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It is a journey of hope, not wishful thinking, but a sure and certain hope in His word that you embark on – as grace takes you from where you are to where God wants you to be. And, it is how His promises to you, become your experience in life. Studying it in the context of experiencing peace that is wholeness, in the words of the apostle Peter, He who would love life to see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit; Let him turn away from evil and do what is good; let him seek peace and pursue it. [1 Peter 3:10,11]
Peace, is wholeness that is more than a peace of mind, for you have a spirit, soul and body, that all need to function together in a spirit of coordinated wellness and effectiveness. It is then that you will be able to lead a life that is fruitful to bring glory to God. Thus, peace Is something that is connected to every area of your life. And, the need to pursue peace does not imply that it is something that is fleeting, or something that is running away from you. In fact, the truth is quite contrary ! For, when you are a child of God, you experience God’s peace, when you become aware that the God of peace is with you, always. And, it happens as you fix your eyes, or focus upon the author and finisher of your faith, Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself is your peace. Studying the life of Abraham, who was called by God to a walk of faith, a pilgrimage can be an enlightening one in this context. For, it ultimately led to him experiencing wholeness in his life, as he was blessed by God in all things.
The key component was the faith that sustained him, together with the faithfulness of God. For, God’s word declares very clearly that, without faith it is impossible to please God; that it is your faith that overcomes the world, and that the righteous live by faith. Faith moreover, is not a concept, but a trust based relationship with God. It is being able to say in the words of the beautiful old song, ‘He walks with me, and He talks with me, along life’s narrow way’! Abraham’s life when taken as a whole was definitely a faith walk with God. But doubts and challenges came in his life, even as it can arise in your soul and mine. For, being a Christian for twenty, thirty or forty years, does not insulate you from overwhelming challenges. And, when suddenly, you find your life becoming a stormy sea, with its billows and waves crashing all over you, and when you find the dynamics of it to be very unfamiliar, one that threatens to topple you, doubts can certainly arise. But, God is certainly not against you having questions in you sometimes, when what is happening in your life may be very troubling and very contrary to the word that He has spoken to you.
In fact, you may have come into the Lord’s presence at this very moment with a lot of questions in you, but you can be rest assured, that the Lord Almighty, who holds your every moment, will calm your raging seas, by speaking to you through His word. You have a loving and compassionate God who understands you, and knows you, even better than you know yourself ! After all, He is the Lord who knit you together in your mother’s womb ! It also needs to be understood that every man or woman of God, went through times when they had questions within them, only to see the loving God satisfy them to carry them through their unforeseen experiences in life. It was what He did in the life of Abraham, and will certainly do even in your circumstances today.
The God who remains faithful :
He had lifted his hand unto the God Most High, as a proclamation of his trust in Him alone, to be made rich. [Genesis 14:18-24] But very soon, even in the very next chapter, you find Abraham being plagued by questions, only to see the faithful God, establish His word of promise in a dramatic and irrevocable manner.
How did it all work out ?
God promised to be Abraham’s shield of protection, and His reward, to also show him in physical terms, how great his blessing was going to be, by pointing to him the stars in the heavens, for it was how numerous his descendants were going to be. This powerful word and assurance from the Lord ought to have been more than sufficient to Abraham, in order to await the fulfillment of God’s promise to him. For, what can be greater than God’s word ? Heaven and earth may fail, but His word lasts forever. But then, the bible is not about supermen, but ordinary men like you and I, who were made extraordinary by the gracious power of God. And, what happened subsequently bears proof of it. Abraham needed even more assurance, for he still had two questions regarding his blessing from God !
The covenant keeping God :
But Abram said, Lord what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus. [Genesis 15:2] And then, when the Lord assured him, of the land that He had already given to him, Abraham still had a question ! And he said, Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it ? [Genesis 15:8] It is then the Maker and Possessor of heaven and earth stooped down in love, to speak Abraham’s language, for an agreement between two parties was in those times invariably sealed by a covenant. It was the precept that was followed then, to establish the nature and terms of the relationship and the obligations between the two, that needed to be observed. You can read also in the Old Testament about David and Jonathan’s covenant of friendship. And today, the Christian marriage is a covenant relationship that the couple enter into in the presence of God, ratified by the vows of commitment that they make, and the blessing of God pronounced upon them, declaring them to be man and wife.
God’s covenant with Abraham : ‘I have given this land’ :
Generally, in the times of the patriarchs, when a covenant was made, the two people were very much aware of the responsibilities that lay in their hands towards keeping it. But, it was not so when it came to God’s covenant with Abraham. The whole incident was indescribably unique, for through it all Abraham was in deep slumber. Covenants usually involved the shedding of blood, and hence a sacrifice of an animal or bird, cut into two parts was offered, and the two parties concerned walked between it. It signified the very serious truth that if one of them fell short in keeping the terms of the covenant, the fate of the sacrificed animal or bird would be his ! But, here it was God Himself, and He alone, who passed through the sacrifice, as Abraham slept. God signified through it that He was solely responsible for fulfilling the terms of the covenant. [Genesis 15:12-21] And it came to pass many generations down the line, when Joshua led the people of Israel to conquer and possess the land that was given to them by the Lord God, irrevocably sealed by His covenant with Abraham, hundreds of years earlier.
