Orange Moon Friday, December 9, 2022 "Unlikely Ways"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

    

              "Unlikely Ways"     

    

    Conceived and born of a virgin.  Laid in a feeding trough made for animals.  Visited only by lowly shepherds at His birth.  Reared in nearly complete obscurity.  The list could go on of the the unlikely ways in which God brought His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world.  Little wonder He said…

    "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).

   With God, we must ever expect the unexpected.  While He does many things to be anticipated, He does many more we could never begin to fathom.  Right now, in fact, we can all be sure He mightily works in some circumstance, condition, or situation of our lives that seems completely bereft of His presence and power.  Jacob realized this after seeing the vision at Luz.  "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not!" (Genesis 28:16).  To his credit, Jacob renamed the locale to Bethel, which means "the house of God."  The Lord's servant realized he had been blind to what should have been known, and immortalized God's mercy whereby Jacob's eyes were opened to see.

    What God might be doing just now that we do not and cannot see?  Might some challenging circumstance, condition, or situation be the scene of glories unimaginable to be known at a later time, but which must be presently affirmed by faith in God's promised presence and working?  Could that difficult person, problem, pain, or perplexity actually serve as a "Bethel" in our hearts and lives?  Might the Savior long ago laid in a manger once again reside where we least expect Him to find Him?  The Bible, over and over again, resoundingly answers in the affirmative.  Our Heavenly Father calls us to join Moses, who "endured, as seeing Him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27).  Realizing we must expect the unexpected when pondering God and His working will go far in preparing us to rename unlikely places in our lives into our own experience of mangers and "Bethel, the house of God."

"It is I.  Be not afraid."

(John 6:20)

Weekly Memory Verse   

    But as for me, I will come into Thy house in the multitude of Thy mercy: and in Thy fear will I worship toward Thy holy temple.

(Psalm 5:7)

  

     

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