Celebrate the Savior

I received and forwarded a video yesterday, which made me really stop and pause to think that I might have been too hasty in dispersing this message.  It was a beautiful video encouraging viewers to show appreciation to our essential workers who are in the frontlines during this COVID-19 crisis.  I was really happy to see this because I am totally behind honoring all those who are working to keep us safe, including persons who work in medicine, security, supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations, utility services, along with our political leaders and so many other essential workers.  However, one thing concerned me.  The timing of this celebration of our essential workers seemed a bit odd.  It would be right in the midst of many church services on Resurrection Sunday throughout the island.  Albeit, church for me is in bed these days watching an online live stream. Nonetheless, I would still be joining with other members of the body of Christ to celebrate His defeating death in this awesome and deliberate act of self-sacrifice so that none of us should perish, but all might have eternal life.  Now, I know many people may not share my beliefs, so they would not have wondered like I did why we couldn’t honor our essential workers on Easter Monday instead, when nothing much would be going on.

You see, I like many others, may fail at times to but Christ first in preference for others.  We so easily slip into honoring people before our Lord, giving more esteem to the created rather than the Creator.  How quickly we forget that when we seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first, it is then everything will be added unto us including healing and protection.  I must admit I got quite riled up last night after thinking about this video and how we get so easily distracted by what is good, instead of worshiping God.  I started to get my praise on and I realized after that I got a reprieve from an unusual malady that I was suffering from since a few days before, which I had never had in my life.  Now, that is the power of praise.   When we get into the Word, we will understand that God inhabits the praises of His people and that He has a peculiar way of sending the praise team ahead in a battle to confound and scatter the enemy.  In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat was informed that a great multitude was going to come against Judah.  Fear gripped him, hence, he sought the Lord and proclaimed a fast for the nation. The people came from throughout the land to seek the Lord’s help.  And, God responded telling them not to fear because the battle was His.  They didn’t need to fight the battle. All they had to do was to stand and see the salvation of the Lord.  The people fell down and worshiped Him while the Levites stood up and praised Him loudly.  The praise of the Lord was going to prevail and He would win this battle.  They just needed to put their trust in Him.  Jehoshaphat appointed the singers and the folks who praised the Lord to give thanks to Him.  As the praises went up, the Lord set an ambush and the enemy forces came against each other destroying themselves. It took Judah three days to collect all the enemy left behind.  After three days Jesus rose from the dead and thwarted the enemy’s plan.  And because death couldn’t hold Him, eternal life is ours.  How can we not praise Him?  When we come together wherever we are united over the internet on Resurrection Sunday to praise and celebrate our Savior, we will confuse the enemy.  He expects us to succumb to fear and to get distracted by this storm.  But, this war against COVID-19 is the Lord’s, we just need to stand and praise Him, then we will see His salvation. 

I have always loved the words in the song, I Feel Like Praising Him, which says “If you don’t want to praise Him, don’t hinder me.” Unfortunately, we sometimes hinder our praise of God because we have our eyes on people, instead of keeping our focus on Him.  Jehoshaphat prayed “…for we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 NASB.  Many of us feel powerless against the coronavirus, but we must seek the Lord and keep our eyes on Him.  He has the power and the plan.  Let us get His strategy of praise, knowing that with man it is impossible, but with Him all things are possible.  I comprehend this because I know His character.  He has been my Waymaker when I felt there seemed to be no way; He has been my Healer when the doctor said there was no cure; and He has been my Provider when I have been down to nothing.  Therefore, I am going to celebrate God first, so that I can celebrate people better.  If I were to get married, I would never want to marry a man, who put me before God.  He has to love God more than me and accept His love before becoming united with me, because without a doubt, there are times I am going to fail him.  He is going to need the love of God to carry him through my mishaps and he will need the power of God to love me unconditionally through whatever drama I drag him in.  Anyone, who knows me, knows that I don’t go looking for drama, but drama sure has a way of finding me.  My point about this whole preemptive marriage confession is to state that when we put God first, then we can love people better.  