CROSS, the new covenant – ‘I have done it all’ :
What is spoken at the end of a covenant is always of great importance. Even today, at the end of the marriage covenant, when the husband and wife say ‘I will’, they commit to ‘will’ no matter what, to the exclusion of everything and everyone else, to become one flesh. To Abraham, God’s word at the end of the covenant was, ‘I have given you the land’. And now, in the greater glory of the new covenant, the Cross of Calvary, the Lord’s assurance to you is, ‘I have done it all’, or, ‘It is finished’. He has fulfilled all that the covenant entailed two thousand years ago on the Cross. He laid down His life, that you and I may live in victory and abundance.
Defining your responsibility :
Where you come in, or the responsibility that lies with you, is to put your faith in the covenant, as God remains faithful to His covenant. And the wondrous truth is that with God it is so very much higher; for He remains faithful, even when you and I are faithless at times, for He cannot deny Himself ! It is vividly demonstrated in Abraham’s life, very soon after he received the covenant promise from God. For, in the very next chapter, you will find that the impatience of Sarah in seeing the fulfillment of God’s promise in their lives, led her into suggesting something that was permissible in their culture, in those times, but what was definitely not God’s plan for them. And, it was a mistake, the consequences of which remain even this day. But, though a son born to Abraham through the Egyptian maid, Hagar, was contrary to His promise God still remained faithful to His covenant.
Thus, the danger of mistakenly deviating from the path of God’s word is always there; and some consequences of it can remain in your life to haunt you. But, God does not want it to happen. Therefore, it is always wise to lean on the message of the covenant of grace, of the God who remains faithful. And, there are two extremes in the nature of people, when it comes to accomplishing things in life. Believing that God will do everything, and therefore you need not do anything, is the attitude of the one who is lazy and complacent. On the other hand, there are those who believe that they have to do it all themselves, trusting in the work of their own two hands, and God remains somewhere in the sidelines, a silent spectator. Avoiding them both to choose the middle path, would be the right attitude, as you do what needs to be done, in the light of what Christ has already done for you.
Faith and action :
‘Look to your father Abraham, and Sarah, your mother’, the bible declares. For, they believed and held on to certain characteristics of the nature of God, to see their promise come to pass. Abraham believed that He who promised, would also fulfill it. He believed in the promise of God. [Romans 4:13-25] Sarah believed that she would be enabled by the strength of God to conceive. She believed in the power of God. [Hebrews 11:11] And, it was all by faith, for they were both well advanced in years, and past the age of bearing a child.
And, there are three things that can make it all practically possible in your life today – grace, hope and faith.
1. Grace – has given :
God, made a covenant with Abraham, and gave to him. And, grace still gives to you today. On the Cross, He gave His Beloved Son, even when you and I were dead in our sins. And, even if Christ had not died for our sins, the Holy God would still remain righteous and pure. For, the wages of sin is death. And, therefore it would be the outworking of the justice of God. And, if Christ had not died for our sins, you and I would have had to die for our own sins; and, we cannot raise ourselves up ! It would be hell and condemnation for all eternity. But, the God of righteousness and justice, whom we are privileged to worship and adore, is also the God who is love, whose mercy and grace intervened through the Cross, to give us a Savior, that you and I may live. The God of compassion and love, all by His grace, His unmerited favor, gave ! You are saved by grace; and you receive it by faith.
2. Faith – receives :
It is what God gives to you that you can receive; anything else would be grabbing ! And, it is by faith that you receive. Abraham needed to open his hands to receive what God was giving, as He said, ‘I have given you this land’. And, on the Cross, the Lord has declared ‘I have done it all’, to now give it you by His grace. Faith comes by hearing His word, to open your hand to receive. Grace is, His Hand stretched forth to give; and faith is, your hand stretched forth to receive. But, there is something that needs to happen in between. It is the rising up of hope in you; one that builds up your expectation, and leads to an experience of what God in His grace has made available.
3. Hope – expectation that leads to experience :
It is much more than what the world means, when it says, ‘I hope so’; for that invariably is a lack of expectation ! And, ‘do not get your hopes up’, is how the world prepares you, when it expects a disappointment that is just around the corner ! But, hope in the scriptural sense finds its anchor in the word of God. It is the eager expectation of the imminent fulfillment of the promise of God to you; one that is grace empowered, and experienced by faith. Hope connects the two, by building up your expectation. And, it is a hope that is true and not an illusion, for it is built on the word of God. The psalmist, the brilliant song writer that he is in the hand of God, paints a very beautiful picture of it, one that is simple and powerful.
More than a watchman waits for the morning :
When the foundation of your hope is the word that God has spoken to you, the fulfillment of it is more than certain ! I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. [Psalms 130:5,6] The psalmist here describes the absolute certainty of his hope, as he compares it with a natural phenomenon that is going to take place; it is the sun rising in the morning to herald a new day. And, what can be more certain than that ? !
