Getting Hep

UV 654/10,000 Getting Hep “No longer will they call you Forsaken, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah for the Lord will delight in you and your land will be married.” Isaiah 62 v 4 Somebody I know was planning to call his new home, “ Timbuktu”, the capital of Mali where currently a civil war is on between some warring tribes, Al Queda and French forces. Timbuktu has become an euphemism for “ God –forsaken” place. But, God never forsakes any place or any person or any nation. It is we who by our acts of omission and commission forsake God and invite such trouble in our lives that comes from the absence of God. It is an axiom of this moral universe that the presence of God brings peace, prosperity, joy and blessings. The corollary is that the absence of God brings conflict, violence and bloodshed. Hence, I advised that believer not to name his house Timbuktu. Jesus says, “ I do not forsake anyone. Instead, I came, died and am resurrected for your sake.” Hence, our land and our hand will be blessed. We will be fruitful or “ Hepzibah.” The Lord commands us ‘ to get hep’ to use the slang of the youth. In order to be fruitful or productive, we need to be “ married” or wedded to the Lord’s faithfulness, righteousness, justice, lovingkindness and mercies. We need to be one with God as a husband is united with his wife. When we believe, cherish, relish and practice such oneness, He will continually rejoice over us as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. We get the traction or momentum when we develop our inner attraction. Unlike earthly bridegrooms and brides, His joy will last beyond the honeymoon, far beyond our lifetime. When He delights in us, He does good to us. Revealing His goodness to us is the meaning of revealing His glory. We do not have to look behind us for the best man for He is the Best man. It is unfortunate that the West is redefining marriage in these days to cover same sex marriage. It is certainly anti-Christ and satanic. It is time the Rest of us attempt to re-educate the West on the sanctity of marriage as a sacrament and as a foreshadow of the marriage of Christ and the Church. In an eye-opening revelation, the Lord spoke through Proverbs 31 v 30 “ Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” He said that besides Him there is no other bridegroom, no other male. Every believer who fears the Lord is part of the Bride, the church and is to be honoured, praised or lifted up. The whole Bible is God’s love letter written to the Bride Beulah. Therefore, we need to “get hep” or stylish or attractive to the Lord in our character and lifestyle. Then we need to get wedded and finally, we will be fruitful, blessed and productive in our lives. Prateep V Philip