THEME: “TOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST, TOUGH PEOPLE DO”
READ Exodus 6:1-8
TOUGH TIMES REVEAL THE IDENTITY AND CHARACTER OF GOD
Key Verse: “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them” (Exodus 6:3 NKJV).
Tough times are times of discovery. Men discover the identity and character of God when conditions are toughest. Moses knew God as Yahweh at a time of crisis. When God wanted him to lead the children of Israel out of captivity God appeared to him as Yahweh (Ex.6:3).
Abraham discovered God as the El Shaddai in his hour of need. At Mount Moriah, God revealed himself to Abraham as Jehovah Jireh. When Isaac asked Abraham where the lamb would come from for their sacrifice, by faith, he responded that God would supply a lamb. True to his faith, God did supply in a manner he least expected. “But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Genesis 22:7 NKJV).
Isaac experienced the nearness of God at Gerar when he needed protection from the hostile community. God proved to Isaac that he could take care of him in famine as well as protect him from the hands of the herdsmen.
Jacob encountered God at Bethel when he was running away from his brother, Esau. That encounter at Bethel became an unforgettable landmark in the life of Jacob (Gen.28).
In his war against the Amorites, Joshua knew God as prayer-answering God who could suspend the cosmic system in answer to the prayers of his own servant. After 40 years of captivity from the Midianites, Gideon discovered God as a national deliverer who could deliver with only 300 God-prepared soldiers (Judges 6, 7)
Peter discovered God as a deliverer from prison when God sent an angel to deliver him from prison. He testified, “And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people” (Acts 12:11 NKJV).
Paul and Silas discovered God as One who could rescue from prison when God sent an earthquake to save them (Acts 16). May you discover God in these hard times.
PRAYER: Father, help me to know you better and more intimately as I go through this hour of trials and difficulties
