OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: THURSDAY OCTOBER 12TH, 2023.
TOPIC: THE WAY WHERE THERE IS NO WAY
MEMORISE:
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26
READ:
EXODUS 14:9-31
9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.
10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.
11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.
27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
31 And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.
MESSAGE:
Jesus is the Way where there is no way. John 11:39-44 tells us the story of Lazarus. He died and had been buried for 4 days. When Jesus and His disciples got to the tomb and He asked that the stone be rolled away, Lazarus' sister said to Jesus that it was too late already. She was confident that if Jesus had come before her brother died, Jesus would have healed him. Her statement also implies that she felt that if Jesus had arrived when he had just died like in the case of Jairus' daughter, or just before he was buried like in the case of the widow of Nain's son, Jesus would have been able to raise Lazarus from the dead, but since he was already dead and buried for 4 days; there was no way out. Jesus Christ, the Way where there is no way however, simply asked that the stone be rolled away and then called Lazarus out of the tomb.
There was one of my sons whose country I was visiting. I had expected to see him at the airport, but he wasn't there. I asked after him and was told that he was in the hospital dying. I went to see him in the hospital and was taken to a special ward where hopeless cases - people who the doctors were sure would soon die, were kept. I prayed for him that Saturday and by the following Wednesday, my son was discharged, completely whole. Beyond his healing, however, everyone in that ward with him also got discharged that day.
There comes a time when a person could look at all the options in front of him, and none of them would look like a way out of his problem. At that time, the only One who can make a way where there is none is Jesus. When the Israelites were between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, humanly speaking, there was no right decision to take. They would die if they turned to fight the Egyptians because the Israelites had no military training or weapons. The Red Sea was in front of them, so there was no question of moving forward. It was clear that their fate was in the hands of Pharaoh, but that was before The Way stepped in. The moment Moses cried to God about their situation, a way was created where there had been none and the Egyptians were destroyed in their stead.
Surrender all to Jesus today and call upon Him to make a Way for you where there is no way, and He will answer You.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please make a way for me, even where there is no way, in Jesus' name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
MATTHEW 27-28
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 1
ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS' NAME
1. All hail the power of Jesus' Name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.
2. Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre,
And as they tune it, fall
Before His face Who tunes their choir,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Before His face Who tunes their choir,
And crown Him Lord of all.
3. Crown Him, ye morning stars of light,
Who fixed this floating ball;
Now hail the strength of Israel's might,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Now hail the strength of Israel's might,
And crown Him Lord of all.
4. Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God,
Who from His altar call;
Extol the stem of Jesse's Rod,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Extol the stem of Jesse's Rod,
And crown Him Lord of all.
5. Ye seed of Israel's chosen race,
Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.
6. Hail Him, ye heirs of David's line,
Whom David Lord did call,
The God incarnate, Man divine,
And crown Him Lord of all.
The God incarnate, Man divine,
And crown Him Lord of all.
7. Sinners, whose love can ne'er forget,
The wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at His feet,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Go spread your trophies at His feet,
And crown Him Lord of all.
8. Let every tribe and every tongue
Before Him prostrate fall,
And shout in universal song,
And crown Him Lord of all.
And shout in universal song,
And crown Him Lord of all.