DCLM Higher Everyday 9 May 2024 — They Gather To Fall
Topic: They Gather To Fall
Text: Isaiah 54:14-17
14In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
16Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
Key Verse: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn” (Isaiah 54:17).
Message
When Martin Luther’s friends wrote despairingly of the negotiations at the Diet of Worms, Luther replied from Cobourg that he had been looking up at the night sky, spangled and studded with stars, and had found no pillars to hold them up. And yet they did not fall. God needs no props for His stars and planets. He hangs them on nothing. So, in the working of God’s providence, the unseen is prop enough for the seen. At no time did God say there would be no enemies or battles. However, He never said He would leave us alone amid life’s challenges. We are sure of His Almighty presence and His mighty arms underneath us. He promised to fight our enemies and embarrass them. Jehoshaphat enjoyed God’s help (2 Chronicles 20:14-24).
In our passage, God assured us that He created and made all things; therefore, no enemy’s weapon will hurt any of His children. However, the key to enjoying these great blessings and assuring safety is continuous righteousness which begins with genuine conversion and faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice.
Quote: He promised to fight our enemies
Challenge: Who can wrestle with our God?
Prayer for today: Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, O God.
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)
