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Daily Devotional thoughts by Stephen Thompson

Daily Bible thoughts 588: Friday 4th April 2014:

 Micah 5:1-5

This marvellous prophetic passage reveals a stark contrast between the vulnerable king (1) and his vulnerable people (3), and the invulnerable ruler: the Christ, the Messiah, Jesus (2, 4 and 5). We have the temporary monarch and the eternal King. There is also a contrasting of the big city of Jerusalem and the ‘little town of Bethlehem’.

Verse 1 is about the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem and the striking down of King Zedekiah (2 Kings 25:1-7). The call is to Jerusalem to mobilise its troops, but the effort to defend the city will prove hopeless. But for now, prepare for the worst, victim daughter! The siege is set against us. They humiliate Israel’s king, slapping him around like a rag doll. The Message.

But this terrible prediction is followed in (2) with a great hope. Israel will not be permanently destroyed, but will rise again under a new ruler. He will come from Bethlehem Ephrathah. Ephrathah is the ancient name for Bethlehem. It also signifies the area around the little town. But you, Bethlehem, David’s country, the runt of the litter – The Message. Bethlehem was the birthplace of King David (1 Sam.17:12). So through a common birthplace, a connection between David and the Messianic ruler yet to come is established (Matt.2:3-6). Though the royal line of David had become corrupt and would be felled like a tree, another line from the family of David and his father Jesse would survive, and from that line the Messiah would come (Isaiah 11:1). God does great works in insignificant places. Preaching on revival in the 1950’s Doctor Martyn Lloyd Jones said something like this: ‘The next revival will probably break out in some remote hamlet no-one much has heard of.’ This ruler to be born in Bethlehem is no ordinary man. His origins will be from before His birth (John 8:58); indeed, from ancient times, from the beginning of the world (John 1:1, 2). Only Jesus, the Son of God, truly fits the bill. He came into the world in fulfilment of this prophecy made centuries earlier. His family tree is ancient and distinguished. The Message. No doubt at the time no-one could understand the magnitude of this prophecy and how it would be fulfilled. Micah may have had a sense of it, but we don’t know if he did.

The second half of verse three looks forward to the coming of Gentiles to join Jews in the flock of the Messiah (John 10:16). The reference to she who is in labour giving birth may indicate Mary. (But it can also be about Bethlehem or abandoned Israel. The nation was about to suffer like a woman in child birth.)

How wonderfully (4, 5) along with (2) have been fulfilled in the coming of Jesus. Compare John 10:7-18 with (4), and Isaiah 9:6 and Eph.2:14 with (5). AND THIS MAN IS OUR PEACE. He came and preached peace to them that were far off, and peace to them that were nigh. He has made peace by the Blood of his Cross. He is the Prince of Peace to loyal and loving hearts. He sheds abroad in our hearts his own peace, which the world cannot take away. F.B. Meyer: Great verses through the Bible, p.353.

 Prayer: Even in the middle of great difficulties may all your people experience Jesus as their peace.

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 587: Thursday 3rd April 2014:

Psalm 104:31-35

This is the culmination of a wonderful psalm about the great God who is creator and sustainer of the universe.

The glory of GOD – let it last forever! Let GOD enjoy his creation. The Message. The reference to the glory of the LORD in (31) is to the Creator’s glory exhibited in His created universe. Verse 32 brings before us an awesome (and even frightening?) vision of God (see also Micah 1:3-5). He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake, points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt. The Message. Solid as the universe may appear it is of the utmost fragility in relation even to his eyes and fingers. J.A. Motyer: New Bible Commentary, p.554. (By the way, verse 35 seems to link to verse 32.)

In the light of the above, you might not expect a reference to song to appear next. But that is exactly what you do find (33). This is a great resolution on the part of the psalmist. It’s a good and right decision to make; not just to sing about God, but to sing to Him (recognising the personal relationship you have with Him: my God.)A friend of mine was facing a difficult time. He knew of a well-known pastor in the U.S.A. who had faced a similar situation. So my friend wrote to him to seek counsel. This busy pastor of a mega-church took the time to write back and advocated that he discover the awesome power of spiritual song. My fellow pastor put this advice into practice and it brought about a revolution in his heart. When I was staying at his house, I heard him go downstairs in the early morning, pick up a guitar and sing to God. I remember Bill Hybels saying in a talk to leaders that at times, out on his yacht, he sings his heart out to God with song after song. Not that you need a boat to do that!! But you do require a heart to do it.

