02/04/2023
Though you hear nothing, he is speaking. Though you see nothing, he is acting. With God there are no accidents. Every incident is intended to bring us closer to him.
Can I give a great example? The direct route from Egypt to Israel would take only eleven days by foot. But God took the Israelites on the long road, which took forty years. Why did he do that? Read carefully the explanation.
Remember how the Lord your God has led you in the desert for these forty years, taking away your pride and testing you, because he wanted to know what was in your heart.... He took away your pride when he let you get hungry, and then he fed you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had ever seen. This was to teach you that a person does not live on bread alone, but by everything the Lord says. During these forty years, your clothes did not wear out, and your feet did not swell. Know in your heart that the Lord your God corrects you as a parent corrects a child. (Deut. 8:2–5 NCV)
Look what God did in the desert. He took away the Israelites’ pride. He tested their hearts. He proved that he would provide for them. Did God want the children of Israel to reach the promised land? Of course. But he was more concerned that they arrive prepared than that they arrive soon.
So what does God do while we are enduring the pain? What does he do while we are in the storm? You’ll love this. He prays for us. Jesus wasn’t in the boat because he had gone to the hills to pray (Mark 6:46). Jesus prayed. That is remarkable. It is even more remarkable that Jesus didn’t stop praying when his disciples were struggling. When he heard their cries, he remained in prayer.
Why? Two possible answers. Either he didn’t care, or he believed in prayer. I think you know the correct choice.
And you know what? Jesus hasn’t changed. He still prays for his disciples. “Because Jesus lives forever, he will never stop serving as priest. So he is able always to save those who come to God through him because he always lives, asking God to help them” (Heb. 7:24–25 NCV).
— Max Lucado, In the Footsteps of the Savior: https://bit.ly/ITFOTScb
