Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from Psalm Ninety Four verse Nine, “He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see?” (NRSVB). In this psalm the psalmist calls on the Lord and asks how long will God allow the evil to reign in the world? How long will it take before the Lord will judge and restore righteousness in the world? In the times we live in we can identify with the psalmist, as we also see around us injustice, and a world in turmoil. We long to know what is truth, what will be the outcome of this situation that the world has been suffering for nearly two years? We find ourselves becoming increasingly worried as we hear more and more reports that cause us to be afraid. The psalmist comforts his own heart by reminding himself that the Lord never sleeps nor slumbers and will not allow evil to continue. In verses Thirteen and Fourteen we read, “You, Lord, You give them power, to keep themselves calm in days of adversity. For the Lord will not cast off nor spurn His people, neither will He abandon His heritage,” (Amplified Bible).
God is our hope in our hopeless situation. He is the One who has created this world and works in history to perform his great deeds. He is described as our God who sees and hears, our God, who is not standing outside of his creation, but within it, working to bring about just outcomes. We are to take heart and cling to our hope, for He, the God who created sight and sound, is the One who hears the sighs and cries of His children. He is the God who not only beholds the outside world and its workings, but knows the inner-most plans of desires of the hearts of humans. He discerns whether their plans are good or evil and He works to counter the deeds and plans and purposes that causes evil on earth. The Lord is truly our High Tower, a place where we are defended and protected. The psalmist writes in verse Nineteen, “In the multitude of my anxious thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul,” (Amplified Bible). This is a verse of inspiration for us, when we are overwhelmed with fearful thoughts, God will send his comforts of peace, joy and steadfastness in the midst of our troubles, for He plans and purposes for our good.
Jesus taught his disciples, as we read in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Six verse Eight, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him,” (NRSVB). This teaching of Jesus is just as applicable today as it was then. God knows what we need and he gives it to us freely, for He loves the world, and gave his own Son. The Apostle Paul wrote in the Epistle to the Romans in Chapter Eight verse Thirty Two, “God, who did not withhold or spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all other things?” (Amplified Bible). God gave us the Saviour Christ, because we are unable to follow the laws of righteousness, we are unable to save ourselves from destruction, but Christ is able and suffered and saved us. We have received the greatest gift, Christ, for God heard Christ saying on the Cross, “It is finished!” The old order has been vanquished and evil has been trampled under the foot of Christ. God saw his Son suffering in obedience until the very end for us. This God, who heard and saw his Son on the Cross and raised him from the dead, is the same God who hears and sees you and tells you that his eyes are on you to guide you. His hand is stretched out to bless you, for He hears your call and will answer as He promised.
Father, we come to you and pray that you will give us your strength and courage to withstand the difficulties that surround us. We thank you that you come next to us and comfort us and calm our anxious thoughts for You are our Lord. You see and hear us and come to save us, Amen.