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Who Bore Me These?

Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these–where have they come from?’ (Isaiah 49:21 NIV).

There is a phase in every Christian’s life that can be termed as a barren phase. In spite of every effort to grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord, a Christian in the barren phase of life sees no growth.

He feels no closeness to the Lord in spite of reading the Bible, spending time in prayer and attending Church.

The Christian life becomes like tasteless food. The joy of former days seem like a lost dream that will never return and the years of the barren phase seem to have gone waste.

Yet in God’s plan for the Christian life, these barren phases do yield a lasting return. It is during these barren phases that some of the real growth in a Christian’s life takes place. Yet it cannot be seen by outward observation.

The growth process continues within in a steady a manner though the progress is slow and silent. But the Christian never realizes all this. He becomes sad and dejected because of his apparent fruitlessness.

And then God acts. When His work is done during this barren phase, God lifts the cloak that shrouded His silent work in the heart of a Christian. Then joy and surprise swells and erupts within.

The Christian will find it difficult to believe that his barren phase had produced fruit in abundance.

The devastating loneliness that marked the barren phase will give way immediately to the sweet consolations of joyous company of the children to whom he gave birth to in barrenness!
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Open Wide Your Mouth and I will Fill It

I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it (Psalm 81:10 NIV).

God loves to remind us of certain things over and over again. This is because they are very important in themselves and at the same time we are prone to forget them quickly.

The people of Israel quite often demonstrated in their history that they easily forgot God who had brought them out of Egypt.

They did not consider the awesome miracles that God did in the land of Egypt and in the desert wanderings. And to add to the trouble they also went and worshipped other gods.

So God is here reminding the people of Israel that it was He and none else who had brought them out of Egypt.

God was telling them that Egypt was the land of slavery. He had delivered them and set them free. God desired that they would worship Him. Instead the Israelites quite often used the freedom that they got to worship idols and other gods.

It was not because that they found any lack in the blessings of God. But they simply chose to forget their God who brought them out of slavery and cared for them in the desert.

By reminding them again of the deliverance that He had given them God was telling them that He was worthy of their worship. God was also telling them that if they continued to worship Him there would be no lack in His resources to meet their every need.

So He is here found challenging His people to open wide their mouths as far as they could. Their own desires would be the limit; for His supply would be limitless. To the extent they could contain He would fill their mouth with blessings!
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Have Mercy on Me, O God

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions (Psalm 51:1 NIV).

There is no cry that God will listen to more than this one. There is a sure answer to this heartbroken cry. God would stop all other activity to listen to this cry of yours. For He is a God who longs to show you mercy.

And when you cry out thus, God overwhelms you with His love. He will wash you with His love and lash your soul continually with His compassion.

He knows that you have sinned. He knows that you are now brokenhearted. He knows the pain and the shame and the remorse that bites your heart now.

He knows the blackness of the deeds you did. He knows the foulness of all the thoughts you had. He knows the coarse and bad things that your mouth spoke of. He knows it all.

Be comforted. You are appealing to His unfailing love. It fails not! You are asking God to blot out your transgressions. Oh, for sure He will blot it out of His mind!

Only do not stop crying. Keep on pressing towards His heart: Till and until you know the touch of the hand that wipes all tears away.

Stop not till He whispers your sweet name and comforts you like no mother on earth can do. Even then you have just floated on the surface of His great compassion.

Dive deep into the ocean of His love. Drown in it. Then you will die to sin in your life. And you will rise up again with His favor encompassing you.

Only one memory will remain: That He has indeed loved you with a compassion that never fails. What love!
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Be Still, and Know that I am God

Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10a NIV).

Being still is not an outward lack of activity; but it is an inward attitude of quietness. To make it a bit more clear, it can be said that you can be perfectly still physically, yet be thoroughly disturbed in your mind.

In this condition, it is not possible to know God who is the perfection of stillness itself.

Many Christians, especially in their early days of growing in faith and knowledge of God, relate feverish, frenzied Christian activities to devotion to God. They move around attending meetings, distributing tracts, preaching and helping people around the clock.

All this is good. But God waits to have some of their time. But they move on thinking that they are turning the world upside down for God.

Sometimes it takes years for some of them to know that all these years God was patiently waiting for them to come and sit still at His feet.

After years of laboring and seeing not much fruit for their labor they come to God to learn the secret of fruitfulness in God’s ministry.

And the secret is being still before God; quieting your soul so that you can hear the faintest whisper of God speaking:

It means to hush your soul, being comforted and strengthened by the fact that God is in absolute control of your every circumstance.

It means to have certain knowledge that no threatening storm can break over you when you are still before God.

