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For surely O Lord, you will bless the righteous; With favor you will surround them, as with a shield. [Psalm 5:12] When the necessity of a face shield, has come to define the unforeseen times, that you and I, are cautiously, and with much care, navigating through at present, how wonderful is the good word of God that comes as His promise this new month! For, having been made righteous in Christ, by grace and through faith in Him, it is the expectation of a blessed future, that can be our heart’s fullness and joy, and also therefore, the confession of our mouth. It may of course, seem to be quite impossible, for this year has seen not just you and I, but the whole world, grappling with a health crisis. And, it has seen only problems of every nature and kind, surrounding a person! But it is also so very true, that you serve an awesome God, the Creator of all things, who loves to bless His children, by surrounding them with His matchless favor, that is a shield around you. And the manner in which it works in your life, when received in an attitude of gratitude, and trust, will see you resting, and also progressing towards God’s ordained place, in His plan for your life. For,
1. HE surrounds you with His protection:
You are well-covered, when in trust, you take shelter under His wings, and can confess even as the psalmist does, To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; Let not my enemies triumph over me. [Psalm 25:1,2] In this challenging year, when it was an invisible virus that was coming against you and I, threatening to destroy and bring harm, it is trusting and knowing that the Lord who never sleeps or slumbers, surrounds you is what can bring peace and security within you. It does not of course negate the necessity of following what the local authorities lay out as instructions that are to be followed, which are at the end of the day, for your own good. But, in taking necessary precautions, and in keeping the guidelines, you will also know that your protection, security and well being is from the God who blesses you, to surround you with His protective cover.
It can be visualized in your mind and heart very picturesquely and powerfully, in what He has spoken through the psalmist, saying, Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time forth and forever. [Psalm 125:1,2] How comforting indeed is the Lord’s promise, His word that can never fail; for, the One in whom you trust, is the God who created those very mountains, and what makes the picture complete, is knowing, as the psalmist has rightly said, ‘Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman watches over it in vain’. [Psalm 127:1] Therefore, when you wholeheartedly trust in the Lord, you will indeed find that, The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; And the righteous run into it and are safe. [Proverbs 18:10] It was the reason why, even in the midst of trouble, and surrounded by enemies, David was able to experience rest within himself, to be able to say, I will lie down and sleep in peace; For you alone make me dwell in safety. [Psalm 4:8]
Therefore, overcoming all that may be coming against you, to dwell safely, becomes possible even in your life, when your trust is in the All knowing God, who knows your every path, and all your ways, and knows your every word, even before it springs forth from your lips. [Psalm 139: 3,4] He is also your Heavenly Father, who knows your every need. And, even as you seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, who is Lord Jesus Christ your Savior and Redeemer, all other things will be added unto you. Above all, having been made righteous in Christ, you are blessed, for the Lord God surrounds you.
2. HE surrounds you- with His loving mercy:
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. [Psalm 32:10] His mercy that surrounds you as you put your trust in the Lord, can be unpacked in various dimensions, by the truth of His grace, that fills you with His comfort, consolation and eternal encouragement. It can be seen in the words of Moses, who though he was in the desert, going through a painful time, prayed thus ,Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days. [Psalm 90:14] The sound of grace will indeed awaken you, to be satisfied by His love. And it is also the truth, that only God can satisfy you. He satisfies you that you may rejoice all the days of your life. And, it is also how He surrounds you, as Moses goes on to say, make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil. [Psalm 90:15] As the Lord surrounds you, He will compensate you. And though a person whom you have lost, or the time that you have lost, which could be days, or maybe even years, appear in a human perspective to be irreparable, His compensation of it all, as He surrounds you, will be beyond all your imagination. And it is why His promise to you this day is that He will satisfy you with long life, or length of days, to show you His salvation. [Psalm 91:16]
For, it is only the Savior who can bring fulfillment in you, even as it happened in Simeon, who had longed for it for many long years. And, as he lifted up the infant Lord in his arms, he gave thanks unto the Father, for his eyes had seen the salvation of God, a light to bring the revelation of God to all peoples. [Luke 2:29-32] Money, on the other hand can never satisfy you, for the more you have, the more you will want of it. And it is when your focus is upon God, His grace and favor, and not continually upon the problem that you could be surrounded with right now, that you will find satisfaction. For you will know then, that He surrounds you with bands of love, as the prophet Hosea has described, that you may find rest and comfort in His embrace. It is by His love that He has called you. You can know therefore that, He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will certainly give you all that you will ever need in life, together with Christ. [Romans 8:32]
The Lord blessed the little children, who were brought to Him by holding them, and surrounding them in His loving embrace. [Mark 10:16] And it is also so very true that, however old you and I may be, we are His precious children, for He has lavished His love upon us. And therefore, just as a small child finds comfort in the arms of it’s parent, when it is troubled, you have a place where you can turn to, in a time of trouble and pain, in the loving embrace of God, and be delivered and set free. For, it is how He surrounds you.
