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The Bible says in Is 58:8
Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
Through the above verses the Lords speaks to us about His blessings in our lives. If we consider His blessings then to be in good health is a blessing, to be in peace and assured rest is a blessing. Similarly we can number many of His blessings in our lives. The parents educate the children and after their studies when they get a job then it is a blessing, when the daughter grows up and gets a good life partner then this is a blessing. After marriage when the couple gets a child on time then this is a blessing. In the same way we can count many of the blessings in our life.
THE BLESSING OF HEALTH
But in the above verse the Lord speaks about a blessing that you will receive shortly - the blessing of health. The Lord can bring us to health from sin, bondage, sickness, loans and in so many other ways. When the Lord delivers us and blesses us then our life becomes one of fragrance. If we see the trees during the summer season they shed their leaves. When the new leaves start coming then the tree looks very beautiful.
In my village where I did my schooling there were a lot of tamarind trees. During this season there would be new leaves and small flowers coming up on the trees. When you look at these tamarind trees with the tender leaves and the flowers it looks very beautiful. In the morning when we go to school, the flowers on the floor appear like a spread out bed sheet.
The Lord will make our lives beautiful like the tree. After the old leaves fall off, and the new leaves come, with the new flowers and the leaves our life becomes one of fragrance. The Lord says that He will do this soon.
A BLESSING FOR THE CHOSEN
When we see in the book of Numbers there were many rods kept before the Lord but only the rod of Aaron put forth leaves, flowers and fruit. All this happened the next day, it happened very soon. Immediately the work of the Lord commenced. Today the Lord says that He can quickly bless us and make us beautiful and give us fragrance in our lives as mentioned in Is 58:8. So many times, to give us peace and rest in our lives, He does many things. When the Lord is with us then, we have peace. As the above verse says the springing forth to give leaves, flowers and fruits will be quick. It will be done quickly.
Now whose life can quickly bear fruit, give fragrance and become beautiful. It will happen in the lives of His chosen. The Bible says in Num 17:4,5,8
And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.
And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.
And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
The Lord did this work quickly. He did it in one day. From the next day there was fruit on that rod. This God has not changed and He can do this work in our lives even today. For this we have to become His beloved. The Lord will do His work in our lives quickly. So we have to become His. When we are bound with the Lord then what we have read in Is 58:8 will be true in our lives. The Lord can remove all evil from our lives. When the Lord says that He will do it quickly then we have to keep our faith on the Lord, as we have seen how Aaron's rod budded and blossomed and bore fruit. Today we may be a dried tree. We may have dried up in faith, in the love of God, in His salvation or may have dried up in any other way. But even today when we accept the Lord into our lives then He can do that work quickly in our lives.
GOD CHOOSES THE FOOLISH PEOPLE
The Bible says in 1 Cor 1:27, that He has known us, has chosen us and made us His sons and daughters. So this blessing is for us.
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
So when we are one with the Lord, are obedient to His Word, and trust that the Lord can definitely make us to blossom and bear fruit, then the world will definitely call us a mad person. When you say ' Hallelujah, praise the Lord ' you will be called as insane. So this blessing, salvation and grace are received by the weak people. They may be weak in wisdom, wealth, health, faith, and blessings. The Lord can lift such people and show that this is His work.
The Lord called Abraham and lifted Him by His power. The Lord spoke to him saying that he would make his seed like the stars. Now He was old and so was his wife. But Abraham based his life on this word that the Lord spoke to him. Humanly there was no way that they could get a child. These words of the Lord were life to Abraham. When the time came the Lord made the family of Abraham as the stars in the heavens. It is important for us to know that our God is not going to change. Even today the Lord says that He will bless you and bring that fruit and salvation quickly in your lives, even when when there is no hope in your life and your life seems to be without purpose and wasted.
If the Lord had called Abraham at a young age and told him about the promised child, then every preacher would not have preached about Abraham. When there was no way that he could be a Father, that is the time the Lord called him and promised him so at confound the wise. So that none could boast that what has been done was by his own wisdom, work and wealth. The Lord can shut everyone's mouth according to His plans. To bring down the wise the Lord lifts the foolish person and blesses Him. The Lord lifts the broken, the weak and the person who is hopeless and thinks he has no chance, so that He can show this world, that what they cannot do, He is able to do. This is our living God.
