Flourish Again

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread reading was written by Jennifer Benson Schultz and it's titled flourish again. Given enough sunlight and water vibrant wildflowers carpet areas of California just antelope Valley in Figaro Mountain.

But what happens when drought strikes, scientists have discovered that certain wildflowers stored large quantities of their seeds underground instead of allowing them to push through the soil and bloom after the drought.

The plants use the seeds they have saved to begin to flourish again.

The ancient Israelites thrived in the land of Egypt. Despite harsh conditions slave masters forced them to work in fields and make bricks ruthless overseers required them to build entire cities for Pharaoh the king of Egypt even tried to use infanticide to reduce their numbers, however. Exodus 112 says because God sustains them, the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread many Bible scholars estimate that the population of Israelite men, women and children grew to 2 million or more during their time in Egypt God who preserved his people then is upholding us today as well. He can help us in any environment. We may worry about enduring through another season. But the Bible assures us in Matthew six that God who cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today, and are gone tomorrow can provide for our needs. Today Our Daily Bread devotional Scripture reading is from Exodus chapter 1 verses six through 14 now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful.

They multiplied greatly increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.

Then a new king to whom Joseph meant nothing came to power in Egypt look he said to his people, the Israelites have become far too numerous for us come. We must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and if war breaks out, join our enemies fight against us and leave the country so they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor and they built to summon Ramses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick-and-mortar with all kinds of work in the fields and all their harshly with the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.

Let's pray father in heaven. Sometimes it's so hard to keep going. The world seems to be heading more and more towards self-destruction all the time. Thank you for the reminder that you protected the Israelites that were slaves in Egypt help us to take comfort and trust that you will do the same for us. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen on today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread ministries