Satan is depicted in the Garden
of Eden as a serpent. We think of snakes as carriers of venom and death. Yet,
when the Israelites sinned in disobedience to God, God told Moses to make a
brass serpent.
He place it on a pole (Numbers
21). That took some time, and meanwhile, many died. Once the brass icon was in
place, however, everyone who looked at the serpent was saved from the
pestilence ravaging the camp of sojourners.
God used this experience as a
foreshadowing of Christ being raised on the cross (John 12:32). The evil symbol
of Satan in the Garden of Eden was now used for the promise of eternal
redemption for us all.
When we fix our eyes on Jesus,
who supplied us with His grace for salvation (Hebrews 12:2), we too are saved. God
wants to heal every facet of our life, if we will simply trust and believe.
God heals marriages, which He
designed to give us a safe haven from a world that often frightens us and
stresses us out. Two become one flesh and should never be separated.
If you try, you do not split in
half; you rip apart in shreds. If you purpose to stay together, there is not
one issue that cannot be worked out between you.
It takes healing, forgiveness,
open communication and a selfless commitment to one another. It is easy to get
a divorce. It takes unconditional love to stay together.
Sure our partner is not perfect
and may get on our nerves or wear us down at times; but a little understanding
and a great deal of appreciation is all you need to stay together.
God also heals parent-child
relationships. When mentally or emotionally stunted adults have children, they
are sure to miss the mark in certain areas of parenting. Reading every book on
parenting ever written is no guarantee of success - I know, I tried.
All we can do is our best. No
human being is capable of doing more. At times, our best is sub-par, but we can
give our parents credit for what they did give to us; sometimes at their own
financial, physical and emotional loss.
God also heals individual lives.
He fills in the gaps of our childhood and teaches us to meet our own needs and
to allow Him to reveal to us the lies, which Satan planted along our life's
path. As we replace the lies with God's truth, we are healed from the inside
out ( www.theophostic.com ).
Prayer:
Father God, You show us through
the serpent on a pole not to focus on exterior symbols and make doctrines out
of them, but to follow Your Spirit, which often works contrary to our human
reasoning (Proverbs 3:5-6). You are God and there is no one like You (Jeremiah
10:6). You are our alpha and omega (Revelation 22:13).
We cannot thank You enough for
condescending to our human level and dwelling among us for 33 years; only to
offer Your own life as a sacrifice and propitiation for the punishment, which
we deserve for our sins. Your mercy and grace are new every morning and Your
faithfulness is as fathomless as the sea (Lamentations 3:22-23; Psalm 36:6).
Thought for the Day:
God is in the healing business as
we totally surrender our life and will to His ultimate plan for us. - Ephesians
2:10
