No Biases

“They are just the poor…they don’t understand the way of the LORD…I will go to the powerful and speak to them. Surely, they know the way of the LORD…However, these also had broken the yoke and torn off the chains.” - Jeremiah 5:4–6 CSB

At first, Jeremiah thought that the problem was with the common people (“the poor”). He had delivered God’s warnings to them, but they had not responded. Perhaps, he wondered, they just didn’t know enough about God and His Word. Perhaps they did not have the necessary background or education.

Jeremiah concluded that the response would be different if he spoke to the elite people of the society instead: leaders and scholars, those who were highly educated. The people who, he might have thought, were more intelligent and receptive to messages from God. But Jeremiah was wrong. He discovered that his biases were wrong. In fact, regardless of their backgrounds, all the people responded in the same way: no one received the Word of the Lord.

We all can be like Jeremiah, jumping to conclusions based on appearances. We tend to make assumptions based on what seems to be true from our subjective perspective. Jeremiah learned that people could reject (or accept) God no matter their station in life.

God chose David, who was not even considered by his own father. Both his father, Jesse and the prophet, Samuel was looking at the seven other brothers due to their stature, military training and experience (1 Sam. 16:5-12). God looked at none of that and used a untrained, uneducated young teenager with a slingshot to their shame. "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things...and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him" (1 Cor. 1:27-31).

We need to remember that God has a completely different perspective. As He told the prophet Samuel, “The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). Be careful before forming opinions of others just because of their circumstances. Ask God for discernment. Seek His wisdom. Always remember that He sees things differently than you do.

Father, help me to see others the way You see them. Give me discernment. Use me to minister to those in our lives without bias. In Jesus’ Name…Amen.

Your Prayers Will Be Answered

“Your prayers...have gone up as a memorial before God.” Acts 10:4 NET

God told Cornelius; “Your prayers…have gone up as a memorial before [Me].” Memorials are usually built for people who are dead and gone. What a great promise that is. Even after you have gone to heaven, the prayers you pray on behalf of your loved ones become a memorial before God, getting His attention and moving Him to action. So don't stop praying.

Many of us, like my mother, are weeping, pleading and assaulting heaven in prayer on behalf of our children, especially those wayward ones. Well, I was one of those. My mother prayed for me, along with my grandmother, for years. The older folks would say, “She so rude and rebellious. I don’t know what her mother is going to do with her” or She’s not going to amount to nothing.” I travelled through some dangerous terrain that held me stuck at times.

One day, I hit my lowest and it seemed I wouldn’t get out or up. So, I cried out to God from that low place. It was then He told the Angel, “Pass me that Vial” and He began to smell the scent of the incense. He said, “It’s time. Pour it out.” The Angel began to pour out the answer to my mother’s years of prayers for me. I was miraculously set free and my journey hasn’t been the same since. My mother never lived to witness the answer to her years of prayers that were bottled up…but they came up as a memorial before God that day. I'm sure some of you can join me in saying, "I'm glad somebody prayed for me."

You may or may not live to see your loved ones turn to Christ, but know this: God says, “Your prayers...have gone up as a memorial before [Me}.” We're talking about the posthumous power of prayer. When I pray, I am sure to bottle up prayers for my children and grandchildren, asking the Lord to “let my prayers rise up like incense before You” (Psalm 141:2). In otherwards, don’t forget them, like you didn’t forget my mother’s prayers.

John the Revelator caught a glimpse of it when he visited heaven and describe what he saw in these words: “Then another Angel, having a golden sensor, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the Saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the Angel's hand (Rev. 8:3-4 NKJV). So today, keep praying, and God will answer your prayers. It’s all in His appointed time.

Praise The Lord!

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised. Psalm 113:3

During the course of the day, there are many things we find ourselves occupied with. Whether it’s our job, taking care of children, running errands. Our day can be fully booked with all sorts of things to do. Like me, I usually make a ‘to-do-list’ with the intention to complete it by the end of the day.

I would like to ask the question. During the course of the day, as we hurry along, going here, there and everywhere, how often do we stop and reflect on our Lord? How often do we stop and give Him praise? Do we even carve out time during the busyness of our day and make some time, just for Him?

Psalm 113 says, Praise the Lord! All ye servants of the Lord, go ahead and praise the Lord. Keep praising the Lord. Praise Him more and more! Despite how occupied we may be, we must stop or even while we are busy, we must remember to praise the Lord. Our scripture reference says, from the rising of the sun, unto the going down of the same, the Lord’s name is to be praised. He is so good! He is so kind! Why not praise Him? Think about it, the very breath that we breathe, the strength in our bodies to do all that we do, comes from Him.

When we think of the goodness of the Lord and all that He has done, what else can we do, but praise the Lord. We should praise the name of the Lord. We should tell of His wonderful works. Praise Him, for His name is a strong tower we can run into and are saved. Praise the Lord for He has been gracious and compassionate. We should praise the Lord because He is supreme, He is exalted over all the nations. We should praise the Lord because there is no one like the Lord our God. We should praise the Lord because He lifts the poor from the dust and exalts the helpless from the ashes and He seats them with princes. He gives children to the woman who has none and makes her a happy mother.

We should praise the Lord who sits high and looks low. We should praise the Lord for He manifests His presence, His glory among us. We should praise the Lord, simple because He is God and God alone. Who can compare to the Lord our God? As you go throughout the day, remember to praise the Lord, ye servants of the Lord.

Praise ye the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord!