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The world in so many ways seems to be at a standstill, all locked down and at a pause; and man’s wisdom has been challenged like never before. But you have a God who never slumbers or sleeps, who has promised to keep you from all evil, now and forevermore. Let His word and His will find their rightful place in you, therefore, as you fix your eyes upon Jesus, to know His will for your life, and very specifically during the course of this season, that has brought even the rich and powerful nations to their knees, not knowing what to do, or where to turn in order to find relief.
The psalmist’s prayer therefore, is what we continue to dwell on, as we entrust ourselves into the hands of the One who loves us with an everlasting and unchanging love , Teach me to do your will, for You are my God; And may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. [Psalm 143:10] And even as He revealed Himself to Moses, God is the God of ‘always’ – always present, always unchanging and always helpful; and what can be beyond the scope of the One who has made the heavens and the earth?
Moses – a lesson to behold:
It became the experience of Moses, for him to be able to say as he began to walk in his calling from God, in relationship with Him, to be able to acknowledge and proclaim the magnificent truth of of he and the people of Israel being special and distinguished, all because of the presence of the Almighty God with them every step of the way. And it is the truth that you and I can vouch for too, when having received Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become children of God, with the Spirit in us as a deposit, through whom we can call God, ‘Abba Father’.
You and I may have been weak when we began, but we can finish strong, fulfilling the call of God upon our lives, that may have seemed too threatening and difficult when the vision from God came to us. For, as a child of God, He is with you, and in the new covenant, He is in you, forever. And He is with you, not as a spectator, but as a Helper.
And, how does God help you ?
‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; I will guide you with My eye’. [Psalm 32:8] He helps you by keeping His eye upon you to show you the path that you need to take. And, when His eye is upon you, to communicate to you, your responsibility lies in connecting to Him, by fixing your eyes upon Him, to receive from Him. It happens as you fix your eyes upon Jesus. And, in the beginning, was the Word , the Word was with God, and the Word was God, revealed in the new covenant to be Jesus, the Living and Eternal Word.
Therefore, fixing your eyes upon Jesus, is all about focusing on the word of God through which His specific and relevant comes as a word in season to you. A shifting of focus from the uncertainties and fears that are holding sway all around at present to be upon God’s word is therefore, very much the need of the hour. And it is what needs to take place in you, in order to receive His help in knowing the path that you need to take, in these tough and challenging times.
HE holds your right hand :
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you; Yes, I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. [Isaiah 41:10] He is holding your right hand. And it is for a purpose; it is to help you.
And, what is the significance underlying it ?
In the midst of chaos and confusion all around, God is saying to you that He is there with you, and for you, holding your right hand, signifying the permanence of His relationship with you, for it is a covenant relationship. And one only has to visualize a Christian marriage that is never a contract but one that is a covenant entered into in the sight of God to understand the truth. For the key moment in the wedding ceremony is when the couple holding each other by their right hand, recite their vows of undivided loyalty to each other. And , whom God has brought together, let not man separate, is how the Lord has reiterated the truth of it.
How much more then, would be the everlasting, unchanging and powerful nature of it, when it is the Lord Almighty Himself, who holds you by your right hand, promising to help you! He will indeed never let go of your hand. He is there with you, to stand with you in your situation, that you may with and through His guidance and help, navigate safely when the wind and the waves get rough, and experience peace and rest within you.
You are never alone :
And what makes the covenant, overwhelmingly strong is the foundation of it. It is the core truth that Lord Jesus, God’s Only Begotten Son, is Himself a sign of the covenant. It is the truth that the Lord proclaimed as He instituted the Holy Communion, that we now celebrate as the Lord’s Supper, remembering Him and all that He has accomplished on the Cross of Calvary, His Body that was broken for us, and His Blood that was shed for us, that we may through it enter into a covenant relationship with the God who will never let go us. Oh, how blessed can this assurance be in your heart and mine this day.
CHRIST – a covenant and Light :
‘I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand. I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles.’ [Isaiah 42:6] They are the words of God the Father, concerning Jesus Christ, His Son, who was to come into the world, to be its’ Savior, shedding His Blood, and giving up His life on the Cross, for the sins of the whole world.
Thus, you have a Blood Covenant with God through Christ. And through it, He is there to help you. And it is a new covenant that is higher and more blessed, for unlike the old covenant that God made with Abraham, it is Christ Himself who is the seal of the new covenant that God has made with man, for his redemption and total restoration. And what the covenant emphasizes is the faithfulness of God towards you, even if you are faithless. His grip on your hand is stronger. He will never let go of it. And it is such a God who is now there to help you. He is holding your right hand for that very purpose.
