Day Seven: That the World May Know

Today we traced the story of God’s plan across three places, each declaring the same truth: things are not always as they seem, but God’s purpose is that the whole world may know Him.

We began in the Jezreel Valley, a landscape stained with the blood of countless battles. Here, empires clashed for control of the most strategic crossroads of the ancient world. To rule this land was to rule the world. At its hinge point stood Megiddo, where Pharaohs claimed victory and kings of Israel and Judah fell. The book of Revelation tells us that another battle will be fought (Armageddon), but this time, the outcome is certain. Christ will reign, and the world will know that He is King.

From there, we traveled to the Mediterranean coast, to Caesarea Maritima, the magnificent port city built by Herod the Great. More than engineering brilliance, this city marks a turning point in the Gospel story. Here in Acts 10, Peter received a vision. At the same time, a Roman centurion named Cornelius received his own. Their visions converged, and the early church finally grasped that the Good News was not just for Israel, but for all nations. The Gospel was unleashed to the world.

Our final stop was Tel Azekah, overlooking the Valley of Elah. Here, a shepherd boy named David stood against a giant named Goliath. David declared: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty… and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Samuel 17:45–46). What appeared to be certain defeat became decisive victory, not by might, but by a boy’s sling and God’s power.

From Megiddo to Caesarea to the Valley of Elah, the message rings clear. Israel was placed in a particular land, at a particular time, for a particular purpose: that the world may know. It was God’s plan. It is God’s plan. It will always be God’s plan. Tomorrow, we step toward Jerusalem, where that plan took its most decisive shape in the person of Christ.

Prayer

Lord, from the valleys of battle to the shores of the sea, You are writing a story for the nations. Remind us that our lives too are part of that mission. May we live so that the whole world may know that You are God. Amen.

“The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.” 

– Carl F. H. Henry

Jerrell