It is out of this communion of perfect rest that a Christian derives strength for his labor in the vineyards of God. Such a ministry born out of the quietness before God carries with it a force that draws souls into the kingdom of God.
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Because You Are Called an Outcast

But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord, because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares (Jeremiah 30:17 NIV).

God punishes sin. When His children do not repent of their sins, God sends judgment. But when God acts thus He always does so in love.

His purpose in doing so is not to destroy but to make His children change their ways and actions.

Sometimes when God judges His children others mock at their plight. But God does not forget His children in their moment of punishment and shame though their close friends might have forsaken them.

God disciplines with a purpose and He never forgets to show mercy to His children!

Are you now finding yourself under God’s judgment? Are you crying out now thinking that all is lost and there is no remedy for your situation?

Before you succumb to a spirit of despair, think of God’s mercy. It is always available to you. You need only acknowledge your sin and the fact that God is willing to help you.

When you thus acknowledge God, He will heal the wounds that have plagued your mind and restore you to health. Do you know God’s reason for doing so?

It is simply because “you are called an outcast” “for whom no one cares.” Though you have been punished for your sins God is ever conscious that you are His child.

And when people start to mock saying that you have been rejected by God, He doesn’t just look on doing nothing. He will restore you. He will tell the world that you are His very own.

God will yet create something beautiful out of your scarred and marred appearance. It will bear the stamp of His love, care and concern for your good.
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But You Stay Here Awhile

As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”–and the servant did so–“but you stay here awhile, so that I may give you a message from God” (1 Samuel 9:27 NIV).

How often do you get a message from God? Not often could be your answer. Are you very busy? Yes, in fact too busy, could be your answer. Would you now relate these two facts to each other? You might be surprised to see a pattern emerge:

This pattern shows you that God is always ready to speak to you. But you are busy; too busy to slow down to hear what God wants to speak to you.

In Saul’s example, we find him listening to what Samuel said to him. Samuel told him to stay there awhile so that he could give him the message from God.

Saul could have refused to stay. After all, he could have said that he was in a hurry to reach home that he had left some days ago.

But Saul chose to stay back. And he was then anointed as the leader of Israel. He was given further directions as to what he was to expect to happen soon in his life.

This would not have been possible had he hurried ahead. So to stay awhile to hear from God is of ultimate importance.

But there is yet another important thing to note here. In the first place it was Saul’s servant who had encouraged Saul to go and meet Samuel, the man of God. Yet now Samuel had asked Saul to sent the servant ahead so that he could stay awhile.

Oh, this teaches a great lesson! To hear from God you should allow even your best companion to go ahead so that you can stay awhile. Only then can you hear His personal message for you.
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Consolation When Anxiety Was Great

When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul (Psalm 94:19 NIV).

There is a common practice of awarding consolation prizes for competitors. Usually it is awarded to those whose performances were good, in spite of which they failed to receive a prize.

It is given both as a consolation as well as an encouragement for better performance next time. It is a way of telling the losers that people care!

Similarly, God has His own way of telling us that He cares. One such instance is mentioned by the psalmist here. He talks of a time when anxiety was great within him. He also says that God’s consolation during that time brought joy to his soul.

Anxiety can occur acutely when the feeling that there is no one to care or understand dominates your mind. There could be truth in this thought.

But mostly this kind of anxiety springs from your own imagination. There are people who care. But your mind deceives you into thinking that there is none.

To a certain extent, it is true that others cannot share your burdens to the extent you want them to. It is not possible for any human being to do that for you. And then this anxiety takes away the joy from your soul.

Everything you do will be burdened by this sense of joylessness. It is a miserable condition.

But God does not leave us alone when anxiety weighs us down. He brings consolation. But the ways in which He does it cannot be predicted. Usually He does it in ways we thought not possible and through people whom we never expected to be of help.

His tokens of love are real and the reality of His consolation brings joy to the soul.
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Slipping foot; Supporting Love

When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord, supported me (Psalm 94:18 NIV).

There is no one who wants to slip in one’s walk. Still more no one desires to slip and fall in life. Yet there is no one who has not slipped in their walk and in their life as well. Usually a slip happens quickly and you may not get time to prevent a fall.

Sometimes you are prevented from falling when someone nearby reacts quickly and supports you. This is exactly the picture the psalmist draws for us here. He felt his foot slipping. Things had started to go wrong. Then he experienced the support of God Himself.

But he was able to experience this support only because he had realized his need of it. This is very crucial. There are people who, it is quite obvious to others, are slipping. Yet they never admit that they have some problems that need to be sorted out. They maintain a closed attitude.