So we must have faith in our God in every work and in everything. The Lord did speak to Abraham but that word was fulfilled in Abraham's life after many years. So in all his years and in his old age days this word from the Lord would have given him life. So one day flowers were seen, fruits were seen in his life and God made him the father of many nations and also our father. That is our mighty and wonderful God.
WHY PRAYERS ARE NOT ANSWERED
The Lord will hear and answer our prayers all the time. So when we pray the Lord must be pleased with our prayers. Some times our prayers are not answered. We must not speak evil about others,
when we meet people we must be a good witness for the Lord and must always fear the Lord. In this manner when we go to the Lord then He is happy with our prayers. But when you speak evil about others and then go into His presence then the Lord is not pleased with your prayer. Whatever you may ask, the Lord is not pleased. So His praise should be there in your heart, and His Word should be with you all the time. You should never be separated from the Word. That is the time the Lord will be pleased with your prayer and your prayer will be answered. Let us read Ps 149:8
To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;
Those who have the praise of God and the Word of God the Lord will hear their prayers and make their life fragrant.
Our God has created the heavens and the earth. The Bible says in Ps 146:5-7
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:
Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
When we have faith on our God and are one with Him every day then we are blessed people. Our God has created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. So if we keep faith on Him and obey Him in all things, then we can be blessed people. What work is it that cannot be done through His hands. What can the world give us ? The world can take us on an evil path, it can take us through sin and separate us from God. The world cannot do us any good. But the Lord who created the heavens and the earth can do many things in our life. No one but the God of Jacob, your God and my God can do what is written in Ps 146:7. No one in this world can do this.
Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
The Bible says in Ps 146:8
The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord hears their prayers and delivers them from any deep pit that they may be in. We should be careful not to speak evil about others and also not to be in the company of such people. We have to shut our ears from hearing evil so that we may be able to go into the presence of the Lord and receive answer for our prayers. However weak we may be, the Lord will hear our prayers and strengthen us. Without the Lord we are nothing, we are broken vessels. The Lord can strengthen us in our weakness. So when you are good and truthful in His sight, then out of your ten requests He will definitely fulfill one of your prayer request. So as you continue seeking Him then all your ten requests will be answered and you will be the most blessed person in this world. Everyday in His sight we have to be righteous people. When we live our life according to the Word then one day definitely in the eyes of the world we will become like gold. Let us read 2 Sam 22:21
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
Our God is not partial. He will answer us in our lives according to our righteousness. He is an unchanging God. When our prayer is in truth, then He is pleased and will definitely answer our prayers. He will answer and bless all our works and we become a blessed person. The Bible says in Prov 11:28
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
The righteous can have a new life like the budding of the tender leaves. So today also somewhere or the other we may be proud about our self,our wisdom or our posessions. This pride becomes a hindrance for the Lord to hear our prayers. When we become a beloved of the Lord then we become like the new leaf that comes on the tree and like the rod of Aaron that budded, and bore flowers and fruits. All this happened quickly. The Lord is going to quickly fill us with His blessings. Our Lord and His Word has not changed. The Word is the truth. If you receive this truth then even your dry life will bear leaves, flowers and definitely bring forth fruits. Then that life will be a blessed life. One day you will be able to say 'The kingdom of Zion is mine'. When we understand these things then there is no one as wise as us. So we have to obey Him and live according to His will in all matters. A day will surely come when the people will know the good, the evil and those who served and did not serve God. The Bible says in Mal 3:18
Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
We have to know that we have to be bound with the Word of God. The Lord has warned us that the wolf will come in sheep's clothing. This is what will happen but we should not be deceived and fall into the words of the wolf. They will be as a sheep in appearance, but will be like a wolf on the inside which can devour people. Many do not know this truth and fall into the hands of the wolf. Wherever we may be we must be bound to the true Word of God. We should not be foolish but be wise to know between the wolf and the sheep. The Word of God can bring salvation to our lives, and nothing else can. When there is no fruit then the Lord will cut that branch but He will trim the fruit bearing branch to bear more leaves, flowers and fruits.
