“But when Pharaoh saw that relief had come, he became stubborn. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.” Exodus 8:15 Isn’t it so easy for us to look at Pharaoh and shake our heads in disbelief? After numerous plagues that destroyed his crops, land, and people, he still refused to surrender and allow the Israelites to go free. My daughter was on antibiotics a few years ago and hated the taste. I’m talking hated in the way that we sat in her room for three hours trying to get her to take it. It was late, we were exhausted, and she was being so, so stubborn. I sat there for 3 hours while she cried and even screamed about how much she hated it, but in the end, I prevailed. She took it and fell asleep quickly. Sweet victory. The more I thought about this story from the bible, the more I realized that we can have an attitude like Pharaoh. Yes, another plague had come. Yes, it was awful. Yes, it weakened him and his people. But once it was over and relief had come, he turned back to his old ways…

“Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” John 16:19-20 ESV The scripture doesn’t say that we “may” experience sorrow and weeping, but that we will for sure have to endure these difficult seasons. One of my pet peeves is when a person gloats. I’m quite competitive by nature, so when I’m losing, it infuriates me when someone rubs that in my face. It’s embarrassing enough that I’m losing, but now others know it too. The same applies spiritually. We, the church, have been tasked with holding back the darkness, and it does appear as though evil is sometimes winning. To make matters worse, there is a pride and arrogance that accompany evil, a gloating nature. We cannot allow ourselves to become distracted by what the enemy is saying. He is the father of lies, and no…

“And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.” 2 Kings 4:7 The woman in the above story was a widow who fell into financial trouble after her husband’s passing. When Elisha passes by, she calls out to him that her husband is dead, and that he was a good man, but he was in debt. Furthermore, the men he owed were currently on their way to collect by taking her children as slaves. I can only imagine the fear and panic she felt knowing she had nothing to offer them, and the possibility she would never see her children again. Elisha gives her clear instructions. The woman has a little oil in her house, so he tells her to borrow jugs and bowls from her neighbors, and not only a few, but as many as she can get. When she returns home, she…

“This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.” Habakkuk 2:3 When I read this scripture, I automatically thought, “isn’t that so like the Lord?” He sees the end from the beginning and knows all things. He always provides what we need, sometimes long before we need it. He places little blessings and words into our lives, and while we may not understand them at the time, they always have a purpose. He is not slack concerning His promises and is always working on your behalf. Even if it seems impossible or like it will never come to pass, it will. His word never returns void; He does all things well. Look for the God in the small things today and trust that He is working it all out for your good! Devotion by Caitlin Walker