They never let their needs be known and they never receive any help from others. Sooner or later, they cross the limits before which they could have been helped. Their slipping leads to a giant fall. But had they reached out to someone for help, it could have been prevented!

So the first step toward recovery is to tell God that your foot is slipping. The second step is to open your heart to receive God’s love. Sometimes this is harder than you think. You might be blaming yourself for your slipping. The reasons for taking the blame on yourself could be valid enough too.

But to open your heart to receive the support of God’s love you need to be ready to hand over to God all the blame too. This is so because it is best to lean totally on the support that God provides while you are slipping. You need not doubt ; His love will support!
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Stormy Winds that Do His Bidding

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding (Psalm 148:7,8 NIV).

Observe the words: “stormy winds that do his bidding.” We often think on God’s merciful dealings toward us. But we do not see God in “stormy winds.” This is quite natural because storms are violent; they destroy and devastate. It is quite difficult to see God in it. But here even the stormy winds who obey God’s commands are called to praise Him.

One thing we can be sure from this is that even stormy winds obey God’s commands though we cannot find any pattern or reason in the chaos that a stormy wind leaves behind. Often God does not also ask us to try to find out His purpose in sending a storm into our lives.

We also harbor harsh thoughts about God when He deals with us through storms. It is quite human to think so. It is easy for preachers to preach to thank God in such situations. But it is very difficult to practice doing so. But even this God understands.

But the point that God likes to make is that storms obey His commands. They don’t act independently. It would be right to say that they cannot act on their own. Without God’s knowledge and express command no storm breaks out. We may identify some natural causes or man-made causes for the storms. Yet God wants us to know that storms do His bidding.

When storms come and go, our first response could possibly be anger against God for sending storms into our lives. But you can still choose to let go of that anger by praising God for the storm.
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Man Does Not Live on Bread Alone

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord (Deuteronomy 8:3 NIV).

Those who have never gone hungry in their lives will never know the blessedness of having food in plenty. So God had to teach the Israelites the value of the food they had. They had come from Egypt where they had enjoyed a choice variety of food. But in the desert they had a lack. So they hungered. But then God satisfied them with manna which was a daily provision from heaven.

Three things need to be noted here:
First, God caused the Israelites to hunger to humble them so that they will learn to appreciate His provisions thankfully.

Second, He did not despise their basic need of food showing that He never forgets to take note of genuine needs.

Third, God gave them manna which neither they nor their forefathers had known. By this God proved that His resources are limitless and that He can provide in ways not yet known.

But the greatest lesson of all was that man has greater and more important needs than food: They were provided manna only on a daily basis. So they had to seek it every day morning. Through this exercise they were taught that they needed to listen to God’s Word on a daily basis to survive.

Yesterday’s provisions are not enough for today. So one has to eat the bread of God’s Word daily. And there is a need for us to depend on God daily not only for our bread but for every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. In short, manna inspires us to gather daily the living bread from heaven.
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The Lord Upholds All Those Who Fall

The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down (Psalm 145:14 NIV).

One of the difficult things in life is to see life move on as usual for others when our spirits are crushed within us. We hope that someone would stop by to ask how we are doing. But they just smile and move on.

They assume that everything is fine with us. And the hardest part of all comes when we are obliged to smile in response when our heart is crying!

But there is Someone who need not be told of your misery; for He already knows it all. Even when it seems that there is no end to your grief and you feel weak altogether, He is holding you up.

He knows that you cannot help yourselves up from where you have fallen. So He Himself imparts strength to you.

The point of defeat or grief is not the end of your journey. There are more things that God wants to do in your life than you dream of. Perhaps these events have caused you to know the futility of trusting in human sources of help.

It has driven you to take refuge in the everlasting arms of God. You are now able to find comfort in the hand that truly upholds you.

Let this be your comforting thought at your moment of shame and despair and confusion; that you have a God who lifts up those who are bowed down. Let the bowing down became a humble posture of worship. Let the very falling become the beginning of a new attitude of praise.

The Lord is inviting you to make this change. Trust in His unchanging love for you: As it was before so it is now. He is upholding you and lifting you up now!
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Oil and Honey Hidden in a Field

But ten of them said to Ishmael , “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley, oil and honey, hidden in a field.” So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others (Jeremiah 41:8 NIV).

This incident happened soon after the Babylonian army had plundered Jerusalem. They left the city in charge of Gedaliah. But Ishmael who was of royal blood struck him down and killed him. Not satisfied with that he also deceptively met with a group of eighty men who came to the house of the Lord.

He killed them all except ten men who pleaded with him to let them live. They promised him wheat and barley, oil and honey, that were hidden in a field. Thus their lives were spared.

