His faithfulness in our frustration

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul” (Lam. 3: 22-24).  Therefore, I can pray: “In Your faithfulness answer me” (Ps. 143:1), because His compassions fail not, and because they are new every morning

The Lord’s faithfulness in facing our frustration:

And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter … And the people complained against Moses (Ex. 15:22-24).  The people were overjoyed because they came out of Egypt, and because Pharaoh and his chariots drowned in the sea.  After they sang the song of Moses proclaiming the: greatness and wonderful works of the Lord, they walked for three days in the dessert without any water.  When they finally came to an oasis, they assumed the Lord had met their needs saving them from thirst.  Instead, they were shocked and started murmuring against Moses when they discovered that the water was bitter.  We are often frustrated when things don’t happen as expected; an example of that is what happened with Elijah.  After fire came down from heaven and ate the sacrifice, Elijah killed the prophets of Baal and expected that this would end Jezebel.  However, she threatened to kill him and this frustrated and depressed him. “And when he saw that, he rose and ran for his life … and he prayed that he might die.”(1Kgs 19:3, 4)

The way to overcome frustration is to set your eyes on the Lord, the faithful one, not on circumstances or people.  Tell yourself the following words: I declare that all things work together for my good, even other people’s mistakes.  If the water is bitter, the Lord is able to remove any bitterness from my circumstances and from my heart.  

If you ask the Lord to help you focus on Him, He will protect you from your surrounding frustrations and heal your circumstances.

“So he cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree, when he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.” (Ex. 15:25). The Lord is able to remove bitterness from our hearts, healing us from depression just as he did with Elijah, and also to deal with our circumstances according to His great faithfulness.

The tree points to the crucified Jesus who loved us and died for our sakes.  Therefore, do not fling away your confidence for He will definitely heal you, removing your bitterness as He did with the Israelites in the past.  Not only did the Lord heal the waters, but also brought them to Elim where there were twelve springs and seventy date palms!! What a compensation!! If we are faithless, He remains faithful.

“When I heard, my body trembled; … That I might rest in the day of trouble … Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”(Hab. 3:16, 18).  As Habakkuk prayed, he found rest and rejoiced in the Lord.  Follow Habakkuk’s example and do not focus on people or circumstances, but only on the Lord and the Holy Spirit will work in your heart and fill you with joy and confidence in the Lord!

“You have a mighty arm; strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand; mercy and truth go before Your face…. But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,… My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail” (Ps. 89: 13,14, 24, 33). The Lord remains the faithful one; He will never lie or alter what he uttered.  Therefore, we can always trust him in the midst of fluctuations.

“Then Noah built an altar to the lord (after the flood) … and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground” (Gen. 8:20, 21).  The burnt offering symbolizes the work of the Lord Jesus for us on the cross forgiving our iniquities and sins to redeem us from the curse.  “Thus I establish My covenant with you … never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth … I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.” (Gen. 9:11, 13).  The rainbow was set in the sky to remind people that there will not be another flood to destroy the earth.  “and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald” (Rev. 4:3) We will see the rainbow in its fullness in eternity; meaning that our perception of the Lord’s faithfulness on earth is limited.  In heaven, we will see the full rainbow and grasp the faithfulness of the Lord fully.  The rainbow in its beautiful green color speaks about vitality and life.

“Then he said to me: “This water flows … And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live.” (Ezek. 47:8, 9). The Holy Spirit resembled by water brings healing, joy, comfort, doubling our strength and peace

A Man of Rest

“And of Asher he said: Asher is most blessed of sons; Let him be favored by his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil.  Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be” (Deut. 33: 24). Moses blessed this tribe by:

• Fruitfulness and enlargement
• Dips his foot in oil; by the power and the leadership of the Holy Spirit , he moves from glory to glory enjoying the protection
• Sources of harm will be closed by iron and bronze and satan cannot open them.
• As his days, so shall his strength be no matter what the time or circumstances are.

