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To know God, in an intimate and personal relationship with Him, is the greatest blessing that you and I can experience in life. And to be part of His plan, here on earth, is our greatest privilege. And it is why, studying the prayer of David, to make it your very own, is greatly significant in being led forward in God’s will and plan for your life. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; And may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. [Psalm 143:10] The life of Isaac in the Old Testament is a valuable example in displaying the manner in which God can lead you to be fruitful even in unfavourable circumstances, when everything seems to be going against you. You and I can very well relate to such a situation right now when a lock down seems never ending! But even in famine, you can have the resources to sow, to also reap abundantly is what the word of God teaches you, that you may be emboldened to seek and know the will of God, His good plan for your life, so that you may walk in it, and prosper in accomplishing the purposes of God . He reigns and rules supreme over all that could speak negatively in your circumstance at present.
GRACE – in a time of lack:
The apostle Paul reiterates the truth in his letter to the Corinthians, as he testifies to the generosity of the Macedonian church, who in the midst of great affliction had contributed towards God’s kingdom, and given willingly, not just according to their ability, but even beyond their ability. [2 Corinthians 8:1-9] And the grace of God upon them was the mechanism through which joyfulness in the midst of lack, to be able to generously give was made possible, is what Paul makes very clear. It also goes without saying that because you serve an unchanging God, His grace and mercy is freely available even to you this day to joyfully and generously make a gracious impact on the world around you, a world that today finds itself navigating through uncharted territory, not knowing what tomorrow holds for it. But you have a faithful God, on whose word you can stand firm, knowing that even in difficult times, He is there to deliver you. Isaac knew God, loved Him, to abide in Him in willing obedience. And it saw him being brought out of famine in abundant fruitfulness, gloriously privileged to be a part of God’s plan for his life, and for His people, and ultimately for the redemption of the whole world.
It is all about God’s amazing grace and His mercy upon you, for a person can do nothing in his own effort to earn the blessing and favor of God in being a part of His plan. All the riches of the world together cannot earn the grace that He has shown on one single person. It is but a gracious privilege. And the Bible goes on to explain it further. For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I have compassion’. So it is not of him who wills, or one who runs, but of God who shows mercy. [Romans 9:15,16] Grace can only be received by you, not earned or bought is what is made clear in the words of God above. And He is also a loving and wonderful God, who loves to give freely to anyone who approaches him rightly. Buying it is what Simon the sorcerer tried to do, but the apostle Peter saw through it, to rebuke him, and what he was attempting to do in strong words, saying that his money may perish with him. [Acts 8:14-24]
CROSS – the outpouring of mercy and grace:
It is with a thankful heart therefore, that you and I need to acknowledge God’s undeserved favour, His mercy and grace upon our lives. It is the sole reason by which we are not consumed, as the prophet Jeremiah has declared. For, Christ has accomplished it all on the Cross of Calvary, that you may receive God’s grace and mercy, not by your self effort, but by faith in Him. But it also does not mean that one can relinquish all responsibility, to sit still on receiving the gracious and merciful salvation of God. It owes a positive response of faith, to build the kingdom of God, here on earth. As the apostle Paul has declared, ‘I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase’. It is because God has done what He needs to do, in giving the increase, you can confidently do the sowing, or watering, whatever your role happens to be. You are a co -worker with the Lord, a wonderful privilege indeed. But the focus always needs to be on God, and not about what you can bring to the table! For it is what you receive from Him that you pass on to others, even as Paul describes the institution of the Lord’s Supper as, ‘What I received from the Lord I pass on to you..’ [1 Corinthians 11:23]
Not self – effort but grace:
It is not how the world perceives it to be though, and is often seen in how man tries to approach God, trusting in his own good works, which are nothing but filthy rags in the sight of God. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and it is not a boasting in your self effort that speaks of deserving God’s grace through it, but a drawing near Him, humbly acknowledging your spiritual bankruptcy that sees you receiving from Him the joy of salvation. Adam tried in vain to cover his shame, which was a result of his sin, but could not. It needed the loving God’s intervention, to bring him out of his hidden condition, the guilt and shame of sin to be covered by what was a foreshadowing of the Cross.
As the bible very clearly declares:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest anyone should boast. [Ephesians 2:8,9] The Lord Himself has put forth the truth in no uncertain terms through His parable. [Luke 18:9-14] The Pharisee in his self focused boasting missed out on receiving the gracious favor of God, that He freely gives to the one who acknowledges his sinful condition that needs the mercy of God, in order to be redeemed and saved from death. And it was the publican who stood outside, not even daring to approach the presence of God, and calling for the mercy of God on him, a sinner, who went home justified.
