Built Upon the Rock
Greetings in the Lord!
Early this morning while praying the Lord gave me a vision: I saw an American soldier fighting in the desert with his machine gun. As the war raged on all around him, he looked dumbfounded at the intensity of the war and just gave up. He stood up, turned around and began to walk away with his gun lowered at his side.
I heard a voice say, "Trained as a warrior, but he grew weary of the war."
Next I saw him back in his barracks, changing out of his army gear and putting on civilian clothes; beside him was his trunk half-packed. He was such a strong and well-built guy that I couldn't imagine why he'd give up so easily. At the next scene I saw him back at home with his family. With the joy of reunion quickly past, he was overwhelmed with sadness--this was not what he had expected: having to find a "normal" job, listening to his kids argue and his wife nagging at him to "do something." Soon he was filled with regret for leaving the fight---it had been his purpose, it was his duty and he realized that he had been too hasty in his decision to give up.
At the last scene I saw him driving in his car with his interview suit on, his hand upon the steering wheel showed his wedding ring. A voice said, "He has forsaken the covenant." When I began to wonder about all that I'd seen, Psalm 78 came to my mind.
That psalm begins as a warning to teach the next generations about the miracle-saving acts of the Lord and about His covenant promises to His people so that they would put their trust in the Lord and would keep His commands.
"They would not be like their forefathers--a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to Him. (But) The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by His law. They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them." Psalm 78:9-11.
"They angered Him with their high places; they aroused His jealousy with their idols. When God heard them, He was very angry; He rejected Israel completely. He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh...He sent the ark of His might into captivity, His splendor into the hands of the enemy." Psalm 78:58-61
~In September of 2005 I had preached from this text. I knew then that it was a prophetic warning to our nation that in many ways we have become like the northern kingdom of Israel--rebellious, unfaithful to God, idolatrous. It speaks about turning back on the day of battle, not for lack of strength but for lack of trust in God. They were unfaithful to the covenant God made with them....and were rejected. The interesting thing is that God chose Judah over Ephraim in the later verses and chose David to rule over them.
"And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them." Ps.78:72
It means that though many would fall away from unfaithfulness, the Lord will simply raise up a remnant of people who truly love and serve Him and they will begin to reign in the land. So, while many in our nation are falling into the "Northern Kingdom" camp, the rest of us faithful can still rejoice in the hope that we have in Christ that we will be raised up in this hour, though the Northern Kingdom will fall to enemies. Our nation will indeed experience an overcoming by the enemies the Lord sends against it to judge for its unfaithfulness, but the remnant of God will be promoted and will be just fine. Though the rains may come and wash away the house built on sand, the wise man who built his house upon the Rock will stand.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Early this morning while praying the Lord gave me a vision: I saw an American soldier fighting in the desert with his machine gun. As the war raged on all around him, he looked dumbfounded at the intensity of the war and just gave up. He stood up, turned around and began to walk away with his gun lowered at his side.
I heard a voice say, "Trained as a warrior, but he grew weary of the war."
Next I saw him back in his barracks, changing out of his army gear and putting on civilian clothes; beside him was his trunk half-packed. He was such a strong and well-built guy that I couldn't imagine why he'd give up so easily. At the next scene I saw him back at home with his family. With the joy of reunion quickly past, he was overwhelmed with sadness--this was not what he had expected: having to find a "normal" job, listening to his kids argue and his wife nagging at him to "do something." Soon he was filled with regret for leaving the fight---it had been his purpose, it was his duty and he realized that he had been too hasty in his decision to give up.
At the last scene I saw him driving in his car with his interview suit on, his hand upon the steering wheel showed his wedding ring. A voice said, "He has forsaken the covenant." When I began to wonder about all that I'd seen, Psalm 78 came to my mind.
That psalm begins as a warning to teach the next generations about the miracle-saving acts of the Lord and about His covenant promises to His people so that they would put their trust in the Lord and would keep His commands.
"They would not be like their forefathers--a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to Him. (But) The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by His law. They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them." Psalm 78:9-11.
"They angered Him with their high places; they aroused His jealousy with their idols. When God heard them, He was very angry; He rejected Israel completely. He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh...He sent the ark of His might into captivity, His splendor into the hands of the enemy." Psalm 78:58-61
~In September of 2005 I had preached from this text. I knew then that it was a prophetic warning to our nation that in many ways we have become like the northern kingdom of Israel--rebellious, unfaithful to God, idolatrous. It speaks about turning back on the day of battle, not for lack of strength but for lack of trust in God. They were unfaithful to the covenant God made with them....and were rejected. The interesting thing is that God chose Judah over Ephraim in the later verses and chose David to rule over them.
"And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them." Ps.78:72
It means that though many would fall away from unfaithfulness, the Lord will simply raise up a remnant of people who truly love and serve Him and they will begin to reign in the land. So, while many in our nation are falling into the "Northern Kingdom" camp, the rest of us faithful can still rejoice in the hope that we have in Christ that we will be raised up in this hour, though the Northern Kingdom will fall to enemies. Our nation will indeed experience an overcoming by the enemies the Lord sends against it to judge for its unfaithfulness, but the remnant of God will be promoted and will be just fine. Though the rains may come and wash away the house built on sand, the wise man who built his house upon the Rock will stand.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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