He is the Prince of peace and will restore peace. He brings peace wherever He is. Even when one soul repents and goes to heaven there is much joy. If there are ten souls there is more joy. It is important that we know the truth.
The Bible says in Ps 37:25
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
When you are righteous in His sight then He will never, never forsake you. We must know this and keep this Word in our heart.
GOD OF MERCY
The Bible speaks about Moses in Ex 32 :13,14,22
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
The Lord heard the prayer of Moses and His heart began to change.
And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
When Moses was in the presence of the Lord the people put pressure upon Aaron and he took their gold and made an idol of it, saying that was their God which would lead them. So then they started worshipping the idol which was a wolf in sheep's clothing. They lost hope in Moses thinking that He would not come back. They started to praise with a loud noise. The Lord spoke to Moses to go and see what the people were doing. Then Moses was wroth and asked of Aaron and he replied as written in v.22,
And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
Even then Moses prayed for the people asking the Lord to forgive them one more time, else to remove his name from His book. The Lord started to speak to Moses as written in Ps 32:32-35
Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
God is a God of mercy who led them out of Egypt. He told Moses to lead the people but He would punish the sinful at the time He would visit them. The Lord delivered His people from Egypt, from bondage but they made an idol and started to worship it. Today also are we caught up in such things. What are the idols today ? Has pride become an idol in our heart. A heart with no love and no fear of God becomes an idol in the presence of God.
The Lords judgment would definitely come and He would take the good tree to the kingdom and the evil would be cut off and put in the fire. Today both will grow together. But at the appointed time the Lord will cut the evil. To be saved from this, everyday we have to be bound to His Word. The Lord has to hear and answer our prayers. Everyday we must know our self and everyday we must be awake and alert. So that we can save our self from evil people, from speaking against His Word and His people. Then the Lord will hear our prayers and bless us. Our God will never change. He will hear and answer our prayer when it comes as a sweet fragrance in His presence. Then the Lord fills His presence in that place and fills us with His blessings.
BLESSINGS ON THE RIGHTEOUS
The Bible speaks about the righteous in Prov 10:6,20,28,32
Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.
The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.
Now to get the blessings of the Lord in our life we have to be careful about many things. The righteous will always think about His testimonies and think good about the Lord. When we exaggerate and speak wrongly then our prayers will be hindered in His sight. So for the Lord to hear our prayers we have to be a righteous person. Where there is evil spoken we have to speak the truth of the Lord and shut the mouth of the wicked. The world may go against us but the Lord will hear our cry. The Lord who shut the mouth of the lion will shut the mouth of the world. So if you do what is pleasing in the sight of the Lord then He will continue to hear your prayer and one day He will fulfill all your prayer requests.
BE MERCIFUL
Now there is another way for leaves, and flowers and fruits to come in our life. In the first part we have seen that our heart, our walk and talk should be pleasing to the Lord and then our life can be one of fragrance. Then we can be fruitful. The other ways is to be merciful people as the Bible says in Matt 5:7
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
When we show mercy then even in the sight of God we also will receive mercy. We read about mercy in Ps 146. What were the kind of people to whom the Lord showed mercy. He had mercy on those in bondage, those who were blind, those oppressed by the devil, and in many other matters He was merciful to the people. Let us read Ps 146:7,8
Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
Our God is merciful in so many ways. So even in our life we have to show this mercy to the people.
Those who have the fear of God in their hearts, and obey Him will be loved by the Lord. We must know that in everything, in our prayers, in our work, in our walk and talk if we are pleasing to God, then the Lord will hear all our prayers. The Lord will give us victory in all things. And God will not do this after many days but as written in Is 58:8, He will do it quickly.
Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
This is our God. It is the devil who fights against the Word of God. When the Lord was on the cross the devil thought that He was dead and gone, but on the third day the Lord rose up from the dead and came back to life, being victorious over death.
So when we are bound with the Lord then in all matters He will give us the victory.
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