Little did we at Jewish Voice know, when we began a blog series to offer hope and encouragement in the midst of the lockdown efforts to curb the virus, that things would last long enough to extend the series to nine weeks.
The work of Jewish Voice – meeting physical needs and sharing the hope of Yeshua (Jesus) with Jewish people worldwide – wouldn’t be possible without you.
For the past nine weeks, as the coronavirus upended the world with fear, stay-at-home mandates, financial loss and isolation, we’ve turned to Scripture for the hope we each need to endure rough times.
What do we do when what we hoped for in the way we expected it doesn’t happen? Did God's promises to us fail? Does the crush of unmet expectations and snuffed out hope mean that God cannot be trusted or that His promises are no longer true? Of course not!
Once we learn His Word, He'll empower us to do His Word. Once we do His Word, we'll be able to teach it, and by the very act of teaching His Word we'll learn more about His Word and how to do it. This is a cycle worth repeating!
The words God gave to His prophets often told about events in the current time, near future and a time even further in the future. They are always pointing us forward, but what were they pointing us forward to?
As Believers in Jesus in the 21st century, how can counting up toward a wheat harvest festival hold any significance for us?
Ancient Israel had a hope: to return to the Land God had promised to give her. Yet, she had been in exile in Babylon for so long that I’m sure the hope of many began to wane, if not completely disappear.
Our God is the Master Composer. The intricacies He has purposefully arranged on His grand scale of time are often indistinguishable to the human ear, unless we strain to hear. As we journey through the story of Ezra-Nehemiah in the days ahead, listen in for a pattern, a 3-part harmony, as God composes another movement in His song through the mouths of His prophets. See if you can make out the sounds.
Working from home is one of the biggest changes to my life over the last few months. I’ve found that little things like stopping for my morning coffee, complaining about traffic, and listening to my favorite morning talk show bring me joy. One thing I don’t miss is picking out what I’m going to wear every day. I’m challenged when it comes to fashion ☹. Despite my struggle and even though I’m working from home; I still get dressed every day. The action helps me prepare my mind to work and I’m ready just in case something out of the ordinary happens.
