when God steps into our situation, there is always hope and there will always be a way out or even through our challenge.
    The other thing that comes to my mind is the fact that that widow had very little to offer. In fact, all she had was just enough for her and her son. When Elijah came along, she was not trying to be selfish or rude. She knew that what she had was not enough for him also. Yet, when she chose to be obedient, God did the miraculous for her and her family. 
    It’s the same with us. When we are going through challenges, we may feel as if we have nothing to offer. We may feel too sick to be of any help or use to anyone; our resources may be too low or non-existent to be of any assistance to someone else; we may feel too discouraged and overwhelmed to be able to offer strength and encouragement to someone who needs it. Yet, the reality is, we may not have the strength or resources to help someone else, but God does. And, when we choose to give the little we have to Him, He is able to multiply it and use what we have surrendered to Him to be a blessing to others. 
    At the same time, God is not blind to our sacrifice. When we give what we have and do the little that we can, God will make sure that even what we need is supplied. It may be the extra strength to keep going; it may be much needed resources we did not have before. Whatever we need, God will provide because of our simple act of obedience to be a blessing to someone else. 
    In my own life, there are times I may not always feel that I have enough for myself and others. Recently, I prayed for someone when I myself would have loved for someone to pray for me. Yet, I was able to identify with what the person was going through because I was going through pretty much the same thing. I could have left them alone, after all they did not ask for prayer. But, I felt the Lord directing me to pray with them for the exact same thing I desperately needed myself. When I obeyed and prayed, God also provided what I needed even though I did not get prayer for myself. 
    God is not blind to what we are going through. He sees, He knows, He cares. Yet, there may be times when He will ask us to give when we feel we don’t have enough or do some task we don’t feel equipped to handle. Yet, God is faithful. When we choose to obey Him, He will enable us to handle the task and bless us in ways we did not expect.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God will never ask you to do something or to give something He has not enabled you to handle. When you choose to obey, He will meet your needs in ways you would never have dreamed or expected.
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    I recently finished reading the Book of Ruth. I was excited to read it knowing that in spite of the challenges and pain at the start of the book, the story ends on a note of hope and joy because of God’s restorative power.
    One can’t help but notice the bitterness and pain at the beginning of this story (Ruth 1). Naomi, her husband, Elimelech, and their two sons, leave their home town of Bethlehem because of famine. They settle in Moab where they hope to experience a better life. Unfortunately, Naomi’s husband dies. Her two sons marry Moabite women but then her two sons also die. Naomi is left alone with her two daughters-in-law. When she hears that the famine in Bethlehem has ended, she decides to return home. One of her daughters-in-law, Ruth, insists on returning with her. The people in the city are excited at her return but she is so bitter in spirit that she insists that they call her “Mara” which means “bitter.”
    I think that there are times for many of us, when we are faced with challenging situations that make us bitter and discouraged. We may feel completely hopeless and helpless and can’t even see the light at the end of the tunnel. We may blame God, we may blame others, we may blame ourselves. But at that point, we may feel as if we are in a pit with a cover and we can’t get out, no matter how hard we try. 
    Thankfully, this was not the end of Naomi’s story or Ruth’s. God was writing their story and He had a plan for all that He had allowed to happen to them. It’s the same with you and me. As children of God, God is writing our story. That being said, it means that God has a purpose for every negative thing that has come and that will come your way. That situation does not have the final say in your life. Naomi’s negative situation was not the end of her story either.
    As it turns out, Boaz, a wealthy and generous close relative, becomes a kinsman redeemer. In so doing, he is able to protect Naomi and Ruth and when he marries Ruth, he is able to continue Elimelech’s family line (Ruth 4). Naomi’s bitterness turns to joy, especially at the birth of her grandson, Obed. Her husband’s family line has not ended after all because God had a better plan for all that she had been through.
    Just like Naomi and Ruth, we can’t always see the end of our story. Things may look so bleak and hopeless that we may think that it’s the end. The beautiful thing with God is that when we allow Him to take over, especially at the point where we cannot continue, He turns things around in a way that we would never expect. No matter where you are, or where your story is at the moment, God is still able to write an ending of hope, beauty and joy. God is a master at restoring what looks hopeless and bitter. When you and others might be saying “it’s over” God is saying “No, it’s not.” What you think you may have lost, God is able to restore. He can restore your health, He can restore your relationships, He can restore whatever is broken in your life. 
    So, no matter how hopeless things look, I encourage you today to turn your eyes to the God who is able to do the impossible. What is impossible for you and me is possible for Him. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is interested in your story. He truly desires the best for you. Though negative situations may arise, God is able to turn things around and create a story of hope, redemption and restoration.

    “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10)
    I read various versions of the above verse but this particular version spoke volumes to me. It tells me that even if everything around me fails and falls apart, God’s love for me will not. Just as God Himself never fails, His love for us also never fails.
