Heralds Digest

  “Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart. For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73‬:‭1‬, ‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Pure prosperity is not cheap. It requires costly purging of the heart from all forms of unrighteousness. Therefore, those who appreciate the value of pure prosperity or the prosperity of the heart are not envious of the prosperity of the wicked. And since the pattern is reserved with God, the process of obtaining pure prosperity requires a consistent focus on God, while the heart is plagued with the refining fire. Unfortunately, and like many believers, the psalmist was distracted by the apparent ease and cheaper price for the polluted prosperity of the world. Most times, the distractions of the polluted prosperity are personally allowed by believers, when a fading of the pure prosperity is privately encouraged by prayerlessness.

  “Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s Son. He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice.” Psalms‬ ‭72‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ System revolt is a simple response to the wicked and corrupt reign of kings, principals, and political leaders. But people rejoice when righteous leaders are in positions of authority. Notwithstanding, the reign of earthly monarchs and leaders are not universal; it is limited in scope and size. Otherwise, why would an earthly king commit suicide when confronted by superior powers and challenges higher than his authority? Universal reign of righteousness comes only from God; and He gives unlimited authority to His Son Jesus Christ. Therefore, anyone who desires all-round dominion must submit to the lordship of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Anyone who submits to the righteous reign of the Lord Jesus Christ will not have to fear the unrighteous reign of earthly kings.

  “You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side.” Psalms‬ ‭71‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Although the psalmist sounds here as someone rehearsing a happily-ever-after movie script, everyone knows that real troubles do not wear such hopeful garments without absolute faith in God. In fact, David’s expression in one of his escapades on the trouble tunnel captured the true feeling: “ So David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered and went barefoot. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went up ” (II Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭30‬). Therefore, why is faith in God seeing a triumphant trail in every trouble tunnel? This is because God is focussed instead of the troubles; there is no triumph without trouble; and trouble helps believers to calibrate the stories of br...

  “The simple believes every word, But the prudent considers well his steps. A wise man fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is self-confident.” Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When the scriptures say the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and He delights in his way, it suggests that the righteous has so much to learn from his own steps more than falling into the temptation of getting enraged by the steps of others. The rage race is infuriated by the negative energies exhibited in the actions and inaction of people in our world. Unfortunately, life is heavily influenced and powered by people who are gifted for the rage race; and the ‘simple’ believes or is easily deceived by every word from the rage race. Whereas, the righteous are called to be prudent with learning and understanding from his own steps. No matter how many times he stumbled and fall, he would always get focused on discovering how to rise and what can be done to avoid tripping on the same ste...

  “I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” Psalms‬ ‭71‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Pure and uncorrupted power and human strength display nothing but the evidence of the presence of God. Beside supernatural miracles, signs, and wonders, God’s strength is readily manifested through the display of human physical, financial, political and social prowess, when human beings are released as the battle ax and weapons in the hands of God. Like the declaration of the psalmist’s intent, this is how the righteous display the wondrous works of God from generation to generation. Unfortunately, human selfish ambition and the pursuit of personal agenda often create a diversion or discontinuity to the straigh...

  “In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭71‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Trust with little or no threat demands diplomacy; but total trust attracts total threat. And for the psalmist’s total trust in the Lord, the threat from the enemies paints the end game of shame. Whereas, there is actually no game of shame with total trust in God. The total threat is an undeniable evidence of a believer's total trust in God. “ Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution ” (‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬). Unfortunately, the desire for good living rather than godly living in Christ Jesus attracts compromises in the believer's relationship with the principals in his world. By reflecting on Uriah’s total trust in God, it is possible for anyone to be distracted by the painting of the seeming shame in total threat from the likes of king David. Actually, total trust in God will never ever bring shame; believers can only be tempted to play games with t...

  “But I am poor and needy; Make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.” Psalms‬ ‭70‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Poverty and vulnerability are like twins. They are hardly separable. In fact, poverty and a strategic discouragement of economic empowerment policies are mostly adopted by superiors, who are obsessed with the mindset of keeping others in perpetual servitude. Needless to say, graceless help is simply manipulative and unholy. Therefore, the psalmist cried out to God to hasten with His help in order to avoid the pit of manipulation set by the enemies of his soul. Notwithstanding, it is only the human mind that tricks the poor and needy into the concept of delayed hope, and the consequent vulnerable heart. Holy help simply demands holy hands and the lifting up of the souls unto God. Great things happen when believers pray to God alone for help, even when it appears nothing has changed with the prevailing circumstances. Holy help with holy hands can neve...