Challenge Central: a CBC devotional
By: Jeremy Heikkinen
This is graduation week for Central Baptist Academy. Our grade 8 students have made it and so have many other students! This is something to celebrate. For those that are graduating, these are the last few days in a familiar place before stepping into new territory. But this is not only true for students, it is also true for families. The summer is a transition from a place of familiarity to new territory each year. What are you hoping will happen in between the banks of the familiar and the banks of new territory this year?
Micah 6:8 has been a key verse to the grade 8 class. It is a good one. As I have been studying to address the graduating class, verse 5 caught my attention. Here is what it says:
“O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
“Balak king of Moab…” God, through Micah, calls the people of God to remember their history. More specifically what happened in Numbers 22-24 as He turned cursing into blessing for His people. You see, Balak king of Moab tried to hire Balaam to curse the people of God because they were coming in his direction and he did not want to die. God takes something that was meant for destruction and uses it to bless his people. In what ways has God turned difficult circumstances into a blessing for you and your family this year? What circumstances are you walking through right now that make it hard to see God’s blessing?
“From Shittim to Gilgal…” So, where are Shittim and Gigal? Well, Shittim is the final camp site before entering the promised land and Gilgal is the first camp site in the promised land. So what is in between these places? The Jordan river. As the children of Israel seek to leave the wilderness of wandering and take possession of the promise land they must cross the river. But they do not do that on their own. God goes before them as they step off the bank and onto an exposed river bed. The only way out of the wilderness and through the river to the promised land is by the grace and miraculous presence of God. God is always ahead of every step we take giving us grace and making a way when we don’t see it.
Where are you? Do you feel you are coming out of the wilderness? Do you feel you are
stepping into the unknown and are unsure about your footing? Do you feel you are finding your footing in the promises of God and have hope for the future? Remember, take the next step by the grace of God and remember His miraculous presence.
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