Parables in Miracles....

It is so easy to see God’s power at work in one area of our lives and  forget it so soon when we are confronted by challenges in other areas. Have you ever experienced some supernatural encounter, “a wow, thank you Jesus intervention” or an answer to prayer that leaves you eternally grateful as you marvel at a miraculous provision, escape, healing, angelic visitation and then not too long after, you are faced by a seemingly huge challenge that you think God is incapable of solving?

Numbers 14: 2 –“And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness”

The people complaining in the verse above were the same set of people that saw the Red sea divide before their very eyes. They saw Pharaoh and his chariots drown in the middle of the sea and their bodies washed to the shores, yet because of a negative report of giants occupying their promise land, they lost hope in the same God of their salvation; The God who had brought water out of the rock for them. Tell me, which miracle is easier- The division of  a vast sea into two, with the Israelites walking on a dry ground in the middle of it whilst the waters stood tall on both ends OR God going with them to possess a land of promise presently occupied by  “perceived” giants? I am tempted to conclude that sometimes, first-hand witnesses of miracles or those who have seen God’s power in an immense way are the ones who forget His acts and slide into an unbelieving state so easily.

John 2:7-”Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom”. 

So my husband asked me a couple of days ago- Whatever happened to the servants who fetched the water that was turned to wine at the wedding of Cana?  They fetched the water, they heard Jesus give the magic instruction “draw out the water”, they obeyed the instructions, drew the water for the Master of the feast, and tasted the water themselves too. They were first hand witnesses of such a mind-blowing miracle of Christ. Maybe if I was in their position back then, after seeing that miraculous act, I would have just relinquished my job as a servant and followed Jesus wherever! Alas, only His mother, brothers and disciples left with him.

It is so easy to see God at work around us and we never get to understand what is happening. Do not take the miracles you see in your lives and those around you for granted. When He does it once, He is able to do it again and again; If God has done it for one, He is able do it for all. Celebrate people’s testimonies.  Moreover, just like someone said- When your friends are doing well, when good things are happening to those close to you, it shows God is in your neighbourhood. Don’t let Him skip your house because of envy. Plug into the flow, rejoice with them whilst you wait with an assurance that your own package will be delivered. The question is- Are we willing to go with Him all the way until change comes?

Never get too familiar with God, your pastors, church, God’s people and NEVER despise those whom God blesses. When good things happen, connect into it, tap into the flow, and sow your prayers into it as well, bearing in mind that whatever a man sows, that he shall reap also. 

There are parables, lessons to learn from every miracle and we should never let go of them.

The Pen....

Sarah: The Stunning Mother of Nations....

A beautiful day it is! This is just a quick thought for ladies and women in all age-categories. I was reading about the life of Sarah in the Bible and some thoughts came to mind about her beauty which was described in two outstanding incidents. Hmmnnn.......If we really are the daughters of Sarah, then we need to take a cue from her.

When Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians took one look and saw that his wife was stunningly beautiful. Pharaoh’s princes raved over her to Pharaoh. She was taken to live with Pharaoh.Because of her, Abram got along very well: he accumulated sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, men and women servants, and camels. But God hit Pharaoh hard because of Abram’s wife Sarai; everybody in the palace got seriously sick (Genesis 12:14-17; Message version).

At Sixty Five (65) years of age, Sarah was very beautiful and was the toast of the whole of Egypt. The Princes of Egypt "recommended" her to the King. They didn't even bother "toasting" her for themselves; she was a King's material and truly, she was taken to his palace but was supernaturally rescued. About 25 years later, just before she was going to have Isaac (at about 90 years old), she was still very beautiful that Abimelech, the King of Gerar was going to take her as wife also. (Read the scripture below).

Abraham traveled from there south to the Negev and settled down between Kadesh and Shur. While he was camping in Gerar, Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She’s my sister.”So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her. But God came to Abimelech in a dream that night and told him, “You’re as good as dead—that woman you took, she’s a married woman (Genesis 20:1-3; Message version)

It's one thing to be beautiful, it's another to carry one's self in a beautiful manner. A beautiful woman who doesn't take care of herself and her looks cannot be described as being "very beautiful”. Sarah must have exhibited the highest order of elegance, stylishness and carriage.  Beauty is enhanced by our comportment, our accessories, our disposition and outlook. If Sarah had worn a hard, uninteresting face, she might not have been looked at for a second time. Even Abraham acknowledged her beauty and reasoned she might be snatched from him!

She knew the tricks of keeping her husband to herself; Needless to say she had a great and enormous challenge, which was enough to keep her depressed: No children yet and she was aging, past menopause, with little or no libido but she didn't allow that affect her life, her demeanour and her character. She was a head-turner and a people-stunner anytime. She must have beaten all the young ladies hands down if there was any "Most Beautiful Woman in Canaan" Pageant back then.  