How HE helps you – the process :
God has called you, justified you, and glorified you. And it all began while you were yet in your mother’s womb. And what He then goes on to accomplish in you, in His adequacy, and His power, is described in His word in picturesque terms that you can easily visualize and also retain within you as you personalize it. The Lord has called me from the womb; From the matrix of my mother, He has made mention of my name; And He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden me; And made me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden me. ‘And He said to me, ‘You are my servant O Israel, In whom I will be glorified’. [Isaiah 49:1-3] It describes in your life , as one who has been chosen deliberately by God, to accomplish His will and purpose in your life, how He is going to be with you and help you, so that you may become what He has called you to be.
It may involve varied seasons, even one such as this, where you may find yourself isolated, pondering what exactly your future and the future of the world as you now know it is going to be. But even as He hides you in the shelter of His presence, in the midst of the raging pestilence, He is also refining and sharpening you, equipping you in ways that only He can do.
A polished arrow :
You are hidden in the shadow of His hand; and God is also in this time of quiet, protective hiddenness, preparing or equipping you, making you like a polished shaft, or a polished arrow that will not miss its mark, but will accomplish the purpose for which it is sent forth. And the components of an arrow in themselves serve to describe the process of it. The arrow as seen above has three vital sections: a] the tip, that represents your call b] the midsection, that represents your character, and lastly, c] the part that you hold in your hand when you shoot the arrow, that represents the leading of the Holy Spirit.
1. your call – HE is sharpening you :
The call of God upon your life, whatever it may be, whether it is to be a doctor, teacher, pastor, or something not so visible or flamboyant, all come to you from Him; and it is irrevocable. [Romans 11:24] Your circumstances may change to become tough and challenging, as you and I are going through right now. But it does not deter God, whose purpose can never be thwarted. It is the assurance that can be in you, even today, when many doubts and fears can arise in you, considering your future, and the path that you need to take. For, He who has called you has also gifted you for it; and He never changes His mind concerning it. He is a God of foresight and not hindsight, who knows the end from the beginning. And He never gives up, to change course midway, in the path that He is leading you in His righteousness and faithfulness that can never ever fail. He will never let go of you. Such is the God who is holding your hand to help you.
It is why the apostle Peter’s counsel in God’s word, is to make your calling and election sure, for he who proceeds to do it will never stumble or fall. And though it may seem to be an improbable promise, it can never fail, and it highlights also the need, therefore, to turn back to the word of God, and fix your eyes upon the call of God upon your life. For in the kingdom of God it need not be financial remuneration that determines your work choice, for it will follow you, and will be added to you, as you walk in your calling from God.
And, He is not the God who is going to change your calling, just because the whole world right now is going through a scary downturn, that has cropped up so suddenly. Rather He is the unchanging God, who will change everything else that you may proceed and prosper in your calling. The life of Elijah, who was called to be a prophet of God, is an example that you and I can take heart from, for your path may involve challenges, that can make you feel fearful and confused. He was walking in victory one day, through a tremendous manifestation of God’s power on Mount Carmel that destroyed the prophets of Baal, to be engulfed in the gloom the very next day, because one person, the evil queen Jezebel was threatening his life.
But God did not give up on him; He ministered to him in his need, understanding very well the frailty of human flesh, to make him arise, strengthened to walk ahead and fulfill all that lay ahead of him, as a prophet of the Most High God. [1 kings chapter 19] And He is the God whose presence is with you today, now and always, and is with you to help you.
A time to kindle afresh :
In these seemingly negative circumstances, when your busy normal routine could have come to a grinding halt, it also could become a time spent fruitfully in kindling afresh and gaining a fresh perspective of your divine calling. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. [2 Timothy 1:6]
The words of the apostle Paul to Timothy, are also what can speak into your heart to today, in blessed assurance and counsel that come against what is not from God that can so easily distract and divert your attention from focusing on hearing from God through His word, in order to emerge stronger and sharper in the days to come. A clearing up of all needless clutter, that was until now reducing your efficiency in serving God through the field of your calling, to shine brightly and strongly in your gifting is a golden opportunity that has come in your path even now.
Daniel, even as a young man, took a divine decision, in not partaking of the distractions of the ways of the world. He fixed his eyes on the Lord to be guided in his calling. And what came upon him then, was the favor of God, that found him being ten times better when it came to functioning in His area of expertise, that was also God’s call upon his life. [Daniel 1:9-20] It is what can become your experience too.