But, in the lives of some people, the sun may not have risen, in the sense that there could be a very great disappointment, for the end of their painful days, something for which they were waiting with eagerness and a sure hope, may not have happened. But, to that broken hearted person, God’s word gives hope and comfort, declaring that even if the sun does not arise in the morning, the Son of God will intervene in his or her circumstance ! When your hope springs forth from the infallible word of God, whatever you have been waiting for, will certainly happen. Above all, it is all about God’s love towards you; one that never fails, never gives up, or runs out on you. As the psalmist concludes – O Israel, hope in the Lord. For with the Lord, there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption. [Psalms 130:7] And, the more you know His word, the more certain will become your hope, as you expectantly await the fulfillment of your promise, though challenges may come in the path to it. God showed the way to Moses to overcome, and it is the truth that will see you overcome too !
1. ‘See, I have made you as god to Pharoah’ :
And the Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like god to pharaoh, and your brother Aaron, shall be the prophet’. [Exodus 7:1] As Moses went back to stand before the Lord discouraged, for the pharaoh has arrogantly rebuffed his plea, it was the Lord’s word of power and encouragement to him. ‘See’ in some versions of the verse has been recorded as ‘hear’ or ‘pay close attention to’.They put forth the need to hear the sound, to pay close attention, before you see what you believe. Faith is the evidence of things that are not seen, is how the scripture defines it. And, faith comes as you hear the word. So connecting the truth, you can say that the word is the evidence. An ordinary word can itself paint a picture in your mind, when you hear it being spoken; how much more the word of God, that is living and active. And when you actually see it, or pay close attention to it, you will see your promise come alive in front of you ! ‘Be gone, and bless me also’ ! They were the words of the man, the Pharoah who was considered to be god, by the then super power Egypt; his ultimate end, as he acknowledged who the real God was, to also seek His blessing !
But the key player who needed to stand in faith in the middle, with God on one side, and the arrogant pharaoh on the other side, was Moses then; and today it is you and I. And you need to hear from God, pay close attention to His word, to see your promise fulfilled. ‘Look to Me’, God says, as grace gives to you, and hope builds you up, that you may experience your promise by faith. The faces of those who look to Him are radiant. Look at Him from all blessings flow.
God teaches you :
The key to it all is to focus on God and His word, instead of focusing on your problem. What the apostle Peter did as he went to the house of a disciple named Dorcas or Tabitha, who had just died paints a vivid picture of what you need to do. Peter knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body, he said, ‘Tabhitha arise’. And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. [Acts 9:40] He looked at God, before looking at the problem, to see a miraculous awakening from death to life ! You may have looked at your problem already though; but turn now to focus upon God, and what He is saying to you. And, as you follow His word to you, you will be fruitful in the situation that until yesterday was frustrating you !
The pharaoh thought he was god; and every plague was against a so called god of Egypt. And, ultimately knowing who God was, pharaoh bowed in surrender. It can and will happen in your life, in your nation too, when the very people who once wanted to throw you out will come to you, acknowledging that God has loved you, and asking you to pray on their behalf to your God ! Jericho, was walled and fortified; it was a city locked up. But what the Lord wanted Joshua to see was the very opposite !
2. ‘See, I have given you Jericho’ :
And the Lord said to Joshua. ‘See, I have given Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor’. [Joshua 6:2] Some problems that come in life cannot be bypassed; you need to go through it and come out victoriously. Emotional problems that may be in you, cannot be bypassed, they need to be dealt with. Change of scenery, or job, or person, will not work, for wherever you go you need to take yourself with you. ‘See I have given you this land’, God had spoken in His covenant with Abraham. And now many years later, God remained faithful to His covenant, as Joshua stood before the walled and gated city. And, the Lord said to him, ‘See, I have given you a city with no doors’ ! And today, to His promise on Calvary two thousand years ago, God still remains faithful, as you put your faith in Him, and what He has spoken to you through the covenant. What was promised to Abraham was a blessing to his descendants, as it will be in your life too. The covenant blessing that you have received will bless your children and your children’s children too.
3. ‘See – an open door’ ! :
It is the Lord’s promise to you this day; He goes before you to break open doors that have been locked. A door that has been broken open, who can lock ? ! As the Israelites were commanded to do, focus on the Lord and what He is giving you. He will teach you how to look at your troubling circumstance. Walk in faith, ignoring the insults and opinions of people, focusing on the word of God.
Time to start thanking ! :
Start praising God for the walls that have fallen, as did the walls of Jericho. For, whatever it is that you have been praying for a very long time, it is now the time to start thanking and praising God. See, the open door that God has kept in front of you. Look at your problem through the promises of God; for it will then become an opportunity for the demonstration of His victorious power. And as the Lord promised to Joshua, you will be prosperous and make your path successful, as you meditate upon His word day and night, for the Lord remains faithful to His covenant. The Lord has promised what is good to you , His word your hope secures; Your chains are gone, and you have been set free.
It is through the Cross – His new covenant; the place of God’s unending love, mercy and amazing grace. May this word of hope and encouragement be sealed in your heart; and may hope which is built upon His word, increase your expectation, so that the word may come to its fulfillment, and become your experience, to see you blessed.
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
