When all support removed!
Verse for Today: Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Jonah 4:7 – But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.
God wants all His children to know that He is their only support, strength, help and provider at all times. He provides for us always, but He doesn’t want us to forget the provider and depend on the provision. He wants our trust to be in Him and not in any thing that He raises up to support us in our sojourn. He gives us temporary shades to take away our discomfort, but wants us to realize that we live under the shadow of the Almighty. Our comfort comes only from Him and that we dwell on the green pastures and the cool waters that He provides. Prophet Jonah was so excited about the vine that the Lord provided for his shade and comfort. But God took the comfort away to make him realize that he ought to depend on the Lord and dwell under His wings. When God takes away the shades that He gives us and close us from all corners to teach us great lessons on dependence and trust, He expects us to renew and reaffirm our dependence on Him. The Lord provides for all our needs, but when our focus changes from Him to shades like employment, financial stability, good health and solid friendship, He sometimes shakes these shades and even removes it from us. How we respond to such interventions of the Lord depend on our spiritual maturity and level of trust in Him. Sometimes we get frustrated and feel like quitting. We plunge ourselves into negative thinking, self pity and lose our joy in the Lord. But no matter what the Lord takes away from us, we will have to believe in His power to sustain us and so we ought to praise Him in all such situations.
Dear reader, are you frustrated because the Lord took away some of the shades that He had provided for you? Are you questioning the wisdom of the Lord when He withdraws some visible support from you? Remember, He is interested in enhancing your trust solely in Him and in nothing else. He doesn’t want us to think that He is good because He gives us all favourable circumstances and excellent facilities. Even when He withdraws all visible support for us, He is still our beloved Lord who cares for us. When the brook of Cherith dries and the ravens stop coming our way with bread and meat, He is still our Lord. Even when there is a famine is Bethlehem, it is still the house of bread where our Lord will give bread to His people at the right time. When God sends a famine in Canaan, He has committed to look after Abraham and his family. Even when the Lord allowed Job’s health, wealth and family to be wiped out, He was still with Job and proved to Him that He was in control of his affairs and that Job should find Him as the God of the Impossible. When Moses is gone from the scene, He prepares a Joshua to take charge, but His desire is that His people should recognize Him as their Shepherd and provider. So dear friend, if the Lord allows you to go through financial shortages, joblessness, loneliness or ill-health, He wants you to know that He is taking away some or all those shades in your life on which you depend deeply. It is His desire that you depend on Him alone and praise Him for hat He gives and takes away. He wants you to consider Him greater than everything else that you have in life and value Him utmost. When all things are removed from you, He is still with you and wants to fill you with the confidence that He is sufficient for all your needs. So let us today renew our total and absolute dependence on Him and praise Him for all circumstances He allows in our lives with praise in our hearts and lips.
2 Corinthians 12:9 – But (the Lord) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Thought for Today
Our trust and dependence on the Lord should not be because He allows favourable circumstances in our lives, but because of His goodness even in unfavourable circumstances.
Our trust and dependence on the Lord should not be because He allows favourable circumstances in our lives, but because of His goodness even in unfavourable circumstances.
CONTACT US: [email protected]
