Welcome to Day 5
Prayer Point
Thank you Jesus for your illumination from your Word. Thank you because you are not that hard to find, you are not hard to please, you are not hard to know, you are not hard to relate to, you are always reaching out to us. This is real love. Your love is real, your faithfulness is real, your kindness is real, you are interested in us, you are interested in our family, we are your full time duty, it is us you think about. Your thoughts towards us are of good, thoughts like we being safe, thoughts like we living long to behold your glory in the land of the living, thoughts like showing forth your glory through us, thoughts like protecting our going out and our coming in, these are your thoughts towards us. Halleluyah! Tonight, our hearts are open to hear from you, we empty all we know before the light of your word. Let your light separate the truth from the untrue in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Tonight, we will be reminding ourselves of our covenant of protection from Ps 91.
Ps 91
13You will have power to trample on lions and poisonous snakes. 14The Lord says, “If someone trusts me, I will save them. I will protect my followers who call to me for help. 15When my followers call to me, I will answer them. I will be with them when they are in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. 16 I will give my followers a long life show them my power to save.
Just reading through these passages really blesses my soul. V13 talks about protection from lions and poisonous snakes. This covenant protects against dangerous animals. I remember some years back, I was staying in one-room apartment in UCH. One night, I was fast asleep and just woke up suddenly. Waking up I saw that I was surrounded by soldier ants, they were surrounding the bed but had not climbed the bed. I ran out to the kitchen (which is outside as we all shared a kitchen) the ants had just gotten to the edge of the pot but had not entered (you know the way they line up). I was very grateful to God for His protection for my life and my pot of stew. When we were growing up, our house then was surrounded with huge trees and bushes, we saw snakes very regularly. It was like a common thing to see snakes inside the house. There was a time one of us woke up suddenly, only to see a snake in front of him gazing at him. Despite this frequency, they never for once bit us. There is a covenant of protection.
14The Lord says, “If someone trusts me, I will save them. I will protect my followers who call to me for help.
V14 again underscores our responsibility, the chief of which is TRUST. I believe trust is not a binary thing of do you trust me yes or no. We can grow in trust, we can increase in trust, we can decrease in trust. When the disciples tried to cast out the demon and couldn’t, they went back and asked Jesus 'why could we not cast it out?'. They could have said maybe this thing isn't working and lose trust though still following Jesus. Sometimes as believers, we drift in our trust for God especially when we have unanswered questions. We just don’t know why this happened to this person and we still keep going to church but that burden is there which latter creates a crack as the devil whispers with a grin to our ears "do you want to say you have more faith that bro X who lost his child?" Atimes the devil poses questions to us like 'if you are attacked by heardsmen right now, what will you do?" And because you can't answer, he will start flashing before you what others did, other Christians, and distrust creeps in. I have battled with images, images of people I respect who attempted to stand on God's word and they end up in a pathetic state and the devil laughs and asks me questions I can't answer. At such instances, I confess my fears to God and remind Him that I am depending on His mercy. In most of the cases, God speaks back to me. If there are areas of mistrust in you, do not hide it from God, open it up to God, let Him deal with it.
In one of the resources we shared yesterday, it was emphasized, the speaker shared how God taught her to trust. Bible says in Rom 10:11 that they that trust in God will not be put to shame. She shared how whenever there is an issue before her suggesting doubt she will say out "God I trust you on the issue of so and so and I will not be put to shame". This promise is very certain.
v15 When my followers call to me, I will answer them. I will be with them when they are in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them . When we trust Him and call Him, he WILL WILL WILL WILL WILL WILL WILL WILL answer us. This covenant never fails. Don’t think what if it doesn’t happen. It’s like saying if you pour a bucket of water on your head, you will not be wet. Can you allow this word of God to dwell in you richly? Oh Lord, teach us to trust you without borders.
16 I will give my followers a long life and show them my power to save.
This v16 is a part I love so much. First is about long life, second is about the quality of the life. Did you see LONG life in your Bible? Do you know He could have said I will give you life? However, he chose to add LONG to it. Another versions says, I will satisfy you with LONG life and I've heard Gloria Copeland explain it as God with give you what you are satisfied with. When a believer is satisfied with living till 40, they can get 40. Sometimes there is a culture of fear behind some words around the issue of life. I have heard people say once they train their children to a place where they are all standing on their feet if God says it's time to go then they are ready. Some people even say live everyday as though it will be your last because it can be your last. Some of these words even sound spiritual. Some say whenever God says its time then its time. Some say things like it's not about how long, it's how well. They even support it by saying Jesus died at 33 forgetting that Jesus died and resurrected at 33. his spirit didn't just resurrect, His body also resurrected. If a child dies at 2 and resurrects, will his obituary state that he only lived for 2 years? Jesus didn’t die at 33; he died and resurrected at 33. Some of these words really sound spiritual but God's Word is clear here when He says I will satisfy you with LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG life. You may have close relatives who have died early, it still doesn't change the promise that if you trust, you will be satisfied with LONG life.
Whenever something happens in our environment that seem to contradict what the scripture says, rather than build a theology around it by saying things like "it's not about how long but how well" our attitude should be like the disciples' who asked "why could we not cast out the demon even though your Word says we will cast it out" and God will show you adjustments that is needed for you to make. God is not Hard to please or to know or to find.
Feel free to share with us how you have been building trust in the midst of the uncertainties around you.
Prayer points
Worship God for taking showing us our part of the covenant
Thank you for your covenant of protection with us
On this issue [name the issue e.g security of my family] I trust you and I will not be put to shame
I ask for wisdom to align my life with your Word, to obey you at all times because in obeying you, there is safety
References and resources
This is 1 minute 17 secs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQHJUgQeEmk
1 and half minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKsJZhAer_c
Songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQlDLMaWHQA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e3nclKOc8I