ODB: Not Without Hope
February 26, 2011
No one is hopeless whose hope is in God.
READ: Exodus 6:1-13
I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. —Exodus 6:6
“Sixteen Tons,” written by Merle Travis and recorded by Tennessee Ernie Ford, became one of America’s most popular songs in the mid-1950s. People seemed to identify with this coal miner’s lament about feeling trapped and unable to change his situation no matter how hard he worked. Coal miners often lived in company-owned houses and were paid in “scrip”—coupons valid only at the company-owned store. Even if summoned to heaven, the miner said, he couldn’t go because he owed his soul to the company store.
That sense of hopeless resignation may help us understand the feelings of the Hebrew people during their 400 years of bondage in Egypt. When Moses told them of God’s promise to release them from slavery, they didn’t listen to him “because of anguish of spirit” (Ex. 6:9). They were so far down they couldn’t look up.
But God did something for them that they could not do for themselves. The Lord’s miraculous deliverance of His people foreshadowed His powerful intervention on our behalf through His Son Jesus Christ. It was when “we were powerless to help ourselves that Christ died for sinful men” (Rom. 5:6 PHILLIPS).
When life is at its lowest ebb, we are not without hope because of the wonderful grace of God.
— David C. McCasland
Source: Our Daily Bread
Tweet This
Share on Facebook
Digg This
Save to delicious
Stumble it
RSS FeedRelated
ODB: giving up?
January 23, 2010 READ: 1 Kings 19:11-18 I alone am left; and they seek to take my life. —1 Kings 19:10 Have you ever felt like giving up? Elijah did. The Lord had just used him to show the nation of Israel that the Lord is God (1 Kings 18). Yet, the threats of Queen [...]
ODJ: Grumble Rumble
May 21, 2012 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat Me with contempt? Will they never believe Me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?” (v.11). READ: Numbers 14:1-11 Grumble Rumble is a website that allows you to air your complaints. It claims: “Our goal is to help you [...]
ODJ: frantic
October 26, 2010 When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear (v.5). READ: 1 Samuel 28:1-25 I was just a few minutes away from major surgery. Nurses circulated through the room and I was hooked up to all sorts of monitors. Suddenly, a computer screen started blipping wildly. What was happening? Would [...]
ODJ: salty flavor
June 30, 2011 You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless (v.13). READ: Matthew 5:13-16 In his book Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, George Barna reveals this interesting research statistic: [...]
Christian Courses
Day Of Discovery
Discover The Word
Discovery Series
Help For My Life
My Utmost For His Highest
Our Daily Bread
Our Daily Journey
RBC Ministries
WarungSateKaMu
Manasociety
雅米
Thanks fop the encouragement since I was very down.God bless you all.
I wept as I read this devotion knowing fully well that I been going through some challenges and need God to intervene as I cannot help myself. Pray with me that God should deliver me with his “outstretched arm”