Location, Location, Location!

You have been speaking to me, Father, and You know that my heart’s desire is to clearly hear what You have for me. Give me a burning desire to draw closer to You, to spend time with You in prayer. My relationship with You must be the most important thing in my life – everything else will fall into place when You, Father, are at the center. Amen.

Matthew 4:12-17 (<<click the green)

As I have sat here pondering this passage, Lord, I was curious to see where all these places were. I recognize the names of them but I really didn’t know if they were close together or far apart.

After looking at one of the maps in the back of my Bible, I figured out that Judea is a region of Israel where Jerusalem and Bethlehem were. The wilderness where You were tempted was here as well. So putting that all together, You probably had to travel approximately 45 miles to get to Galilee, where Nazareth and Capernaum were located. That’s about a 15-hour walk! But where You chose to center Your ministry was of extreme importance. Many important things would take place in Judea but equally important was what would take place in Galilee.

As is the case today, You are always in the right place at the right time. For the third time in four chapters, Matthew refers to a proclamation of the prophet Isaiah. Yes, it’s important to realize Your relocation fulfilled prophecy but it also put You in a place where there would be many people who needed You on so many levels.

Lord, You go where You are needed. In Galilee, there were many Jews but there were many Gentiles there as well. Isaiah refers to the people in this area as those “who sat in darkness” and “those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow”. For those with no true hope, Hope has come. For those in darkness, “a light has shined.”

I know You are always with me, Lord, but I would pray that You would shine brightly through me. I am in a land of darkness – a land where “death casts its shadow”. Use me to touch the lives of those in my location. May I bring Hope. Amen.

Oct 4^th, Wed, 6:22 am