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August 26, 2024
- By Ed Powell
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"And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was." Exodus 20:21
Moses had been on the mount with God and received the Ten Commandments. The presence of God was so mighty, there was thundering, lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain was smoking. The children of Israel were so fearful; they fled from this incredible display of God's power! They had never encountered anything like this. Moses said, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning" (Exodus 20:20).
Often, God gives us a "wake-up call," seeking to move us out of our lethargy and complacency...from things in our lives that are hindering our fellowship with Him. When we compromise our spiritual standards, condone sinful attitudes and habits it disrupts our spiritual journey and intimate fellowship with God. Moses said unto these fearful Israelites, "God has come to test you so that the 'fear of God' will be with you to keep you from sinning."
Early in our marriage, our 8-month-old baby became alarmingly sick. She was breathing excessively fast and her heart was trying to keep the same pace. Being young, newly married, and this being our first child, we were "basket cases." We sought the Lord. The more we prayed the worse she became. After three calls to the doctor during the night, he told us to bring her to the hospital. After he examined her, he restrained her movement, and gave her intravenous treatment. When we saw her so restricted, our hearts were literally "torn apart." The doctor told us to go home, there was nothing we could do, and our baby would sleep under the medication as they treated her. He said she would be there two or three days.
We reflected on all that had taken place. Then I said to my wife, "We are going through what we read in our devotions yesterday morning. We are in the "thick darkness" like Moses was. In the midst of this surge of adversity IS GOD!" We prayed and thanked God for His grace and trusted Him to touch our child for His glory. When we went back to the hospital the next morning, the doctor said, "You can take your baby home now, she's doing fine."
She had gone through a severe asthma attack, which prompted her rapid breathing and heartbeat. BUT GOD had touched her! He allowed this experience in our lives to awaken us, to know that even in the DARKEST ENCOUNTERS OF OUR LIVES HE IS THERE and would be our sufficiency. How true the meaningful chorus we sing..."Through it all, through it all...I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to depend upon His Word!"
Certainly, the "darkest hour" in David's life was when the prophet Nathan confronted him with a parable that showed to him his dreadful fall into sin with Bathsheba. There was immediate repentance by David and forgiveness by God. But David bore the scars of his sin the rest of his life. Psalm 51:6-13 tells of David's dilemma. But David found that even in this, his darkest hour, GOD WAS THERE, ready to forgive, reconcile, and restore him.
May we, even as Moses and David, enter into the "thick darkness" of our encounters in life with unwavering faith. THERE WE WILL FIND GOD IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL! Full of grace, mercy, and love!
© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.
This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2024-08-26&print=1
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