The Lord’s will for you is to be like Asher, enjoying all these privileges.  Trust that as you walk with the Lord, he carries you on the everlasting arm; blesses you, renews your strength like the eagle, and gives you rest all around.  If you are being threatened by satan; say as my days, so shall my strength be.  If you fear old age; say as my days, so shall my strength be because the great giver of rest, the Lord Jesus, wants to accompany us and to walk the entire path with us.  He said, “come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest … and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt 11: 28) He paid the price of rest on the cross.

Three characters in the Bible enjoyed this rest.  All were kings; and this means that the Lord wants you to live as a king.

King Jehoshaphat: “Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around” (2 Chr.20: 30)  The Lord gave him rest in all areas of his life as he faced the alliance of three armies against him.  He prayed: “We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” (2 Chr. 20: 12).  Jehoshaphat confessed his faith in the divine deliverance.  For this reason the Lord’s reply was that the battle was not theirs but God’s.  These armies were confused and they helped to destroy one another.  Confess your faith that the Lord disperses any evil alliance against you because of your faith in the precious blood.

King Asa: “For they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them and the Lord gave them rest all around” (2 Chron.15: 15) and in (2 Chron. 14: 7) “We have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side” Seek the Lord with all your heart and trust that His blood delivered you from the sense of guilt and you will enjoy rest and prosperity.  The Lord will not let you down.

King Solomon: “But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence” ( 1 King 5: 4) and in (1 Chron. 22: 9) “Behold a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around.  His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days” Every believer is called to be a man of rest and to carry out ones dealings while enjoying rest.  Refuse any burdens from satan; make the Lord Jesus your Lord and friend; and He will carry your burdens.  Then you can be a man of rest just like Solomon.

Come to the Lord and you will have rest.  Cast all your burdens on Him for He cares for you … He knows what you need for He is a good Father.

Preserves You from all Evil

The Lord promises definite protection for the ones who have a true relationship with the Lord Jesus, who have been washed from their sins by the precious blood.  This teaching is clearly stated in Psalm 121, one of the songs of ascents, which was sung as the people went up to Jerusalem to celebrate the following three feasts:

1. The Passover: to thank the Lord for His salvation
2. The Feast of the Pentecost: to thank the Lord for His material blessings
3. The Feast of the Tabernacle: to thank the Lord for His protection

This Psalm was sung, as they journeyed, for protection from:  the rough road, robbers, and scorching sun also:

“I will lift my eyes to the hills – From whence comes my help?” (Psalm 121: 1) I lift my eyes to the Lord; where the real help comes from.  Thus I will not fear the road.  I receive assistance from the hand of the Lord.  “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121: 2) who controls incidences and people for my good and my protection.  He subjects politics and laws for my peace and prosperity.

“He will not allow your foot to be moved;” (Psalm 121: 3) Satan always tries to harm you and labors to make you stumble, but the Lord safeguards you from going down to the Pit, and preserves you from falling into sin.  Thank the Lord for His protection; which is confirmed in many verses such as:

“For You have delivered my soul from death.  Have You not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?” (Psalm 56: 13)

“He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places.” (Psalm 18: 33)

“They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they have dug a pit before me; into the midst of it they have themselves fallen” (Psalm 57: 6)

“He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.” (Psalm 40:2)

All these verses confirm the continuous protection; thus the psalm reiterates, “He will not allow your foot to be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.” (Psalm 121: 3). The Lord does not slumber to give His beloved the ability to sleep; meaning He always protects you.  It is not dependent on you.  Be free from worry and cast all your cares and fears on Him.  The Lord preserves you from known and apparent dangers as well as hidden and obscure ones, “The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.” (Psalm 121: 6)

Enjoy definite protection and recap this Psalm when you face danger or fear, for “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.” (Psalm 121: 5)

“The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.” (Psalm 121: 7) Proclaim these words, for they are able to put an end to your fear.  You will be restful and able to sleep in tranquility and peace.  The Lord will send His angels to protect you; no plague shall come near your dwelling.

“The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.” (Psalm 121: 8) The Lord shall preserve you at the beginning and at the end; the beginning and the end of a phase, representing life in general which is made up of going out and coming in … meaning He will protect you all the time.

Say to the Lord: You are my Help and protection.  You preserve me: preserve my soul, emotions, and preserve me from all evil.  You preserve me in your will and prosper my path.

Proclaim: I am fully preserved by the power of God!