THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #225 | THE LIFE OF MOSES #206
Pastor Christopher Choo
Lesson 3911
THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #225
THE LIFE OF MOSES #206
MOSES AT MT.SINAI#105
THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES ( Part 64)
THE TABLE OF SHOWBREAD IN THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES #18
WHAT IF YOU PRAY FOR BREAD BUT GOD GAVE YOU SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE A STONE INSTEAD?
"Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:9-11)
Today's devotion is difficult - not so much to understand - but to accept.
How should Christians respond when we ask God for bread and He appears to give us a stone?
While Romans 8:28 is much overused, it is still absolutely true. God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him. It may look like a stone. It may feel like a stone. It may taste like a stone — but it is not a stone.
God's Word never fails. God never reneges on His promises. Since God promises that if you ask for bread, He won't give you a stone, it is not a stone. It may not be what you asked for. It may not be what you wanted. But, ultimately, it is what is best. You will, at some point, be grateful for how God responded to your prayers.
Often, there is no way anyone can know why God allowed something terrible to happen. We can trust that it was God's will, but understanding how it is God's perfect plan is a different matter (Romans 12:1-2). There is no pain or suffering in heaven (Revelation 21:4). In heaven, we will all be in perfect agreement with what God's plan was for our earthly lives. However, it should be our goal to reach that level of trust in our pre-heaven walk with God. Easy? No. Possible? Likely no. Still our goal? Absolutely!
Just as Satan tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread (Matthew 4:3), so does he tempt us to view the "bread" God gives us as stones. No matter how much it seems to be a stone, we must trust God's Word that it is, in fact, His good, pleasing, and perfect plan.