We must recognize that it is the Lord who has made us, and not we ourselves. (See Psalm 100:3)  Consequently, we must stop running to the created first, instead of to the Creator.  There are many of us who are busy working for God, but not loving on Him. We are occupied with church optics looking good, while our eyes have deviated from our God who is good.  The work for our Father itself has become our idol.  The effects of coronavirus has allowed us to see church differently and to refocus on the Lord.  Let us not take our eyes off Jesus this Easter period. Now, more than ever we need to look to Him and celebrate Him.  Let us open ourselves up to Him and let Him pour His Spirit and love through us so we can love others.  During this time, let Him show us how to love our neighbors who are essential workers, or those who may be in self-quarantine because of a variety of reasons, including being elderly or having underlying conditions.  Let us ask God how to help those who have lost jobs because of this crisis, and also the underprivileged who are facing even more hardships during this time.  Many of our friends are grieving the loss of a loved one, put we can’t reach out to them as we normally would, so we need to seek God for Him to show us creative ways to help them during the mourning process. And, when He responds, we must listen, no matter how uncomfortable or inconvenient His directions may be. 

I believe as we celebrate God He will show us ways in which we can better assist our heroes who are on the frontlines.  This has to be ongoing during this period, so that they know we have their back not just for a moment, but all throughout this trying time.  Jesus prayed for the unity of believers in John 17, so let us be united as we pray together for our essential workers and all those who are in need, while giving sacrificially and celebrating our Savior.   

Favor in the Unfavorable

God specializes in giving favor in unfavorable conditions.  Joseph found favor with Potiphar after he bought him from the Ishmaelite’s to be his servant.  Potiphar respected Joseph and promoted him to oversee his household.  Joseph also found favor in the sight of Potiphar’s wife, who took her likeness for him to another level, which had him running from her to keep his integrity, leaving his coat behind in her hand.  Sometimes we may have favor with the wrong people who want us close to them.  However, we must be discerning and flee from any situation that would put us in disobedience to God.  This vicious vixen lied saying he tried to make a move on her, as a result Potiphar unwillingly had him thrown in jail, where Joseph once again found favor with the chief jailer and was put in charge of supervising the prisoners.  Who would have thought that jail would be a good thing for Joseph and even his jealous brothers, who were the reason for his troubles?  Yet, prison was a setup for him to become prime minister and later to save his family from famine, which included his devious brothers, who had thankfully mellowed over the years of separation from their younger brother.

Esther experienced adversity from a very young age being orphaned, and had to move in with her cousin Mordecai.  More heartache came, when she was taken and put in a harem to be groomed over a year’s period for presentation to the king, so that he could choose his wife from the group.  This could not have been a pleasant season for Esther who was instructed by Mordecai not to disclose her true identity as a Jew, for fear of what may happen if she did. Yet, in spite of all this, Esther was favored by Hegai, who supervised the women, and having followed his wise guidelines, she later had favor with the King, who selected her to be his next wife.  Advantageously, Esther would have the king’s scepter pointed to her so she could enter his presence and make her requests.  Esther was favorably positioned to save her people.

Another heart wrenching Bible story was about Ruth, who in spite of losing her husband, pledged her faithfulness to her widowed mother-in-law Naomi, and went with her to a land which she did not know.  While gleaning in a field picking up produce left behind for the poor, she found favor in Boaz’s eyes, who became her kinsman redeemer.  Serendipity did not lead her to Boaz’s field, but God’s favor did.  Adhering to Naomi’s directives, Ruth married Boaz and became one of Jesus’ ancestors. 

We too have favor no matter what situation we are in when we accept Jesus as our Savior.  We have full access to the throne of the Father, and we can go before Him with thanksgiving and praise.  He loves to abide in the praises of His people.  And, there is no better favor than having God abide with us.  We can go to His throne in confidence with our petitions too. When He walks with us through the fire and blesses us during the desert places of our lives, that’s favor.

Recently, I made a dumb move forgetting that I did not secure my cellphone in my bag and when I got out of the car it flew face done in a puddle of water on the side of the road.  I cleaned it up and it never stopped working.  That’s favor.  I couldn’t afford a new phone, as a matter of fact, I couldn’t afford this phone which I have, but I found favor in the sight of the one who gave it to me.  Lack of financial resources or material possessions, cannot stop God’s favor.  Plus, our plans falling apart may be God’s favor, as He may have a more favorable plan.

Favor comes in many different ways. So, as we go through our day, let us ask God to open our eyes to see the favor He has given us.  It could be the warmth of the sun on a beautiful clear day, or the rains breaking the drought on a cloudy day.  Solomon may have gotten a bit cynical in his old age, but he still knew that for whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. Ecclesiastes 9:4 NASB.  Yes, if we are living, then we have hope, and that’s favor. 

 

And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:5-8 NASB

Having the love of God and having Jesus die to save us from our sins, so that we could have eternal life.  Now that’s favor in a big way.  Know that you are extremely favored, no matter what life throws at you.