What these people had hidden ransomed them from the cruel jaws of death. Definitely they might have hidden all these good items for later use. The only surprise here is how unexpectedly it came to their use.

While they were hiding these items, they might never have dreamed of such a situation in which their lives would be saved through it. Even as they pleaded with the bloodthirsty Ishmael, they might have done so in hope against all hope. And it would be difficult to imagine their sigh of relief as they managed to barely escape with their lives.

Imagine for a moment that your heart is a field. Think for yet another moment of all the things you have hidden there. Are they good as wheat and barley, oil and honey? Or are they worthless things? Who knows when you may be in a situation that calls forth urgent action from your part.

Are you confident of then being able to make use of what you have already hidden in your heart? If not, learn that God’s truths hidden in your heart can save you!
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Call to Me

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know (Jeremiah 33:3 NIV).

This message came to Prophet Jeremiah while he was still imprisoned. This came in response to his earlier prayer. God was speaking to him the second time.

Surely this message was important. It talked about the restoration of the Jewish people in times to come. The message was of double significance because at that point of time the Jewish nation was in total decline and ruin.

But what meaning has this message for us today? As we look upon it from our point of view, we can find great comfort in it. This is because here we find someone to whom we can pray to. God Himself is encouraging us to pray. So there need be no doubt in our minds as to whom to turn to for help in times of our greatest need.

Again, we find comfort in the fact that, God not only hears prayer but also answers them. He Himself promised to do so. So we need not waver when we pray. There is no uncertainty here. Prayer is not an exercise in futility. It will yield results. God Himself will answer.

Finally, we find comfort in the fact that God knows the things that we do not know. He is willing to reveal them to us in response to our prayer. Whatever is for our benefit, whatever insight that will give us hope, whatever encouragement we need to move on, will be granted to us.

Our finite minds will be opened to receive wisdom from the infinite mind of God. Therefore let us call to Him. He will answer us. He will tell us all we need to know. Such things are not made known otherwise!

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I Rejoice in Your Promise

I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil(Psalm 119:162 NIV).

We often rejoice during occasions of celebrations; but such occasions do not last forever.

We often rejoice during moments of achievements; but we cannot rest on our victories for long.

We often rejoice when we get new and expensive things; but the newness soon wears off as days go by.

All this proves that finding a cause to rejoice continually is a wish that may not come true.

But there is a great plunder that lies before us which cannot be exhausted. They are made up of God’s promises in His Word. The psalmist here is found to be rejoicing because he has discovered this great source of rejoicing. His joy is like that of one who has found great spoil, maybe after victory in a war.

To be honest, we may be free to think that this man was crazy; for how can one rejoice so much in God’s promises? When even the things of the world that we can see, touch and enjoy do not give us so much rejoicing, how can God’s promises cause us to rejoice? These are indeed questions worth asking and their answers worth treasuring.

What will you call a man who carries a bag of gold begging for food along the way? Perhaps you should ask why he should beg at all. He begs simply because he is someone who does not know the value of what he carries. To him it is no more than some metal that is yellow in color.

Before you call him a fool, ask yourself whether you are making the same mistake. What if someone should tell him the value of what he is carrying. He will certainly rejoice like one finding great spoil. So can you rejoice, as you find God’s promises!
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As You Have Been an Object of Cursing

As you have been an object of cursing among the nations, O Judah and Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong (Zechariah 8:13 NIV).

Are you mourning today? Is it because your life has turned into a curse? Are people ridiculing you because all your good attempts failed and yielded no returns? Because of this extremely painful situation have you lost courage?

Even if the answer is “Yes” to all these questions, do not lose heart. There is still hope for you. God says to you not to be afraid, but to be strong.

Think for a moment. What was the cause of your failure? Was it not disobedience to God in some form or the other. Disobedience leads a child of God to become a laughing stock before people. It even led the nations of Judah and Israel to become so.

Before God can change the curse in your life into a blessing, you must decide with all the strength you have to walk in obedience to God. Here, in obedience, the people of God began to work on rebuilding the temple of God that lay in ruins.

So it is now time to rebuild the temple of God in your heart. Such a rebuilding always has God’s approval and favor. He is saying to you to be strong and not be afraid. He is opening before you the amazing possibility of turning the curse on your life into a blessing. The way to it is the walk of obedience.

God Himself will give you the strength to obey. He Himself will reward you by making you into a blessing. This is a work God alone can do. No human effort can change an object of cursing into a blessing. So be assured that God is at work in you and you will soon be a blessing. He is doing it even now!
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Going Out from Standing in the Presence

The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world” (Zechariah 6:5 NIV).

