Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. Ephesians 3:20 TPT
Tonight the last candle on the Menorah will be lit. A symbol of God’s faithfulness and provision, even in the face of the improbable and impossible. Over and over since the beginning of time God has always met human needs often beyond our wildest expectations.
So we know Hanukkah celebrates God’s providing eight days of lamp oil with only a one day supply. And that is truly amazing. But what if they never would have lit that first lamp? In order for the Temple to be cleansed the lamp had to burn for eight days. They stood in the Temple holding one days worth of oil. Now it wasn’t just regular lamp oil, it was ceremonial Temple oil. God had given the priests a recipe in Exodus 30:22-25 to make this special oil. It contained Myrrh, Cassia, Calamus, Cinnamon and Olive Oil from the tribe of Judah. Some of these ingredients were not readily available and costly. They didn’t have time to make more. They had a choice to make, to wait until they could make more, which would take days maybe even weeks. Or to take a step of faith knowing what God wanted, and believing that God would be faithful and make a way to complete the cleansing of His house.
They chose the latter and the miracle happened that is still celebrated today. The only reason they were even standing in the Temple was because God gave them the victories to conquer. The battles to regain God’s Holy place was fought over years and now a lack of ceremonial oil was standing between total victory or defeat. Imagine the faith these men had to believe God has gotten us this far and He won’t let us fail now, strike the match and start the fire.
Today you may be on the brink of total victory, but something seems to be keeping you from experiencing it. I encourage you to look at how far God has brought you from where you were. He won’t let you on your own now, step out in faith, strike the match and start the fire that only God Himself can keep burning. He will bring you to victory and you also will be celebrating His hand of provision for years to come. Remember He never could have shown His provision if they never would have lit that first lamp.
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