December 17, 2025 Devo

What a beautiful description. Because of their disobedience, the Israelites had been in exile for 70 years. Everything they held sacred had been taken away. Their homes. Their communities. Their temple. As the years passed, many had begun to believe that God had abandoned them forever. Would they ever see their homes again? Would they ever worship in the temple again? Hope faded. But then, true to His word, God brought them back. Picture 85-year-old men and women who were only 15 when they were taken away. Imagine families walking into a city that they had only heard about in stories around the campfires at night. Think how emotional it had to be for them to finally be back. To finally be HOME. Like a dream. The God of all Grace had made their dream come true.
What dream are YOU holding onto? Do you believe God can still make the dream a reality? I’ve walked with couples who desperately wanted to have children but were unable to. Some tried for years, but to no avail. And then, one day, after doctors said they would never be able to conceive, they became pregnant. It was like a dream. I know a man who desperately wanted to be reconciled to his son. Attempt after attempt to reach out and connect was met with rejection. And then, for some unknown reason, the son became open. What the father thought was impossible became reality. It was like a dream. I could introduce you to a man whose parents prayed for him daily for DECADES. He wanted nothing to do with the God whom they served. But then, God broke through. At 65 years of age, long after most had given up hope, he came to Christ and became a man of God. Though his father had passed away, his mother got to see it happen. It was like a dream.
I’m praying today for all of you who are in a time of “exile.” Your heart is heavy. Your load is overwhelming at times. Sometimes it feels as if God is a million miles away, and you’ve almost lost all hope of believing it can change. But it CAN change. God has not forgotten you. Even if you’re in an exile of your own making, God will not abandon you. Keep the faith. Keep your hope alive. Keep praying and believing that the God who brought the Israelites back from exile can deliver you as well. Let’s pray and believe that one day God is going to heal, restore, redeem, and renew. Who knows? Maybe sooner than you think, you will feel like the people of God did as they walked through those gates after 70 years. Like a dream. That’s God’s Word for you today.