As I was reading God's word, I came across the following scripture that showed me God's provision in difficult times.
Nehemiah 9:21 - " For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.
Let us reflect on the magnitude of the verse. According to Exodus 12:37, there were about six hundred thousand men who left Egypt, not including women and children. These were men 20 years or older. In those times, most men of twenty were already married. Counting women and children, it was probably a minimum of 1,800,000 people. How would you like to take even 1,000 people out into the desert, not knowing how you would provide for them? I wouldn't want to sign up for the job. Is it even possible in those times or even now for that many people to live together in one place in a desert enviroment. I would tend to say, No! Therefore, we see that God miraculously supplied there every need for forty years in a parched land where you can't produce food and water is scarce. Wow!
What does this mean for us? It means that God can provide all our needs even in the worse situations. We don't have to ba a product of our enviroment. So you may live in a depressed economy and may even live in the poorest country in the world, but we serve a God who is limitless and loves us very much. Our financial well being or status does not depend on others or the economy. It depends on a God who lacks nothing.
Yet we have our part in our own provision which is stepping out in faith believing that God will provide all our needs and even give us above and beyond all that we could imagine or think. ( Ephesians 3:20) James in chapter 1:5-7, says we must ask God and he will generously give you what you ask of Him. Yet, it must be done in faith. James says, if you lack faith don't expect anything from God. Also, he says faith without action is dead in 2:17. It is not enough to pray and ask God, but we must taken action on the prayer of faith.
Praise the Lord! We do not need to be a victim of our circumstances but are able to overcome them through Christ Jesus.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Take Your Place
Psalms 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”
The table of the Lord is a place of abundance, a place of peace, and a place of communion. David draws this picture from the ancient Near East custom, where covenants were often concluded with a meal expressive of the bond of friendship. The head of the honored guest at the banquet was customarily anointed with oil. The cup running over was a sign of abundance. What an awesome picture of the relationship God wants to have with us!
Jesus reinforced this at the Last Supper with His disciples. In Luke 22:15 Jesus says, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you.” (NKJ) In the Message Bible it says, "You've no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you.” Then just as the honored guest would have his head anointed with oil in David’s day, Jesus in the custom of his day honors his disciples by getting down and washing their feet.
Sometimes we fail to understand how much Jesus desires to fellowship and commune with us. We become so busy running here and there, trying to meet our needs and the needs of our family, when He already has a table of provision set for us. We are desperately trying to prove ourselves and to demonstrate our value or worth, when He desires to honor us. We struggle with worry and fear in an uncertain world and struggle with the attacks of the enemy, when He has already set a table for us in the presence of our enemies. We struggle in our own might to serve Him, when he wants to anoint our head with the oil of His Spirit to empower us to do what we cannot do in ourselves.
Stop struggling and running and take your place at the Lord’s table. “In His presence is fullness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalms 16:11) The God of the universe “fervently desires” your presence. He has prepared a table for you and for me. He is honored to have us as a guest at his table. Even more than that, He wants to honor us. We are the apple of His eye, His joy and His desire. He wants to give us honor even before our enemies, for we are His treasured possession and he has redeemed us from every tribe, tongue, and nation by the blood of His Son. He wants to fill your cup until it runs over.
The one thing our Lord seeks above all else from his servants, ministers, and shepherds is communion with Him. His table is vast and is never lacking. This table is a place of spiritual intimacy and is spread daily with all that we need. David said in Psalms 27:4, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.”
May you be blessed, encouraged, strengthened, and satisfied in the presence of the Lord today.
Andy Clark
The table of the Lord is a place of abundance, a place of peace, and a place of communion. David draws this picture from the ancient Near East custom, where covenants were often concluded with a meal expressive of the bond of friendship. The head of the honored guest at the banquet was customarily anointed with oil. The cup running over was a sign of abundance. What an awesome picture of the relationship God wants to have with us!
Jesus reinforced this at the Last Supper with His disciples. In Luke 22:15 Jesus says, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you.” (NKJ) In the Message Bible it says, "You've no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you.” Then just as the honored guest would have his head anointed with oil in David’s day, Jesus in the custom of his day honors his disciples by getting down and washing their feet.
Sometimes we fail to understand how much Jesus desires to fellowship and commune with us. We become so busy running here and there, trying to meet our needs and the needs of our family, when He already has a table of provision set for us. We are desperately trying to prove ourselves and to demonstrate our value or worth, when He desires to honor us. We struggle with worry and fear in an uncertain world and struggle with the attacks of the enemy, when He has already set a table for us in the presence of our enemies. We struggle in our own might to serve Him, when he wants to anoint our head with the oil of His Spirit to empower us to do what we cannot do in ourselves.
Stop struggling and running and take your place at the Lord’s table. “In His presence is fullness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalms 16:11) The God of the universe “fervently desires” your presence. He has prepared a table for you and for me. He is honored to have us as a guest at his table. Even more than that, He wants to honor us. We are the apple of His eye, His joy and His desire. He wants to give us honor even before our enemies, for we are His treasured possession and he has redeemed us from every tribe, tongue, and nation by the blood of His Son. He wants to fill your cup until it runs over.
The one thing our Lord seeks above all else from his servants, ministers, and shepherds is communion with Him. His table is vast and is never lacking. This table is a place of spiritual intimacy and is spread daily with all that we need. David said in Psalms 27:4, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.”
May you be blessed, encouraged, strengthened, and satisfied in the presence of the Lord today.
Andy Clark
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