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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: STRETCH (04/08/21)
God’s Outstretched Hand

There are a number of instances in the bible, where God has stretched out his hand of love, to protect us, provide for us, and take care of us. One of the first instances, in the bible where God stretched out his hand, to help his people can be found, in Exodus chapter fourteen. In Exodus chapter fourteen, Moses is leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. The Israelites are fleeing from the rule of Pharaoh. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea: and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong cast wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon dry ground and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left (Exodus 14:21-22). God parted the Reed Sea through the action of Moses stretching out his hand over the sea. The sea became dry land so that the Israelites could cross it safely. Pharaoh and the Egyptians that were pursuing after the Israelites were drown in the Reed Sea when God had Moses stretch out his hand over the sea a second time. And the Lord said unto Moses, stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared: and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea (Exodus 14: 26-27). Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians; dead upon the sea shore (Exodus 14:30).

A second instance in the bible, where God stretches out his hand, to provide for his people, is talked about in John chapter 6 and Mark chapter 6. God can and will stretch whatever we have. If we give God what little we have, he is able to stretch it to make it last. In John chapter six, a great multitude had followed Jesus up into a mountain because they had saw him perform many miracles in healing the sick (John 6: 2). Mark chapter six, verse 34, tells us that Jesus began to teach the multitude many things. After some time had passed, Jesus had compassion on the multitude, and wanted to feed them before he sent them away (Mark 6: 36-37). In John chapter six, verse five, Jesus asked Philip how shall we buy bread that the multitude may eat. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that everyone of them may have a little (John 6: 7). There was in the crowd a young boy, who had five barely loaves of bread and two small fish (John 6: 8). They didn’t have enough money or enough food so it seemed to naturally feed the five thousand that had followed Jesus (John 6: 9). Jesus then commanded the disciples to make the people sit down on the grass (John 6: 10). And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven and blessed, and brake the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat and were filled. They took up twelve baskets full of fragments (leftovers) and of fishes (Mark 6: 41-43). Jesus stretched the meal that was meant to feed a young boy (the two fish and five loaves of bread), to feed five thousand people and they even had leftovers. God will take what little we have and stretch it to make it last.

A third instance in the bible, where God stretched out his hand, to help someone occurs in Luke 6 verses 8-10, where Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath day. But he knew their thoughts and said to the man, which had the withered hand, rise up, and stand forth in the midst, and he arose and stood forth. And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, stretch forth thy hand, And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other. If we stretch ourselves before God, he is able to restore us.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Noel Mitaxa 
04/16/21
Some great truths here, but slabs of print make the going heavier than it needs to be. More paragraph breaks will give readers more time to take in your work and reflect on it.
A good basic rule is for each para to house only one idea, or one person's speech.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
04/22/21
You make some great points in this piece. This would make a great Bible study. Make sure you put quotation marks around actual excerpts from the Bible so the reader can distinguish between a paraphrase and an actual quote. Also, Bible should start with a capital letter because it's the name of a book. I like how you used the topic and delivered your message clearly.