3. HE surrounds you – giving you songs of deliverance:
You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. [Psalm 32:7] It is the confident proclamation of the psalmist, of his faith and trust in God. And it can be what springs forth from your mouth too, for as you trust in Him, to be redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and the trouble that encircles you, your lamenting will turn into joy. It is the wonderful promise of God, that can never fail. The redeemed of the Lord, shall return, and come to Zion with singing, and with everlasting joy on their heads; They shall obtain joy and gladness; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. [Isaiah 35:10] Thus opening your mouth and singing, as pictured above, describes the one who has been redeemed. For, doing it even in the midst of challenges, will certainly see a change come in your life’s circumstance, one that is in line with God’s will for your life.
Paul and Silas, were chained and imprisoned; but undeterred by their severe trial, they were singing unto the Lord, in the middle of the night, when they experienced a mighty deliverance. For, the Lord chose to deliver them in a spectacular and specific fashion. It was an earthquake that made their chains fall off; but it was one that left the building they were in, intact! [Acts 16:25-34] He is the God of all creation; and He can work in you specifically and with the right intensity. And singing and declaring the praises of God more and more, can bring about a marvelous change in and around you, by creating an atmosphere of faith all around, that finds what was a dimly burning wick, now shining brightly. And, as the people whom the Lord has formed for Himself, to declare His praises in reverential fear and awe, you can rest in the knowledge that you are surrounded by divine deliverance, for, The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. [Psalm 34:7] It is the favor of God, His blessing upon your life. And, it also goes on to surround you, with the favor of man.
4. HE surrounds you – with the righteous:
Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me… [Nehemiah 2:12] As a child of God, you are in the family of God; and to accomplish certain things that are according to the will of God for your life, you will need the co -operation of others, who will come alongside you to work together with you, towards the purposes of God. And in such a situation, the favor of God that surrounds you, will also bring the righteous, or in other words, the favor of man to surround you, in order to execute the plan of God. It is what happened in the life of Nehemiah, as God’s hand of favor upon him, saw him finding favor in the eyes of the king, who granted all his requests, and also brought the righteous to surround him, and stand with him in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, that lay in ruins. And the task was completed in just fifty two days, displaying to those around, that it was all because the hand of God was upon them, His gracious favor. It will bring, even in your life, the righteous to surround you.
The life of the apostle Paul testifies to it, for at a certain point of time, he was stoned by the Jews, and left for dead, outside the city. But the disciples gathered around him, surrounding him, and were no doubt praying for his recovery. Paul revived to arise and enter into the city. [Acts 14:19,20] As a child of God, made righteous in Christ, be encouraged to pray for others, as He leads you and communicates with you. When light and hope dawned on the people of the world who sat in darkness, it was the shepherds, to whom the good news came, as the glory of the Lord surrounded them, to lead them to worship the Savior King, the Light of the world. And even this day, it is how God surrounds you.
5. HE surrounds you – with His glory:
And behold an angel of the Lord, stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. [Luke 2:9,10] The glory of the Lord, can be described as the light of the entrance of God’s word, that penetrates darkness to remove fear, and bring comfort and joy. It is a demonstration of the power of God. And it is what the shepherds who were watching over their flock experienced on that miraculous night, as their hearts were illuminated with the good news of great joy that the angel brought to them, to dispel all their fear, with the light of life, the hope of all the ages!
The SAVIOR has come:
For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. [Luke 2:11] This is the good news that can bring great joy in you, now and forever. It is the blessing of the Lord, as He surrounds you, that you may stand and sing, for his good word to you is, Arise, shine, for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. [Isaiah 60:1] And, may it see you bless the world around you that lies in darkness, with the gospel of salvation. May His grace abound in you, to surround you with songs of deliverance, and remove all shortcomings in your life, to flood your heart with healing and joy. Your days of mourning and sadness are over, for the seed of God’s blessing has been sown in your heart today. And, may the Lord who causes the increase, bring growth and abundant fruitfulness in your life, so that the Father may be glorified.
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