God has tasks that He assigns His servants from time to time as He sees fit. The success of these missions depends on a lot of factors like faith and obedience. In this scene from heaven we are told of one important success factor. It is “going out from standing in the presence of the Lord.”

Some of us often confuse priorities when we do God’s work. We at times think too much about the work God has given to us. We pray, plan and execute as we think best. We also worry too much about results. All these have their place and none of them is unimportant. But in this confusion of good things we forget the best–God Himself.

God’s work has suffered much not because of lack of faith or obedience; but because of the lack of standing in God’s presence:

It is only when God’s servants stand in His presence that they will be able to know His mind on the work ahead.

It is only when they stand in His presence that they will be strengthened for the task ahead.

It is only when they stand in His presence that they will truly be able to purge all wrong motives from their hearts.

It is only by standing in His presence that their hearts and minds be filled with God Himself.

But sadly many run before they stand in His presence. However good the motives may be, such kind of frenzied activity accomplishes nothing for God’s glory for they carry not with them the presence of God!
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Put Aside His Prison Clothes

So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table (2 Kings 25:29 NIV).

This king of Judah who was carried into exile was thirty seven years in prison. He was eighteen years old when he surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.

He had spent his best years in prison in a foreign land. He might have had lost all hopes of seeing the light of day as a free man. Yet when another king came to power he was released.

When he was released he was given a seat of honor higher than the other kings who were there in Babylon. He also ate at the king’s table. One most important thing he had to do was that he had to put aside the prison clothes.

This is more important than we think. That is because many of us who eat regularly at God’s table are often dressed in prison clothes!

We often carry around us a “prison complex.” By this it is meant that we often keep saying that we are poor sinners. Yes, it was true about you. But now you are freed from your prison. You are now at the King’s table.

Why do you need to carry your prison clothes with you. If you simply cannot imagine an earthly prisoner who is released to eat at the King’s table while wearing prison clothes, why do you think that you can eat at God’s table with your prison clothes?

Remember, God has released you. So change your attitude. Know that you are truly free. Change into royal robes. For God has accepted you. He does not keep reminding of your past.

But He wishes you to enjoy your new liberty at His table as His child. Know every moment that you are seated with the King!
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A Basket of Ripe Fruit

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: a basket of ripe fruit (Amos 8:1 NIV).

Ease and comfort are dangerous beds for a Christian to sleep on. For often they breed sin. It was just like this for the nation of Israel. They were lounging in their security and indulging in sin.

But what made them do so was a false hope in which they trusted. They thought that their situation will always remain the same.

As an answer to this false hope God shows Prophet Amos a basket of ripe fruit. It was richly symbolic of what God thought about their false security.

He was making it clear in unmistakable terms that He would not tolerate sin and evil for long.

God was showing that as the fruits become ripe and are plucked off; in like manner the sins of Israel had become ripe. Now they will be plucked off.

One of the great dangers in Christian life happens when we tolerate sin in our life. The danger is ever greater when this harboring of evil is done with the thought that disaster will not overtake us. We do so hoping that judgment will be delayed for ever.

But God speaks otherwise. He shows by this symbol that as fruits become ripe, so does His time for judgment. There won’t be much more delay. And it shall fall swiftly, surely and without mercy!

So repent if God is showing you a basket of ripe fruit today. This may yet be your last chance. To still hope for escape without leaving your life of sin is folly. God cannot and will not spare the sinner who does not repent. So look! Are you seeing a basket of ripe fruit?
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Jerusalem, She Did Not Consider Her Future

Her filthiness clung to her skirts; she did not consider her future. Her fall was astounding; there was none to comfort her (Lamentations 1:9a NIV).

Prophet Jeremiah is mourning over the total destruction of Jerusalem. Among many other things he finds one sure reason why this most favored city of God was destroyed–“she did not consider her future!”

Sin has an amazing characteristic. It makes us look only at the present. It entices us to sin by showing us how pleasurable sin is for the present moment. What it conceals is the torment and shame and destruction that follows!

But like the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants we also fall for this trap. We take the bait and enjoy the sinful pleasure. Soon like Jerusalem we find filthiness clinging to our skirts.

But God wants us to think of the future when we are confronted with the possibility of a sinful course of action. He wants us to think of the glorious destiny that He has already planned for us. A peep into the glories that God has kept in store for us in all eternity is enough to reject the filth of sin.

If in spite of a knowledge of the future greatness that God has planned for you, you continue to allow filthiness to stick to your skirts, God has a different kind of future in store for you. It is a tomorrow which brings about an astounding fall. Hard to believe, but true.

