Faithful Christian Commitment and service
in the Middle East for almost 150 years The Nazareth Trust Healing in the Name of Jesus Since 1861
in the Middle East for almost 150 years The Nazareth Trust Healing in the Name of Jesus Since 1861
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Welcome
This week we welcomed Jessica Shugart, our volunteer staff member for the summer, to speak for the first time at the chapel. Jessica comes to us from the USA and is helping with the SERVE Nazareth programme over the summer months. We were delighted to welcome her to the chapel services.
Devotion
The theme of this week’s devotion is the “midbar”, or desert place, where God is our only hope.
Connecting to this is the story of Gideon – where the army of 32,000 men was reduced to 300. The reason for this is given in Judges 7:2 “The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her”
The number of men was reduced in two ways:
1) Tell all those who are afraid to go home.
1 John 4: 18 says “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
The men who left had not been made perfect in love, they were full of fear. Their love of their leader was not sufficient to lead them to stay. Love is a choice.
2) Their way of drinking water
We need to drink water frequently, it is a mundane task, but the way the 300 men drank the water was with their heads up, alert and paying attention. In our mundane tasks, where is our attention? We need to be faithful even in the little things, in the everyday tasks and make sure our attention is where it should be.
A biblical example of someone being put into a desert situation is found in Daniel, with King Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel 4: 10 – 16
“These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.
"In the visions I saw while lying in my bed, I looked, and there before me was a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven. He called in a loud voice: 'Cut down the tree and trim off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches. But let the stump and its roots, bound with iron and bronze, remain in the ground, in the grass of the field.
" 'Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.”
Nebuchadnezzar was sent into a literal desert until He acknowledged that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to whoever He pleases. Seven times passed over Nebuchadnezzar until he acknowledged God’s control over his life and realized that all he had was from Him.
In this example, our encouragement is seen in the leaving of the roots. The roots were left, promising future restoration, even though the appearance was unfruitful and dry.
Similarly in Moses’ life, he was also sent into the desert for a time, before he led the exodus. He had to spend 40 years in the desert herding sheep with the Midianites.
There is a purpose in the desert times. God is faithful during these times and there is a promise of restoration in His time. Are we willing to make love our choice in the desert times and be faithful to Him?
Speaker: Jessica Shugart