LOVE – everlasting and unconditional:
It is all about His love; God’s everlasting and unconditional love for you, for no one by his own merit deserves to be saved. Therefore having experienced salvation all by His love and mercy, all that you and I can do is to come into His presence in humble adoration lifting up the cup of salvation in grateful thanksgiving. And the God who has saved you thus will also establish and strengthen you. Paul describes the course of it in the lives of Esau and Jacob, to establish the truth in your heart and mine – For the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who called… [Romans 9:11]
Even before they were born, Jacob was chosen, making it very clear that it was all about God’s sovereign will, that none can question, His plan and His purposes. And it remains true even in your life and mine. It all stands and holds together in God. You were chosen by God, all by His compassion and mercy; but having understood the truth, it also implies that you receive from Him and submit to His plan, for it to be worked out in your life. He will never force His will on you, but desires your willing and joyful compliance in being part of His plan. And it is also the truth, that no matter how alluring your own plans may appear to you, unless the Lord builds the house, you build it in vain, and unless the Lord guards the city the watchmen guard it in vain. It is also the Almighty God’s word of promise to you, that in having chosen you in His mercy, it is He who has also carried you while you were in your mother’s womb. And what He begins, He will not let go. He has carried you thus far and will continue to carry you even in your senior years when the world may not appreciate you, or consider you to be of any use to them. And also while looking back, you and I can very well recollect the many instances when we were so close to going astray from the Lord’s loving hand that still carries us. But though we may give up on a person, the Lord certainly will not. He is a faithful God, who loves you and I with an everlasting love.
‘How can I give you up, O Ephraim,’ He says to His rebellious and stiff necked people who refuse to heed His voice, and also proceeds to give the wonderful reason as, ‘I am God and not man’. [Hosea 11:8-10] And today, in your life, through the finished work of the Cross, He is able to save you completely, for He always lives to make intercession for you with the Father. You are safe in His hand, forever! Yes, life may so often be a journey of faith in which mountain like hindrances threaten to pull you down, but His grace will carry you through. The life of Peter testifies to it.
From a fisherman to a fisher of men:
It was after an unproductive night in the waters that Peter saw the beginning of his transformation to ultimately become what God had predestined him to be, chosen by His compassion, mercy and grace, and not by anything that he had done to earn it. [Luke 5:1-11] And His hand of grace is stretched forth even towards you this day, to carry you to your destination, in Him, for He has predestined you. It is all about His amazing love, with which He has loved the whole world.
1. Not luck, but love:
For with the world the miraculous catch of fish that came to Peter would be just a lucky catch, that comes suddenly to one person. But it is not so with the God who is love – for the miracle passed on to the other boats that were with Peter too. In God’s economy of grace and faith, the miracle of salvation is to ‘whoever who believes’, for He desires that none should perish! When you are the only one in your family who has put your trust in Him to be saved, the promise that came to the jailer, is true in your life today, to say, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved’. [Acts 16:31] It was Cornelius who sought God, even as a Gentile, only to be blessed by Him in a marvelous way, as he opened his home to invite his relatives and friends, as the Holy Spirit fell upon them when Peter spoke the gospel to them and they received the gift of grace. [Acts 10:24-48]
Abraham was called and blessed by God with the promise that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. He is a gracious God of love. And such is the mercy and compassion that He has showed you and I, that you may live with Him eternally. He will never let go of you. It all began in Peter, and so it must in you, with an acknowledgement that came as his heart was seared with the truth to know his own sinful nature, to also say that he was not worthy to be in His presence. And then is seen God’s gift of grace, that Peter received, and obeyed, as the Lord spoke to him, his words of destiny- ‘Do not be afraid, from now on you will catch men’. [vs 10] And thus began Simon Peter’s journey in God’s rhythm of grace. For, Lord Jesus came into Peter’s life not because he was a good man, or because he was a bad man, but because He was and is a gracious God. And in your life, when Christ is in your boat, you can certainly smile at the storms, for He will never let you drown, even when you come perilously close to it! But it all lies in knowing that it is not in anyway your own effort, but the wondrous revelation and working of His grace, and His Spirit. Peter, after initially getting carried away, in keeping with his basic nature, was wise to learn from the seemingly harsh, but essentially loving rebuke of the Lord, when He said that Peter had in his mind, not the things of God, but the things of men.