    I am reminded of numerous stories in the Bible of God’s love for us. First and foremost, Jesus’ choice to die to pay the price for our sins so that we don’t have to face the consequences that we deserve, is testament of His unconditional love for us. The woman caught in the act of adultery deserved to die yet Jesus chose to publicly forgive her and release her from the judgement she so justly deserved (John 8:1-11). What about the woman with the issue of blood? She secretly touched the hem of Jesus’ clothes and was healed, yet Jesus chose to publicly acknowledge her healing and so reinstate her into a society where she had previously been rejected because of ceremonial uncleanness (Luke 8:43-48). 
    However, there is one story that catches my attention - that of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The younger of two sons chose to take the inheritance due him and leave his father’s house to go off into a far country. There he squandered it on wild living. When the country was faced with a famine, the only job he could get was to feed pigs. He was so hungry that he longed to eat the pigs’ food. No one offered him anything. When he came to his senses, he decided to humble himself and return to his father’s house. He planned to ask for forgiveness and was willing to become one of his father’s servants. He made his way home and while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and ran to him and kissed him. Even though he asked to become one of his father’s servants, his father refused. Instead he reinstated him as his son, gave him a robe, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. He ordered a fatted calf to be killed and held a feast for him. His father loved him so much that he treated him as if he had not done anything wrong. 
    This reminds me of God’s love for us. God knows we are not perfect. Even when we don’t love and treat Him as we should, God does not hold that against us. The fact that He allowed His Son Jesus to die for us even before many of us were even born, is testament of His love. He put things in place not just for those who were alive when Jesus walked the earth, but for those who would come after. 
    My own life is not a perfect one. I remember when years ago, I chose to walk away from God. Yes, I enjoyed being out in the world but interestingly, I was not truly happy. I had moments of happiness but I had no peace. I was depressed and initially didn’t know why. Then I realised that it was because I had moved away from my God. I knew I had to make my way back to Him but it was difficult. But God loves me so much that He did not leave me to come back to Him on my own. He knew I needed His help and He helped me come back to Him. That was in 1992. I have not turned back since. God’s love for me has been and continues to be unconditional, amazing, and quite frankly incomprehensible at times.
    It’s the same with all of us. No matter how far we may have gone or we may go, God, like the prodigal son’s father, is waiting with open arms for us to come back to Him. And maybe you have not strayed from Him. Maybe you are just struggling in some particular area, or maybe you are going through a season of testing that makes you feel as if God is far away. He isn’t. He’s right there. One thing God assured me of when I rededicated my life to Him is that He will never leave me nor forsake me. That same promise applies to you. We may turn our back on God, we may even reject Him or take Him for granted at times, but God will still continue to love us. According to 1 John 4:8 & 16, God is love. God cannot be or do anything less than who He is…LOVE.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. Nothing can separate us from God’s love for us. It doesn’t matter what we are going through or what we have done, God loves us. Period. That has not changed and it never will.

    There is an interesting story in the Old Testament in the book of Joshua. Israel had crossed the Jordan River into Canaan, the Promised Land. They defeated and destroyed the cities of Jericho and Ai and the nations around became concerned. One such city, Gibeon, became fearful and made a treaty with them. When the king of Jerusalem heard that they had made this treaty, he enlisted the help of four other kings to fight with him against them. 
    Gibeon, in turn, cried out to the Israelites for help. The Israelites responded to their cry and fought against those kings and their armies at Gibeon. As they fled, the Israelites pursued after them. The Lord even threw hailstones down on them and killed many of them. However, Joshua, Israel’s leader, seemed to realise that they needed more time. He spoke to the sun and the moon commanding both to stand still. Both heavenly beings stopped. The sun did not go down for about a full day until Israel was able to avenge itself on its enemies. God had listened to Joshua and made the sun and moon stand still. He was indeed fighting for Israel (Joshua 10).
    The obvious miracle in this story grabs your attention. However, it’s not just about God’s miraculous ability to do impossible things, but about the reality of what God will do to take care of His own (v.13). Think about it. God changed the course of nature just to give His people the extra time they needed to fight against and defeat their enemies. On top of that, when the sun and moon stood still, they were not the only ones affected. I am sure people around the world were wondering what in the world was happening. God changed the whole course of nature not just to prove His might and power, but to prove His love for His people. 
    We may not always realise it, but God will go to some amazing lengths just for you and me. If you were to reflect on God’s goodness in your life, you may be amazed at the kind of things God has done just for you. We may sometimes take Him for granted not realising the heights and depths He has gone to just to deliver us from that situation, just to encourage us when we needed it, just to give us hope when everything around us seemed to be falling apart. 
    I recall some years ago my struggle to have children. I started using the doctor’s medication prescribed but then decided that I was just going to trust God to do for me what He had done for Sarah, Hannah and other women in the Bible. Some may have thought that I was crazy to make that choice, but I wanted to prove God. He did not disappoint. He not only opened my womb and blessed me with children, but they came in His perfect timing. To me, that was two miracles in one. 
    We love to say that God is the God of the impossible. He is. His ability far extends beyond our wildest imagination. Yet, God doesn’t just do the amazing things He does just to prove who He is, or what He can do. He does them because He loves us and He needs us to know that He will go to any length just for us. God is good. God is faithful. God loves us.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. Serving a God who can and will do the impossible just because He loves you is indeed a privilege. Nothing is too hard for our God. Nothing can stand in the way of His love for you.