Psalm 41 in our Bible Plan reading today begins with a blessing that we all have the potential to receive! Let's look at verses 1-3:
1BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, to be envied) is he who considers the weak and the poor; the Lord will deliver him in the time of evil and trouble.
2The Lord will protect him and keep him alive; he shall be called blessed in the land; and You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
3The Lord will sustain, refresh, and strengthen him...
I really LOVE how the Amplified Bible uses the Hebrew meanings of these Words to give us a better understanding of what's being said here! We're told that the blessing that comes from remembering the poor will make us happy, fortunate and the envy of other people! That comes from "considering", the Hebrew Word "sakal", which means: to wisely understand, to be circumspect, to give attention to, to give insight, to teach, to cause to prosper, the poor! Remember in the New Testament that Jesus said in Mark 14:7:
7For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you will not always have Me.
We will always have opportunity to "consider" the poor, because there will always be poor people in this world. The promise is that when we are a blessing to the poor, we are tremendously blessed, here, in THIS life and also in Heaven! In fact these 3 verses in Psalm 41 tell us that we can expect Godly protection, provision and safety, favor and anointing WHEN we are a blessing to those who have less than we do! As the Pastor of the Spoken Word Church, Bill Novak, always says, "Don't complain about paying your taxes! That's one way that we give to the poor in this country! Our taxes take care of the widows, the orphans, the disabled and others". Rejoice in the blessing coming your way because you have given to the poor with every pay check! Then continue to pray that the government will properly USE that money and the rest is in God's very capable hands! AMEN!
Then in Acts 13 we see that the believers of the church at Antioch were spending time fasting and in worship to the Lord. (I see the Holy Spirit moving more believers to get back to prayer and fasting in these exciting last days of the church! Supernatural manifestations of the glory and presence of God take place when God's people put Him first and separate themselves in order to hear His voice!) It was when they were doing this that they heard the Holy Spirit instruct them to separate Saul (Paul) and Barnabas for the work that He had already called them to do! I also really like reading how these early believers continue to preach the Gospel by reminding the people of the prophesies about the Jewish Messiah that have been fulfilled in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. It's no wonder that so many people were saved at that time. It was still soon enough that the people remembered the life of Jesus and knew that what they were hearing was true! That AND the signs and wonders and miracles that accompanied the preaching of the Gospel drew people in. Let's get back to the simple and very powerful Gospel! Study it, believe it, receive it and preach it! God WILL do the rest! AMEN!
In Genesis we finally see Joseph getting out of prison and made second in command of all of Egypt! The dream's that God had given Joseph begin to be fulfilled in Genesis 42:6:
6Now Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was who sold to all the people of the land; and Joseph's [half] brothers came and bowed themselves down before him with their faces to the ground.
Joseph was in Egypt for over 20 years before he saw the dreams fulfilled. That should encourage us to never give up, never give in and NEVER, NEVER, NEVER quit! So many believers get weary and quit just before they see the rewards of faithfulness. DON'T be one of those! Remember this in Galatians 6:9:
9And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.
Don't faint! Look forward to each day with expectant hope and eager anticipation that THIS could be the day! God is rarely early, but He is NEVER late!
Shalom in Him!
