Thursday Reflection July 29, 2021

God is preparing the land for you

8 But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot out your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they shall soon come home. 9 See now, I am for you; I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown; Ezekiel 36:8‭-‬9

Greeting friends!

I’m more excited than usual about the word today. In Ezekiel chapter 36, the Lord instructed Ezekiel to prophesy to the mountains of Israel. Since the Israelites were captured and taken away the land had become empty. The close-by enemies of Israel began to taunt Israel saying that the land was theirs. They mocked and jeered and threatened to take over. The mountains and land became the object of gossip, plunder and slander.

The land was plundered and so God gave Ezekiel a prophesy. The people who mocked and insulted the land will face similar insults by the hand of God. The nations and people that desecrated the lands will themselves become desecrated. Not only will the Lord deal with the enemies of the land, but He will also restore the land. The land shall shoot forth branches and yield fruits to the people for they are coming home soon. The land shall be tilled and sown like a farmer preparing the land.

Hear the word of the Lord, you have been mocked, jeered and laughed at. What you put your hand to failed and as a result you became the object of gossip and slander. Even what you had was taken away from you. I don’t know if what happened to you was as a result of punishment or a lesson, but a time of restoration is coming. God has started this restoration with the land and the mountains. God has started this restoration by putting in place the things needed for your success. God has begun to tilled the soil, because branches are going to shoot again and those who mocked you and slander you will be put to shame. This prophesy is not for everyone, because some have to go through the wilderness experience, but for those who have gone through the wilderness, the Lord is preparing the land for your restoration.

Be encouraged because God is preparing the land for your restoration.

Amen!

Christopher Euphfa

Wednesday Reflection, July 28, 2021

In God’s Hands

Good day friends, today’s reflection takes us back to Job’s response to his critics. His friends who heard of his demise and went to visit him, to mourn with him and to comfort him.

The latter verses of Job chapter 2 tell us of the three friend’s reaction after the saw their beloved friend. They did not recognize him, they cried out in agony, tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. They sat with Job on the ground for seven days and nights and no one spoke a word having understood the magnitude of grief.

Chapters 4-42 records discourses between Job and his friends who accused him of being sinful and encouraged him to repent then Job and Elihu who contradicts the three friends and Job as well as proclaimed God’s goodness and majesty , Job and the Lord dialogued too until the book ends with Job’s repentance and restoration.

In today’s watchword, Job 12: 10, “In God’s hand is the life of every living thing” this verse was part of Job’s response to his critics. He aptly used this metaphor to convey the image of strength and power. Job, I believe wanted his friends and us to recognize and understand that God’s power and strength doesn’t wane simply because we are called to endure periods of affliction.

There will always be critics, nay sayers, abusers and accusers but whose report will you believe? In today’s New Testament text, we are reminded by the apostle in Acts chapter 17:28 that it is, “In him we live and move and have our being.”

Brothers and sisters, the Lord has engraven you in the palm of His hands. Keep your eyes on Him, believe and trust in Him so when the winds and billows of this life roll you will rest assured in and of God’s providence.

In closing, Eleanor Brownn said, “like all living things, you were created for unlimited growth and possibilities. Keep growing. Keep changing. Be everything you were meant to be.

Amen.

-Kerone Lamoth

A Gentle Reminder

Every now and then we come across a Bible verse or passage in which God speaks to us, reminding us of His majesty, dominion, and power. We need these timely reminders because at times our life can become so self-focused, that we forget the source of our very being, the source of our existence. God is our creator, God is our sustainer and God is our Redeemer. Today’s watchword is a reminder of who God is, and who we are in relation to God. It is from Isaiah 44: 24. Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by myself spread out the earth.

The prophet Isaiah spoke to Israel in captive, reminding them not only of who they were, that is God’s covenant people, but also reminding them of whose they were, the only true God, creator and sustainer of all things, including themselves. Although they considered their situation the worst thing that could ever have happened to them, the prophet reminds them that God was still in control. The Babylonians may have been holding them captive, away from their home and the temple, but God was Lord over all and still able to reach, rescue and redeem them. In fact, this was exactly what God planned to do for them. They should not lose hope but rather trust in the God who is able to accomplish all things on His own. They were dependent on God, but God did not depend on them to do what God wanted to do. God could and would act, without their help. He would use a non-Jewish king and his army to rescue them. Sometimes we just need a gentle reminder to trust God regardless of our circumstances.

