Thoughts for another day

May 8, 2013.

Today's verse: Is. 49:13. Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. (KJV)

(Pls. read the above before you read further.  Thanks)

Affliction in a man has many reasons to be.  With the Jews, in the context of the above verse, it was because of their sins.  The abominations they carried out, their relentless failure to heed both His laws and His warnings, so much so that the heap of their sins were piled from the earth to heaven and then God acted, He brought such destruction upon them which they thought they’d never be afflicted with because they had the Temple, the abode of the Holy One with them.

Our afflictions too may be as a result of our disobedience to God; our sins that affront His holiness and His Sovereignty.  Some of us sin so much and btw, it’s not necessarily committing the sins stated to be grievous like murder, adultery, etc. that mark our fall from Grace, but also sins that’re as minor(!) as rumor mongering, gossiping, thinking evil of someone, lying, etc. which ruin our lives.  We may never understand the damage sin does to us, but it does and I know it well from personal experience for I remember the suffering I had to go through when I sinned and it was so that I realise my follies and revert back to the straight path.  To be honest, I thank God for it, for had God not given them to me, I wouldn’t relent from sinning and my doom would’ve been sure.

But despite this, the fact of the matter our Scripture today gives us is that, in our repentance, God comforts us.  God will revert back the grandeur we had before; He will wipe all tears from our eyes, spilled because of the pain of the trial and He will lead us to glorious terrain, raising us up to enjoy His bounteous providence.  He will have mercy and take away everything that causes us pain.  And in that will our lips give Him magnificent praise, resounding from the ramparts of heaven and shaking the very foundations of the earth. We’re glad, God has allowed us to reconcile with Him and opened the gates to move with Him into our eternal zones.