At that point you will realize yet one more thing that sin does. The company that encouraged you to sin will not be present to give you comfort when you fall. All this shall happen because you did not consider your future!
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Be Strong and Do Not Give Up

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded (2 Chronicles 15:7 NIV).

There is no man of God who has not experienced discouragement in his work. It sometimes comes in unexpectedly. It plunges a man into the valley of despair and doubt as no other thing does.

Sometimes it can be so devastating that a man of God would be tempted to seriously doubt whether he was ever called by God!

Here, King Asa is being encouraged by prophet Azariah. He came to encourage the king immediately after a victory in war. We might wonder why the king needed encouragement after a victory?

It was because the king, from the moment he began to rule, had tried to bring the people back to God. He was taking bold steps in this direction.

And after a period of rest from enemies for ten years, there suddenly was this war. It might have caused the king to doubt as to whether he should continue the reforms or not. Hence the encouragement at this time.

Sometimes discouragement steps in during moments of victory too. It is very powerful and can paralyze even the most efficient worker of God. So this message of encouragement is specially timely for those of you who are discouraged at this point of time. This message is specially relevant for those of you who have not seen the fruit of your work even after faithful labor for many years.

God is encouraging you today to be strong. He is asking you not to give up. He wants you to hold on. He wants you to know that every setback that you have faced has a higher purpose in His plan.

If you keep on working in spite of every discouragement, that day will surely come when you will be rewarded.
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Did Not Stumble; Given Rest

Like a horse in open country, they did not stumble; like cattle that go down to the plain, they were given rest by the Spirit of the Lord (Isaiah 63:13b, 14a NIV).

This passage is a clear reference to the deliverance that God gave the Israelites through the hand of Moses from the Egyptian army when they tried to chase them through the dry path in the Red Sea. It holds great applications for our Christian walk today.

There are many things that can cause a man to stumble in his walk. It could be the unevenness of the ground, the unfamiliarity of the path being taken or poor vision in fading light that makes a man stumble. Yet when God leads the paths become level.

The pursuing enemy may be right at your heels. Yet the path that God opens through the sea of trouble shall be a highway for you where you will not stumble. Such kinds of journeys to safety are God’s special love-tokens during crises.

Once you are out of the enemy’s reach, God reaches out to you once more. If “a horse in open country” symbolic of fast movement was the hallmark of the first stage, abiding rest becomes the main feature of the second stage. “Cattle that go down to the plain” exactly communicate to us the picture of rest, satisfaction and contentment.

A Christian should look forward to reach this kind of resting in God. But it should be noted that this rest is not something that we can work out. It is something given to us by the Spirit of the Lord.

Often we find Christians fretting and fuming about little nagging troubles. Let them think much upon God’s gracious dealing with His children during times of trouble. He makes them move fast without stumbling and gives rest!
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Who Despises the Day of Small Things?

Who despises the day of small things (Zechariah 4:10a NIV)?

God begins all His great works from small things. In this passage people were asked not to despise the day of small things. This is because it is part of human nature to look down upon small beginnings.

People are generally impressed only by the big things of life. So God had to make it clear to His people that those things that begin small do add up to become significant things of life.

The historical context of this passage is the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple after it was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Many years later another king by name Cyrus, under God’s gracious dealing, allowed Jews to return home from exile. They started rebuilding the temple of God.

But the work was slow and was opposed on all fronts. Many despised the efforts of the Jews to rebuild the temple. Under such circumstances the people who were rebuilding grew discouraged.

So at the appropriate time this message of encouragement came. It holds much relevance in our times too. God’s work almost always has humble beginnings. Those who have occasion to see such small starts will naturally wonder whether it will ever be completed.

God’s work sometimes makes only slow progress. Sometimes it is a lack of vision about God’s plan that slows down the work. At other times it is opposition from enemies that stops the work.

But God’s clear message for us today is not to be discouraged by the seeming smallness of our beginnings in His work. It is our duty to continue rebuilding. If its origin is of God, take heart, He will also complete it.

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Why Spend Money on What Is Not Bread?

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare (Isaiah 55:2 NIV).

In these lines you are called to listen carefully. If you will do so you will be able to hear the gentle whispering of the Spirit of God. He is trying to tell you something important. It is not in a spirit of rebuke that this advice comes to you, but in a spirit of love.

Two things are brought to your notice here: money and labor. Two questions are asked based on this. Will you listen?

The first question is why you are spending money on what is not bread. Why is this question important? It is because money is not something that comes easily to everyone. In your case, you might most probably be one who makes money through hard and honest work.

