Old Treasures on Tuesdays đź‘‘
“Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs” (Matt. 4:11, NET).
Have you ever imagined Jesus being in need of anything? Living in a human body, He was dependent on the ministry of angels. If the sinless Savior of the world was vulnerable enough to have need of these powerful agents from Heaven, how much more do you and I! The wonderful news is that God has amply provided us with this very thing: “Are [the angels] not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14, NKJV).
More often than not, we are not aware of the angels that are assigned to serve us. However, I believe we can learn something about their ministry from our verse today out of Matthew 4. Jesus, utterly spent, had just battled His way through a harrowing bout of spiritual warfare. The devil had taken advantage of His exhaustion after forty days of fasting to incite this vengeful attack.
Can you relate to that? Have you, too, found that the enemy goes after you when you are at your lowest point? Indeed, the worst of our battles generally occur when we are at our weakest – whether that be emotionally, physically, spiritually, or a combination of the three.
The devil assailed Jesus, knowing He had no remaining strength of His own after going six weeks without eating anything at all. Wielding the weapon of temptation, he cruelly targeted Jesus’ most vulnerable areas. Jesus clung to the Father and the Scriptures and made it through the vicious onslaught. The evil one, irate over yet another defeat, finally gave up and left.
In my mind’s eye, I see Jesus crumpled in a heap once His foe had departed. Sweat dried on His weary, sunburnt face; lips cracked from the desert heat, He had nothing whatsoever left to give. I imagine that He did not even have the strength to stagger back to civilization to seek nourishment and refuge.
That’s when the angels came. The Father sent them as ministers to restore life and vigor to His dearly beloved Son. We don’t know the details of their ministry, but clearly they transmitted both energy and encouragement to Him. They poured the provision of Heaven into His earthly frame.
In this picture of angels administering comfort and assistance to the Son of God, we find a practical application for our own lives. There are times when our trials, too, seem to have exacted from us our very last ounce of strength. We feel like we have trudged endlessly through a vast, merciless wilderness, enduring long days without any sustenance. Just when we have spent every last bit of our physical and emotional resources, our adversary initiates a ruthless assault against us. We cling to God with what feels like our very last breath…
And we make it through. After a prolonged struggle, our agitated foe finally capitulates and withdraws. That’s when the angels come. We often are unaware of their presence, but we feel the relief that they bring. Suddenly, the atmosphere around us shifts. The heaviness lifts off and blows away with the breeze from Heaven that gently caresses our face. Power from Above courses into our being and renews our strength. We rise again, ready to walk into a new day.
Here is the promise Daddy God holds out to you today: whatever adversity you are enduring, however relentless and painful it may feel, is temporary. It will not last. You will get through it. Relief is coming, dear one. Ministering angels are on their way!
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace… will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10, ESV).
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Can you relate to that moment when you suddenly experience relief from the intense battle you’ve been pushing through?
Feeding On Jesus 
Once again you have managed to say just exactly what I needed to hear, at just exactly the time I needed to hear it. That is so awesome. God is using your gift of words to weave His perfect tapestry.
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Aw, I am so, SO glad to hear this! Thank You my Father!
You know, I know we have been connected on WordPress for some time, but I don’t remember if I asked you, do you prefer to go by “GodChild,” or is there anything else you would like me to call you? I try to be intentional about that, feels like I should have asked sooner!
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You did ask me my name once and I told you, but I do prefer GodChild if that’s okay with you. I’ve been writing a lot less lately. I was very sick back in December & had an amazing conversation with God. I knew at the time that I might not survive and God said to me, “Your choice.” I was only barely conscious and remember thinking, “Oh, I need to figure out how to make that choice.” Then I heard myself saying out loud, “I want to live,” and remember thinking, yes, I can go with that. Then God said to me, “NOW you’re paying attention. You thought you were paying attention before but you weren’t. Now that you’re paying attention, listen and learn.” So I’m still pretty much following that command to listen and learn, and doing a lot more seeking to listen and a lot less talking and writing. Still don’t know if that’s a forever thing or just for now. More than you wanted to know probably! Thanks for asking.
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I feel so bad that I asked twice! I did actually make note of your name, and I just found it. But I will gladly call you GodChild. That is our one and only important identity, and out of it flows everything else! I am so deeply sorry to hear that you were so sick. How are you feeling now? I will put in some extra prayers for you. You are so, so precious to Him! I really am so glad you shared. Sending you so much love in Jesus tonight, and a big hug!
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Thank you. You confirm and encourage me in my life my own faith certainty in His amazing GRACE. Bldessings.
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You are so welcome, dear Faye. AMEN!
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Don’t feel bad about asking my name twice! To me that says that you really care. Re. “feeling better” – my life has changed, and I’m still getting used to it. I can only walk about 6-8 steps now. Spent many months trying to stretch 6 to 7 and 7 to 8 and finally made a decision. I thank God for the ability to walk those 8 steps – it makes my life MUCH easier than if it were zero! But I made a decision not to spend the rest of my life devoting all of my time to trying to turn 8 into 9 and 9 into 10, etc. I believe that God doesn’t need perfect people to do His work, so I started asking Him to use me to do His work here on Earth, and He is, in some amazing ways I never would have expected! I read an amazing book by Amy Kenny, “MY BODY IS NOT A PRAYER REQUEST: Disability Justice in the Church” and that has led me to a whole new focus on encouraging people with disabilities in my own local church to see ourselves as agents and ministers in Christ. There is too much said about being Gods “hands and feet” here on earth, and that is often discouraging to those whose literal hands and feet don’t work very well. But there are so many other ways God can use us to do His work on Earth! It is satan who wants us to believe we are “too broken” to serve God. We must not fall prey to satan’s lie that we need to heal our bodies “first” before we can serve God. God can and does use us as we are! I apologize for going on and on – this is my new passion.
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No need whatsoever to share your passion! I am privileged to learn about your heart and what God has been speaking to you about. I deeply agree that He has such special and powerful plans and purposes for you while He still has you here on Planet Earth, no matter what! May He pour His grace through you in new and beautiful ways, as you make yourself available to Him as His precious vessel of glory. Thank you so much for sharing, GodChild!
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