No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—
The ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—
1
Friday, July 07, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO IS OUR REFUGE
From Psalm 91
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will rest in the shadow of the Almighty's throne
He will hide you in the shadow of His wings
Our God is our refuge we trust in Him alone.
He'll command His angels to guard all your ways
You'll be lifted up so your foot won't strike a stone
You won't fear the night nor the dart that flies by day
Our God is our refuge we trust in Him alone.
The Lord is my shield from harm and distress
And so no disaster will come near my home
He is my fortress and He is my dwelling place
Our God is our refuge we trust in Him alone.
6
Thursday, July 06, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO SEARCHES OUT HIS PEOPLE
Isaiah chapter 65 verses 1 - 3 says this;
“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.
To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations— a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick;
This passage reveals the obstacles that people put in the way of the Lord when He extends His invitation to them to be redeemed by Him.
The people are preoccupied with their own interests and are not searching for God but nonetheless, the Lord attempts to make Himself know to them and make Himself possible to be found by them.
However, the people are obstinate and are accustomed to their own paths and ambitions.
They routinely antagonize the Lord brazenly by continuing with their sacrifices in their gardens and burning incense on bricks rather than honoring the Lord in the temple.
These people will end ruin but for those who are the Lord's servants, they will have the Lord's blessings as Isaiah chapter 65 verse 18 says;
“But be glad and rejoice forever over what I create; Behold, I am creating Jerusalem to be a source of rejoicing And her people a joy.
Amen.
6
Wednesday, July 05, 2023
OUR FATHER FROM WHOM WE ARE SEPARATED BECAUSE OF OUR INIQUITY
Isaiah 59 verses 8 - 10 says this;
The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks along them will know peace.
So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead.
This passage describes the condition of the people of God after they turn to their own way and fall into sin and violence.
They cannot find peace even when they try to foster peace and every route they take is one of injustice and corruption. The paths to their destinies become crooked and as they follow these paths, they encounter calamity and distress.
In this state, the people cannot resolve the shape of justice and righteousness is entirely unattainable.
When the people try to regain their former elevated society, they are in perpetual darkness and are no longer able to perceive light.
They become like sightless people groping along the walls unable to find the way.
When there is plenty of light, they stumble around as if in the dark and when they run into opposition, they capitulate in weakness as though dead.
Such are those who navigate away from God their creator to seek their own roads.
Amen.
Tuesday, July 04, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO REDEEMED HIS PEOPLE.
Isaiah chapter 63 verse 10 says this;
Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.
This verse describes the turning point in the relationship between the Lord and His people.
The Lord had been kind and merciful towards them and redeemed them out of bondage and led them to freedom even through the depths of the sea.
However, the people rebelled against Him and grieved the Holy Spirit of God.
The Lord became their enemy and resisted them.
It was at this time that the people of Israel began to recall their history and the favor of the Lord and remember when their God was in their midst and when all the astonishing signs and wonders occured before them.
They then asked the Lord to return for they were called by His name.
Amen.
4
Monday, July 03, 2023
OUR FATHER WHOSE JUDGEMENT FALLS ON THE WICKED
Isaiah chapter 56 verse 9 says this;
Come, all you beasts of the field, come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
This verse is an invitation to the beasts of the field and the beasts of the forest to devour the wicked.
The shepherds of God's people should have been mindful of them and treated them when they were sick and bound their injuries.
Instead of doing these things, the shepherds devoured the substance of the people without searching for the lost and gathering the scattered.
The people got into this state of vulnerability because those who should have been watching over them were absent from their duties as Ezekiel chapter 34 verse 5 says;
They scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every animal of the field and scattered.
Without guidance, the Lord's people were scattered and were easy pray for the beasts that sought to devour them.
Watchmen over the Lord's people must remain vigilant
Amen.
11
Sunday, July 02, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO IS OUR LIGHT
From Psalm 36
Your love reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
Your justice is perfect and wise
How priceless is Your unfailing love
For with You is the fountain of life
We delight in Your river above
You are our only light
We take refuge in the shadow of Your wings
Lord hear us when we call
We take refuge in the shadow of Your wings
Lord preserve us all
3
Saturday, July 01, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO HIDES US IN THE SHADOW
OF HIS WINGS
From Psalm 17
Lord keep me as the apple of Your eye
Hide me in the shadow of Your wings
Turn Your ear toward me and hear my humble prayer
I call on You, You always answer me
You are faithful and true
You are the One who makes all things new
You are holy and You are bright
You are life and You are light
2
Friday, June 30, 2023
OUR FATHER THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL
From Isaiah chapter 54
Burst into song, you who never were in labour
Oh precious ones of infinite worth
The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer
He's the God of all the earth
No weapon formed against you shall ever prosper
No accusation left to stand
This is the inheritance of those who serve His scepter
By Him we will possess the land
Woah Amen
Woah Amen
You are worthy, worthy of all praise
Woah Amen.
