"…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (NIV) Isaiah 40:31

The Will of God comes at the right time. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “there is time for everything under the sun”. This means there is time for God to answer our prayers and grant our heart desires. We usually grow impatient and weary when God’s time exceeds our set time. However, understanding His Will for us will enable us to build the spirit of patience and trust that God is still at work in our favour.

Biblical characters such as Hannah, Ruth, Esau and King Saul teach us how to rely on God. The story of Hannah is about a woman who was ridiculed by her rival because God had closed her womb. Every year, she travelled with her family to Shiloh to pray to God. During one of those visits, she made a promise to dedicate her son to God if God blesses her with one (1 Samuel 1:1-19). When the time was right, God gave Hannah the child Samuel, who became a great prophet in Israel.

Ruth decided to leave her people to follow Naomi who had lost all her family in Moab. The future was blurred for Ruth but through obedience and perseverance, she pleased God and was added to the lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ruth 4:13–17).

The stories of Esau and King Saul are evidence of how our fate will be if we fail to be patient and wait on the Lord. Esau impatiently sold his birthright (blessing) to his brother (Genesis 25:24-34). King Saul, out of fear and impatience, disobeyed and offered a premature burnt offering to God (1 Samuel 13:7-13). Because of this act, he lost the very thing he was trying hard to protect- his kingship (1 Samuel 13:14).

Waiting on the Lord requires us to be patient. We may face challenges that will put fear in us and affect our trust in the Lord. But we should stand firm and pray, for the Lord will make a way where there seems to be no way. Let's be patient and wait on the Lord.

Trusting in God’s Control || More

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.” (NIV) Psalm 22:1-2

If you haven’t read through Psalm 22, I strongly encourage it. This Psalm of King David is rich with prophetic language that points the reader to the crucifixion of Jesus, particularly in verses 7-8 and 15-18 (compare with the events recorded in Matthew 27 and John 19). In addition to the amazing prophetic accuracy of this Psalm, there is something else that I find very powerful and applicable to our lives today and that is a powerful display of God’s control over His creation.

Often, we just think about Jesus when we read this Psalm but have you ever thought about what David was going through when he penned these words? We aren’t told many of the details of David’s situation but it’s easy to see that what he was going through must have been terrible. I’m sure many of us know what it feels like to go through a difficult time in life when it feels like God is distant. Maybe we’ve even cried out the words in verse 1 when we feel that all hope is lost.

Sometimes it feels like things are out of control in our lives like even God is not able to help us but nothing could be further from the truth. As we read through Psalm 22 we see that, even in the midst of his suffering, David was able to say in verses 22-24 “I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly, I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.” The words of David are key here. God had not answered David’s prayer yet but he chooses to praise God anyway and he also reminds us that God listens to our cries for help. This should be no surprise to us when we consider that this is the same David who was willing to face the giant Goliath with nothing more than a slingshot, not because he was confident in himself but because he was confident in God’s control of the situation. This is why he was able to say “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” in 1 Samuel 17:37.

We don’t know if David’s prayer to God was ever answered in Psalm 22. Likewise, sometimes we don’t get the “yes” answer we are praying for when we approach God. The really cool thing we can see from Psalm 22 is that, even though David may not have understood the reason for his suffering, we are blessed to be able to see that the circumstances he was going through at that time allowed the Holy Spirit to work through Him to pen the words that pointed to the crucifixion of Jesus some 1000 years before they happened. We are also blessed to be able to draw on this Psalm as proof that God had a plan for the Messiah all along and He brought His plan to fruition in His own time. All of this shows that He is in complete control and should give us hope that no matter what situation we are going through, God has a plan for us and he can even use situations that we consider terrible to accomplish amazing things. All we need to do is hold fast to Him and trust that His plan is good.

Don’t worry, the "how" belongs to God || More

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear … Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself …” (NIV) Matthew 6:25-34

Just imagine four young men who had honoured God with their lives led into captivity for no fault of theirs. There were no ordinary young men. They were from the “royal family and nobility.” “Young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s place.” (Daniel 1: 3b – 4a).

