Heralds Digest

  “You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah” Psalms‬ ‭81‬:‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Someone readily said ‘if you would pray when you are in trouble, you are already in trouble’ . Trouble times are meant to promote fellowship times; and not really to establish one. In reality, the fellowship of believers with God in times of affluence, convenience, and abundance can be full of distractions. Whereas, “ When my heart is overwhelmed ”…there is always a “ Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” motivation ‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭61‬:‭2‬) from those who understand the importance of sweet fellowship with God. Therefore, there is something amazing about full fellowship. It excludes the activities of the enemies and detractors. When Apostle Paul said elsewhere “ From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭17‬), he wasn’t drawing the attention of recalcitrant de...

  “Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!” Psalms‬ ‭80‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The reason why the Son of God became the Son of man to bring salvation down is because the penalty for sin must be paid by a sinless one of us, with flesh and blood; and not by an Angel or one of the hosts of heaven. Likewise, true revival and restoration experience happens when God’s hand finds the man of His right hand in the midst of the community of people, society, and family. While God would readily inspire the people to pray for revival, He is always on the lookout for one of them who can be strengthened as His battle axe and weapon of war. Unfortunately, when the selection process is ongoing, it is easier for anyone to want to opt out; because the desire for personal strength ...

  “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth! Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭80‬:‭1‬, ‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ As the primary responsibility of a Shepherd is saving, the natural tendency of a shepherdless sheep is straying. And being a free moral agent, it is just natural for the flesh to celebrate the idea of No Shepherd…and then trivialize the reality of straying. Unfortunately, our societies, families, assemblies, and systems are filled today with screwed senses, strayed sheep and stranded shepherds. Little wonders there are perverse tastes in our society, confused agenda in our assembly, twisted trust in our family, and a polluted morality in our system. And like the psalmist cried, it is obvious that what we need is a true restoration and return to the silent voice of our Shepherd. Just as Joseph stayed with his Shepherd all through the wilderness experience (in...

  “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ While the superiority of God’s plans and purposes over human plots cannot be overemphasized, the heart of man is still responsible for establishing plans against the seeming negative plots against its progress and advancement. Since life is equipped with resources (human, materials, system networks, etc) for planning, it is natural for the heart to boast of good plans with the sophistication of his available resources. Notwithstanding, “ A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps ” suggests that human plans and plots are not perfect. They are always within the guidance and direction of God’s perfect plans and purposes. Unfortunately, man often fights against the disposition of his proposed plans and purposes, until his shame and disappointment are uncovered. Whereas, no matter how hard we try with our human might and strength, no one can unseat the perfect plans and purpos...

  “Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power Preserve those who are appointed to die.” Psalms‬ ‭79‬:‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ One significant omission in all the plots against the people of God is the sovereignty and greatness of God. Not just that enemies always undermine the greatness and sovereignty of God, the people of God are also often subjected into the ignorance mode. For example, when the brethren of Joseph plotted and successfully implemented an end to Joseph‘s dream, they had no idea that their plots complimented God’s plan for Joseph. While the human plots led Joseph from extermination in the pit to suppression in Potiphar’s slavery, God’s greatness was simply manifested by His presence. And the story remained the same while the human plots led Joseph from suppression in Potiphar’s slavery to incarceration in the prison. The story about God’s greatness eventually changed when it was time for Joseph to be brought from prison to the pa...

  “From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.” Psalms‬ ‭78‬:‭71‬-‭72‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If David had lived in our days, the skill set required of him to qualify as a good leader would have added the sophistication of the people to the integrity of heart and the skilfulness of hands. Notwithstanding, the major lesson here is that God carefully chose someone with desirable service skills and experience to shepherd His people. Unfortunately, today, people’s sophistication advances without a commensurate enhancement in the integrity of heart and the skilfulness of hands. Even in the days of David, the sophistication of the people that he led in the city was higher than the intelligence of the sheep he shepherded in the bush. He had to continue to grow his service skills on the job, in order to cope with the nuances ...

  “But He made His own people go forth like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock; And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.” Psalms‬ ‭78‬:‭52‬-‭53‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ While there are several accounts with the expression of fear by the children of Israel in the wilderness, the scriptures attest to these experiences (in comparison with the fate of their enemies) as ‘so that they did not fear!’ . Notwithstanding, it is evident that many among these people are those who were prevented from entering the promised land by their fear and unbelief. It implies that the ‘fate fear’ experiences are not designed to overwhelm the children of God, like ‘the sea overwhelmed their enemies’ . The fate fear is always a useful call-out of the believer’s faith in the saving power of God. Therefore, when fate brings fear (false experiences appearing real), fate is testing believers’ faith in the unfailing power of the Lord. Always remember, the sa...