Heralds Digest

  “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭42:5-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The scriptural admonition for believers to rejoice in hope is always a perfect medicine for the troubled souls. Whereas it is more desirable for the heart to receive in hope than to rejoice in hope, the focus on receiving is in the change of circumstances while the focus on rejoicing is fixed on the Unchangeable God. Like in the experience of the psalmist, when the soul is cast down and disquieted, it is time to switch from hollow hope to hope in God. It is a switch to focus more on the purpose of God for every situation and circumstance that a believer finds himself. Even while the prevailing situation is discouraging, believers are confident that God’s rev...

  “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭42:1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Often in deliberate disregard for the silent quest of the soul, the desire for human convenience and comfort will always lead the soul of any man into desperate engagements and dangerous acquisition of wealth and stuff. Without the exception of religious people and supposed disciples of the Lord, attractions into the lifestyle of stuff satisfaction (particularly, through the need for the provision of the basic necessities of life) have always created a vacuum in the heart. But at the mercy of God, the psalmist was made to pay attention to the subtle disquieting of his soul in the midst of the dangling stuff. And likewise, whatever the hands engage with in today’s business, corporate and family life, without a constant and satisfactory response to the soul’s quest for ‘Where is God?’ , is capable...

  “Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.” Psalms‬ ‭37:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ It is a common phenomenon that bad news sells faster than good news. Strategically, just a single drop of evil can be so pronounced to weaken the faith of the righteous in the general and more predominant good. Whereas, children of God should not be ignorant of the strategy of the enemies. That the unfortunate focus on the minor evil or disaffection is aimed to distract the righteous from the good purpose of God. The architect of any evil act is the devil; and his business from the beginning is singular - distraction from the great goodness of God in the affairs of His beloved. Therefore, the psalmist proposes an holy strategy for the righteous “ Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity” . And by constantly focusing on the great goodness of God, the righteous will not only escape the distraction of fear; even the agents of evil and wickedness ar...

  “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭33:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There is no doubt that life’s destiny is shaped by today’s decisions; but not many people’s decisions are inspired by sustainable counsellors. When the scriptures declare safety in the multitude of counsellors, human’s discretion is expected to differentiate between periodic and permanent plans behind the counsels. Counsels motivated by plans to make money and create wealth, plans to play along with the system for recognition, and plans to diligently compete for greatness and material promotion are not necessarily bad; but they can either ignorantly or purposely be pursued against the Will of God. Whereas, godly counsels are driven by the purpose of God for human existence, rather than man’s purpose for God’s adoption. In essence, the counsels and plans of God are mostly infamous and sometimes frustrating. Nevertheless, those who truly wait on God’s counsels cannot be per...

  “I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭32:5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Those who understand the veracity of the fall of man will always query the genuineness of their redemption at the slightest cause of relational concern. The benefits of a fruitful relationship with God are numerous, including the privileges of prayer, preservation in times of adversity, peace of mind in times of trouble, divine presence and guidance, etc. And since no one is immune to the challenges of life, every believer in God is just responsible to affirm the foundation of his relationship with God against the crisis of faith. Unfortunately, not many religious people have a genuine relationship with God. Anyone who cannot confidently and acquittedly Selah on “I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You...

  “O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:2, 14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The problem in the pursuit of the will of God for believers is sometimes the fear of divergence in desires, especially when surrounded by the desires of the unbelievers. Unfortunately, we are physically surrounded and apparently more closely influenced by the desires of the unbelievers at home, workplaces, social circles and in the larger society than the delight in God and His promises. Therefore, it seems more convenient for anyone to disobey God openly because of the fear of the people whose interests appear divergent to the Will of God. Whereas, like the psalmist, those who prefer the fear of God always discover the secret of His closeness, comfort, and covenant in their day to day family, career, social and ministry lifestyles. Even when our pleasurable delights are evidently...

  “Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There is no doubt that the paths of prosperity and progress in life are rough. And many smart moves have navigated these paths at the expense of peace of mind. Even in legitimate businesses and kingdom services, it is not always enough for anyone who cares to finish well to rely on good conscience and human wisdom. This is because God’s ways and paths are sometimes illogical, irrational, and unreasonable. Yet, no one has ever trusted in the Lord, especially when His leads do not appear to make sense to human reasoning, and do not end well and peacefully. Therefore, when the psalmist cried out “ Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths ”, he was aiming at peace with God rather than the pursuit of worldly prosperity. It is instructive to note that peace paths embrace truth, humility, righteousness, and the fear of God; particularly, at the expense of worldly prosperity and pleasure.