2. Not self-knowledge but revelation:
Surrendering to God’s gracious call upon your life, will see you know through a revelation in your spirit from the Father what you cannot know in any other way. It was how Peter knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, and the Lord commended him for it. [Matthew 16:16-23] And the Lord also immediately corrected him when Peter soon went on to try and dissuade Him from proceeding towards Jerusalem and the Cross that awaited Him there, which was the plan of God. Peter rightly received His correction though, for the grace of God does not give up on you. And his continuing devotion in following the Lord could be seen in his declaration of faith saying- Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life’. [John 6:68] It teaches you that you must not faint or falter when you receive the correction of the Lord, for His grace never gives up on you. And He will give you His hand that helps you, when the stormy waters of fear and doubt assail you, which will see His plan for your life come through.
3. Not drowned, but led by His right hand:
Peter witnessed wondrous miracles as the Lord’s disciple. He had a glorious mountain top experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. He had the courage and faith to step out on the water and start walking towards the Lord who bid him to ‘Come’. But, being human as the rest of us, and looking at his surrounding environment, at the roaring wind and the rushing waves, he began to drown. And immediately the Lord’s hand was there, answering his cry for help, to lift him up and walk back together with Him on the waters towards the boat. Yes, the Lord’s hand of grace will not let you drown in your difficult circumstances, but will lead you forward in His majestic plan for your life, towards it’s glorious completion.
4. Not loss, but reward:
God’s compensation plan and reward, when you choose to follow Him, and walk in His path for your life, will not put you to shame. You will receive a hundred fold in this world and the next was the Lord’s blessed assurance to Peter. [Matthew 19:27,28] It is the promise of God that comes to you today. Peter had a doubt that was erased by the Lord’s word to him. In His word is the answer therefore, for any lack or doubt you may be experiencing in any area of your life, whether it is your finances, family, health and healing, or your future. Just turn to the word of God, for it to change your world!
5. Not rejection but a responsibility:
And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how He had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times’. And he went out and wept bitterly. [Luke 21:61,62] Peter shed tears of repentance, in misery, considering himself to be a miserable failure, for indeed he had denied the Lord three times. And earlier, trusting in his own strength, he had boastfully proclaimed to the Lord, that even if everyone else deserted Him, he would not. But the Lord, in love and grace saw his repentant heart, to come searching for him, when He had risen from the dead. Peter had given up on himself, to go back to his occupation of fishing, but the Lord did not give up on him. He is the God of all grace who even in your failures, when you are bemoaning yourself in repentance, never gives up on you. He has predestined you, and you will reach your destination, the plan that He has ordained for your life. And the Lord not only re-instated a changed Peter but also entrusted into his hand an awesome and divine responsibility, that of feeding His sheep.
‘Lord, YOU know…’:
To the Savior’s loving query, Peter’s reply now revealed his complete dependence on the Lord, as he said, on receiving God’s gracious gift of a wondrous responsibility , So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes Lord, YOU KNOW that I love You’. He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs’. [John 21:15]
6. Not ‘I’ but ‘HIM’:
It was not just, ‘Yes, Lord, I love You’, but with a glorious addition that Peter replied, ‘Lord, You know…’. He knew that only God knew the true measure of his love for Him. It was no longer ‘I’ that reigned in him, but it was all about ‘HIM’. It was a transformed Peter therefore, on the Day of Pentecost, humbled and yet courageous. And Peter stood….! He stood along with the eleven, a picture of God’s grace that never gives up on you, even in your doubts and failures, but reaches out to lift you up, to fulfill His plan for your life. But Peter standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words’. [Acts 2:14] And thus was the church born; for the Lord never gave up on His promise to Peter, the plan He had for him. For He who begins a good work will certainly carry it on to completion. And He who has shown mercy and compassion on you, He who has carried you, even in your mother’s womb, will never let you drown in your doubts and failures. He is a faithful God who will certainly fulfill the plan that He has purposed for your life, even as you surrender yourself to Him in an attitude of thankfulness for His great gift of salvation.
You may be in troubled waters at present, needing a helping hand. But do not be dismayed or discouraged. For as you offer your life as a pleasing sacrifice unto God, in the words of the apostle Peter himself, comes to you this blessed promise, And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you. [1 Peter 5:10] Surely you have a future and a hope!
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