Can it be imagined that you would waste your money by spending it on food that you cannot eat? But is God here really asking you about food? Not at all! He is asking you not to spend your money on worthless things that cannot enrich your soul; but will only cause harm to it.

The second question is about your labor. Are you spending your time and effort in some labor that God has not blessed. (Of course labor here does not refer to your job.)

Instead it stands for your pursuit for satisfaction without God, in the hot pleasure-lanes of this world. Such labor creates a gnawing emptiness at best.

So, listen to the Spirit of God speaking to you today. Stop spending your money on what cannot strengthen you. Stop your labor on what satisfies not. Listen, listen!
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Go, Walk Through the Length and Breadth

Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you (Genesis 13:17 NIV).

Go! Do not keep on looking at what God has given you. Now you have got to move. But you will say, “Lord, let me enjoy the scenic beauty for some more time.” This hesitancy is not good. It simply reveals a lack of faith.

In other words you are not yet willing to take God at His word. To do what God wants you to do might imply risk–the risk of making a fool of yourselves before others. So stop looking at the land, and start walking.

This walk that you are commanded is not an idle walk for leisure. It is a walk with a purpose. It is a walk that makes a claim wherever you set your foot on.

Others may ask the reason for your walk. You need to boldly tell them that you are walking because you have believed in the words of Him who spoke the command, “Go!”

You need to start walking in faith; because the land is given to you as a gift. It is a gift and God is the giver. Yet you require faith to receive it because the land is not yet yours.

It is yours for the taking only if you walk in obedience to the command. Unless you believe the word that God has spoken to you, you cannot walk. So believe, and “Go!”

Now you may ask, “What does the land signify?” It is a good question. Here, God showed Abram the land that would become his in the future because he had moved out in faith not caring to know anything more than the fact that God had called him.

Likewise you may have moved out in faith in response to God’s call on your life. The land is God’s plan for your future. So, “Go, walk!”
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Search Me, O God

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23,24 NIV).

Can you pray this prayer with an honest and earnest heart? If you can do so you can be assured that you are walking with God! To pray this prayer requires courage of a great degree.

This is because this prayer is made to the Most High. You are inviting God to make a search of your heart–where all your good thoughts and bad thoughts reside.

When the light of God’s knowing brilliantly illuminates the inner recesses of the heart, it is impossible to hide anything from His penetrating gaze. You cannot hold on to hypocrisy and pray this prayer. It is simply impossible to do so.

In spite of the difficulties associated with praying this prayer; this is one of the greatest prayers you can pray. Simply because you are asking God to know your heart. If God comes to know your heart; it means that He will reveal the thoughts of your heart to you.

Then you can know what actually goes on inside your heart. Even though you try to know your heart it is impossible to know it fully and thoroughly; for only God can make it known to you.

The man who prays this can pray along with David to God to reveal anxious thoughts; thoughts that doubt the faithfulness of God to you; thoughts that doubt God’s intimate knowledge of you.

You can also pray to reveal and remove any wrong ways God finds in you. That is the job only half-done. You then have to ask God to lead you continually in the way that is everlasting.
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Tell It Not in Gath

Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice (2 Samuel 1:20 NIV).

Here we are in the beginning of the lament which David composed concerning Saul and Jonathan when he had heard of their death from the mouth of an Amalekite.

David’s whole reaction at the news is testimony to the very sensitive heart he had. He mourned and fasted and wept till evening and then had the Amalekite killed because he himself testified that he had killed Saul.

David knew that God had chosen him in place of Saul to be king over Israel. Judging by all human standards, he should have been the one to rejoice the most at the death of Saul.

It was not that he would receive the kingship now. There was more to it because Saul had pursued him relentlessly in order to kill him. Yet we find David weeping and mourning; instead of rejoicing.

In the lament he exclaims wonder at how the mighty had fallen! But he does not want this to be told in Gath nor proclaimed in the streets of Ashkelon. Gath and Ashkelon were prominent cities of the Philistines. Saul and Jonathan had died in the war against them. Definitely they would rejoice at this news.

So David, tells everyone not to proclaim it in the cities of the enemies because they would despise the people of God. This in turn would bring God’s name and honor into disrepute.

Do we share this concern when the spiritual giants fall for some reason or the other? Do we weep and mourn and fast when the mighty are fallen? Or do we take the lead to proclaim the news before unbelievers?
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Underneath Are the Everlasting Arms

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, ‘Destroy him!’ (Deuteronomy 33:27 NIV).

These words are part of the concluding verses of Moses’ farewell blessing to the tribes of Israel. Here he points out the fact that the eternal God is their refuge. A refuge speaks of a place of safety and shelter.

