TO DO YOU GOOD IN THE END
Do not forget God “who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions (COVID19), and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end” (Deut 8:15, 16)
This present lockdown is a form of wilderness. As the people of God needed to pass thru the desert, to arrive at the Promised Land, so we need to pass, thru some spiritual dryness. May we see God’s purpose in this season of our lives! May we cooperate with the purpose of God! To the children of God, I am saying that the faster we obey God, the earlier we shall be out of the wilderness. Many people complain when passing thru hard times. This I a question: What is wilderness good for? Wilderness is a place where you wander about waiting for God, you feel wasted and forgotten by God. It is a place where God teaches you humility. God appreciates humility in people. Read Deuteronomy 8.
In the wilderness God does two things:
*God teaches us the value of humility and the value of the Word of God (Deut 8:2, 3)! Never forget that! God appreciates humility in people. He gives ‘more grace’ (unmerited favor) but only to the humble (Jam 4:6). The evil spirit of religion produces false humility, which is an inverted pride! God never accepts that! The fruit of the Holy Spirit is genuine humility. You become humble like Jesus! God appreciates and rewards the one who is humble and who ‘trembles at His Word’ (Is 66:2)!
How do you know that you are genuinely humble? This is just one test: you totally trust God to provide for you everything you need (spiritually and physically)! You do not trust in your wisdom or in your strength! You trust only in Jehovah Jireh!
How do you identify false humility and the fact that you do not trust Jehovah Jireh as your total Provider? You complain and you boast about yourself!
1-You complain about His provision! You are not content with what you have right now! You are not dying of hunger, but you complain that you do! You lust after ‘the cucumbers of Egypt’ and you complain that you do not have them. You tend to focus on what you lack and not on what you already have!
2-You boast about the things you have (food, clothes, opportunities…) like you are the one who provided them on the table!
In other words, a humble person does not complain when he does not have and does not boast when he has! He lives by faith in God, with a grateful heart, giving thanks to God always!
*God allows us to pass thru the wilderness to prepare us for future blessings (Deut 8:16)! God wants ‘to do us good in the end’. In Hebrew, the word ‘good’ means to become better and to live in prosperity! This promise is for you and your children!
Think about this: What makes you complain? The food on the table ‘is not sweet’; the attitude of the Government; the weather is too hot; the words you hear, the circumstances… Never forget! Everything we have is from God! God does not owe us anything! Child of God, you must not complain! What about pride; the boast of life? Do you think in your heart: I am more beautiful than others… my job is better… Stop boasting! All you have is a gift from God! The wilderness reveals the deep things in your heart! The way you behave in the wilderness this is how you will behave in times of plenty!
As you can see, this lockdown has put a stop to fleshly attitudes. God is guiding us thru this spiritual wilderness so that He will bless us at the end. Do you feel His guiding hand? Did you thank Him that you are not alone? That even now, you are making progress. When we shall come out from this ‘prison’ we shall not go back to the way ‘life used to be’! No! We shall enter a better place of peace and prosperity! Do you believe that your future is better than your past? Then say so! Boast not about yourself but boast about God! He ‘does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles. He gives rain for the earth and water for the fields. He gives prosperity to the poor and protects those who suffer’. These are the promises of God: “From six disasters He will rescue you; even in the seventh, He will keep you from evil. He will save you from death in time of famine, from the power of the sword in time of war. You will be safe from slander and have no fear when destruction comes. You will laugh at destruction and famine; wild animals will not terrify you. You will be at peace with the stones of the field, and its wild animals will be at peace with you. You will know that your home is safe. When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing. You will have many children; your descendants will be as plentiful as grass! You will go to the grave at a ripe old age, like a sheaf of grain harvested at the proper time! “We have studied life and found all this to be true. Listen to my counsel and apply it to yourself” (Job 5:8-13; 17-27; NLT)
Let’s pray: Dear Abba Father, I thank You, for who You are to me! You are my God, my Provider, my Guide in this life, my best Friend, my Doctor, my Lawyer, my Helper, my Peace and my Joy! You are my Life! Thank You for Your Word, for teaching me humility and wisdom! Thank You Lord that You are my Hope! My future is better than my past and present! I give You alone all the glory! I worship You! In Jesus’ name, amen!