Isaiah 38:19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day; the father to the children shall make known thy truth.
Oh Friends, we the living, have we praised Him today? I surely hope so, for He is most worthy to be praised and glorified! Today’s Bit comes from king Hezekiah’s song of praise and thanksgiving after the Lord healed him, extended his life and promised him safety. ‘In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet came unto him, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed unto the Lord.’ (Is.38:1-2) Yes people, it’s all well and good to turn to the Lord when we’re sick, even unto death, but what happens when we’re hale and hearty eh? We oftimes forget or simply ignore our Creator, the giver of all good things. But Friends, we’re even more indebted to give thanks then, cause He’s been kind and merciful by giving us health and strength. We ought to say thanks for the good things too. Don’t we tell our fellow man thanks, when they give us something good or do us a favour? So why are we so reluctant to tell our Heavenly Father thanks too people? At least Hezekiah could say to God; ‘Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.’ (vs.3) Friends, can we pray that that prayer with all sincerity? If we can’t now, then we should start changing our lives so that at some stage in the not too distant future we can. For we never know when the grim reaper will make his appearance, and it’s doubtful whether we’ll be lucky as Hezekiah, to have somebody like Isaiah warn us, and also come back and say that the Lord had granted us a stay of execution. ‘Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father; I have seen thy tears, behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.’ (vs.5-6) Wow! Some people have all the luck eh? No Friends, it’s not luck; it’s the mercy of God. That’s what happens when we acknowledge Him and walk obedient to His Word. Then goodness and mercy rain down on us. Hezekiah had really tried to be faithful. It was also an opportunity for the Lord to magnify His name, cause He promised Hezekiah a sign of His faithfulness. ‘Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it had gone down.’ (vs.8) And all God’s people sang, ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ It’s the only time in recorded history that the sun has gone backward, not forward. Oh Friends, doesn’t that prove what a mighty, merciful, miraculous and faithful God we defend? Yet we still find it difficult to give Him, His just deserts of praise and glorified worship. But, as we’ve promised ourselves, (smile)all of this will change in 2009; the living, the hale and hearty shall praise Him this day and everyday, so that if anything untoward befalls us, we can turn to Him with a right heart and ask for His mercy. Or, Lord forbid, the grim reaper suddenly shows up, our heart and our house will be in order. ‘For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.’ (vs.18) And that’s a fact Friends, as Bruh David has taken pains to point out on several occasions. ‘For in death there is no remembrance of thee; in the grave who shall give thee thanks?’ (Ps.6:5) ‘What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare thy truth? (Ps.30:9) ‘Shall thy loving-kindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?’ (Ps.88:11) ‘The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down in to silence.’ (Ps.115:17) Yes my people, when we’re in the grave it will be too late, that’s why we’ve got to make hay while the sun shines brightly in our lives: that’s right NOW! NOW; must we give Him thanks and praise, while we’re alive and kicking. NOW; must we be obedient to His Word. NOW; must we call on Him, both in times of sorrow and joy. Make known to Him, NOW; our gratitude for His mercy and loving-kindness. NOW, Friends, NOW, is when we must worship and adore Him with all our heart and soul. NOW, is when we need to talk and walk with Him, and also hold His hand, as we journey along our earthly path that’s filled with obstacles and pitfalls, for He’s the only one that can prevent us from falling when we stumble. Oh Friends, it’s such a beautiful journey when we walk hand in hand with the Lord! And since we can’t show our appreciation from the grave, we need to show it NOW; while we’re alive. ‘The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day.’ Please people, let’s make that a daily habit. Much LOVE!…praise Him…praise Him…glory hallelujah…He is LOVE…He is LOVE… (To be continued.)
Oh Friends, we the living, have we praised Him today? I surely hope so, for He is most worthy to be praised and glorified! Today’s Bit comes from king Hezekiah’s song of praise and thanksgiving after the Lord healed him, extended his life and promised him safety. ‘In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet came unto him, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed unto the Lord.’ (Is.38:1-2) Yes people, it’s all well and good to turn to the Lord when we’re sick, even unto death, but what happens when we’re hale and hearty eh? We oftimes forget or simply ignore our Creator, the giver of all good things. But Friends, we’re even more indebted to give thanks then, cause He’s been kind and merciful by giving us health and strength. We ought to say thanks for the good things too. Don’t we tell our fellow man thanks, when they give us something good or do us a favour? So why are we so reluctant to tell our Heavenly Father thanks too people? At least Hezekiah could say to God; ‘Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.’ (vs.3) Friends, can we pray that that prayer with all sincerity? If we can’t now, then we should start changing our lives so that at some stage in the not too distant future we can. For we never know when the grim reaper will make his appearance, and it’s doubtful whether we’ll be lucky as Hezekiah, to have somebody like Isaiah warn us, and also come back and say that the Lord had granted us a stay of execution. ‘Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father; I have seen thy tears, behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.’ (vs.5-6) Wow! Some people have all the luck eh? No Friends, it’s not luck; it’s the mercy of God. That’s what happens when we acknowledge Him and walk obedient to His Word. Then goodness and mercy rain down on us. Hezekiah had really tried to be faithful. It was also an opportunity for the Lord to magnify His name, cause He promised Hezekiah a sign of His faithfulness. ‘Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it had gone down.’ (vs.8) And all God’s people sang, ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ It’s the only time in recorded history that the sun has gone backward, not forward. Oh Friends, doesn’t that prove what a mighty, merciful, miraculous and faithful God we defend? Yet we still find it difficult to give Him, His just deserts of praise and glorified worship. But, as we’ve promised ourselves, (smile)all of this will change in 2009; the living, the hale and hearty shall praise Him this day and everyday, so that if anything untoward befalls us, we can turn to Him with a right heart and ask for His mercy. Or, Lord forbid, the grim reaper suddenly shows up, our heart and our house will be in order. ‘For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.’ (vs.18) And that’s a fact Friends, as Bruh David has taken pains to point out on several occasions. ‘For in death there is no remembrance of thee; in the grave who shall give thee thanks?’ (Ps.6:5) ‘What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare thy truth? (Ps.30:9) ‘Shall thy loving-kindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?’ (Ps.88:11) ‘The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down in to silence.’ (Ps.115:17) Yes my people, when we’re in the grave it will be too late, that’s why we’ve got to make hay while the sun shines brightly in our lives: that’s right NOW! NOW; must we give Him thanks and praise, while we’re alive and kicking. NOW; must we be obedient to His Word. NOW; must we call on Him, both in times of sorrow and joy. Make known to Him, NOW; our gratitude for His mercy and loving-kindness. NOW, Friends, NOW, is when we must worship and adore Him with all our heart and soul. NOW, is when we need to talk and walk with Him, and also hold His hand, as we journey along our earthly path that’s filled with obstacles and pitfalls, for He’s the only one that can prevent us from falling when we stumble. Oh Friends, it’s such a beautiful journey when we walk hand in hand with the Lord! And since we can’t show our appreciation from the grave, we need to show it NOW; while we’re alive. ‘The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day.’ Please people, let’s make that a daily habit. Much LOVE!…praise Him…praise Him…glory hallelujah…He is LOVE…He is LOVE… (To be continued.)
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