Tuesday, May 7, 2013

The Sovereignty of the Lord

The Sovereignty of the Lord For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? Isaiah 14 v 27 The Lord of the armies of heaven decides what happens in our lives. He does things on purpose and does not allow matters to take their own course. His will is sovereign. He has made His purpose known through His Word. His purpose is perfect, specific and precise. He causes all things to happen for our good. Every person and creature is created with a purpose. Every organ in us is created with a purpose. The organs work in tandem with a purpose. He has endowed each of us with free will. In so doing, He endowed us with a part of His personality and power. Our success or failure in life would depend on how much we bring our wills in alignment with the sovereign will of the Lord. Once the Lord has decided, no one can annul or cancel or alter it. Yes, we have precedents in scripture as in our lives where prayer has caused the mind of the Lord to change. Hezekiah was told in prophetic revelation that he was going to die and to set his house in order in preparation for it. But, when Hezekiah turned to the wall and prayed, the Lord relented and extended his life by a good fifteen years. When doctors and the media predicted that a certain former Prime Minister of India would die of a blood disease very soon, a pastor known to me prayed for him and the Lord extended his life by ten years. Prayer causes even the Lord to sometimes annul His purpose or suspend its operation in specific situations. Faith is the unique faculty the Lord has given human beings to alter their destiny and to move the heart and hand of God. It is in fact a more valuable faculty than reason or emotion or imagination for reason is a realm that begins with knowledge and enters into belief and experience while faith begins with belief and experience and steps into knowledge. We cannot tinker with the purpose of the Lord. Once His hand is stretched out to deliver or to heal or to bless or to save, no force in earth or heaven can cause Him to withdraw His grace. Similarly, once His hand is stretched out against those who attack us or oppress us or oppose His will, it will not cease till what is purposed is achieved. It is written about Jesus that the last time, He travelled towards Jerusalem, He set His face like flint. We too need to imitate the Lord in His flint-like determination. Flint is a stone against which even metals or blades of knives and swords are sharpened. Indeed, such determination is needed to sharpen our knowledge of the sword of the Word. We too need to execute what we purpose in our hearts and minds. Before that we need to test our motives, our purpose against the touchstone of the Lord’s larger purpose for our lives. Jesus while praying in the garden of Gethsemane cried out to the Lord, “ If it is possible, let me not drink of this cup. Yet not my will but Yours be done.” For a moment in eternity, the Father in Heaven would have considered, “ Is there any other way? Had I not spared Isaac when Abraham was about to sacrifice him and provided a lamb instead?” Then, He would have said to Himself “ Jesus is the Lamb. There is no substitute available for Him as there is no other perfect, blemishless lamb, no other who by His own free will and purpose, lay down His life and take it up again once the price is paid.” There was no other way for God’s will to be fulfilled in human history. Today, we need to pray, “ Lord, stretch out your hand to heal and deliver, to bless and save.” There is no part of our being or no place on the planet or in the universe where His hand cannot reach. Prateep V Philip

3 comments:

  1. Blessed by today's Uni verse. May God fill you with annointing & Holy Spirit daily and refresh you as God uses you to refresh others. in Jesus Name I pray Amen.

    "The Lord has been good to me":
    But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.Psalm 13 : 5 - 6
     My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I cant see the road ahead of me. I do not know for certain where it will end. All i want is to be in the centre of Your Will & please You in all i do. May You increase & i decrease. Lord lead me & guide me. I trust You even though I may seem to be lost at times or tread in the valley of shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and will never leave me to face my perils alone. In Jesus' Name i pray Amen.

    Isaiah 40:28-31
    Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord , The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
    Rajeev Kumar

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  2. Your devotions are really refreshing. Look forward to it every day.
    Jerin Abraham

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  3. Praise be to God Who has filled your thoughts with such a passage that am so blessed and encouraged when I read the same.

    Your passages are always so profound in the truth and in the exposition.

    I praise God for your, dear Bro., that He is using you amongst us all. Blessed be His name and I can only quote Numbers: 6: 24-26 as blessing upon all that you do. This is the least I can do for you. Bro.

    These days in our Youth Meeting in our Assembly on Sundays, we are considering the Sovereignty of God from the Life and Times of Daniel. And these truths have greatly encouraged us.

    And your mediation today adds a lot of meaning to our study.

    Thank you, yet again, dear Bro for such valuable nuggets that you keep sharing with us every day.

    God bless you more and more and be with you and use you as a beacon of light in this dark world.

    Samuel Abraham

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