Proverbs 3:1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
So it’s another brand new day! However, this one isn’t as bright and sunshiny as the last several ones have been. No, it’s wet and rainy, but it’s still beautiful, because we need the rain as well as the sun to keep nature refreshed and clean and growing like the Lord God intended. And since it’s springtime, which means a rebirth of things green and beautiful to the eyes, that means heavenly showers of blessings are necessary to accomplish such a feat, especially after all the cold, dryness of winter.
So let’s still be bright and grateful and obedient in spirit to our great God nuh, the One who made us and knows exactly what we each need to have a wonderful day and a glorious life walking with Him and His awesome Son, Jesus Christ, through the amazing guidance of the Holy Spirit!
Wow! Isn’t that a mouthful! But a beautiful mouthful indeed! (smile) And it’s also going to be a good day, because the ordinary workingman has something to say today. There seems to be a resurgence in his spirit, as he declares (steups!), though still not with his old fervour: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and there’s a li’l light at the end of the tunnel! The boss called couple days ago and said a few of us, the senior ones, could come back to work Monday, at least for a couple days a week, according to how much business it have!
Oh brother! I don’t even know if I remember how to do the blooming work nuh, it’s been so long. But it is a start, and it gets me out of the old house…Glory be! I’ve never stayed cooped up so long in all mih life, and it was really starting to get on mih nerves. Couldn’t go to work, so no real money was coming in, couldn’t go down to the pub and drink a few pints with the boys, because the pub closed down. Couldn’t do all the things I like to do… Ah Lord eh!
Let’s hope this is the start of a new day yes, because I really couldn’t take much more of this lockdown business nuh. But ah not holding mih breath, because people still behaving stupid out there, not wearing masks and partying plenty together, and in spite of the vaccine, a setta people still catching the bloody virus. So leh we keep on praying yes…and if you weren’t praying before, yuh better had start now, because is only with God’s help we going to see a brighter day oui!’
And that friends, is the awesome, gospel, indisputable truth! Without sincere prayer, repentance and obedience to God’s word, our world will never return to some semblance of normalcy, call it the new normal or whatever, but there will never be a sense of security and a lack of the fear that has settled over us during the past year. And the scripture that seems to best fit our situation comes from Cousin Sol, from his wise words in Proverbs, as he exhorts us to obedience to God.
So please listen up: ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov. 3:1-2) Yuh see that friends, we don’t need to go far to find out the benefits of obedience to God’s laws; it lengthens our lives and brings us peace. But that isn’t all, it’s just the beginning. Hear Cousin Sol continue: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:3-4)
Oh my people, what’s there not to understand in those simple and self-explanatory verses eh? If we embrace mercy and truth, keep them close to us like a piece of jewelry that adorns our bodies, and write them on the table of our hearts, our minds, we’ll find favour with both God and man. Now isn’t that something to be earnestly desired? It surely is!
And Cousin Sol’s not done yet: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:5-10)
Mama Mia! What awesome words of wisdom! And yuh notice that when God’s chosen people Israel followed those simple rules they prospered in all aspects of their lives. But when they got too high and mighty, too big for their tight britches, they suffered tremendously. And it’s the same scene that’s playing out in our sick, confused and strife-filled world right now. For we have also gotten too big for our britches, believed that our prosperity was our doing, and not the Lord’s, as it actually is, so we have turned away from Him, doing all we can to remove Him from our society.
But friends, if we have learned anything from history, is that the Lord always prevails in the end. Look at how many super societies fell upon hard times and eventual ruin when they despised God and turned away from Him. And simple common sense, which unfortunately doesn’t seem to exist today, tells us, that if we’ve tried all of our own remedies and they haven’t worked, then we should at least turn to God in prayer. Not that it should be the last thing we try, but rather, the first.
In any case, be it first or last, not turning to him in prayer is utter stupidity; stemming from foolish pride and baseless arrogance. So let’s do the wise thing now and turn to Almighty God for help nuh. In sincere, humble, but also confident voice, let’s call out to Him for divine help, through our Friday Chant.
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the sure and wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And now, if we were sincere and serious, then we’ll handle the situation properly, with repentance and obedience. Otherwise, we’re just making a mockery, a sad and sorry spectacle of ourselves! Much LOVE!
…OBEDIENCE…the ONLY way we will ever satisfy God’s demands…
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