Having learned about the blessings that come when God's hand is upon a person for their good, we must also understand that God's hand can rest upon someone with the opposite outcome. Yes, God is king and loving, however, He is also the Righteous Judge. Many don't realize that God can be angry but this aspect of God is described in Psalm 18:7-9 . His anger can cause the entire earth to tremble and the foundations of the mountains to shake. "Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it" (Psalm 18:8). He is not one to be trifled with under any circumstances and when that happens, His hand will rest upon an individual or a group, but not for their good.
We are told in Hebrews 10:31 tells us that "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." In such a situation, the hand of God is against the person. A prime example of this can be found in the experience of Paul and Barnabas in Cyprus where they were spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, a sorcerer named Elymas did not like what they were doing and wanted to prevent a specific person from learning the good news. Paul's words to the sorcerer are contained in Acts 13:11 - Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” His evil aspirations failed and God's plan came to pass because others came to believe in Jesus and the Lord. Elymas illustrates that those who stand against the purpose of God will experience His mighty hand working against them.
The people of Ashdod equally experienced the hand of God against them. They failed to respect God and His presence, putting Him on the same level as their false god and felt the heavy hand of God against them. They were enemies of the Israelites who served false gods. At one point they captured the Ark of God in battle. Feeling triumphant, they brought the presence of God into their land and set it down in the place where they kept the idol of their god Dagon. The next morning, Dagon's idol was on the floor before the Ark of the Lord. The day after, the idol was again on the ground and this time, parts of it were crushed. God's hand didn't stop destroying them, however.
After plaguing them with rats (which bring disease), we are told in 1 Samuel 5:6 - The LORD’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors. Even though the leaders of Ashdod removed the Ark from Dagon's altar, we are told God continued to punish them in 1 Samuel 5:9 - But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors. Realizing they had no other defense against the hand of God, the people of Ashdod sent the Ark back to the people of Israel.
The hand of God can rest on a person or group for their good or their folly. In the event that the latter is the case, keep in mind that there is a good reason. For God is The Upright One. He doesn't hand out punishment unless it is very well deserved. This is why the angels proclaimed about Him in Revelation 19:2 that "His judgments are true and just."
May the hand of the Lord be upon us for His good and to His glory. May we enjoy the blessings and not the curses that come from God's justified wrath IJMN, Amen.
LAST 10 MINUTES We've all been through bad things in this life. Personally, I've had some experiences whereby I just couldn't see a future and a way out of the problems that seemed like a wall about to crush me. In hindsight, I have learned that God placed His hand upon me for good, and so even when my own actions led me into trouble, as soon as I cried out for the Lord, His hand brought me out of the miry place.
This is why I can freely admit that God is very good! For I have learned that satan seeks to take advantage of our mistakes and bring misery. However, when we cry out and call on Jesus, He comes running and He pleads with the Father on our behalf so that we avoid experiencing the hand of God for harm. This grace is undeserved - there's nothing any of us could truly do to justify it. None of us is good enough but yet, we enjoy it over and over.
Let us be thankful that we have not experienced when the hand of God is heavy for the purpose of punishment and destruction - Lord, I want to thank You for Your grace for I know there have been times when I have sinned and fallen short of Your glory. Thank You for despite my iniquity, You still showed me mercy and kindness. Thank You that in my foolish ways, You never treated me as my sins deserved. Instead, I experienced love and so much more from You. Indeed, as the word states, You are He who shows kindness to both the just and the unjust, the righteous and unrighteous. Thank You for making me a recipient of Your grace. Thank You that You have allowed me to escape Your hand being placed on me for harm. Thank You for Your grace made this possible and I appreciate it greatly.
Hallelujah!
Abba,
I thank You for being so generous and compassionate. Thank You for putting that same generosity in people and using them to help others.
God, I pray for Ms CV. Remember her and her husband for good. Let them have love and godly unity always. Please bless their children and teach them to follow Your ways.
Lord, in Your power, let all grace abound to her family, so that in all things, they will have all that they need and abound in every good work ( 2 Corinthians 9). I pronounce this blessing on her and hers: He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness. you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. Let this give You glory Lord, because their generosity will result in thanksgiving.
Dear Lord, You are the sovereign over the universe. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The world and all who dwell in it. You have control over and created all that is visible and invisible. Your word instructs in Matthew 6:33 - Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need (NLT). And so in accordance with Your instruction, we seek first Your kingdom during this period of intercession.
Father, we lift up the hungry to You. Fill their tummies with good things (Psalm 107:9). Lord, we call on You to stand up for the oppressed. Remember that You have promised to not despise or scorn the cries of the suffering (Psalm 22:24). Lord, be their Defender. Show the wicked that the orphan and the widow have a fighter on their side. Do not remain silent while the evil ones mock and squint the eyes as they maltreat those who they deem easy targets. Remember Your word and move according to Psalm 12:5 - The LORD replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.” (NLT).
Good God, Merciful God, remember the weary and the brokenhearted. You are close to the brokenhearted and save those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). This world has a way of crushing spirits and overwhelming many. But You are He who binds wounds. You heal, rescue and save. We call on You, the God who neither slumbers nor sleeps to stand. As stated in Zechariah 9:8 - But I will encamp at my temple to guard it against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I am keeping watch.
