PSALMS MOMENT – (27JUN19) Israel had been taken into captivity
by their Babylonian enemies. God allowed this to take place because they had
turned their backs to Him. The psalmist wrote about the destruction of the temple
and their city in Psalm 74 as he wondered if God had rejected them forever. He
did not understand why God would turn His people over to such a wicked nation.
There were no prophets giving prophetic words nor were there any signs being
given from Heaven. He found himself as a lost for understanding as to why God
had allowed His people to go through such horrific times. Yet, the answer was
simple. God had not forgotten them, they had forgotten Him; therefore, what
they were experiencing was a result of their own sins and rebellion.
Many modern-day Christians think that God has changed and will
not have a rebuke for the sins that are taking place in the world today. Yet,
God is still the same God and does not change. He is slow to anger, but when He
does finally judge the nation, it will come at a time when we least expect.
America has been warned over the years about her many sins and yet, she is
becoming increasingly wicked. Instead of people bowing down in repentance, they
are standing up in pride. Many evangelicals have made the mistake in thinking
that President Trump is our savior, but he cannot save this country from the
wrath of God. He is in need of the Savior just like everyone else and when we
fail to honor God, we open the door for the devil to come in.
We, as a nation, do not believe that we can fall. We look to
our military might and believe that nothing can touch us. We think that because
we have been welcoming to Israel that God will not judge us. We are sadly
mistaken. If God judged His own people then, what will He do to a nation with
whom He has given so much too? America is not untouchable. We look at countries
like Iran and snub our noses at them because we say, “What can they do to us?”
People, God has done more with less. He has always allowed wicked nations to be
the ones to judge His people who were supposed to be righteous. America has
fallen from grace and instead of us being arrogant as to who can destroy us, we
should pray that God does not hand us over to our enemies. It is not about the
size of the country, it is about the might of the Lord who allows His enemies
to prevail when a nation turns from Him. We are indeed Babylon, and should we
choose not to repent, we will be like Israel of old, and Babylon when she
finally did fall. May God help us for what we will see happen to our nation. We
are already in the beginning stages of its demise, and there is more to come.
We should be lamenting, for our hour of destruction is marked on God’s
calendar. Something to ponder….
QUESTION OF THE DAY – (27JUN19) Have you asked yourself this
question, “When is God going to say, ‘Enough is enough,’ when it comes to the
wickedness in the world? We are seeing so much debauchery take place in the
world, and many of us have wondered the timing of when God will have had enough.
The psalmist wrote, “You say, ‘I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge
with equity’ ” (Psalm 75:2). This verse lets us know that despite how much sin
and evilness that we see taking place in the world, God will one day bring it
to an end at His appointed time, but for now, He is allowing everyone to have a
chance to accept Him. The Bible says, “For since the creation of the world God's
invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly
seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without
excuse” (Romans 1:20). When God finally does close probation, there will not be one
person who can make the excuse that they did not know about Him. They will not
be able to say that they were not given an opportunity to accept Him. The Lord
is a patient and longsuffering God who does not want anyone to be lost. This is
why we are still seeing wickedness take place on the earth. It is not because He
wants it – quite the opposite, but because He is gracious and merciful. Let’s
remember that we were once in a lost state as well, but He gave us a chance to
become right with Him. The same leniency that He has given to us, He is also extending
to others. Therefore, we should pray for the salvation of the lost and do what
we can, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, to help usher souls to Christ
as we anxiously await His return. Something to ponder….
PSALMS MOMENT – (27JUN19) Sometimes, the trials of life are
so intense that your days can feel as if they are nights. You can get to the
point that you do not even want to get out of bed due to the strain of life.
You may cry out to God only to hear your own echo in response. You may even ask
yourself the questions, “Will I ever smile again? Is there a such thing as happiness
for me? When will I see a breakthrough? What is my purpose, or do I even have
one? How long, Lord, must I suffer with seemingly no end?” Yes, many people either
have or are asking themselves these questions as some, unfortunately, have
resorted to self-sabotage to relieve the pain with things like sex, drugs, alcohol,
bad relationships, food, and more. The psalmist wrote, “I remembered you, God, and I groaned; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. You kept my eyes from closing; I
was too troubled to speak. I thought about the
former days, the years of long ago” (Psalm 77:3-4). The psalmist spoke of his pain when he sought the Lord, but
did not seem to get an answer for the situation that he was in. He remembered
the goodness of the Lord in times past, and although He questioned Him, he did
not lose faith in Him. This is an important lesson to remember.
There are times in
life when we will not always find the answers that we are seeking. It may seem
as if God has us on mute, or that Heaven’s line is just ringing with no one to
pick up the other end. Yet, God does hear the prayers of His righteous ones. The
Bible says, “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much” (James 5:16).
It is sometimes difficult to pray when we seemingly are not getting any answers.
There are many prayer books on the market that guarantees getting answers from
God, but sometimes, God is silent as He is working things out on our behalf.
Even so, our prayers to Him are acts of faith in that we know that even when we
do not seem to get the answer we want, He is working on the answers we need. In
our pain, He is healing. In our distress, He is comforting. In our depression,
He is Joy. In our loneliness, He is our Friend. In our suffering, He is our
Breakthrough. The Teacher never talks through the exam, but waits till you
complete it, so that He can grade on a curve. Something to ponder….
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