“Then I said: ‘Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, …’
“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.” (Nehemiah 1:5, 8-9 NIV)
God chose Israel, the country. God’s people, the Jews, were not even originally from Israel (Genesis 12:1).
For whatever reason, God chose this place for his dwelling. It’s weird, because he created the entire earth, yet he bypassed all the lusciously vegetated areas he created and he chose for himself this place amidst a vast expanse of desert, of nothing.
Why?
I think it’s a show of his power and glory. It’s another mighty display of the highest authority.
Who else could make a desert blossom? Who else could feed and provide for an entire nation of people in a land with no shelter, in a place where nothing grows?
Just like it didn’t matter what climate the Israelites were in, it doesn’t matter what circumstances we’re in today.
The Israelites had everything they needed as long as they obeyed God. God made their desert fruitful and even allowed them an abundance. They didn’t need to leave the desert and search for a more favorable climate. They only needed to obey God right where they were at.
We don’t need to leave our problems and go look for a better life with more favorable conditions. We simply need to obey God right where we’re at.
The desert doesn’t dictate what grows. God does!
What better way for God to show his awe-inspiring power, love, and protection than to make fruitful a dry land.
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV)
Inside Look @ Our Featured Blogger:
Karissa Stratton, her husband, Stephen, and their son, Samuel, have been attending Calvary Grace since January of 2015. They are a military family from Florida and took no time to fit in with our church. By March of 2015, Karissa and Stephen became integral parts of our new REVIVE Kids program, teaching regularly on Sundays in the 3-6 and 7-10-year-old classes. Karissa also has a huge passion for youth ministry given her relationship with God took off in her Florida youth group as a teenager. She is a young adult leader in our REVIVE Youth program, taking an active role in the Wednesday services along with other youth events. She leads a small group during the team time of the REVIVE Youth services.
