Heralds Digest

  “O God, how long will the adversary reproach? Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever? For God is my King from of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.” Psalms‬ ‭74‬:‭10‬, ‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ While God is undoubtedly a righteous Judge and a consuming fire, He delights only in salvation and not destruction. For example, in the salvation of the children of Israel by God’s saving strength that divided the Red Sea, the recalcitrant host of Pharaoh got consumed when the divided sea closed up. Unfortunately, believers under the oppression of the wicked would often blindly ask like the psalmist “ O God, how long will the adversary reproach? Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever? ”, without reflecting on the wholesome salvation experience. God has never ever shown delight in the destruction of the wicked, but rather graciously waits if they can heed to the call unto salvation. A...

  “We do not see our signs; There is no longer any prophet; Nor is there any among us who knows how long.” Psalms‬ ‭74‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If familiarity breeds contempt, then distancing in relationships can propel concentration. Seriously, sometimes believers sigh for signs and divine revelation; and get nothing because of unseriousness and lack of concentration. Particularly, in these days of social media distractions, grandfather influences, and business networking, divine counsel and guidance in decision making are becoming strange phenomena. Even many professing prophets will have to force out empty revelations with the attempt of silencing the ‘we do not see our signs’ syndrome. Whereas, the prevailing sigh signs call for absolute waiting upon the Lord with sincere consecration. Those who have truly ever sighed for God have pursued Him with the whole of their body, soul, and spirit; and nothing good has ever been withheld from those who seek God diligently.

  “Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.” Psalms‬ ‭73‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Without the evidence of struggling with slippery places in every believer’s life engagements, it will be difficult for anyone to appreciate the comfort of God’s presence. Otherwise, the affluence in wealth that men can see, and the convenience in position that men can feel will always control the desires and pursuits of the hearts. And after these opportunities slipped away from the psalmist, he became confronted with the priceless portion of the abiding presence of God. Unfortunately, the end of an endless pursuit of earthly possessions is destruction. Beyond affluence and convenience, there is divine guidance in the wilderness and divine comfort in the darkness for those who care to listen to God. Actually, the currency of all earthly possessions does fade; but believers’ confidence in the Lord will never ...

  “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The search for a strong and reliable security (whether physical, financial, or social) requires enormous strategies, including political and administrative support and collaboration. When king Saul was privileged to secure the headship of this security system in Israel, it was apparent that his children and the generations of children after him had found a reliable fountain of refuge. Unfortunately, that was never to be after he lost the favour of God. Even for king David, who had the privilege of securing the special security covenant for generations after him, his immediate successor (king Solomon) could not sustain the everlasting covenant without the fear of the Lord. By the inspiration of the Lord, the righteous does realize that only “ In the fear of the L...

  “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...