God has promised to
regather His people one day. Sure, we seem to straggle off and stray, but He
draws us back. And He has done the same throughout the history of His people.
The Old Testament relates this, time and again.
The journey from Egypt
to the Promised Land of Canaan was approximately 200-250 miles. I've done it on a bus, and it was a few hours' trip. Taken directly on foot,
it might have taken the Israelites a month or so. OK, maybe two months, as the
group included the elderly, young children, and animals. But the jaunt took 40
years.
Do you ever feel as
if you’ve taken the long way around, simply by veering off course from the Lord’s
will for your life? Conversely, have you ever supposed that God Himself may
have sent you on what seems like a detour? Maybe He intended to grow you in some
way or to protect you from something you might have encountered in the more
direct route. Either way, things often seem to take longer than we think they
ought to take. We want to get there fast.
But the day is surely coming. He will restore order and gather His people from all quarters into His glorious Kingdom.
He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. (Isaiah 11:12, NIV)
What is the banner that
God has promised to raise for the nations? I believe it is the Lord Himself.
For He is YHVH Nissi, the Lord our Banner (see Exodus 17:15). His name is
exalted, and one day the whole world will fall to its knees (see Philippians
2:10), recognizing that He is sovereign.
Oh, Lord, our Banner, bring
Your Kingdom to pass. We yearn for peace and order and security – which can
only truly come to pass in Your glorious reign. Draw our children and our other
loved ones to You, for we long to see them there as well. Deliver them - and us - from evil for Your Name's sake. We ask in faith and
in the name of our wonderful Lord, Your Son Jesus Christ.
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Bible Map - public domain/copyright expired
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