The first time I heard the phrase ‘stayed on you’ was from a gospel song and I thought to myself ‘what kind of English is this?’ thinking at first that it was a mistake in the words being used. However, I remember being struck by the expression itself. And I often would find myself mulling over that expression. The day I discovered it in the bible I could hardly believe it, and I was like ‘so that’s where this song is taken from’! Well yesterday, the verse of the day happened to be the one from Isaiah where the song was taken from and it reads “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3, ESV). The call of the bible is essentially for us to always be “stayed on God”. The image I have in my head is one where you are stuck on something, like being glued but in this case to God. Our eyes should be fixed on Jesus at all times, we should be filled with Spirit of God, being in His word and praying His word and this is not new to any Christian. This incident made me reflect on how God is involved in our lives and uses everything and anything that we come across with whether it be in His word or in our daily mundane tasks or interactions. My goal today is share three reflections of how God has worked in my life over the mundane and how He proves to be faithful and true to His word.
The first reflection I would like to share is regarding the faithfulness of God over my life. The song “he will hold me fast” sums up very well how God has been working in my life these past years. He has been holding me fast and continues to hold me fast in my walk with Him. Truly, those who trust in the Lord are never put to shame because “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29). How I have been able to stand strong, to persevere, to continue is only the power of the great and mighty God I serve. It is nothing I did because left to me, I would have given up years ago. Moreover, I have been preserved by the Lord in the most unexplainable ways on this earth and I know it has nothing to do with me. The verse of Isaiah 26 really holds true because I have stayed my mind on the Father, He has kept me in perfect peace, He has held me fast, I am secure. Nothing or no one can take that assurance from me and that again is the grace of God. Paul says it very well that no one can lay a charge against the elect. It would be futile because doing so would be laying charge against God. My assurance in the Lord is as sure as the breath I have in my lungs right now. So it is for you, as a brother or sister in the Lord. This is our confidence, that when we surrender to Christ, repenting of our sins and believing that he died on the cross for us to save us from the penalty our sins deserved, we have the assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God that we have in Christ, nothing and no one (Romans 8:35-37). God is so good! He is our comforter because He understands us best and He knows what we are going through. As He keeps reminding us in His word, “He is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of man that He should repent”. David also says that the precepts of the Lord are perfect, they are right, they are radiant, they are pure, they are sure, they are righteous, they are precious and they are sweet (Psalm 19:7-11). Moreover, the word of God is eternal and stand firm in the heavens (Psalm 119:89). Not only is the word of God loaded with all these qualities but God is bound by His own word and His word brings with it blessings such as: comfort, hope, wisdom, understanding, promises, delight, joy, warning, and more when it is believed and obeyed. You can read Psalm 119 and 19 for further study on the beauty of God’s word.
The second reflection I would like to share is that because my life is secure in the Lord, I can never fail. I know, failing is part of the human experience but hear me first. Amidst the challenges and the difficulties of life, I am victorious because Jesus has secured that victory. In the grand schemes of things, because the Lord’s plans over my life will prevail no matter what, I know everything will turn out for my good. Indeed, I have seen how the Lord strengthens me every time I want to give up and helps me continue. Moreover, in situations where I have ‘failed’, he encourages me to keep going or to try again. It is as if ‘failure’ in the proper sense is not an option. Even in situations where I was being mistreated or facing injustices somehow, the Lord Himself gave me victory, He really fights my battles. My part is to make sure I am “stayed on Him”. The Lord is very faithful. I am sure if you were to look at your life today recalling several events that happened and how the Lord was true to His word in your life you too would see that you also never failed, that all things turned out for your good, that He who started a good work in you finished it or is finishing it, that you too were kept from the snares of the enemy. It is amazing what happens when we pause to think about God’s words and how true they are in our own lives and in the lives of others we see around. Indeed, we cannot not marvel at it all!
The last reflection I would like to share with you is regarding the goodness of God and His mastermind. This week I started reading a book I had picked up from a friend’s either last year or in the early winter of this year. I must admit, when I picked up the book among the piles of book my friend was giving away I was intrigued by the title yet I thought, “I don’t think I’ll have time to read this book but let’s take it since it’s a giveaway, plus, I am helping my friend declutter”. Well, God had different plans with the book for me. I started reading the book two weeks ago and I have been blown away at how God in His kindness and omniscience works all things for our good. How could I have thought this tiny book that I almost did not pick up would be instrumental for me in this season of my life? How can the love of God be so wonderful? If He had let me have my way, I would not have picked up that book. He used a very mundane line of thought to get me to take the book. Moreover, why did I decide I would pick up that book to read as I was going on a walk? The answer is God’s goodness. Indeed His mercies are new every morning! My sentiment this week as I was reflecting was “God, why would you love me so?” In addition to that, I thought, “I don’t love you like you love me but I want to learn. I am not happy with my shortcomings but I want to do better, would you help me?” When you realize how much you have been given by God and how great His love for you is, you stop boasting because you realize nothing of what you have, nothing of who you are is a product of yourself but rather it is all God. It is very humbling. The verse of today is a favourite “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10). As I was meditating on the verse I asked myself the question “how can you not know that God is God, that is acknowledge Him as God”? Or to put it in another way “in what ways do I not acknowledge God?” the answer that came straight to mind was in not being humble. That is, every time I take the place of God, when I do things my own way and insist on what I can do, what I have, etc. then I am not acknowledging God as God, rather, I am acknowledging Him as a mate. There is only one proper view of ourselves in this life and that is we are God’s servant and God is our master. We cannot be our own master or the master of God. We are finite, He is not. We are created, He is not. There is no grounds for comparison so we should not rely on ourselves, doing so would be foolishness and it leads to destruction.
I pray that these reflections have been encouraging to you and that they spur you on to keep going in your steadfastness. God is working even in the mundane, in your failing, in “your missing the mark”, He is working all things for your good in the “good, the bad and the ugly”. If anything, praise Him for your life is in very good hands. Amen!
A Word Aptly Spoken 