The Secret Place

Psalms 91:1-3 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

In this post, we will explore what is that secret place of the most High and how we can dwell in it. 

To start with, let us understand what is this secret place? 

The Secret Place of the Most High God is a place where you can experience the presence of God. Typically, the Temple in Jerusalem was a hiding or secret place in the land of Israel.

Today, God has a secret place anyone can enter and dwell there. That secret place is Christ Himself, a dwelling for His people.

The privileges of those who dwell in God’s secret place are beyond imagination but listed out in Psalm 91. It still is not inclusive of all but refers to the problems and dangers which were of those times and protection from each one of them.  Today we maybe beset with a different set of problems and dangers, unique to our circumstances, but the truth of Psalm 91 is not diminished or changed or become outdated even one bit. If anything at all, if makes more sense and more truth.

Now where is this secret place and how do we find it?  

In the words of David Jacobs - 

"I often feel most anxious in the morning: I think about the things that I need to do that day, the things I didn't do yesterday, and the things I will think about tomorrow. Basically, I am a nervous and anxious wreck. I have a habit that has helped me greatly with this issue, however: every morning, I wake up and pray.

Immediately. I don't toss and turn in bed, I don't check my phone, I don't make coffee...I go immediately to pray. The effects have been tremendous in terms of dealing with my anxiety. Let me explain a bit more from my own perspective because this verse and a few others really helped shape my routine and improve my life.

The first reason I like to pray in the morning is because it quiets my mind. Suddenly the day ahead of me becomes more clear. I know what things I want to deal with immediately, what things I can put on the back burner, and what things I might not have to deal with at all. Second, although you might think I would be sleepy as a result, I have found that I actually wake up. My mind is fresh and free to wander a bit, and I have a nice conversation to start the day. Third, and I believe this is the most important, I am given an opportunity to thank God for all that I am grateful for. This prayer of thanksgiving starts my day on a positive note, and it trickles down into all the things that I do that day."

The Forgotten 7 Promises

It's very easy to imagine the obsolescence of the Biblical books. We tend to refer to them as a standard to follow, not as a truth playing out in our own lives. For example, take the 2nd commandment. We may strictly stay away from idols of God, yet we do not apply it to life today wherein our idols can be money, work, cars, children, partners, homes ... the list is long.

Similarly, we have an extremely encouraging Psalm 91 which can give a lot of comfort. Have we tried to see how Psalm 91 applies to our life today, and the truth of it to us personally?

If you are reading this, you have survived Covid. Now look at the picture this Psalm paints -

Psalms 91:6-7 "Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee".

Where are thousands or tens of thousands - Covid claimed 69,80,837 ! 

Did we not see this, and did we not survive it? 

Similarly, the phrase “noisome pestilence” is also associated with misfortunes, calamities, and nocturnal demonic activities that cause widespread death. Have we not seen this as well?

In ancient biblical times, pestilence was viewed as a manifestation of God’s wrath and judgment against idolatry and disobedience. Am not sure it is not true today.

As we delve into Psalm 91 in the next 2- 3 posts, we suggest each one of us take each verse of it and map it to an experience or an event in our life. Loss or jobs, poverty, death, haven't we seen it all?  

And has the Lord NOT delivered us from each?

Psalm 91 is a psalm of protection and Deliverance. It contains seven powerful promises. The promises are as real today as they were in ancient times.

The Voice that Transforms

 

*Pic from premier Christianity

Have you ever had the feeling of doing or not doing something which you were planning? Of being guided? Being nudged? Do you call it a sixth sense, or gut feel or something else? Or do you think it is God speaking to you? 

Today, to understand this, we will draw from a devotional post from "Pray Daily", the link to which is given below. 

But back to the topic. In Acts 9:4, we read about the moment when Saul, later known as Paul, fell to the ground and heard a voice asking him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”. This was the moment that transformed Saul’s life as he realized that the voice of that of Jesus himself.

Like Saul, many of us have moments in our lives where we were going down the wrong path or were completely unaware that we needed to change our ways. If we listen to that voice, we stand transformed. If we don't, we may (or may not) get that opportunity again. 

Because, just as Jesus spoke to Paul, He speaks to us today, calling us to a better way of living.

Sometimes we may hear Jesus’ voice through the words of a friend, a pastor, a parent, or even a stranger. Other times we may simply feel a nudge in our heart. Whatever form His voice takes, it is important for us to listen and respond, just as Saul did.

We need to open our ears and hearts to hear the voice of Jesus today, and have the courage to follow where ever He leads us and calls us to a better way of living.

Todays post is based on a Daily Devotional (click to download) 

At Every Turn of Life....

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

Isiaah 11, 1-4

Our lives take different turns each day and our situation may call for one or the other of these gifts of the spirit. 

In Francis Taylors words, we don't know God's plan any more than the Israelites did, and there are times when we can even question God's wisdom or His faithfulness. I'm sure that the Israelites kept waiting for relief just as we often do.

However, as we wait, we can pray for wisdom to understand our situation and have faith in Gods hand of mercy.

For the Israelites it would take several lifetimes for God's promise to be fulfilled. For us, as we may wait for an answer to our own prayers, it can seem like that, but if a promise has been made specifically, be sure it will happen. At each turn, that should be our prayer. Never have doubt born from rebellion but faith born from "the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD". The Christ Jesus had this even as He faced death. 

Let us decide to practice it. Amen. 

The Power of Prayer: Pastor Rajiv's Message for the Week

 

Goliath and You

 

The Story of David and Goliath is extremely well known to most if not all the earth, regardless of one's beliefs. Goliath was a descendant of the Nephilim—the offspring of the “sons of God” and their human wives. 