You are brighter , brighter than the sun
Woah Amen
You are righteous Holy One
Woah Amen
Woah Amen
Woah Amen
4
Thursday, June 29, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO FAVOURS THE HUMBLE
The book of Isaiah chapter 66 verses 1 - 2 says this;
This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?
Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.
“These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.
In this verse, the prophet Isaiah relays the words of the Lord to those who would follow God.
The Lord declares that Heaven is His throne, the headquarters of His kingdom and that the earth is His footstool or the place that the soles of His feet touch that he claims in keeping with the principle laid down in Duetronomy chapter 11 verse 24 which says;
Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea.
The Lord then asks where would the abode be that the hands of men would build for Him. Is not the Lord the one who made all things? He is telling inhabitants of the earth not to preoccupy themselves with tying to seek favour with Him by building shelters and resting places for Him.
The Lord succinctly informs us that to gain favor with Him, we must be humble and contrite in spirit before Him and that our response to His word must be reverence and unconditional obedience.
Amen.
1
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO LOVES RIGHTEOUSNESS
Psalm chapter 99 verses 4 - 5 says this;
The King is mighty, he loves justice— you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right.
Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.
The psalmist, in this passage, speaks of the power of the Lord and states that the Lord loves justice. As such, as King, the Lord establishes equity, fairness and righteousness in His kingdom.
Indeed the foundation of the kingdom of God is righteousness and justice as explained in Psalm 89 verse 14;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
The great gift of righteousness that the Lord has made available to us through the Lord Jesus Christ when He took our sins on the cross, makes us eligible to be part of the righteous kingdom of God.
The book of 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 24 says it this way;
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;
And as the book of Mathew chapter 5 verse 20 then says in the words of Jesus;
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The righteousness that we gain from believing in Christ's finished work on the cross, exceeds that of the religious leaders and teachers of the law (who were themselves assidous in following the letter of law) and thus we are made eligible to be citizens of the kingdom of heaven.
Amen.
1
Research Reference: Openbible.org
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO SPARES THE RIGHTEOUS
Isaiah chapter 56 verse 13 57 verse 1 says this;
The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.
When righteous people die, no one ponders why they have been removed from the world.
What people do not comprehend is that good people are removed to exclude them from the evil day.
In death, they repose in tranquility as verse two of Isaiah chapter 57 says;
Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
This verse advices us that when we see the righteous pass into death, we should take notice for they may be harbingers of an approaching day of evil.
Amen.
Monday, June 26, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO IS OUR REFUGE
Isaiah chapter 57 verse 13 says this;
When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you!
The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away.
But whoever takes refuge in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.”
The Lord, in this verse, contrasts those who turn to idols with those who take refuge in Him.
The Lord emphasizes the futility of attending to idols for when the day of trouble comes, those who call on their progression of idols and rely on them for help, would find themselves without aid because the idols would be dispersed by the wind and a mere breath would blow them away.
However, those who take refuge in the Lord would inherit the territory and have a portion in the kingdom of God.
Amen.
3
Sunday, June 25, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO DISPENSES WISDOM TO ANY WHO ASKS IN FAITH
Proverbs chapter 23 verse 20 says this;
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.
This verse reveals the way that the Lord will give wisdom to anyone who asks as promised in James chapter 1 verse 5 which says;
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
If we request wisdom from the Lord, He can bring a companion alongside us who carries the wisdom of the Lord into the situation in our lives and by induction, we gain wisdom.
We are given the hallmarks by which to recognize from where the wisdom is sourced in James chapter 3 verses 17 - 18 which says;
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness
On the other hand, the wisdom that is dispensed from sources other than heaven yield different results. James chapter 3 verses 14 - 16, says this;
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
If we entwine our lives with fools, we will be influenced by wisdom which is earthly, unspiritual and demonic.
We will then suffer harm from the chaotic and evil environment that is generated from it.
Let us pray for the Lord's wisdom.
Amen.
Research reference : Crossway.org
Saturday, June 24, 2023
OUR FATHER WHOSE WORKS ARE AWESOME
From Psalm 77 verse 10;
I cried out to You, Lord hear me
I called out to You, Lord help me.