So, can I ask what place song has in your personal devotions? (At times I have used a hymnbook as a prayer book. I have used the words of hymns and songs to pray to God.) In (34) the psalmist is continuing to refer to his song to the Lord in the words my meditation. Someone said that if you can worry you can meditate! Worry is just turning something over and over in your mind. Singing can help you meditate on God. It is by no means the only way to do so, but it is one way. However, we need to ensure that our songs are doctrinally sound. They are not all of equal quality. If we spent more time singing in private, it would undoubtedly impact our public worship in a positive fashion. (There is a very helpful book by Jack Hayford entitled ‘Worship His Majesty.’ It has some remarkable insights into the whole area of praise and worship.)

So the psalm ends where it began (35b; see 1). Say what you need to in order to bring your soul into line with God’s revealed truth. Don’t let the deceiver have his way with your mind and heart. Learn to preach sermons to yourself. I have told my soul today, ‘You need to sing more often to God, and not just speak your prayers.’ It’s an area where I need to learn and grow, and this has been the significant take away point from my ‘quiet time’ today. I am also thinking about Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 14:15:…I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. I can sing to God out of a hymn book, but I can also sing brand new songs, composed by the Holy Spirit within my spirit. Those songs can be in tongues or in my native language, or, perhaps, a mixture of both. So many possibilities are open. I just need to ensure that I do it.

Prayer: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation. O my soul praise Him for He is thy health and salvation…

 

Daily Bible thoughts 586: Wednesday 2nd April 2014:

 2 Corinthians 4:13 – 18

Four things stand out here to my mind:

  • Spoken message (13): Speaking should be a consequence of believing. Look at the repeated therefore in this verse.It indicates cause and effect: if there is belief in the heart, there will also be confession with the lips (Romans 10:9, 10). If we believe it we will live it. Our beliefs will be reflected in our behaviour. (So, for example, if I believe it is going to rain today I will probably carry an umbrella or waterproof coat.) But they will also be expressed in speech. Out of the overflow of our hearts our mouths will speak. We’re not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, ”I believed it, so I said it,” we say what we believe. The Message.
  •  Future hope/glory (14, 17 and 18): We have this great belief, and why would we keep quiet about it? Our doctrinal understanding is that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. Wouldn’t you want to shout that from the rooftops? One day we are going to be with Christ, which is better by far (Phil.1:23). We are going to see Jesus face to face and be with Him forever. We will also be with all our brothers and sisters in God’s family. We’ll be united and re-united in that wonderful heavenly home. Such a conviction will not only be spoken out loud; it will also carry you through the toughest of times. It will give you a perspective, so that can see experiences such as those described in 4:8-12 as light and momentary troubles (17). You will recognise that there will be a reward coming that far outweighs all this trouble. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. The Message. You are enabled to understand that today is temporary, but we are moving towards an eternal tomorrow.
  • Present worship (15): Paul could not only see that these sufferings would ‘achieve’ something in terms of eternal reward (17). He could also assert that they are productive now. Through the pain-filled ministries of Paul and the other apostles, more and more people were coming to experience God’s grace. As the gospel advanced triumphantly, all-be-it amid suffering, and the church grew, there was overflowing thankfulness given to God.
  • Inner renewal (16): This is the second time in this chapter that we hear Paul saying: Therefore we do not lose heart (see 1). As we have already seen, Paul wasn’t thinking primarily about the outward wasting away that comes from age taking its toll. Admittedly that does happen. But Paul had in mind the constant battering from opponents of the gospel. How he suffered at the hands of antagonistic people (both Jews and Gentiles.) But whilst the wrecking ball was bashing him on the outside, an inner renovation was taking place every day. Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. The Message. The reality of this truth can encourage us all, so that we too, in our struggles, do not lose heart.

Prayer: Thank you Lord Jesus that what we have in you is not something to keep quiet about. We do not have ‘the right to remain silent’, but a responsibility to tell. Help us to do this.

