Better than Before
Monday Reflection – 2017
Better than Before
I will do more good to you than ever before. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. Ezekiel 36:11
Jimmy Cliff embraced this concept of a better day and produced this song with the following words:
Better days are coming by and by
Don’t you get down hearted, don’t you cry
Troubles will be over, all our joys come over
Better days are coming by and by
Don’t you know better days are coming by and by
Don’t you get down hearted, don’t you cry
Sorrows will be over, all our joys come over
Better days are coming by and by
It can’t be this way always
A train must come, a train must come
There must be some brighter days
We’ll have fun, we’ll have fun, yeah.
In today’s Watchword, God speaks to a people in bondage and exile, overrun by other nations, insulted and embarrassed by those who know not nor worship God, crushed and taken over by others. They felt forsaken and abandoned, insulted and disgraced, distressed and hopeless, empty and lost, angry and displaced. To a people in such grave and depraved condition, what does God say and do.
God says:
- The enemies will suffer their disgrace
- God’s people will grow, bear fruit and come back home
- I have your concern, I am on your side
- I will increase your numbers and rebuild your ruin conditions
To accomplish his plan, God instructs Ezekiel to prophesy, speak forth, foretell – declare a word of promise and hope, I am about to so something new and better. The challenges and pain the people now face will be brought to an end and God will restore them. Not just restore them, but God says that he will make them better than before. This reminds me so much of Job. After his suffering and endurance, the Bible says, “…The Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.” (Job 42:10, 12a)
In the midst of our own trials and pain, we need to trust God and endure for he has promised, “I will do more good to you than ever before.” Our latter days will be better than our former! Hallelujah!!!!
In our Doctrinal text, Paul reminds us of the greatest good that God has done and God’s promise to give us everything we need. “God did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32)
We are recipients of God’s goodness and grace and we must always recognize his hand in our lives and demonstrate our gratitude to him.
This week, be assured that God knows what we are going through, he has our concern and is on our side. Let’s trust God and anticipate the great future ahead.
Hear God’s promise again and let’s speak this word of hope into our lives and into the lives of those we interact with this week: I will do more good to you than ever before. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
Till next week, live in hope of a better day ahead!
Jermaine Gibson