I was in distress and I searched for You
Each night I humbly lifted my hands to You
I thought to myself, with You will I agree
I will recount the miracles that you did for me
I will recall the awesome works that you displayed
And think of the path that Your right hand has made
1
Friday, June 23, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO FILLS OUR HEARTS WITH JOY
From Psalm 4
Let the light of your face
Shine upon us, shine upon us
Fill our hearts with joy and praise
Let us offer sacrifices
Of the righteous, of the righteous
For You Lord keep us safe
2
Thursday, June 22, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO WAITS FOR HIS PEOPLE TO RETURN TO HIM
The book of Isaiah chapter 57 verse 10 says this;
You wearied yourself by such going about, but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’
You found renewal of your strength, and so you did not faint.
The Lord, speaking to those who rebelled against Him by offering sacrifices to false gods and interacting with the underworld and throwing off all moral restraints, observed that even though these activities wore them out and left them fatigued, they stubbornly pressed on and remained indefatigable.
Somehow, they were able to replenish their energy and keep advancing in their evil pursuits.
The Lord asked in Isaiah chapter 57 verse 11 whom His people feared so greatly that they drove themselves to their limit rather than remember their God.
“Whom have you so dreaded and feared that you have not been true to me, and have neither remembered me nor taken this to heart?
Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear me?
The Lord says to His people that they have not feared Him because He had been silent for so long.
Amen.
5
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO MADE A WAY FOR FOREIGN NATIONS TO BE SAVED
In the book of Isaiah chapter 56 verse 7, the Lord, speaking of the foreigners who:
Bind themselves to the Lord
Minister to him
Love the name of the Lord
Serve the Lord
Keep the Sabbath pure
And adhere to His covenant,
says this;
these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
In this verse, the gentiles or foreigners who pursued the things of God were promised access to the Lord's holy mountain and the gift of joy in His house of prayer.
The offerings and sacrifices they made would be registered and accepted on the altar of God because, the Lord said, His house would be called a house of prayer for all nations.
In fact, this is the verse that the Lord Jesus referenced when He chased the money changers out of the temple because in the context of the verse, the temple was to be sustained in reverence for it was a house of prayer to which all people on earth could come but it was instead, being maintained as a trading floor for speculative currency buying and selling which turned the holy temple of God into a den of thieves.
When Jesus chased out the money changers from the temple, He was clearing it in preparation for the nations who were going to be inducted into the family of God when they believed on the Lord Jesus and the sacrifice of His life on a cross to pay for the sins of the world.
Amen.
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO LOVES US
The book of Isaiah chapter 55 verse 3 says this;
Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.
The Lord, in kindness, invites people to come to Him for He provides water to the thirsty and food for the hungry.
To those who come to Him, He counsels them to incline their spiritual ear toward Him so that they may hear Him and in hearing, their soul may live.
The Lord will make an eternal covenant with those who hear Him and it will be a covenant of the Lord's faithful and steadfast love that was promised to King David.
Amen.
Monday, June 19, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO IS THE ONLY GOD
The book of Isaiah chapter 44 verse 9 says this;
All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless.
Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame.
The Lord, speaking to His people, cautions them against the making and affirming of idols.
The Lord, in Isaiah chapter 44 verse 6 asserts to His people that He is the only God;
I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
If the Lord is the supreme God, why should His people indulge in the work of idol makers?
Mere humans build idols out of stone and wood and then claim that their creations are worthy to be bowed down to and worshipped yet even the Lord, with vast expances of knowledge, knows of no other god beside Himself saying in Isaiah chapter 44 verse 8;
You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Amen.
4
Sunday, June 18, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO SENT A MESSENGER AHEAD OF HIS SON
In the book of Matthew chapter 11 verse 9, the Lord Jesus, speaking to the crowd about John the Baptist and what had drawn them to listen to him, asked and answered this question;
Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
The question posed to the crowd about John the Baptist was what had attracted the people out to the wilderness to hear him?
They had not been drawn by a reed swaying in the wind because no one would have ventured into the harsh environment to listen to the opinions of a man that changed direction with the wind.
They had not gone out seeking a person with political power dressed in the fine clothing of kings and governors. If that is what they had been looking for, they would not have gone to the desert to find him but rather to the palaces in the urban centers of power.
Jesus asked, so if not these things, what compelled the people into the treacherous terrain to listen John?
Jesus identifies the reason: a prophet.
The gravity of a prophet speaking the words of God in the desert was the only power that could pull people out of their comfort zones into the discomfort of the wilderness.
The Lord Jesus said that John was such a prophet and that he was even more than a prophet because it was him of whom it was written, in the book of Malachi chapter 3 verse 1;
“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
This verse contains the words of the Father speaking to the Son about the one who would be sent to herald the sudden arrival of the Lord at His temple.
Amen.
Saturday, June 17, 2023
OUR FATHER FROM WHOM OUR HELP COMES
From Psalm 79
Help us, God our Savior
Take away our shame
Forgive us and deliver us
For the glory of Your name
Then we who are Your people
Will glory in Your grace
From generation to generation
We will proclaim Your praise.
