Heralds Digest

  “For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper. He will spare the poor and needy, And will save the souls of the needy. He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; And precious shall be their blood in His sight.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭72:12-14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The basic theory governing the flow of electricity from a solar cell teaches the absence of redundancy through the activities of poles and holes. The relevance of every pole is powered by the request in every hole; and the rest in every hole is prepared for the responsibility of every pole. And when needs are duly seen, sequenced and serviced adequately, no one cares who really served whichever status. Likewise, we are made to always be the helping hands of the living God in all our life’s service areas at home, workplace and fellowship of people. But whenever the needy cries unto the Lord, there are chances that some supposed helping hands are being twisted as hurtful hands. Whereas, the ps...

  “But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.” Psalms‬ ‭69:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The challenges of life can either open up the heart of man to effective fellowship with God, or harden the heart against the invitation from his Creator. And for those who are privileged to explore the positive side, the needs for these challenges to quickly disappear are often replaced with the desire to engage more in the knowledge of God. When another explorer declared “ That I may know Him and the fellowship of His suffering ”, it revealed the hidden sweetness in the sacred romance; even in the midst of service consecration, twisted as the challenges of life. For the psalmist, ‘my prayer is to You’ eventually became patiently loaded with deep consecration and submission to God, compared with ‘my prayer is before You’ . Absolute submission to the Will of God in every believer’s prayer must swiftly look up ...

  “Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.” Psalms‬ ‭65:3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The wisest, the greatest and the strongest of all men on earth has bowed to the defilement of sin. King Solomon, King David and the mighty Samson have seen it all and can attest to man’s vulnerability before the unfortunate vices towards human captivity. However, the wonderful story transcends the transgressions of sin; it actually transmits God’s plan of redemption. Grace is the wonderful story of love and the provision of freedom through the atonement of the Son of God on the cross of Calvary. God’s righteousness at Christ’s expense is greater and richer than the prevailing iniquities in the lives of sinners. And like the psalmist, it is good to know that the reality of “ iniquities prevail against me” does not end with a full stop. There is already a provision of atonement and an access to the greater grace for all who care to accept the invitation and arise ...

  “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭63:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There is something so special about the night that distinguishes it from the buzziness of the day. It is specifically reserved for rest and cessation of the day’s activities. And normally, only serious matters of the day keep people awake at nights. Therefore, when it was a sweet fellowship with God that kept the psalmist awake at night, it underscored the extent of his acquaintance with the Lord. Obviously, the soul that engages in fellowship with God at nights can hardly be distracted from the right paths in the day. And those who meditate on God in their night watches often receive sufficient inspiration for their day-to-day perspiration. The nights are not just nice when our sleep is deep; but also when our reflections are inspired by God and His promises.

  “So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭61:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The myriad of problems and the challenges of life produce nothing more than heavy hearts. But beyond the possibility of the miracle of deliverance from the presence of the Lord, the entrance into the tabernacle of grace with the song of praise does produce lifted hearts. Like the psalmist, those whose hearts are routinely overwhelmed with the challenges of life know the priority of living for the worship of the King of kings. How pleasant would it be for anyone, who is suffering from depression, anxiety, and sleeplessness over the challenges in his career, family, work and social life, to cultivate a lifestyle of listening and/or singing a long list of downloaded music on praise and worship? If the initiative was helpful for the psalmist to stay focused on the positive side of life, it just shows the potency of the power of grace in an heart of gratitude. Grace for the race of...

  “For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭48:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Life without a good mentor as parent, teacher, and superior is doomed for destruction. It implies that everyone will use several of life’s introductions as good guides along the pathway of marital, career, and ministerial success. However, whereas these guides are meant to complement the divine provision of a great guide, earthly guides often compete with the heavenly guidance in all of life’s engagements and relationships. Unfortunately, the confusion with life’s constant acknowledgement of the greatness of God lies not with the competition of earthly guides. Believers’ lack of conviction in the activities of the great God is always the cause of confusion in life. When the psalmist declared “ For this is God, Our God forever and ever …”, he clearly presented a fixed heart with an inseparable God as its great guide. Therefore, life’s great guide is the great God, who desires...

  “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...