December 14: Matthew 4:1-11
Key Verse: Matthew 4:11
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Devotion:
What do you think about when you read this story about Jesus being tested in the wilderness? Do you think about how evil the devil was to try to tempt Jesus by offering Him things he could not deliver on? Do you think about Jesus being strong enough to resist those temptations? Do you maybe think about how weak we are in comparison to Jesus and how we need help to be able to reject those types of temptation?
Whatever you think of, I would like you to think of something which struck me as I was writing this down… Jesus went through all of these things in the wilderness before the angels came to attend to Him! In other words, despite God having all the power to be able to turn things around, Jesus still had to go through these difficult times before God stepped in to send angels to comfort Him!
Sometimes we face things in our lives and wonder how we can ever get through these things, begging God to take these bad things away from us… but sometimes God knows we have to face something like what is happening before we will understand what it is like for others! I can remember thinking this while I was in hospital and coming to the conclusion God wanted me to know what it was like to be on the receiving end of bad health and unlucky times!
But, no matter what we go through, God will provide respite after the even when we continue to fully trust in Him!
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are having a bad time?
Is God showing you things before He can reward you?