The King Has Come
Tim Melton
Galatians 4:4
Have you ever been in a situation where you really needed some help? The situation had just gotten out of hand. It was too difficult, too painful, you were trapped and there was nothing you could do about it. You really needed someone who could come into your situation and save the day.
The Jews of the Old Testament were very familiar with that sense of desperation. Whether in bondage to the Egyptians, the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, or even their own corrupt leaders, they found themselves many times in situations of oppression that they could do nothing about. They needed a Deliverer, a person to come and be grace to them.
Many think that if one follows God then life should be easy, but that is not what we see in scripture. It is interesting that in the Old Testament God named His people, Israel. ''Israel'' literally means one who wrestles with God. How fitting that is. It applies to us as well. We walk in this fallen world, struggling to live out our faith, many times living between the tension, as the father of the demon-possessed boy told Jesus, ''I believe, help my unbelief.''
At times we wonder why a good God would allow His children to struggle. It is in those moments that we must realize that the greatest gift that God can give to us is Himself. Not just knowing about Him, but having a firsthand, experiential knowledge of Him. An intimate relationship with Him. So, He allows poverty so that we might experience Him as our Provider. He allows illness so we can know Him as the Great Physician. He allows uncertainty so that we may know Him as the Almighty Counselor. He allows conflict and uneasiness so that He may show Himself to be our Prince of peace.
Yes, the people of Israel had struggled, but God had never taken His eye off of them. God had been preparing for centuries and as the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 4:4, ''when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his ...
Tim Melton
Galatians 4:4
Have you ever been in a situation where you really needed some help? The situation had just gotten out of hand. It was too difficult, too painful, you were trapped and there was nothing you could do about it. You really needed someone who could come into your situation and save the day.
The Jews of the Old Testament were very familiar with that sense of desperation. Whether in bondage to the Egyptians, the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, or even their own corrupt leaders, they found themselves many times in situations of oppression that they could do nothing about. They needed a Deliverer, a person to come and be grace to them.
Many think that if one follows God then life should be easy, but that is not what we see in scripture. It is interesting that in the Old Testament God named His people, Israel. ''Israel'' literally means one who wrestles with God. How fitting that is. It applies to us as well. We walk in this fallen world, struggling to live out our faith, many times living between the tension, as the father of the demon-possessed boy told Jesus, ''I believe, help my unbelief.''
At times we wonder why a good God would allow His children to struggle. It is in those moments that we must realize that the greatest gift that God can give to us is Himself. Not just knowing about Him, but having a firsthand, experiential knowledge of Him. An intimate relationship with Him. So, He allows poverty so that we might experience Him as our Provider. He allows illness so we can know Him as the Great Physician. He allows uncertainty so that we may know Him as the Almighty Counselor. He allows conflict and uneasiness so that He may show Himself to be our Prince of peace.
Yes, the people of Israel had struggled, but God had never taken His eye off of them. God had been preparing for centuries and as the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 4:4, ''when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his ...
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