The Miracle of Israel

"For l will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land." 
Ezekiel 36:24

The Jews had been dispersed throughout the world for two thousand years yet they somehow kept their Jewish identity and national identity.  What a blessed generation we are, for we have seen the promise of God to His people Israel fulfilled.  Against all odds His people from around the world have been drawn home to the land God had promised, and they are prospering, it is truly miraculous.

The return to the land is powerful evidence of the truth of God's word.  I read one who could only describe it as 'beyond remarkable!'  That there is an Israel today can only be by the hand of God.  As we consider this great miracle we ought to be stirred with expectation and excitement for the days we live in, for God is at work.

God's purpose for Israel is not complete for He did not just promise to bring them back to the land, but that He would then give them a new heart and a new spirit, and put His Spirit within them (Ezekiel 36:26-27).  The Jews have had a return to the land, and we must pray that soon they will have a return of heart.  The greatest need of Israel today is that they would turn to Messiah Jesus.  We have seen a marvelous work of God in bringing the people back to the land, and there are still more miracles to come.  Oh what days we are living in!

Checking Priorities

"You have sown much and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes."
Haggai 1:6

Haggai was a prophet to the remnant of Jews who came out of the Babylonian captivity and returned to the land to rebuild the temple.  The job was difficult and soon the people turned from the restoration of the temple to building their own homes and establishing their own lives.  Returning to Israel was not easy, in fact it was very dangerous.  The remnant returned with a vision and great faith. In time,  that vision became blurry and their priorities changed, so God raised up Haggai and Zechariah to call them back.

Haggai called the people to recognize that they were working hard but getting nowhere, they were putting in effort yet accomplishing little.  The reason was that they had left the priorities of God and replaced them with their own.  Because they were going their own direction and not the Lord's, it was as if they were on a stationary bike, working hard and sweating... but getting nowhere.

It is so necessary for us to check and recheck our priorities to make sure that we have set God and His purposes first.  Distractions abound so it's easy to get off track and lose direction. Proverbs 3:6 gives us the simple solution, "in all your ways acknowledge Him," when we purposely seek to keep God first it keeps you in the right direction and saves from a lot of wasted effort. 

God's Math

 
And the Lord said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying,
'My own hand has saved me'.
Judges 7:2

Gideon's army numbered thirty two thousand men, and it said that the Midianites couldn't be counted for they were as numerous as swarming locusts.  Israel was already greatly outnumbered, yet God said they had too many!  God trimmed down Gideon's army to three hundred and He promised deliverance through this small remnant.  The outcome of the battle was just as the Lord had promised and Gideon and his small army overwhelmed the Midianites by God's mighty hand.

We have the tendency to find security in numbers, and the more the better; more people, more in the bank account, more in savings, more assets, and more in the cupboards equals more security.  God wants His people to trust Him and to find safety in Him.  God's math is different than ours, He sees numbers different than us, and He wants us to learn that true security is indeed found in having more....more of Him. 

I love Gideon's example of faith for us, he never questioned or complained, and as the Lord subtracted his numbers, he just trusted.  Once when I was discouraged about low attendance at a prayer time, an elderly saint told me not to worry about numbers because  one person plus God equals a majority. He was right, we have a very big God, and if God is for us who can be against us.  Have no fear even if you're feeling outnumbered, you're not, your loving powerful Shepherd is with you, trust Him.