TODAY’S DEVOTION (Wednesday 29th April 2020)
“Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice. A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”
“The eyes of those who see will not be dim, and the ears of those who hear will listen. Also, the heart of the rash will understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.” Isaiah 32:1-4 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 119th DAY OF OUR YEAR OF REJOICING
People have taken financial empowerment to be the greatest empowerment on earth. But I have seen people who were financially empowered go down after a while. The greatest empowerment on earth therefore is not financial empowerment as good as that may be.
The greatest empowerment on earth is wisdom empowerment.
The reason is simple. I have seen people empowered with material things go down after a while, but I am yet to see someone empowered with wisdom go down after a while. They remain up and up and up because wisdom makes the paths of one’s life to shine brighter and brighter unto a perfect day, especially the wisdom of GOD.
When God want to empower you with blessings that will span generations, he will give you wisdom from the above. And most times He will use men to do it. That is why you must be humble enough to learn from other people, either great or small. Yes, you must be humble enough to learn from even an ant if you want to be great in life.
Talking about God using people to impart wisdom into others, I want you to understand that God do use men to impart His wisdom into others. If you say you do not need men or are too proud to sit under an authority that can make you wiser than your enemies, you will be destroyed.
It has been our month of divine wisdom, and our devotional text today is loaded with insight and revelation of what God can use a man He gives you either as a pastor, a prophet, an apostle, or even a husband to do in your life.
MEN CAN BE GOD’S GIFT TO OTHER MEN, THEY CAN ALSO BE SATAN’S SNARE TO OTHERS.
There are certain people that are raised by God to hide others from evil winds, cover them from the tempest of personal mistakes etc. There are men that can function in your life as a shadow of a great rock in the scourging sun of the perils of life.
Yes, there are anointed God given men and women who can function as channels of the supernatural river of God in a dry land – people that are designed and anointed to always refresh you each time you read their works or commune with them.
That is what makes friendship, submission, or loyalty to such men a key to accessing and operating in divine wisdom. Do not forget, we have been sharing on how to access and operate in divine wisdom.
A major highlight in our devotional text states; “The eyes of those who see will not be dim, and the ears of those who hear will listen. Also, the heart of the rash will understand knowledge…” This is by reason of the men God has anointed to function as channels of divine wisdom on the face of the earth.
One of such men was Solomon.
God made him the wisest person in his days. His wisdom was divine that was why it excelled that of every other person. The Bible says,
And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.
For he was wiser than all men — than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five.
Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish.
And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon. 1 Kings 4:29-34 NKJV
THERE IS SO MUCH IN THIS SCRIPTURE TO GLEAN!
Indeed in his days Solomon functioned as a hiding place for the tempest of life for many, a shadow of a great rock for others, and rivers of divine wisdom in a dry place that was full of cruelty, earthly and demonic wisdom. When he spoke hearts gained understanding, eyes that had sight saw, and ears that could hear listened.
The queen of Sheba who history said later became one of his many wives, traveled from Ethiopia to Israel just to hear his wisdom. Many paid so much just to sit and hear him speak. His wisdom brought solution to the many problems that were facing his generation. That was why many pressed into it!
If you do not have divine wisdom, sometimes God will give you a man or a woman who has for you to listen to. If you refuse to listen to the person, you will wake up at the evening of your life to see how foolish you have lived your life.
You see, in His mercy, God knows not everyone can access His wisdom directly, so He made provision for them. He knows that not all have their ears tuned to His Holy Spirit, and not all can maintain a friendship that makes divine wisdom abundantly available to them. So, He usually plant those who cannot access His wisdom directly around those who can so that nothing will be missing or broken in the lives of men.
For me, my parents and few other critical people God placed around me played that role in my life. I woke up one morning to discover that all my woes happened because I did not listen to the critical people God placed in my life. I learned that if God place critical persons in your life and you do not listen to them, you will fill your life with self-inflicted wounds.
I may be a critical person in the life of someone reading this devotional. If I am and you do not listen to me, you will fill your life with self-inflicted wounds. God knows that your ears may not be tuned enough to pick wisdom directly from Him. Hence placing me around your life.
YOUR JOB IS TO LISTEN TO AND HONOR THIS HUMAN CHANNEL SO THAT IT CAN BE BENEFICIAL TO YOU.
Even Solomon has human channels God used to fill Him with Wisdom. It may surprise you to note that before Solomon grew up to become the wisest king, his mother was his personal teacher. The book of proverbs is full of things he learnt from his mother before others started learning from him.
Friend, if you do not humble yourself and submit to critical people God placed in your life and learn from them, there may be nothing significant that others will learn from you. You must take an effective posture under them to receive the wisdom God want to deposit in your life through them, and the most effective posture I have found out is the father-son relationship posture.
You find that all through the scriptures.
You do not see yourself as equal to such people else nothing will flow from them to you. One of those men God raised to supply wisdom to a young man, once wrote saying;
“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;” Proverbs 4:20-21 NKJV
Righteous fathers and mothers are raised by God to supply wisdom to obedient children. Mark my phrases; “righteous fathers and mothers” and “teachable Children.” If the fathers or mothers are not righteous or if the children are not teachable, the program of God for their lives will be defeated.
If you are not teachable, then you are not reachable.
If you are not reachable you will stumble into the pits of your enemies or fall under the curse of sudden destruction. That is why you see people who are not teachable going through a lot in life. God can not reach them to save them. It takes being teachable to be reachable!
GOD PLACED A CURSE IN SCRIPTURES ON EVERY CHILD WHO WILL NOT LISTEN TO HIS OR HER RIGHTEOUS PARENTS.
As we bring this to a close today, I want you to understand that God do use men to teach others divine wisdom. These men could come as parents, teachers, Bible guides, apostles, prophets, pastors, or etc. They could come as young or old men and women, however, irrespective of how they come, they are to be treated with respect and honor so that all they carry can flow to those GOD sent them to.
A young man or woman without a guide is like an aircraft without a pilot. One day he or she will crash without redemption. I believe if you make this devotional your meditation, especially as a young man or woman, you will never be caught in the perils of life.
If you are presently alone in the spirit or surrounded by foolish men who cannot tell you things that are in Line with God’s will, you are already in a snare. Very soon life will become unbearable to you.
If you do not have anyone, ask the LORD this day to give you a person who can fulfill the role of an agent of divine wisdom in your life. The answer could be a pastor, prophet by content, an apostle by content, or even a life partner with the equipping your need.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR TODAY!
Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding; For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law.
When I was my father’s son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.
Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
She will place on your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory she will deliver to you.” Proverbs 4:1-9 NKJV