God who makes us prosperous-IV

Introduction

Deuteronomy 30:9 “And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:”

            The above verse is the promise verse for the month of July. Our Lord God will give us the blessing of prosperity. There will not be any dry state in our lives anymore. The hands of the Lord God makes things plenteous in our lives and we will lack nothing. When we read in Deuteronomy 30:8 ‘And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.’ As rightly recorded in the verse, we the children of God should obey the voice of the Lord and adhere his commandments.

I The Lord will exalt us before others

Genesis 39:2-3 “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.”

            The above passages we learn about the life of Joseph. The hands of the Lord almighty was with Joseph and it blessed him. Though he was led by the presence of the Lord, Joseph gets into many troubles. There are few instances where God himself allows Joseph to go through some troubles in order to exalt him. We read in Genesis 39:20 ‘And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.’ Here we see Joseph was put behind bars and the Lord wanted him to learn something in the prison. Since the Lord God wanted Joseph to rule over the entire land, he allows him to go through some trials for his spiritual growth. We see the Lord brought in many changes in the life of Joseph.

            In Genesis 39:20 ‘And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.’ We see here that Joseph was jailed as he was accused falsely with the crime that he did not commit. Interestingly, Joseph who was supposed to plead for his accusation remains calm. Joseph knew that the Lord was watching over him and knows he was not guilty and he never wanted to prove the truth. Firstly, he learnt to keep quiet. As recorded in the Bible, the act of holding ones tongue is a mark of spiritual maturity. Joseph was never willing to blame the King’s wife and was not ready to bring in a disgrace to the King by revealing the truth. We read in Psalm 105:19 ‘Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.’ When we was prisoned, the words of the Lord tried him. Similarly in Psalm 119:71 ‘It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.’ Joseph took this prison time as a learning period and he strengthened himself by the words of God. As the days rolled by, Joseph was exalted by the same eyes that once abased him. Such is the mercy of the Lord God. Even in our lives, when we make it a point to remain truthful to the word of God, we will be exalted. The hands of the Lord God will lift us up and elevates our lives.

II The Lord will bless us with a crown

II Samuel 5:10 “And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.”

            Here we about the servant of God, David. The hands of the Lord was with David and he prospered day by day. The Lord blessed David with a crown. We read in II Samuel 5:5 “In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.” The divine grace of the Lord enabled David to rule over the nations for many years.

            David was anointed thrice in his lifetime. Firstly in I Samuel 16:13‘Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.’ The Lord blesses David and anoints him in front of his family. David’s existence was considered insignificant to his family members but the hands of the Lord chose him. Secondly in II Samuel 2:4 ‘And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.’ And thirdly, David was anointed by the elders. The Lord God blessed David with a crown and peace. The Lord God will exalt his children in the right place and right time. When we fully read Psalm 18, we can understand how David looks back and thanks God for all he has done for him.

            In II Samuel 5:17-19 ‘But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold. The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.’ When David was exalted and given a throne, he faced a situation against the Philistines in the valley of Rephaim. We see David did not prepare for the war by analyzing the previous war strategies. David enquires about the war in the presence of the Lord. David pitches the Lord God in the front and waits for his command.

            In our lives, when we make it a point to put God first in all that we do, we shall never be ashamed. The Lord almighty will give us the victory and he will bless us with a crown. Amen.