2. your character: HE is straightening you :
The world may be carried away by charisma, but what is precious in God’s sight is your character. It is what will sustain you in your place of promotion that comes to you from God. And it is why it could often seem as if God is taking too much time in granting your petition that could very well be in accordance with His will for your life. But there are people described in the Bible, like Samson, who began with the anointing of God to operate in his calling, to be a judge over God’s people. But, it was a dangerous and fatal character flaw that ultimately let him down, till, at one point, he did not even know that the Spirit had left him. And it is not God’s will for your life.
For, the God who looks at the heart of a person, and not at his face, as the world does, is more interested in developing your character to be in tune with being His child, before He lifts you up in life. He deals with your personality before bringing position and possessions into your life. And it is the word of God that refines you and builds you up, much like what happened in the life of Joseph. [Psalm 105:19] Though initially, it was all about his own self, his vision, and his gifting, ultimately when he stood before the Pharaoh, his words were, ‘ It is not in me, but God will give you an answer of peace’. [Genesis 41:16]
In the New Testament, Paul has declared about his own self, ‘It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God’. [Galatians 2:20] It is all about a laying down of your own self, to do the will of God for your life, one that is good, pleasurable and perfect. And even as you are bearing fruit in God’s kingdom, this could be a time of pruning or cleansing that you may bear more fruit. [John 15:1] And it is by the word of God that you are cleansed and sanctified or made holy. For the Lord’s words and His prayer make it abundantly clear, ‘You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you’. [John 15:3] ‘Sanctify them by Your truth; Your word is truth’. [John 17:17]
May all that is not pleasing in His sight, therefore, even as you yield yourself willingly into His hand that is holding you, be removed, that you may be cleansed by the incorruptible word, for it to be the seed of your transformation, a new birth that makes you a new creation in Christ, that you may move from glory to glory, to be transformed into His likeness, reflecting His glorious image, here on earth. For, the plain unvarnished truth is that man cannot deal with his own self by himself. He needs a Savior.
And it is why the prayer of the prophet Jeremiah needs to become the cry of every penitent heart that longs for a Redeemer today, ‘Turn me, O Lord, and I will be turned’. [Jeremiah 31:18] And in the words of Job, it is also the majestic truth that your Redeemer lives! In the new covenant, His Name is Jesus. May your life be blessed with the goodness of character, to make you an arrow that is righteous and straight in Jesus Christ, your Lord.
3. your counsel – HE is empowering you :
In His quiver, He has hidden you. [Isaiah 49:3] This may be to most of us a time of hiddenness. But it is valuable in the sight of God, for it is just you and Him, in intimacy and fellowship, hidden from the rest of the world, to hear the voice of God, be led by the Spirit of God, to know the path you need to take in the unfolding future that is leaving the world that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior, bewildered and confused.
You will be led in your starts and stops, by the Spirit of God, even as the apostles were forbidden at one point by the Holy Spirit from going to Asia, only to be led to Macedonia, through the vision that came to Paul one night which was the Macedonian call. [Acts 16:8-10] Wisdom from above will be yours through the leading of the Spirit of God. Wisdom to know what to do, and where to go, and also have the empowering of the Spirit of God, that comes to you through His anointing, in order to walk in it.
And in intimate communion with Him, even as John, the disciple, leaned on the Savior’s bosom, to hear, oh so softly, His very heartbeat, you too can hear from Him, as you are led by the Spirit to operate in the knowledge of your sonship. You are a child of God, a sheep in the flock of the gentle Shepherd, who has said of you, ‘ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they will follow Me’. [John 10:27]
And He has a wonderful way of guiding you. For as you fix your eyes upon Christ, to run your race of faith, He is not standing at the end of it all, but He is there with you all the way. He is holding your right hand to help you and strengthen you, for He is the God of the covenant, who will never let go of you. His desire is to bless you, and in the process be glorified in and through you. Thus, even though a viral storm is raging all around, knowing and finding your security in His matchless Name, may the coming days see you move towards the fulfillment of God’s call upon your life, refining of your character, and a sharpening of your gifting through God’s word, that He may be glorified. Give thanks with a grateful heart, for He is holding your right hand, holding you close to His heart, in an embrace of covenant love, that you may hear His voice, and so that grace may take you to the place God wants you to be, bringing glory and honor to His Name.
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
