"Our Amazing Journey"

"He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captive." (Psalms 106:46)

 If ever there was proof of God's protection and direction in the lives of His people, then this is the one form of that proof. This word "pitied" is a pretty interesting word, a word the pretty much speaks of a womb, as odd as that might sound. The thought is one of the kind of compassion a mother feels towards the baby that she has in her womb, as the baby moves and grows inside of her. Amazingly, it is God's way of showing off His wonderful design. I know that I am sometimes far out there, maybe even pushing the borders of reason and stretching beyond the limits of sound doctrine; but this thing God is speaking into my heart this morning has merit. It is the Lord showing us how it was that He could sleep while that boat was going through the storm; meanwhile, His disciples thought that they were about to die. If you have a purpose, then you are protected; and even if that might mean you are going to die, then that too would be your purpose. Jesus could sleep because He knew what His purpose was, it was to die upon the cross, not out on a lake. He had no fear of death by drowning, because He knew that was not the death He would die. Most likely that was also Paul's thought, as he shook off that snake, as if nothing had happened. Paul knew that he was going to Rome, because God told him that he would. God also showed him that the journey would not be without peril and destruction, but that no life would be lost. So, what could a little snakebite do! That is the picture that God is showing me here, that the womb is the journey and death is the delivery. God protects us and guides us in this protective sack, just like the mother's womb protects the child within her. When it is time to go, it is time to be delivered; but just as the child is delivered into this world, we too are delivered from this world, at our death. God has a way of moving us towards the place He would have us be. The journey might be ruff, and the difficulties might seem overwhelming, even sometimes life threatening, but if God has a purpose for your life, then your life has purpose, and there is hardly anything you can do about it...

"I Prayed, "O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors until now, we have been steeped in sin. That is why we and our kings and our priests have been at the mercy of the pagan kings of the land. We have been killed, captured, robbed, and disgraced, just as we are today. "But now we have been given a brief moment of grace, for the LORD our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant. He has given us security in this holy place. Our God has brightened our eyes and granted us some relief from our slavery. For we were slaves, but in his unfailing love our God did not abandon us in our slavery. Instead, he caused the kings of Persia to treat us favorably. He revived us so we could rebuild the Temple of our God and repair its ruins. He has given us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem."" (Ezra 9:6-9) NLT