The Israelites failed to wipe out the Anakites—a subset of the Nephilim—in their conquest of the Promised Land, and so the Anakites survived in Gath and its surrounding cities, eventually becoming what we know as the Philistines. Goliath was a Philistine warrior from Gath—a powerful symbol of Israel’s previous failures.

Like the Israelis, we all have, have had or will have a Goliath in our life and will have to face it someday.

A Goliath could be anything - a debt, failing faith, a family tragedy, a life threat, a mortgage, addiction, losses, or so many things this world has to offer. David's story teaches us two things - a. It is possible to defeat Goliath no matter how big and strong he is. And 2. the way to do it.

David was in constant communication with God. Maybe through self-talk, through prayer through thoughts. When he killed the lion and the bear, think about how. Who helped him.

An ancient document found at Qumran in Palestine claims that David wrote over 4000 songs. Tradition attributes 73 of the 150 poems of the biblical book Psalms to him as well. Psalm 144 depicts David playing the ten-stringed lyre, which some even suggest he invented. David communicated with God through his music as well.

Because of this, David did not need to pray before fighting Goliath because he was in constant communication with God! He has a prayer in His heart and the strength from being in constant communication with God.

So here seems to be the key. Like David, we do need to take time out to prayer but equally, so we need to be in constant thoughts in communication with God.

Choices

It is easy to be distracted by various choices we tend to make in our daily lives. What clothes we will wear, what will be do, what will we eat, what TV show to watch, a.d so on.

However, the primary choice we need to make is something we keep putting off - to some time in the future: Choosing God.

What does it mean to choose God? Firstly, choosing God does not simply mean that one believes in God. Choosing God means choosing to live a life following Gods word, His instructions and the way of life He has specified. This becomes the primary choice and once we make this choice, everything else is secondary.

Deuteronomy 30, 19-20 tells us that choosing Him is choosing to live in this life as well as the next. Choosing Him and walking in His ways leads to blessings for generations; it brings to life His promises specially where He says His thoughts are not to harm us but to prosper us. 

But choosing God involves overcoming the world's biggest hurdle: Ourself. We are our own enemy.

Choosing Him means we have to choose His way and not our own way. This is where many believers fail- unable to overcome the self, we make God secondary to our self , our self worship and our self choices. Choosing God means first we have to stop choosing us and overcome ourself first.

God has already chosen us. When will we choose to choose Him? Have we chosen Him?

The Last Day

We really don't know the future, no matter what we read or believe. The fact is: we don't know about tomorrow, and as the song goes, in reality we just live from day to day.

How does one accept this reality? Suppose we knew that today would be our last day here on earth, what would one do? How would we spend it? 

Surely, we would make each second count, mend broken relationships, seek forgiveness for things we know we have done wrong talk to people we may have ignored, smile at a stranger and many things we wanted to do but put on the backburner. Take time to appreciate the people in our life and let them know how much they mean to us. We won't obsess about trivial inconveniences, as we are wont to do today, or ruminate about small affronts to our ego. We wouldn't brag, as there is nothing to brag about- what we had is about to become someone else's; we wouldn't gossip. We would focus on what matters. We would desperately believe that there will be something after death and pray to the Almighty. 

Or we may agonize, dread and so want to be spared.

Believe me, each moment will be more precious than gold would be if it was the last day. 

The point is since we do not know about tomorrow, should we not live as if each day is our last? Praise and thank the Almighty for one more day and proceed to live as if there would be no other, live in the joy of the moment, not creating a bucket list but cleaning the slate to be ready to meet the maker. 

Have You ever eaten Manna?

Before we jump to preconceived definitions or understanding of manna, let's take a step back and understand what manna was. Was it only for the Jews when they wandered in the desert and didn't have food?

Manna has a Greek root that comes from the Hebrew "man", and although it literally means "substance exuded by the tamarisk tree," it's almost always used to refer to God's nourishment, in the Bible.

Figuratively speaking, you could say that when I was ravenous in the morning - The doughnuts my coworker brought in this morning were like manna ...."

Combining both statements, the key here is Gods provision at the time when you most need it!

With this background, can we think back and remember all that God provisioned us when we most needed? It could be health, food, money, a shoulder to cry on, a friend who dropped by when we were down and out? When He enabled us to achieve something. When we or someone we prayed for had a successful operation? 

Manna can be anything that we have needed, when we have needed, and what we have needed, most, at a point in time. 

I don't think anyone can truthfully say they have not had manna. We all have received it when we needed it most. It's time we thought back, identified such occasions and thanks and praised God for it, personalizing it and accepting and believing that the Biblical manna was not historical, for Jews alone, but for you and for me. In truth, Jesus Himself is Manna.  

Bloom and Grow

  

Flowers bring beauty and serenity to our lives. On every occasion we present flowers to our friends and family, to bring cheer to the day. Think about how a flower, becomes a flower and presents its beauty to the world and there is so much we can learn from it.

Think about the dandelion. Dandelions are both fast growing and incredibly hardy. It can spread both by seeds and by new shoots from roots or root segments. The seeds are easily blown around by wind and will quickly spread into adjoining downwind areas. It needs no special treatment yet produces 13 benefits for humans. 

But what is more important is this:  a flower blooms where it grows. The dandelion does not say I will grow here but bloom there. It does not put conditions to its blooming. It simply shares its beauty and its scent, wherever it is, and goes wherever the wind takes it. It does not put-up conditions for sharing its goodness.

But we people do, don't we? "I wish I had more money so I could feed the hungry". "I wish I had more time, to visit the sick, or the widows, or lonely people around me". Or simply, "I can't come to Church because I don't have my car this Sunday". 

Sounds familiar? Sure, it does, we do it all the time! 

 Let us remember some key instructions - 

..... ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’