from Egypt and His equipping them to conquer the
Promised Land, the Israelites floundered spiritually.
As the history of Israel unfolded, great apostasy
seemed the Israelites got things right, they fell back
into the idolatrous worship of the nations that sur-
rounded them. Those faithful to God feared He would
abandon them. Indeed, they were warned of a judgment
that would befall the nation.
But in the midst of this, God
wanted those people
faithful to Him to
know that He loved
and provided for
them.
Jacob and Israel. The
name of Jacob reminded
them of their humble be-
ginnings. But Israel, the
name given to Jacob after
a heavenly encounter (Gen-
esis 32:22-30), was the name of promise. It was God's
reminder of both what they came from and what He
intended them to be. God further comforts them by re-
minding them of His involvement with them through-
out their existence. He says He,
ents, we are here by His intention
us. Even what might appear to some to be handi-
caps are the means of His grace in that life.
dented it some more. Our only hope is His inter-
is not only to become all we can be but better
than we could have imagined.
cludes the welcoming arms of a Father who in love
enfolds His daughters and sons.
the world cannot protect a child
an element of danger. Every
set of steps can send us tum-
lane can cross into our path.
Yet if we occasionally have days of dread it is not be-
cause there isn't reason to feel fear or to have anxiety.
Knowing this, the Lord comforts us with pledges of
His faithfulness.
sea. They knew that a person could venture out on
calm water but in no time the seas could be churning,
threatening to swallow them without leaving a trace
behind. Many dangers we face are as forbidding as the
sea, as we realize that this one great obstacle or prob-
lem is life threatening. What is the Father's response?
"I will be with you." That doesn't mean that He will
necessarily take the danger away. In fact, some dan-
gers do kill people. But if that thing takes us, we will