Why would God do that for them though? Why would God rescue a people who had been displaced because of their disobedience in the first place? The Lord makes two things clear in his discourse with Israel. Firstly, not one of them existed without His action. He formed each of them, and us, in the womb. Cell by cell, bone by bone, muscle by muscle, organ by organ, limb by limb. He who formed us, knows best what our needs are. We need to trust His wisdom. Secondly, not only did He form us, but He created the environment for our very existence. This he did all by himself. Thus, all we need for our existence has been created by our maker. He created us, he sustains us and when we go astray, He will redeem us. This is what Israel needed to know. Their salvation was in God’s plan. They were God’s and God would save them. We can take hope in this fact today. The covenant was made, the price for our redemption has been paid. As Count Zinzendorf said, ‘our creator is our redeemer’. No matter how bad it gets, no matter how hopeless we feel, we need to remember that the one who created us is the same one who redeems us. It will never be too late or too much for the Lord Jesus Christ to save those who are His. A gentle reminder at the appropriate time will help us to keep our sanity and renew our hope for the future. Remain hopeful and keep the faith. Sometimes we just need a gentle reminder to trust God regardless of our circumstances. Amen.

Monday Reflection – July 26, 2021
The Power of Prayer

When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” So the Lord relented. “This will not happen,” the Lord said. Amos 7:2-3

The book of Amos is said to be a collection of sayings and visions of the prophet Amos, who was active in the 8th century BCE, during a period of relative prosperity and peace in Israel. Throughout the book, Amos appeals to God’s justice and righteousness as inseparable components of God’s commandment. Amos critiques the social, political, and religious structures of Israel for their failure to uphold ethical responsibility. In particular, the prophet condemns the social inequity that allows the wealthy to flourish while the poor wither (Amos 6:4-7; 8:5-6). He also criticizes empty worship that fails to promote justice and righteousness (Amos 5:18-24). We often separate social justice and piety as distinct practices, but in Amos’ vision there is no such division. The foundation of justice is the right worship of God, and worshipping God rightly requires promoting justice in the world.

Amos 7 presents three visions. In verses 1-3, God shows Amos the image of destruction where locusts were devouring the newly sprouted grass. Late in the harvest, Amos sees a swarm of locusts coming to devour the crops of Israel. It came after the king’s mowings, so the royal court already took their taxes. This left the Israelites with nothing at all. Hubbard reminds us that, “If the first cutting went to the court and the second crop to the locusts, Israel would be left destitute indeed.” In this season of destruction and despair, and at this vision of terrible judgment, the prophet’s heart was moved with pity and compassion for Israel, and he asks God to consider Israel’s frailty.

Israel is called Jacob, a reminder that he was the smaller, younger one to Esau in Isaac’s family. God had deliberately chosen him and therefore was obligated to stand by him in his helplessness. Amos acts as intercessor and pleads with God to forgive Israel. God relents and replies that the vision shall not come to pass. This is another amazing example of the importance of prayer. Some may argue that the issues of predestination and human responsibility are evident in this episode; however, we are clearly left with the impression that the plague either came or was held back based on the prophet’s prayer.

Yet, as we contemplate Amos’ prayer and God’s swift response, we remind ourselves that the power of prayer isn’t in the words we utter; neither is it about what we pray or even how we pray. The power of prayer is the power of God, who hears and answers prayer. Prayer is talking with God and is an act of worship that glorifies God and reinforces our need for Him. Through living a life of prayer, we communicate with the very source of and purpose for our existence. We remind ourselves that God invites and encourages to talk with him, and he promises to answer our prayers. Prayer is a principle weapon of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:18); and prayer unites believers, for there is no greater force on earth than a church united, that is engaged in fervent prayer. Also, prayer shapes our lives. Mark Patterson says, “Prayers are prophecies. They are the best predictors of your spiritual future. Who you become is determined by how you pray. Ultimately, the transcript of your prayers becomes the script of your life.” Who we become, the circumstances in our lives and the core of our character are all determined by what we talk to God about.

Let’s commit to a life of consistent prayer and watch God at work in our lives and before our eyes.

Jermaine Gibson