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 585: Tuesday 1st April 2014:

 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

We Christians look fragile; we are fragile (7). We no doubt feel our fragility more and more keenly as the years go by and the aging process takes its toll. (Although for Paul and his colleagues, it wasn’t getting old that caused them to feel fragile, but the persecutions they suffered.) So when all-surpassing power is seen to be at work in and through us, it is obvious that this is God’s and not inherently our own. It is clear that we are unimpressive, basic earthenware pots. We are so easily cracked, but when that happens what is inside us spills out. Paul says that we carry about treasure that is far more splendid than the outer casing. That ‘treasure’ is the gospel of the glory of Christ (4). We carry an infinitely precious jewel within a most ordinary jewellery box. If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That is to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. The Message. The whole point is that God should receive all the glory from our frail lives. (See also Is.64:8 and 2 Cor.12:9).

 

There is an interesting repetition of the words but not in (8, 9). The mighty power of God within us does not allow these negative things to do to us what otherwise might be expected. The pot may be cracked (many times over), but it won’t be smashed, and the life and power will seep out through the cracks. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. The Message. No doubt you too can say but not. You have come through trials. There have been great losses; you have experienced sadness and difficulty; your heart has been torn with much pain. But none of this has deflected you from loving God and following Jesus. It has just created more cracks for the glory to shine through.

 

There is this paradox lying at the heart of the Christian faith, of life through death (10, 11). In fact it is a double paradox because it is life…revealed in a mortal body. If you want people to be able to see the life of Jesus now in this body of yours; a body that will one day die; then you’re going to have to be prepared to go to the cross one way or another. R.T.Kendall has said that the key to anointing is suffering. I believe that is Biblically true. Resurrection life bursts out of those who experience the sharpness of the nails and thorns and the roughness of the cross. My problem is that I would like to know the power without the pain (especially that of persecution.)

 

Any dying we do in the course of our lives and ministries is for the sake of others (12). Someone described Jesus as ‘the Man for others.’ To truly follow Him in this world will mean being a man (or woman) for others. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best. The Message.

 

There was a man who filled up a vessel with water every day, and carried it from the well. But his pot had a crack in it. After a while he noticed that all along the path he walked from the well to the house, flowers were springing up where he was inadvertently watering them. They were benefitting from the cracked pot! I don’t particularly like these cracks, or the things that cause them. But may God use them to bless others and glorify His Name.

 

Prayer: Help us, Lord Jesus, to understand that we cannot know an outflow of your resurrection life and power without a willingness to share your cross. Strengthen us to be willing to die so that the stone may once more roll away.

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 584: Monday 31st March 2014:

 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
Here are some marks of an authentic ministry. There are things you do not do:

  • You do not lose heart (1): You recognise that you’re in this ministry because of God’s calling. It’s a privilege you do not deserve. He got you into this and He will help you in it and through it. He will enable you to finish strong if you keep looking to Him. Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we’re not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. The Message. You might have a lot of rubbish tipped over you, like Paul did, but you focus on God and don’t give up. After all, He’s the One who gives genuine success and changes lives (6). Paul recognised that he was a Christian because of a sovereign work of God. What the Lord had done for him He could also do for others.
  • You do not go down the way of trickery, dishonesty and manipulation (2a): like Nathanael, you will be without guile (John 1:47).You are straightforward and easy to deal with, not slippery as an eel (or serpent?!) You refuse to get sucked into politics and power struggles. Such things should not have any place in genuine Christian lives and churches. You will not try to twist arms and resort to under hand tactics. You will pray and trust God to work things out. You’re not in it for yourself or to climb any perceived career ladder. You know that the highest position in the kingdom of God is that of a ‘servant’ (5). We refuse to wear masks and play games, We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. The Message.
  • You do not tinker under the bonnet of truth in order to change things, however subtly (2b). You know it is not your job to dilute the Scriptures to taste or change them in any way. What they say may prove unpopular, but you will stick to the script handed to you like superglue. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. The Message.
  • You do not use the pulpit to glorify yourself (5). This is not about you. It never has been; never will be.

