Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”
Exodus 1:22
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.
Matthew 2:16
The One Step Daily Devotional is intended to provide just one step each day for your journey with God. Every journey requires water breaks. Here is a water break for you.
In each of the verses above, the oppressing power in charge attempted to use death to control.
In hearing that a messiah was coming to free the people of Israel from the oppressive control of Pharaoh, Pharaoh ordered all child-aged would-be messiahs murdered. Similarly, upon hearing that the Messiah was coming to Bethlehem, Herod ordered that all young males be murdered.
It’s easy to allow the attacks of the enemy to become the focus. It’s easy because the enemy always has harm in mind: to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). It’s important to note that in the midst of attack, salvation is still coming. Salvation isn’t just coming as in “one day it will come,” but in these two stories, in the midst of threatening death, salvation was in the process of coming. The process of salvation had been initiated, and the savior was in their midst.
In our lives, it’s easy to see death, loss, and destruction as the end of the story for us. God sees something else. God sees our difficulty, and He cares deeply for us in the midst of it. But, God’s vision does not end there. Salvation is in process; the Savior is in our midst.
No matter what you are facing today, there is a God story being told as well. God is working despite the enemy’s efforts. God is working despite how things look to us. God is working out salvation. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand… it’s coming… it has come. Oppression will not prevail.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to ask God for His perspective on your situation. Perhaps in the midst of the attack of the enemy and the brokenness of this world there is something God wants you to see that He is doing. Maybe today God wants you to see and partake in His salvation story. Perhaps God wants you to remember that oppression will not prevail.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.
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