During the time of Esther, young virgins were sought for the king from which he eventually chose Esther (Esther 2:2-Then the king’s servants who attended him said: “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king) ; however, here was Grandmomma Sarah;  looking so hot that kings were chasing her and wanting her as wife at such an advanced age. She was aged Ninety (90), yet looking sweet sixteen (16)!

Apart from her physical efforts at remaining ever beautiful, I want to share two scriptures from which we could glean some of her other secrets:

Secret 1- "Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God (Proverbs 31:30 Message version). The fear (reverence, awe, worship) of God makes us radiate His beauty continually: It makes us admirable. Prosperity, peace, beauty is promised to those who fear Him.

Secret 2-" Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as "my dear husband". You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, un-anxious and un-intimidated" (Ist Peter 3:5-6 Message version).

Respect, Love, Honour, Gratefulness, Hope, being Supportive were all part of the inner beauty she had, which endeared her to her husband and made her attractive, not only to him, but the entire world!

Ain't gonna let Grand-Momma Sarah look more beautiful than me! What say you?

The Pen....

Picture credit: netplaces.com

In the Right Hands, Everything is Possible!

Hello everyone! 

It’s been a while! I've been caught up in a couple of activities here and there. The middle of the year is usually a good time to revisit one’s goals and re-strategize in order to maximize the remaining days of the year.

So yesterday, I saw on the TV, an advertisement of Nedgroup Investments (one of the largest banking Institutions in South Africa) which featured Captain Chesley  “Sully” Sullenberger ; the Pilot of  the US Airways Flight 1549 that crash-landed on Hudson River on the 15^th of January 2009 in New York. Anyone remembers that story?  Let me give a quick summary of that incident. The plane had taken off from the LaGuardia Airport in New York heading to a final destination of Washington and was struck by a flock of birds just 3 minutes into the flight .The plane lost engine power and ditched into the Hudson River in Manhattan, New York with Captain Sully as the pilot in charge. Long and short; all 150 passengers and the 5 members of crew survived! Not only did the pilot do a mind-blowing job of landing the plane in the river, he monitored the process of evacuating the passengers and was the last person to come out of the plane. Bravo!

Back to the advert I saw yesterday, Captain Sully made a statement that made me smile. He said “I did what was necessary; I am not a hero, I am just a pilot who used 30 years of experience to do my job” and the advert ended with the phrase- “In the right hands, everything is possible” I instantly fell in love with that advert and I couldn't but pen something down from it. Needless to say the heroic act of Captain Sully is one of the most gallant and courageous acts of mankind with an astonishing testimony of no life lost in that incident! Now I call that a best seller story. Of course, many great things have happened to him after the incident; which included an invitation to the White House, a special resolution passed to honour him and his team amongst others but that is not the focus for this write up..

In the right hands, everything is possible. A man; with the interest of the people under his care, masterminded a successful landing of a plane in the eye of the most difficult circumstances and he did it well, attributing it to his years of experience. I want to talk to you about someone: The Almighty, Omnipotent, Omniscient and the Creator of all things who upholds ALL things by the words of His power. He has experience in everything you can think about; He is the Ancient of days who was not created and who cannot be eliminated. He has been from the ancient and will continue to be from everlasting to everlasting! Has anyone ever seen a star fall or the moon unable to stay in its orbit, there-by dropping to the earth? The entire universe of about 7 billion people, innumerable company of angels, those who have passed on to glory; just men made perfect are all under His care.

Deuteronomy 33: 26- There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, and in His Excellency on the clouds.27The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’

Friend, God’s hands are right under you, to keep you from falling, to uphold you when you are weak, to bare you safely to the place called destiny. Because you are in the right hands, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE UNTO YOU. Isaiah 48:13 says- My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together. God’s hands are so deep and wide that he could measure the waters in the hollows of His hands. Now that is serious! (Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?-Isaiah 40:12).

With the same hands, He satisfies the desires of every living being! (Psalm 145:16) and when He opens those hands, we all are filled with every good thing we desire (Psalm 104:28). That same hands are so long that when Moses asked to see God’s glory, He covered Moses’ face with His hands till He passed and Moses was only able to see his back (Exodus 33:22). With that outstretched hands, He created the whole of the universe and those hands still work wonders till date. I have seen those hands many times at work in my life, I see them in the life of those around me, I hear amazing testimonies and surely, you will experience the power of those great Hands of His in your life too!

Those Hands brought the Israelites out of Egypt, divided the red sea, drowned Pharaoh and his chariots, delivered Lot and his family from a perishing Sodom, struck down the walls of Jericho, shut the mouth of the lion for Daniel’s sake, wrought unimaginable and naturally impossible miracles! Above all, He upholds us by His hands!

Considering how gigantic and mighty the hands of our God are, I truly agree with the advert, that in the right hands, all things are possible!

The Pen……

The advert can be seen at http://www.ordinaryday.co.za/#prettyPhoto[iframes]/0/

 Photo credit: Google images