Growing up, they were made to understand that there is no god besides the Almighty God of Israel. Why did God deliver us into the hands of these pagans? (See Daniel 1:2), they may ask. Why has He remained silent and obviously hidden when we need Him most? There seems to be no end in sight. Their dreams seem to be shattered; they may be disillusioned! But not Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. These ‘fearsome foursome’ had an incredible trust in God. Even in these dire straits, these young men resolved to honour God (See Daniel 1:8).

Brethren, do you think Daniel and his friends had figured it all out as to how they can look better than their colleagues with only vegetables and water? Just look at how the other young men are ridiculing and dismissing them as being foolish. Nevertheless, they were resolute. They decided on the “what” and God took care of the “how.” God caused Ashpenaz, chief of the king’s court officials, to show “favour and sympathy” for them when they arrived at the resolution that they will not partake of the royal food and wine (See Daniel 1:8).

Truly, “there is a hand in life that takes care of the “how” as soon as we have decided on the “what.” That is why Jesus admonished us in Matthew 6:25-34 that we should not lose sleep over the mundane things of life – what we will eat or drink, clothes to wear or where to sleep, but rather decide on what is most important: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (See Matthew 6:33). Do you trust these words? Perhaps you trust them when life is good for you. But when you are hard pressed on every side that is when you should trust them the more. Our God is not a human being that He should lie. He will grant you favour in the eyes of that potential employer, He will open a great door of opportunity for you, He will give you the wisdom to make that decision. Yes, He will lead you every step of the way.

When we leave the “how” in the Hands of God, our soul will be overwhelmed with peace and joy.

 Doubting the Lord's goodness! || More

“So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (NLT) Hebrews 13:6

I was listening to the song by Laura Story entitled “Blessings” and I caught this phrase: “doubting the Lord’s goodness”. It reminded me of how I needed to write an article to express God’s awesomeness. We have all been in situations that made us doubt the power of God or entertain the thoughts that a breakthrough is virtually impossible. In today’s devotional, I want to share a testimony to remind you that God is in control, just trust in Him.

At a point in my life, I was in this situation of doubting God’s goodness. Clearly, I didn’t rule out that God can do it. I believed that He is in control and will make all work in His own time. But what I didn’t do was to stop worrying. Worrying created a fear that lingered in my heart. So, whether I trusted Him at all, it made no difference. I realised I was not better off than the one that emphatically doubted God’s ability to work in his or her life.

What did I do? I knew that I didn’t want this fear to consume me. So, I went to God in my desperation (1 Peter 5:7). I talked to him as would a daughter to his father. I shared my fears with believers, who encouraged me with God’s word (1 Thessalonians 5:11). But did God answer? Did He speak to me?

Beloved, there was no indication from God. So, I continued to wait like the psalmist in Psalm 62:1-2: “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken”. But, to my surprise issues got tougher, confusion set in, more challenges were thrown at me, had to make some difficult decisions, found myself weeping before him every night in bed or quietly when I was alone.

In the wait, I carefully took the opportunities that came my way, the difficult as well as the light ones and in my tears, I found a different level of trust. I began to deeply appreciate how far the Lord has brought me, the special favours He bestowed on me among many others. Beloved, I felt at peace and my fears for some reason were lost. I saw God for who He is. He is the one that answers by Fire (1 Kings 18:23-29), He whose plans are better than mine (Jeremiah 29:11). Yes, God granted my heart desire in His own time and put a new song on my lips. I believe that was the lesson I was to learn to increase my faith (Hebrews 11:1).

Beloved, difficult times will surely come and they may cause you to doubt God’s goodness in your life. Rather than letting them weigh you down, go to God and confess to Him. Trust in Him and let the doubts know that your God is awesome in all situations. It is His goodness that has brought you this far and it is this same goodness that will surely take you where you hope to be here on earth and in the life to come (heaven).

 God has not forgotten you || More