Posts by Ocieanna Fleiss
Many Afflictions Good Deliverer
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19 ESV) I’m feeling that urge to hope. That fresh-year sense that things might get better. But then I read this verse. And I remember that my Father doesn’t promise a prosperous new year. He promises the opposite.…
Read MoreEmmanuel’s Story: Simeon’s Light
It’s been so long, Lord. You made a promise from before the beginning of time, and your people have waited. We need Messiah. We were cast out of the garden. Our fathers failed to obey. We continue to turn away from you. Your law only proved how wicked our hearts truly were. We can’t save…
Read MoreEmmanuel’s Story: Daniel and the Magi
We’ve come a long way in biblical history, and now because they broke the covenant, both Israel and Judah have been cast out of the Promised Land. Sad. It seemed like the end of Israel, the end of God’s blessing to his people, and the end of the promise. Ah, but even in exile, God…
Read MoreEmmanuel’s Story: We Approach the Throne
I’ve always loved the story of Cinderella. A poor, orphan girl wins the prince’s love and becomes a princess. It reminds me of my story as a bride of Christ. Before I discovered that the prince chose me, I floundered as an unwanted daughter. Without a father to love and care for me, I was…
Read MoreEmmanuel’s Story: A Gentle Whisper
Today we turn to the next person in our quick journey through the Old Testament. Remember his story? The Lord sent him to preach against the evil King Ahab and his uber-wicked wife Jezebel. During the ultimate stand-off, Elijah went against Baal’s prophets. Simple test: I’ll make an altar to my God. You make an…
Read MoreEmmanuel’s Story: Forever Shepherd King
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. Luke 1:8 Have you ever thought about why the angels appeared to shepherds? I mean, why shepherds? There must be a reason. (This is how my mind works.) Imagine those shepherds. Such a dirty job. Lonely. Nothing glorious…
Read MoreChanged by a Baby 2: A Reason to Smile!
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice. Phil. 4:4 As I stood in the bathroom, the dread of disappointment draped over me. More than a year earlier, I’d lost my second baby to miscarriage. Day after day, infertility ate away at me as I watched friends my age raising kids—their first, second,…
Read MoreChanged by a Baby: From Bitter to Pleasant
Did you realize there were so many babies in the Old Testament? I never really thought about it until I started doing this study! Now we come to another one—or another lack of one. The book of Ruth opens with the land of Israel languishing in a hot mess they’ve created for themselves. They have no…
Read MoreEmmanuel’s Story: Holding My Father’s Hand
Okay friends! We’re leaving the first five books and moving on to Joshua. I have to say, even though I rarely hear Joshua preached or taught on, I’ve discovered so many tasty nuggets in this book. Let’s take a look. I love how we first find Joshua. He’s terrified! Well, it doesn’t specifically say he…
Read MoreEmmanuel’s Story: Manna or a Manger–God Provides
How those Israelites could complain! The Lord had just miraculously brought them out of hundreds of years of slavery. They saw the plagues—frogs, boils, grasshoppers, even the loss of the firstborn. They witnessed firsthand how God provided a way for the angel of death to pass over their homes, sparing their sons. He split the…
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