There are some things you do do:

  • You clearly and plainly state the truth (2c): In your ministry you aim for utter clarity. You are not a philosopher using words that obscure, like opaque glass. Your words are like freshly cleaned windows. The light shines through them.
  • You preach Jesus Christ as Lord (5): At every opportunity you lift up His Name, and not your own. Remember, our Message is not about ourselves, we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. The Message.
  • You live as a servant (5b), and not as some petty autocratic tyrant, lording it over others in what is, after all, Christ’s church.
  • You minister always in the sight of God (2c). You know that you are completely under scrutiny and you will, ultimately, be held accountable.
  • You live with a sense of reality (3, 4). It’s tough out there on the ‘mission field’. You acknowledge the fact. This is a fallen world, and the devil has successfully blindfolded people so that they cannot see the wonder and beauty of Jesus; they are unable to see who He is or why He came into the world. They’re stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we’ll ever get. The Message. So you know you will meet resistance to your preaching. There will be both antagonism and apathy. There will be disappointment and discouraging times. But, in it all…
  • You serve with the understanding that God is real, and He can turn the light on in any heart (6; see also Genesis 1:1-3 and 2 Cor.5:17). He can and He does. We see it happening everywhere: sheer miracles of grace; people saying, ‘I can’t explain it, but whereas once I was blind, now I see.’ If someone like Saul of Tarsus could be enlightened, it could happen to anyone.

Prayer: Thank you Lord that all opportunities for ministry come from you; let all the glory go to you.

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 583: Friday 28th March 2014:

 Micah 4:6-13
This section of Micah combines both hope and warning. The hope shines even more brightly against the dark backdrop of the story of coming judgment. Bad times are in the foreground, but in the distance good times are coming. Beyond the pain of banishment (like that of childbirth, verse 10) there lies the blessing of restoration and triumph. Defeat will be transformed into conquering, rampaging victory: I will transform the battered into a company of the elite. I will make a strong nation out of the long lost, A showcase exhibit of GOD’s rule in action, as I rule from Mount Zion, from here to eternity…But for right now, they’ve ganged up against you, many godless peoples, saying, ”Kick her when she’s down! Violate her! We want to see Zion grovel in the dirt.” These blasphemers have no idea what GOD is thinking and doing in this. They don’t know that this is the making of GOD’s people, that they are wheat being threshed, gold being refined. On your feet, Daughter of Zion! Be threshed of chaff, be refined of dross. I’m remaking you into a people invincible, into God’s juggernaut to crush the godless peoples. You’ll bring their plunder as holy offerings to GOD, their wealth to the Master of the earth. The Message.

God does some of His best work on us and in us during hard times. One of the most meaningful messages we received following the death of my mum made reference to these words: You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand. (John 13:7). At that time (and from that time onwards) Romans 8:28 took on a bright, shiny new meaning for me: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Underlining mine). Today you may be facing a situation that looks hopeless. It may be something you have contributed to yourself. Or it may have visited your door uninvited. But realise, if you are a Christian, that the Sovereign Lord is in it, and He is on your side. He is working for your good in every situation, and there will be something positive, for your benefit, amidst this negative stuff. The Lord turns things around.

A song by Jamie Owens-Collins states: ‘The hard times make you strong.’ I would qualify that by saying they can. But there is nothing automatic or inevitable about it. We have to co-operate with God in what He is doing; with what He wants to bring about, and submit to His will. Then we will see what He will do with it. He makes delicious meals with unpromising ingredients.

Prayer: Help me Lord to really know in the depths of my heart that you are in control. Enable me to believe my beliefs.

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 582: Thursday 27th March 2014:

 Micah 4:1-5
These beautiful words are also found in Isaiah 2:1-4. (I believe I am right in saying that glorious words from verse three are to be found in the U.N. building in New York City. The people who work for that organisation must often feel that this is an unattainable ideal, but they don’t give up. Someone has suggested that the U.N. should move their headquarters to Jerusalem, because one day Jesus is going to achieve universal peace from there.) As you listen to and watch the news, you can’t help but long for the day when this prophecy fully comes to pass and Nations will quit fighting each other, quit learning how to kill one another. Each man will sit under his own shade tree, each woman in safety will tend her own garden. The Message. This is not the world as we find it now, but we can be sure that it is how it will one day be, for the God of truth has spoken.