3
Friday, June 16, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO SAVED US
From Psalm 44
We have heard it for ourselves
The bible tells us so
What You did to save us Lord
In days long ago
Not by our strength nor our deeds
Nor by what we could say
But by Your right hand, the light of Your face
By Your love we were saved
Thursday, June 15, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO RESPONDS TO THE DISTRESS OF HIS PEOPLE
Psalm18 verse 13 says this;
The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
Psalm 18 verse 30 says this;
As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.
The Psalmist describes God's response when His own call out to Him in distress.
God moves under the guise of weather events, with lightening, wind, hail and cloud cover as his instruments. His thunder resounds from heaven.
All the Lord's ways are perfect and His word is flawless. Those who call upon His name and run to Him for refuge are shielded by Him.
As Psalm 18 verse 31 says;
For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?
Amen.
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
OUR FATHER WHOSE JUDGEMENT IS FEARSOME
Isaiah chapter 33 verses 11 - 12 says this;
You conceive chaff, you give birth to straw; your breath is a fire that consumes you.
The peoples will be burned to ashes; like cut thornbushes they will be set ablaze.”
The prophet Isaiah describes the Lord God of Israel arising in judgement over the whole earth.
A strange pronouncement is made over the people where they will conceive chaff and give birth to straw and that their own breath will be a fire that will consume them.
This passage is mirrored in Mathew chapter 3 verses 11 - 12, in the words of John the Baptist, which say;
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
The one of whom John speaks is Jesus and He is the one who will gather His wheat into the barn and the chaff, who are people produced by the work of His enemies to contaminate the wheat crop, are burned to ashes in an unquenchable fire.
Mathew chapter 12 verse 37, capturing words that the Lord Jesus spoke the religious leaders of His time, says this;
For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
This appears to mirror the phrase that reads "your breath is a fire that consumes you".
Fearsome is the day of the Lord's judgement.
1
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
OUR FATHER WHOSE DAY OF JUDGMENT APPROACHES
The book of Joel chapter 3 verse 9 says this;
Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors!
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
This verse is an instruction from the Lord to His prophets to move among the nations and announce to His people to prepare for war and to stir up the warriors to move close the enemy and strike them.
Remembering that the Lord will be ruling his people while they are embedded in the midst of His enemies, this instruction is to go out among the nations to reach those who are the Lord's people and rouse them into a posture of combat.
With urgency, the people are strengthened, they are told to turn their implements of peacetime into weapons of war.
The day of judgement approaches rapidly with millions in the valley of decision as Joel chapter 3 verse 14 says;
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
Amen.
Monday, June 12, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO COUNSELS DISCRETION
Isaiah chapter 39 verse 4 says this;
The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”
“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”
King Hezekiah had been sick for a while but had eventually convalensed and a prince from Babylon sent some envoys with letters and a gift over his recovery.
Reciprocating to what he thought was a kind gesture, Hezekiah took the Babylonian envoys on a tour of his palace, the treasure house, the storehouses and the armories of Israel.
Isaiah the prophet heard of the visitors and went to the king and asked him what the men had said and where they had come from.
Hezekiah replied that they had come from Babylon to which Isaiah asked, "What did they see in your palace?"
Hezekiah answered that the guests had seen everything in his palace as well as all the treasures.
Isaiah the prophet then delivered the bad news telling king Hezekiah that there was a day coming where everything he had shown the Babylonian envoys would be carried off to Babylon along with the people of Israel some of whom would be Hezekiah's own descendants.
This was the terrible eventuallity that resulted from king Hezekiah's disclosure of Israel's treasures and resources.
When entrusted with the hidden matters of a kingdom, we must diligently restrain ourselves so as not to reveal them to a rival or antagonist even if they seem well meaning.
Amen.
Sunday, June 11, 2023
OUR FATHER WHO FORMED US AND CHOSE US
Isaiah chapter 44 verses 1 - 2 says this;
“But now listen, Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen.
This is what the Lord says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you:
Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
In this passage, Isaiah the prophet addresses the people of Israel as Jacob which the name of their forefather and these were the people whom the Lord had chosen.
Jacob himself can be understood to represent the believer because he was the offspring of God's promise to Abraham who was Isaac.
The words spoken to Jacob can thus be read to be addressed to us believers in Christ for we were chosen and then were born again into the promise.
The Lord promised that He will help us and that we should not be afraid for even when we are parched, the Lord will pour living water on us and it will flow out of us like rivers to supply and replenish all our people with life.
As Isaiah chapter 44 verses 3 - 4 says;
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.