July 11, 2026
Saturday, July 11
Yesterday, I promised there was good news, even in a chapter as bleak as Exodus 5. Here it is: God promised the Israelites salvation. They couldn’t believe it. It seemed too good to be true. Their hearts were broken. Their faith was gone. But guess what? He saved them anyway. I’m not saying God saves everyone, regardless of their belief system. Scripture does not teach universalism. I am saying that God’s grace and power are enough. You may say, “I’m so weak, I can’t do anything right.” That’s okay. He can’t do anything wrong. And He’s just getting started on you. You may say, “I’m so afraid.” He knows that. But He’s bigger than whatever you’re afraid of. He’s got it. You may say, “I’m too tired to go on.” He’ll carry you. Just don’t give up. His grace and power are enough.
There was a science-fiction movie several years ago called Men in Black (and I’ll bet you never thought it would get mentioned in a devotional, but here goes). There’s a scene near the end where a giant alien cockroach (yes, you read that sentence correctly) stands towering over our two heroes. It snatches and swallows both their guns, leaving them defenseless. In response, the older of the two agents starts jumping up and down, yelling, “Eat me!” What sort of plan is that? The bug eats him, then a few seconds later, explodes. What happened? The agent went inside the monster, found his gun, and blew him to bits from the inside.
In our Lord’s last days on earth, He tried to tell His disciples, “I am going to be arrested and crucified.” They wouldn’t hear it. That wasn’t the way it was supposed to go. In the garden on that dark night, when the mob came to arrest Him, Peter even drew a sword and tried to stab a guy in the head. Jesus said, “Put your sword away.” He had a battle plan they couldn’t imagine.
He died. They wept. It seemed that evil had won. Then, on Sunday morning, the stone rolled away, and Jesus walked out triumphant. He won the ultimate battle in a way no one saw coming. He defeated our sin by becoming sin for us. He defeated Satan by becoming weak. He defeated death by dying. In other words, Jesus defeated evil once and for all by going inside it. Trust me on this: In your darkest of nights, God’s battle plan is still undefeated.
In those dark nights, it’s good to have some songs that remind us who is on our side. Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) is one of those songs.
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