We make this petition in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Great and Mighty God, I praise You, my Lord and worship You for who You are. The all-knowing, Alpha & Omega. Thank You for being who You are from the beginning and forever.
God, the word states that You are He who stills the turmoil of nations (Psalm 65:7). You are Him to whom dominion belongs for You rule over the nations (Psalm 22:28).
And so it is to You that I submit the nations of the world and the issues they face. Lord, You are the source of every good and perfect gift, and so I ask for good things for the nations. That You, dear God, will uphold them for the sake of the righteous in accordance with Proverbs 11:11. Lord, have mercy. Let Your compassion speak, despite the sins of the world and our dereliction of duty to serve and honor You adequately. IJMN, Amen.
*From BI* - Lord I pray for peace in the world and for Your children to have more compassion towards each other. You are the God of compassion so I pray that Your children do not turn away from the sufferings of others but help where they can. I pray for love instead of hatred. Faith instead of doubt. Hope instead of despair. Joy instead of sadness. May the light of God dwell in dark places and may unity, charity, love and peace dwell among God’s children IJMN Amen.
Glorious God. You are He who is to be feared and dreaded because You alone are the Holy One. Hallowed be Your wonderful Name!
Lord, Your word instructs us to ask that we may receive, to seek and thereby find, and to knock that doors be opened to us. (Matthew 7:7-8)
Father, the devil seeks to stand in the way of doors to blessings and opportunities just as Goliath sought to stand against Your people oh so long ago. Just like David did, Lord, we rise, unafraid before every paper giant, knowing that we serve the Lord who is powerful. Knowing that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.
Therefore, Father, we lift up those in search of work and other opportunities from You. Lord, You are He who opens the doors that cannot be shut. We pray that You will open such doors in Your due time for Your children. That whatever requires plenty of effort will be available to Your beloveds by Your grace. That Your blessings shall accompany them and usher them into places others have no access to and that it will be clear that such goodness came from You alone, IJMN, Amen.
PRAYER TIME
"Freely you have received; freely give."
These were the words of our Savior Jesus Christ in Matthew 10:8. Let us, therefore, give freely in prayers to others right now.
Pay for the poor, the brokenhearted and the weary. Pray for the children in your neighborhood. Ask God to help your coworkers, that person you saw looking stressed at the supermarket.
Pray for others.
Luke 6:38 - Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
From BI - My Father of Yes and Amen. My Jehovah overdo. The best teacher ever. I thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit and for Your patience. My God that answers prayers. Ever present Lord and He who forgives me my sins. Thank You for making me more than a conqueror. To You be all honour, power and adoration. You alone are worthy of all praise.
Amen! Hallelujah!!
I lift up my praises to You my King.
For my family, I thank You.
For my ministry, I thank You.
For my business, I thank You.
For everything in my life that is to come, I thank You.
You are worthy of every praise, Jehovah!
From BC -
Praise God for His hand behind today's message.
Great King, thank You so much for Your sovereign hand in the life of myself and my loved ones!
God, I thank You especially for the following:
- helping me to put more thought into meals and thus enjoy them (like breakfast today was nice)
- I had a different but awesome morning devotion today
- divinely orchestrating my life this week, so that I ended up getting more exercise in
- timely financial provision this weekend
- helped me to prioritize this week -- even though I was busy, You helped me to manage to put You first
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctst0bXOYzK/
Glory be to God Almighty. You are my Helper, my Ebenezer. The One who stands before and beside. He who is above, beneath and all about me.
Lord, You have been faithful and I am grateful. In You is my confidence and when the devil roars like a lion seeking whom to devour, I know that my Daddy will meet it and deal with it soundly for my sake. For You are He who has rebuked satan. My Mighty King. The Man of War. You've never lost a battle and You never will.
I trust and believe in the God who has proven Himself over and over.
You are more than capable and I am beyond grateful to You for everything. Hallelujah!
Lord Jesus, thank You for standing as the High Priest for me. Thank You for being the Intercessor who has my interest at heart always. Thank You for dying for me. It is because of Your sacrifice that I can stand on grace and receive forgiveness for my sins.
For it is by the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved!
Thank You Savior!
*From BI* - Thank You my Heavenly King for my life. Thank You for my mental health, physical health and spiritual health. Thank You Lord for all the negativity You removed from my path. Thank You for being a wonderful Father and never taking Your love from me. Thank You for the many blessings and lessons. There is none like You and a million tongue will never suffice. Thank You Abba.
Heavenly Father, thank You for bringing us to the end of another work week. Thank You for keeping us safe and covering us in Your grace. Thank You for providing for our needs and showing us great love and kindness.
Thank You for being a shield for us. Thank You for Your hand upon us, leading us in the way we should go.
*From C* - Pray over and for me I’m heading into a big exam!!!
PRAISE TIME
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!
Let us join together in honoring the Lord with our praise & worship.
Express your love and adoration to God!
*From EC* - Amen and good morning ladies!
From M22 - Thank you Lord for another P and P. Grateful I get to worship with my fellow Peppers today.
Thank you for today's word sis @FFJ. I pray that we continually experience the hand of God for good. The people of Ashdod sure underestimated God's mighty power and he proved himself. I pray God continues to bless us with discernment so we know how to best glorify and honor him. I pray that everything we do will please him and not incur his wrath IJMN amen.