TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL (Thursday 22ND April 2021)
“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 112TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF HIGHER HEIGHTS!
We give God the glory for His marvelous works and protection over our lives, and families. The arrows of the wicked are flying everywhere but the covering of the LORD is also everywhere. We only need to hand onto His word and mercies, and strengthen our relationship with Him to enjoy that.
This morning we want to refresh our spirits of the revelation if human agencies in the distribution of divine treasures. God use men to reach men. He uses men He has sanctified and sent to impart His wisdom into others. That is why if you say you do not need men or are too proud to under an authority that can make you wiser than your enemies, you will be destroyed.
God use people to reach people. Our devotional text today is loaded with insights and revelation of what God can use a person He gave you either as a friend, a partner, an acquaintance, a neighbor, a pastor, a prophet, an apostle, even a wife or husband to do in your life.
Men can be God’s gift to other men; they can also be Satan’s snare to others. This is an obvious fact.
There are certain people that are raised by God to hide others from evil winds, cover them from the tempest of personal mistakes and etc. There are also people raised by the evil one to do the negative part of that in the lives of others. The kingdom of light and that of darkness both have men and women who works for them and do their bidding.
God have anointed men and women who can function in our lives as a shadow of a great rock in the scourging sun of the perils of life. Yes, there are anointed by Him, to function as channels of the supernatural river of God in a dry land.
HE DESIGNED SUCH PEOPLE SPIRITUALLY TO BRING A REFRESHING TO US EACH TIME WE 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 treasures. Sometimes we twist the revelation of the removal of the middle wall of partition to mean there is no need for human agency in dealing with God, that all of us can approach Him.
True, all of us can approach God but Jesus gave some to be things in His kingdom so He can have used them to help others approach Him directly. When you establish an interpersonal relationship with them, your life will begin to take leaps forward in the direction of God’s will for your life.
One of the major treasures of Heaven they make available to us is the treasure of 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…”
Through your relationship with them, they can function as God’s channels of divine wisdom in your life and on the face of the earth. In ancient times, we had prophets, kings, judges, and all sort of inspired people God planted in Israel to help the nation. Today we have the same categories of people planted in the Church by Christ to help us.
One of such men who was raised in ancient times was Solomon.
Don’t forget, 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
THIS SCRIPTURE IS VERY REVEALING
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.
In His mercy, God knows that not everyone can access certain dimensions of Heavenly wisdom. Not everyone can have their ears tuned to His Holy Spirit at higher levels, not everyone can maintain a very deep friendship with Him, hence not everyone can access the divine wisdom that can only be available though that kind of spiritual relationship.
In His mercy, He will plant those who can’t around those who can so that nothing will be missing or broken in the lives of everyone.
For me, my Mother, the pastor who led me to Christ, Rev. Isaac Nnachi, and many others played that role in my life. I woke up one morning to discover that all my woes happened because I did not listen to this critical people God placed in my life.
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 staring learning from him. God will use people to reach you with encounters and wisdom until you are able to stand on your own to reach the world with what He may have given you. That is why if you are too proud in life, you will remain small in life.
The posture to take under people God has raised to supply divine wisdom to you is that of father-son relationship. 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 children. Mark that phrase “righteous fathers and mothers.” That means I am not referring to the many aggrieved and wounded fathers and mothers who teach their Children the worst; I am referring to righteous fathers and mothers.
God placed a curse in scriptures on every Child who will not listen to his or her righteous parents. This is not applicable to biological parents alone. It also applies to spiritual parents. For spiritual parents the curse manifest different. It manifests only as a hindrance you suffer in life for lack of grace from them.
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 us.
A young man or woman without a guide is like an aircraft without a pilot. One day they will crash without redemption.
Make this devotional your meditation and 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.
Ask the LORD this day to give you a person who can fulfill His role in your life as an agent of divine wisdom. The answer could be a prophet, an apostle, 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