DCLM Daily Manna 13 December 2021 — When we cry to the Lord
DCLM Daily Manna 13 December 2021 Devotional by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — When we cry to the Lord
TOPIC: WHEN WE CRY TO THE LORD
TEXT: Exodus 22:18-31
18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
19 Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.
20 He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
21 Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
23 If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;
24 And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.
26 If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:
27 For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.
28 Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.
29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.
30 Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me.
KEY VERSE:
“If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry.” – (Exodus 22:23)
MESSAGE
It amazed a man who lived in a densely populated compound when a mother raced from the common bathroom to her room some distance away upon hearing the cry of her baby. The man wondered: “How did the nursing mother pick out the faint call of her baby in the riot of noises in the environment?” Even he who was in an apartment closer to the child did not hear the toddler. It was a mystery to him.
The text today shows us a far greater wonder than the bond between a mother and her infant. He who created the unseen link between a needy child and its absent parent, says He is always aware of the plaintive pleadings of the oppressed anywhere they may be. He makes this known to the children of Israel three months after their freedom from Egypt. He cautions them on how not to treat widows, orphans and strangers.
In His incomparable compassion towards these underprivileged persons, He says He has set up a direct channel of communication with them to enable Him attend to their cry and fight those who oppress them. While He loves the poor, He is against witchcraft, bestiality, disrespect for constituted authority, uncleanness and usury. The Lord presented the new life that would characterise the new ways of the children of Israel in a new dispensation now and in the Promised Land.
Believers are given laws in the Bible to guide them in their pilgrimage to heaven. He wants us to live by His word and explore all His promises. He is closer to us than we can imagine. We can cry to Him when we are lonely or deserted by friends and relatives and expect Him to answer us even before we call. But we must detest what He detests. That is the only way to secure an audience with God.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: He hears you when you cry!
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Micah 1-4
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