You will note, I’m sure, a dramatic gear change between 3:12 and 4:1ff. The temple hill in Jerusalem will become a mound overgrown with thickets (3:12); but in the last days (4:1) the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the world’s mountains. He is referring to a time when the Messiah comes; days that began with the first coming of Jesus and that will culminate in His second advent. Already, to some extent, there is a fulfilment of these words. Today, under the reign of Jesus, His church, comprised of Jews and Gentiles, is being built as a city set on a hill that cannot be hid. The Word of God goes out from the church and Many nations are streaming into it. Under His rule there is peace, security and willing worship. But the fullest realisation of the prophecy will be seen when Jesus returns to the earth and establishes His Kingdom over it. I remember our highly intelligent and very godly Director of Studies at Bible College saying that there are passages in Scripture that really only make sense if there is to be a literal reign of Christ over the earth. This is one of them.

By the way, (5) is not implying that it’s okay for the pagan nations to walk in the name of their gods. He is just stating what the norm is currently; what is likely to happen. This is how it has been throughout history, but when Jesus comes back all will submit to Him (Phil.2:9-11).

F.B. Meyer writes eloquently about this passage in Great verses through the Bible,p.352: In a deep and true sense it has come to pass that the Lord’s house has been established in the top of the mountains, and has been exalted above the hills. The church is a conspicuous and influential object among the forces of the world; and peoples are flowing towards it. In very many cases whole nations have flung away the religion of their ancestors, and gathered within that Christian temple which has been built upon the foundation of Judaism. Out of Zion there has gone forth the law; and from Jerusalem the Word of the Lord. In Jesus, the Jew is still the centre of the world’s vision. But the full accomplishment of these words waits behind the curtain that is so soon to be rent at the coming of our Lord. Then holy influences will proceed from the chosen people who shall have been led to recognize Christ as their Messiah. From these the Gospel shall go forth unto all the world. Beneath the hallowing influences of that age…the canon shall be as obsolete as the tomahawk; the explosives of war shall be stored in museums; whilst schools for training the art of war shall be used as missionary seminaries. There shall be no war, because there shall be no fear…And there shall be no fear, because universal love shall reign towards God and man.

Prayer: I thank you Lord Jesus that a day is coming when you will make all wars to cease across the earth. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 581: Wednesday 26th March 2014:

Micah 3
This is a frightful picture (1-4) of the political and religious leaders in Israel and Judah cannibalising their people, metaphorically speaking. They were devouring them instead of defending them. Again and again in history we have seen the kind of leadership which is cruel to people and not kind; where those in power care only for themselves and not for those entrusted to them. The people of these kingdoms could not find justice where they should have been able to locate it. Isn’t justice in your job description? But you skin my people alive. You rip the meat off their bones. You break up the bones, chop the meat, and throw it in a pot for cannibal stew. The Message. The leaders doing these terrible things, however, will not get away with it. Sin that is unconfessed and unrepented will be a barrier to prayer (4). The time’s coming, though, when these same leaders will cry out for help to GOD, but he won’t listen. The Message. There will come a day, Micah says, when these leaders will find themselves ‘devoured’ by the Assyrians and they will give God a call for emergency help. But they will find a ‘dead’ tone on the line. There will be no response. Those who show no mercy cannot expect to receive it. (Verses 9 -11a expand on the theme of the leaders ‘skinning the people alive’. There you will find a list of some of the evil things they were doing. It makes disturbing reading)

There is also a devastating word for the false prophets (5-7; see 1 Tim. 6:9, 10); those who sell their messages for profit. They tell people what they want to hear if the price is right, and serve up what they don’t want if they don’t stump up the right amount of cash (or food!) Judicial blindness will come upon them from God: Here is GOD’s Message to the prophets, the preachers who lie to my people: ”For as long as they’re well paid and well fed, the prophets preach, ‘Isn’t life wonderful! Peace to all!’ But if you don’t pay up and jump on their bandwagon, their ‘God bless you’ turns into ‘God damn you.’ Therefore, you’re going blind. You’ll see nothing. You’ll live in deep shadows and know nothing. The sun has set on the prophets. They’ve had their day; from now on it’s night. Visionaries will be confused, experts will be all mixed up. They’ll hide behind their reputations and make lame excuses to cover up their God-ignorance.” The Message.

