Haderekh Messianic Devotional

“They came to Him, bringing one sick of the palsy, bourne by four of them. And when they could not get near, they uncovered the roof where He was and let down the bed wherein he lay.” Mark 2:3-4 In three of the four Gospels we read of a paralysed man being brought by four friends to be healed by Yeshua. But the house where Yeshua was speaking was so crowded they were unable to get near, let alone into the room where Yeshua was. We know these men loved their friend very deeply as they were not about to be put off receiving the miracle he needed because of a crowd of people around Yeshua....

“The angel of Yehovah encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them.” Psalm 34:7 In 2 Kings 6 we read that Yehovah kept revealing to the prophet Elisha the schemes the king of Syria was hatching against the children of Israel, even things he spoke of in his bedroom. The result was that Elisha was able to warn the King of Israel what their enemy were plotting against them, so the Israelites were always able to outsmart the Syrian army. When the King of Syria learned this, he sent a large company of soldiers, horses and chariots to surround the city of Dothan, were Elisha lived,...

“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” Matthew 7:25 On the side of a disused railway line, now a cycle and footpath near where I live, is something which stirs my mind and heart each time I pass it. There are two, twenty-foot-tall trees growing out of a narrow ledge on the front of a vertical cliff-face. The cliff and ledge are both solid rock - with a thin layer of soil on the ledge, which has obviously dropped from above and settled there over the years. Both trees are thriving and...

“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Yehovah.” Romans 10:17 In the book of Judges, we read that Yehovah called Gideon, a man who was, at the time, in hiding, to defeat the Midianite army. Gideon thought He had made a mistake, but Yehovah called him a mighty man of valour.  Yehovah then called 300 men to stand with him. They were not equipped with swords and shields – but with a trumpet and a light covered by a pitcher - until the appointed time. At Gideon’s signal, they blew their trumpets in unison, calling out, “The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon”, broke the pitchers and...

“…one thing I do…, I press toward the goal…” Philippians 3:13-14 100 years ago, the average family in the western world had several children more than they do now. They had no modern-day appliances and yet people’s lives tended to be far less stressed, rushed, and packed with “to-do-lists.” These days we live in all-mod-cons environments, with cars, washing machines, dishwashers, microwaves - and instant everything, from mashed potato to ready-made meals. But something has happened in our busy, packed lifestyles. Despite boasting we can multi-task and do ten things at a time without dropping...

“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” (KJV) 1 Corinthians 15:33  “Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." (NIV)  “Do not be deceived, Bad company ruins good morals.” (ESV) As we have already considered, both you and your future are defined by the books you read and the people you hang out with. The books you read and, in this media dominated age, what you view on TV and social media, with all their “on-demand” services, are all literally “downloading” information and entertainment into your heart and mind. Then, as Yeshua said, “out of the...