Devotion – Friday, 29 January
Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from the prophecies and visions of Daniel. “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to same and everlasting contempt,” Daniel 12 verse 2, (NRSVB). Daniel’s prophecies pre-figure the destruction of the temple and the suffering of the Jewish nation, but it also foreshadows the protection given by the angel Michael, the comfort and protection given to those who are concerned about the Kingdom of God on earth. The Jews believed in the resurrection at the end of times and the fulfilment of God’s promises to those who walked in his ways. Christ, the fulfilment of God’s promises of grace to all the nations, spoke in the vision with the angel and finally comforted Daniel that he will rest and be raised up to everlasting life as is read in verse eight.
The angel, who appeared in the vision, told Daniel that the Archangel Michael, a friend of the church and protector of Jews and Gentiles, will come to them in their weakness and will defend them in times of martyrdom. Christ came to stand against all evil and to destroy all evil. He died for all and continues to intercede for all. He will come again to save the people out of tribulation. He will read their names, written before the beginning of the ages, from the pages of the Book of Life. Those who oppose God and the Kingdom of Heaven work against all that is good, all that is peaceful and all that sustaining human life and joy on earth. Christ has overcome the world and He works at restoring the world to repentance and peace. The prophet Daniel was in his nineties when he wrote these last prophecies. He was given peace of soul, mind and heart at the assurance that God will send his Prophet (The Messiah) to the World, to save those who trust in God. This prophecy is to strengthen us. We know that God sends his angels to fight on behalf of his people and the church in times of tribulation. Christ is the foundation of the Church. He will not allow her to crumble and the believers to fall away. Daniel was encouraged; therefore we may be encouraged and spread this gospel. For “those who turn many to righteousness shall give forth light and be like the stars forever and ever,” (Daniel 12 verse 4).
The Apostle Paul writes that wrong deeds cannot be rewarded with good, with life and with abundance. Wrongs must be corrected. Because all of us have sinned, all deserve wages of death, for our works cannot stand the holy flame of God’s purification. But through Jesus Christ we do not fear death and the reward for our wrongs, for “There is now no condemnation, no adjudging guilty of wrong, for those who are in Christ,” Romans 8 verse 1. We are free. We can come to the Lord in this joyful state. We are workers in his vineyard, believers of his word, people of his church and Kingdom on earth. This has been God’s plan for his world, rewards of life and abundance, peace and unity, freedom from fear of retributions, pain, disease and sorrows. “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”, Romans 6 verse 23. This is our hope today. We have an awesome God, who has planned for the good outcomes of the world and her children. God has steered the world and continues to steer it, even when the inhabitants veer off in their own direction and suffer calamities and tribulations, God brings the people and his church back on course. Christ assures us, “In the world you will have tribulations, but be of good cheer, I have overcome this world,” John 16:33. This is his promise today. This promise is for us, here where we are concerned, worried, and anxious, here where we cannot see where the future will lead us, or what will transpire in this time of the Pandemic, God is for us. He sent his Son, He commands his angels.
Father, we are fearful, but we trust in your promises and wait for your deliverance. Amen.