This shelter is not a makeshift one. It is a shelter that is eternal. It cannot and does not change. The word eternal communicates to us the immenseness of this shelter. In all our wanderings and in all our pursuits, God remains our shelter.

The word shelter often brings to our mind a kind of protection that has got a covering on top; like a tent cover or a roof. But here the picture not only is of a shelter which has a covering on top, it also speaks of the everlasting arms underneath.

When arms are supporting you from beneath, you are always held up so that you may not fall. So God not only is a covering shelter above us, He is also the support that upholds us in our walk. The word everlasting communicates to us the fact that God’s support can never fail; it continues for ever.

God is thus your shelter and your support. He also is the destroyer of your enemies. He drives out your enemy before you and telling you to destroy him. This blessing from Moses had come as the Israelites were getting ready to cross the Jordan to take possession of the Promised Land.

You also might be getting ready to cross over to the land of God’s promise. God might have shown you the spiritual blessings you could inherit if you conquer something in your lives. The enemy might look imposing; but take heart, He will drive it out!
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Altars for Sinning

Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning (Hosea 8:11 NIV).

God is here giving us a solemn warning. It points out great pretensions that can happen in our spiritual life. God had given the Israelite people the ability to build a temple for His name. They were asked to offer their sacrifices there.

When time passed, the people began to forsake God and His temple. Then they started to build many altars for sin offerings at many places.

At first look, this practice might seem to be a sign of great devotion to God. Yet in fact, it was great violation of His commands:

In the first place, they were disobeying God’s command of bringing their sacrifices to the temple of God and worshipping God there.

Secondly, they were imitating the vile and detestable practices of their neighbors who sacrificed to other gods in the altars they had everywhere. This God had forbidden.

So we find here that the very building of altars that should have been a sign of great spirituality actually had become a sign of rebellion against God. We should therefore be careful how we worship God. It is easy for what we think to be some great spiritual act of worship to degenerate into something sinful.

There is another solemn thought that occurs here. These altars were meant for sin offerings which was an act of worship meant to cover the sins of people before God through the blood of the sacrificed animal. Yet instead of this noble purpose we find that these altars became altars for sinning. In Christian life too, if we are not careful, the best can easily become the worst; and the good, evil!
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Leave the Stump of the Tree

The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules (Daniel 4:26 NIV).

King Nebuchadnezzar is the “stump of the tree” referred to here. He was a great king who enjoyed great glory and splendor. He once had a dream in which he saw a large tree which was later cut down at the command of a heavenly messenger. Yet the stump was left standing.

Twelve months after having seen this dream King Nebuchadnezzar was driven away from his throne. He lived with the wild animals and ate grass like cattle for seven years after which he was restored to his throne.

This could have been avoided had he listened to Daniel’s advice to renounce his sins. Yet, he not only did not listen to it but also became proud and arrogant in his heart which caused this judgment to fall upon him.

As we look at the pride of this king, we see that his pride was mainly based on his earthly achievements. This can also easily be our own story too, if we are not careful. In this world which believes in vainglory, it is easy to look at our achievements and become proud causing God’s judgment to fall upon us.

Yet even when that happens, God in His mercy allows “the stump of the tree with its roots” to remain. It means that God is giving you yet another opportunity to lift up your eyes to heaven.

Acknowledge God even in this hour of judgment and He shall restore you. The stump shall yet again sprout and put forth leaves and grow into a tall tree. But it shall never again be proud of its height!
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Speak, for Your Servant is Listening

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak for your servant is listening'(1 Samuel 3:10 NIV).

This chapter opens with a very important statement. It tells us that during the times described here “the word of the Lord was rare.” And it is also added that “there were not many visions.”

This could happen in our lives too! For some reason or the other we might have neglected our daily and constant fellowship with God. This would have led to a condition where your ears have become deaf to God’s voice and your eyes blind to God-given visions.

It is not that God stopped speaking; but it is that we have stopped hearing. It is not that God stopped revealing Himself to us; but it is that we have stopped seeing.

Yet this may be the time that God chooses to speak. Here God called Samuel. Three times He called him. Yet neither Samuel nor Eli the priest understood that it was God calling him. This is the tragedy of our times. God is still calling people. We hear the call but fail to understand that He is calling.

But then Eli told Samuel that it was the Lord calling him. He told Samuel to ask God to speak if he was called again and to tell God that he was listening. Here we find the secret revealed. Now we find Samuel having an expectant heart to hear. This is exactly what we need: an expectant heart to hear God speaking.

God calls as at other times in His usual manner. Yet the difference is made when we are able to say that we are listening. Then we can ask God to speak. And then the listening heart hears the voice divine!
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