March 6
I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. 2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. 3 I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. Ps 77:1-3 (KJV)
Ancient of days, how old are You? When I look around me I will see my Lord Jesus. …even though I worked through the shadow of death, I fear no evil… thank You father for Your Mightiness.
Child of God, coming from the altar of prayer and you are wondering whether God will hear you and grant all your request to you. Hear me child of God, Your Father in heaven placed a value on you, the “BLOOD OF JESUS”. You are valued in His eye, Even though the enemy is telling you otherwise. Listen, He cares for you. He who cares for the birds of heaven, will He not care more for you that He made in His own image?
Father, Restore unto me all that the enemy has stolen from me. My joy, the devil has stolen, my child, my husband, my health, my business, my career, my ministry the devil has stolen. Lord, your children are crying unto You for Your restoration in Jesus Name! Amen.
He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake.—Psalm 23:3
Your Shepherd knows your every need. He knows you will grow weary in your pilgrimage with Him. He knows there are times when you need rest. Your Shepherd knows just what you need to be refreshed. At times you need to lie in lush meadows or beside quiet streams. Sometimes you need to be held by your Shepherd. At other times you need to enjoy the pleasures the Shepherd provides. The Shepherd will not always replenish you in the same way; His response to you will always perfectly correspond to your present need.
As you follow your Shepherd there will be times when your soul becomes exhausted, perhaps because of trials you are experiencing or temptations you are resisting. The persecution you face or the burdens you are carrying for others may be wearing you down. You may be weary from the discipline the Shepherd has brought upon you. There will be times when you feel you can go no further in your Christian pilgrimage. Your Shepherd knows when you have reached this point, and He always has a remedy! There are many ways He can strengthen you: through His word, through others, or through your circumstances. He knows what you need even better than you do.
Have you grown weary? Does your soul need to be refreshed? Don’t attempt to recover on your own. Only God knows how to heal and rejuvenate a soul (Isa. 40:28–31; Matt. 11:28–30). He will do it perfectly, sometimes in surprising ways. Ask Him to restore you, and then be prepared to respond to what He does next.
Last month we mentioned about how “Past Deliverance Beget Faith”. In the book of Psalms, chapter 77 verse eleven reads- “I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. 12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. 13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? Psalms 77:11-13 (KJV)”.
Beloved, what you know about God is what you will lay hold on in the day of adversity. You can read about the mighty works of God but the experiences you have about God is more real than all the whole books in the world put together. Build your faith my beloved, so that it will not fail you on the day of adversity, challenges, pressure according to Prov 24:10. How? Someone is asking. Come along as we study together and discover more as “faith pleases God”:
Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.—Hebrews 11:6
Your relationship with God is largely determined by your faith. When you come to Him, you must believe that He exists and that He is exactly who He has revealed Himself to be in Scriptures. You must also believe that He will respond to you when you earnestly seek Him. Without this kind of faith, you cannot please God.
Regardless of the morality of your life, the good works you perform, the words you speak, or the sacrifices you make for His sake, if you do not have faith, you will not please Him. It can be tempting to substitute religious activity for faith in God. Christians may claim they are being “good stewards” of their resources when, in fact, they are wanting to walk by sight rather than by faith (Heb. 11:1). They may refuse to do what God tells them unless they can see all the resources in place first.
You may say, “I love God, but I just have difficulty trusting Him.” Then you are not pleasing to Him. You cannot struggle at the core of your relationship with God and still enjoy a vibrant fellowship with Him! Faith does not eliminate problems. Faith keeps you in a trusting relationship with God in the midst of your problems.
Faith has to do with your relationship with God, not your circumstances. Some may say, “I’m not much of a person of faith. I am more of a practical person!” Yet you will never do anything more practical than to place your trust in the Lord! Nothing is more secure or certain than that which you entrust to God.
Where are you today in your relationship with your God? Can it move you to believing the impossible to be possible? What is that mountain so high, but cannot be higher than God. What is that situation so daunting but cannot be formidable for God to unravel. Where are you lost, ask God to help you come home, to rest your head on His bosom again as a child does when his parents or care- giver tells a story to smooth me.
He loves you; He cares for you. Come home! He is waiting for your return. Trust Him to do it, He will surely do it for you.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
Evang. Ifeoma Ohondu
