May 28, 2019: SOAP #3463:  Proverbs 7-9; Romans 9

Scripture:  Romans (NIV) 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

Observation:   God wanted Israel to know that no power on earth could stop Him!  In the eyes of the Israelites, surely Pharaoh was great.  He had brought great suffering to them as they served him.  He had made their lives miserable.  But no matter how great he was, and no matter how impossible their situation, he could not stop God from working.  God had put Pharaoh in authority for this very purpose!

It is amazing to me how God worked.  He did not just put Pharaoh to death and raise up another leader who would be kindly disposed toward the Israelites.  If He had, the Israelites might have been inclined to stay in Egypt.  But God did not want the Israelites in Egypt.  He wanted them to leave.  He wanted them in the Promised Land.  They might have been willing to stay in Egypt, but with Pharaoh in charge, they were more than willing to leave. (Remember, even in the journey, there were some wanting to go back to Egypt!)

Application:   I know God has put difficult people in my life for His divine purpose.  Through some He wanted to refine me.  Through others He wanted to teach me to live in victory.  And through others He was making me willing to accept His plan to move me.  When moving is assured to be God’s will, like the Israelites leaving Egypt, I am to leave in victory, headed for a sure destination!   They carried the wealth of Egypt as they headed for the Promised Land!

Prayer:  Holy Spirit, I greatly need your guidance in my life.  I do not just need you for the big decisions and issues, but for my every-day life.  Walk with me, speak to me; help me respond to the difficult people you have placed around me. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!