Micah, by contrast, was a true prophet of God, having insight into the real nature of things (8ff). He both saw and spoke clearly. He was anointed by the Spirit of God to spell out what was wrong and announce where it would lead. He had both insight and foresight from God. The leaders were behaving how Micah describes in (1-3, 9-11a) All the while posturing and pretending dependence on GOD: ”We’ve got GOD on our side. He’ll protect us from disaster.” Because of people like you, Zion will be turned back into farmland, Jerusalem end up as a pile of rubble, and instead of the Temple on the mountain, a few scraggly scrub pines. The Message. Micah saw through their empty words; the futility of their false confidence. By the power of the Spirit He courageously spoke out the truth to unwilling listeners. Nothing needs more of the Spirit of God than the preaching which declares to men their sins. No one is so thoroughly hated as the candid friend. Just because conscience attests the truth of our utterances, the soul of the sinner resents our plain speaking. You may condemn sin generally as much as you like; but when your hand comes near the broken bone, or the diseased flesh, then there is at once a violent outcry…We need might to withstand the opposition we shall inevitably meet. F.B.Meyer: Great verses through the Bible, p.352.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, please fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I may boldly speak your Word of truth to all.

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 580: Tuesday 25th March 2014:

Micah 2:12, 13
Not only must we have a Biblical ministry in the church (a point emphasised yesterday), but it must also be a balanced ministry. We often find in the prophets that following strong and even severe words about judgment, you get others bringing comfort, encouragement and hope. These two verses look to a time in the distant future when God’s people will return to the land from exile. However, the word remnant reminds us that judgment is a terrible reality. Of those taken into captivity, only some (those who remained faithful to God) would return.

  • Following scattering there will be gathering (12; see also Isaiah 10:20-23): You can feel the tenderness and loving desire in these words. God wants His people back home. The Shepherd of Israel longs for the sheep to be in the safety of the fold. There is a certainty about what is going to happen. Look how the word surely is repeated. Beyond the dark night of judgment the sun will rise and a new day will dawn. This prophecy began to be fulfilled in a preliminary way when the exiles returned from Babylon, beginning in 538 B.C. However, the promise in verse 12 would only be completely accomplished in the Messianic age. (Consider, for example, John 10. It is being brought to pass through the coming of Jesus, and all that it means will gradually unfold.).
  •  Following reduction there will be expansion and growth (12b): …the place will throng with people. (a milling throng of homebound people! The Message. )
  • Following their King there will be breakthrough (13): ”…Then I, GOD, will burst all confinements and lead them out into the open. They’ll follow their King. I will be out in front leading them.” The Message. The key to breakthrough in every situation is to look to the Lord as your head; keep your eyes on Him and follow Him. He goes before (x2). He is the One who breaks open the way so that you can break through the gate. He is the One who will lead you out of captivity and bondage and into true freedom. But you have to let Him go before you. Your King will be your Shepherd. The mind of the prophet conceives of the people as captives in a foreign city, surrounded by lofty walls and frowning gates. Like impassable barriers, these lie between them and liberty. There seems no hope of their being able to break forth; but all suddenly a Breaker appears, who, summoning them to follow, breaks through the opposition of armed men and of mighty bulwarks. With resistless might, He breaks his way through; and they that follow Him are described as having broken forth, and passed on to the gate, and gone out thereat. First the Lord, then their king, and then hosts of men. No finer description could be imagined of the resurrection, which we celebrate as the first day of every week recurs…”The Breaker is gone up” before his redeemed ones. See! They too are breaking forth, and passing on through the gate – their King passing on before them. This is also true of every new era of time and novelty of circumstance. Circumstances, like prison walls, may confine us; but our Breaker is always preceding us, breaking down opposition and strong ramparts of apparently impassable difficulty…Keep close beside Him, as the armour-bearer behind Jonathon. Let there be no perceptible interspace. The iron gate of the city will open of its own accord, through which you shall pass into perfect liberty. F.B. Meyer: Great Verses through the Bible, p.351.

Prayer: Lord you know how badly I need a breakthrough. Help me to look to you with complete trust for what only you can bring about.

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