Psalms- Part 1- Introduction

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Dreams- You can't trick the Lord

One day as I was finishing my work at my Clinic in Kerala, my assistant informed me that someone from the vigilance department of the police wanted to see me urgently. I wondered what the cause was and asked my assistant to usher him in. After saying “Hello”, I asked him what the reason for his coming was. He was reluctant to say much and proceeded to show me a letter that had been received by the vigilance department. I asked him what the letter was about and again hesitantly he stated that someone had sent a written complaint that I was ‘a quack’ and did not have the required qualifications for practicing Medicine.

This made me smile and I told him amusedly that this was the 5^th year that I was practicing after my post-graduation in Medicine. He said that he had been enquiring the matter and knew that there was foul play involved but they couldn’t really pinpoint the culprit behind this. Anyway as this was considered as a serious offence, the Superintendent of Police had sent me a notice to appear before him on a set date with all my records. After he left me, I wondered who could have played such a trick on me, because I did not have any overt enemies in that place and never was any animosity shown towards me by any one in that place.

That night I prayed to the Lord and asked for His guidance regarding the matter, all the while wondering who could have played such a trick. As I slept, I saw a dream. In the dream I am in an elevator with a man who works in a coffee shop near the Clinic. As we ride the elevator, this man smiles at me and says, “The police will never know that I wrote that letter.” Waking up at night after the dream, I praised God for His faithfulness and asked the Lord why that man did so? In reply the Lord said that the man didn’t like the Gospel work that I did at the Clinic-distributing tracts and books and it was a sort of harassment that he had planned. I knew this man very well but did not go to confront him regarding the thing leaving the matter into the Lord’s hands.

A few days later, early one morning, I traveled with my wife to the SP’s office to show him my records. It so happened that the SP was sick that day and as soon as I entered his office, he asked me to prescribe some medicine for his illness. He just glanced through my records and told me that he was sorry for the trouble, but he was just following regulations. I asked him whether they were able to catch the culprit but he just shook his head and said, “It’s not so easy.” I felt like telling him that it would be easy if he could ask the Lord for some help, but just kept quiet knowing that he wouldn’t probably understand or appreciate what I said. As I said “Good Bye”, he smiled and wished me the best.

To end the story, I do not know for sure whether it was God’s way of avenging for what the fellow had done, but in a drunken brawl that week itself this man was stabbed and was hospitalized for quite some time.

God is faithful in all His ways and He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

And His Word exhorts us in this manner,

Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”                  (Romans 12:17-19)

365 Blessings- September 29

Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right. (Psalm 106:3) 

Is there anyone who constantly does what is right other than the Lord? I doubt. Maintaining justice and constantly doing right is no easy thing. Many people think that what they do is right, but unfortunately in the Lord's eyes it proves to be different.

 A woman caught in adultery was once brought to Jesus. We read,

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. (John 8:3-9) 

Jesus is full of compassion. It's not that he was siding the person who was sinning. He wanted to give her a chance to change her life. Not only that, He wanted to show her accusers that they were no better. Thirdly, He also wanted to show that " Mercy triumphs over judgement" 

As James writes,

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! (James 2:12, 13) 

Hope we too can find wisdom in that.

 

365 Blessings- September 28

Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many. (Isaiah 51:1, 2) 

"When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many." 

The call came to Abraham and he set out from the midst of idol-worshipers to a land that God was going to show him. When God called him, He gave him a set of promises which He fulfilled eventually.

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3)

With Abraham set out many others and they too were blessed. Abraham was a man of worship and wherever he went he set up an altar to the Lord and worshiped him there. Because of his obedience and faith in God, God blessed him in all things. 

And the promise is for us too. The Bible says,

Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring - not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. (Romans 4:16) 

God has called you through Jesus Christ to be a part of His kingdom here on earth as well as in eternity and there is no greater blessing than that.

 

The still small voice- A Funeral

One morning as I traveled to my clinic, I was thinking about a certain servant of God who had died a couple of days back and that day his funeral was to taking place. As I approached the place where the cremation was to take place there was such a big queue for the last time view of the servant of God. There was a mammoth crowd and people were thronging around the place.

Certain thoughts regarding the event came to my mind and I was making my own conclusions-Certainly this man deserved this kind of a last minute send off, if one could call it that. He had labored for Christ for so many years that such a heavy crowd had turned out for his funeral. Surely any one so great will naturally have many admirers and it was logical that people had to wait in large queues to get a last glimpse.

