Bible In One Year-Day262 (Friday, September 19, 2014)

Commentary: Psalms21-25. The unrivaled favor God has for a king is the message of chapter21. Chapter22 on the other hand is the narration of the suffering of the righteous. His lamentation was like there was total silence from heaven.

MLB Psalms 22:1-2 “MY GOD, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me, so far from helping me and from the words of my groaning? O my God, I call by day, but Thou dost not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.”

In this chapter22, there is not any reference to any sin committed by the psalmist; rather, we could see that he was unjustifiably persecuted and closely oppressed by fierce and unscrupulous people expressed as ‘bulls’ and ‘dogs’.

Psalms 22:16-18 “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.”

The fulfillment of this in Jesus Christ made us to realize that this chapter22 was a messianic psalm in which Christ’s suffering was prophesied.

Matthew 27:35 “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture they cast lots.”

There is a great difference between the suffering of the wicked and that of the righteous. The suffering of the wicked is reaping of sown evil seeds, i.e. his harvest. And this could lead to total destruction unless he repents. The suffering of the righteous is for a purpose;

1. It is the Lord’s way of re-branding that life. Joseph went through it and his life was re-branded to suit the revelation given to him as a young and inexperienced man.
2. It is to infuse an experience into that person. With this experience, FAITH is built within that person. Faith is what pleases God.
3. It is to knit the revelation into the spirit, soul and body of that person; that is, the life of that person and the revelation given becomes one (inseparable) at the long run.
4. It is to empty the person of ‘self confidence’ and inculcate total reliance on God.
5. It is to kill pride and build humility. God stands to honor any person wearing the garment of humility (not forced gentility)

Ephesians 2:9 “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

6. It is to inculcate discipline in you.
7. It is to create a thirst for Him.
8. It is to deal with the stiffness in you and soften you to be able to embrace purpose.
9. It is to refine the life to the standard of revealing God’s glory.
10. It is to purge the person of ‘self’
11. It is for the person to recognize and appreciate grace.
12. It is to bring the best out of you.
13. It is to mature the life to the point of yielding the fruit of the Spirit, especially PATIENCE.
14. It is to prepare the person for the praise in the purposed assignment. That is, knowing to give God the glory when it is revealed. To be able to manage praise, you must taste ridicule, condemnation and persecutions. To be able to manage prosperity, you must taste poverty. Those who fall when they find themselves in elevated positions are those who skipped God’s course or subject of suffering in God’s college.

Hebrews 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

5. It is for the glory of God to be fully revealed

Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Beloved, God is in the sufferings of the righteous. The perfection of God’s plan is in the suffering of the righteous and not in what people see afterwards. That is, God’s plan and revelation is fully built in the suffering of the person carry the grace and not the number of people surrounding him.

Hebrews 2:10 “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

The evidence of the perfection is the glory which people see afterwards. This is why it is absolutely wrong to imitate any person when it comes to God’s work; submit yourself to God’s training, His time is the best. Those who run competitively in God’s work are not being led by him because His grace to individuals differs and He gives as He wills. There are numerous scriptural passages that tell us that in His time, glory is always revealed.

1 Peter 1:11 “Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”

1 Peter 4:13 “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”

Only God can set the time for your perfection, and not the number of days you have chosen to fast and pray. If God suggests two years, it will never be reduced. However, you could increase it if you refuse to yield to His pruning. When taking this course of suffering, no anointed man of God on earth can reduce or skip any phase or topic for you; he could only counsel you to yield. Truly, the righteous’ suffering is a calling to the saints in Christ.

MLB 1 Peter 2:18-22 “You domestic slaves should with unqualified respect be submissive to your masters, not only to the kind and considerate but also to those who are harsh; for this is meritorious, if with consciousness of God one endures the pain of unjust sufferings. For what merit is there in standing a beating for doing wrong? But if you bear patiently with suffering when you are doing right, this is pleasing to God. To such experience you have been called; for Christ also suffered for you and left behind an example, that you might follow in His footsteps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth,”

Righteous Suffering is a calling as Christ also experienced it. There is a glory that can manifest only through it. Don’t despise that moment but appreciate it and progressively endure through.

Let us seek for the old path where we could find rest. Let us listen to the trumpet’s sound, wherewith we could escape the calamity to come. Our reading for today is Psalm26-30. Keep the fire of burning and alive.

Supo Abayode

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Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

Delaware, USA