[Discoveries] 12-21-08 Our brightest hopes --Matthew 1:25

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*For those struggling financially ...*/
/*I'm not a woman, and so I cannot speak from experience, but I will 
offer this word from scripture for you women, especially you single 
moms. When the economy of Israel collapsed, and death from thirst and 
starvation was commonplace, where did God send his servant Elijah? To a 
single mom. God commanded a single mom who had despaired of life itself 
to feed his number one prophet. Why would God do that? The answer is 
really simple. God doesn't typically hob nob with the rich and famous. 
Instead, He hangs out with those who have nothing left. He hasn't 
forgotten you. The prayer you can scarcely pray; God will answer that 
and much more. But remember this: the answer often comes in a way you 
don't expect.*/

/*... she gave birth to a son ... --Matthew 1:25*/

This has become a special day for me because thirteen years ago my son 
Alan was born. It was the shortest day of the year, but one of the 
longest days of my life. I woke up early, went to work, drove to Chicago 
and back (over 300 miles), got permanently laid off from my job, came 
home, drove my wife to the hospital, and, by the end of the day, my 
namesake, Dwight Alan Clough, Jr., was a little baby wrapped up in a 
blanket.

He seemed so fragile and small. During labor my wife's blood pressure 
spiked at 197/127 then dropped to 60/40. Meanwhile, I had lost my job on 
the darkest cold day of the year.

But that little six pound baby somehow hung on and grew. The doctor said 
my wife could never safely deliver another child, but two and a half 
years later God gave us our little Sally. My job was gone. Unemployment 
paid me for a month and then refused to pay any more. But God provided a 
living and we made it through.

Alan has my name, but he has much more than I could ever give him. He 
has a people savvy that can only be a gift from God because he certainly 
didn't get it from me. He is naturally street wise and sizes up 
situations better than some people twice his age. We call him our future 
millionaire because at age five he was watching the Nightly Business 
Report, and he told us his goal was to own fifty Taco Bell restaurants.

What's the point? The point is that good life sometimes flourishes on 
doubtful soil. The point is that God specializes in taking our darkest 
hours and drawing out of them our brightest hopes. Who could have 
guessed that the hope of the whole world could be found wrapped in cloth 
lying in a box over a bed of hay!

Be encouraged!
Dwight

What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of 
violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the 
power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by 
addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being restored. Families 
are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who 
face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers 
are learning how to walk with the Lord, and people are coming into the 
faith for the first time. None of this happens as a result of one 
person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the 
sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with 
other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the 
supernatural happens.
Discoveries Devotional -- Inspiration in Your Inbox is provided daily by
Dwight Clough Ministries, Inc.
1223 West Main Street #228
Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA
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