Quite unexpectedly Lord spoke to me and very clearly said something unique. He said, “There was no one around when I buried Moses.”

Now this was something extraordinary. I could never have brought up this thought by myself. It’s just the way that the Lord speaks to us. “Out of the blue” on certain occasions. He didn’t say another word but just what He had already said, but that itself was worth a day’s thinking.

Moses was a great servant of God. The Bible does vouch for that.

So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the LORD’s word. He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth Peor, but no man knows where his tomb is to this day. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eye was not dim, nor his strength gone. The children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the days of weeping in the mourning for Moses were ended. Since then, there has not arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all the mighty hand, and in all the awesome deeds, which Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

(Deuteronomy 34:5-8, 10-12)

Wonderful, isn’t it?....All the things that are written about this great servant of God. Perhaps some critics may argue that He deserved a better burial but there couldn’t have been a better burial for Him. God Himself set the time and place and conducted the funeral rites.

Of course before the actual burial took place there was a fight for his dead body as we read in the book of Jude.

“But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 9)

I often wonder why devil contended for the body of Moses. Perhaps he was trying to establish the view point that Moses disobeyed God regarding speaking to the rock instead of hitting it. Well, the devil has all sorts of tricks up his sleeve. But he got the right reply from the archangel Michael who said that his accusations against Moses and his contending for his body deserved a rebuke from the Lord.

The Bible says that the Lord knows them who are his and He knows them who are truly faithful to Him even though the devil may bring all sorts of allegations and accusations against them.

Praise the Lord for He is always just in all His ways.

Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations. (Revelation 15:3)

Dreams- The Blood of Jesus

On the night of March 17^th 2006, I saw a dream. In the dream I happen to be walking along a road and there are a few others walking beside me. After a while 3-4 vicious looking guys come from the opposite direction and they have several fierce looking dogs with them. As they come near me, the guys command the dogs to attack me and the whole pack rushes at me barking and snarling. In the dream I am at a loss of what to do but as the dogs are about to pounce on me I rebuke the dogs in the mighty Name of Jesus and pray to Jesus to cover me with His precious blood.

As soon as I do that, the dogs just stop in their tracks as if they are hit by something violent and they seemed to be weak and helpless. Soon they recede and disappear.

This was a warning from the Holy Spirit that a satanic attack was about to take place in my life, but if I trusted in the Name and Blood of Jesus, victory would be mine.

The next day morning, I experienced shortness of breath and chest discomfort. I remembered the warning that the Holy Spirit had given me and rebuked the evil forces that had brought that upon me. The difficulty persisted till evening, but God delivered me as I placed my trust in the Name and Blood of Jesus.

The songwriter says,

There is power, power, wonder working power in the blood of the Lamb. There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb. How true.

The Blood of Jesus is our protection. Each day, every believer must cover himself/herself, their family, finances, homes and whatever they have been given by God with the Blood of Jesus. The Blood of Jesus not only cleanses us from all sin but also protects us from our enemy-the devil who is out to kill, steal & destroy. Praise God for the Blood of Jesus.

They overcame him because of the Lamb’s blood, and because of the word of their testimony...(Revelation 12:11)

365 Blessings- September 26

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children. (Genesis 29:35)

Every time that Leah bore a son on the previous three occasions, she had a great expectation that at least then her husband would love her. When she bore the first child to Jacob she named him Reuben saying, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.” When she gave birth to a son again, she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too and she named him Simeon.” When she gave birth to yet another son, her expectations were very high. She said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me because I have borne him three sons. So he was named Levi.

But things did not work out for Leah as she expected. Though Jacob had bodily union with Leah, he did not love her or perhaps his love for Rachel was greater and it was evident to all including Leah.

She finally seems to have accepted her (unloved by husband) situation and so when the fourth son was born, she did not expect Jacob to love her any more than he actually was loving her, but she took a decision to praise the Lord instead.

If some situations in your life are seemingly impossible, it is better to concentrate on the Lord and focus upon his goodness and blessings and praise him rather than grumble/worry unduly about things that have not yet worked out. God can do the impossible, but sometimes we have to wait.

The Psalmist sang: I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD - in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD. (Psalm 116:17-19)

Will you sacrifice a thank offering? Will you praise him? It will give you peace of mind.