SCRIPTURE: Micah 4:1-13
OBSERVATION:
The mountain of the Lord is the hill where Jerusalem (and the temple) was built. The day is coming when all nations will honour and worship God, a time of peace and prosperity.
God allowed the exile to happen, as punishment, but He will restore His people again, the remnant who survive the judgment (vv.6-7).
The kingship (David’s throne which was said to endure forever) will be restored, a prophecy ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, the Son of David.
Their present suffering is like the pain of a woman in labour, difficult but ending in joy.
Even though the nations gather against Israel, thinking that they are in control – they are unaware of God’s plans.
God will use the ill-gotten gains of the world for His own purposes.
APPLICATION:
God is challenging my perspective, to see the world from His point of view. The “godless” (those who do what they please without regard to God or His will) seem to have the upper hand, but the day is coming when God will rule this world, and all people will honour Him (Philippians 2:9-11).
“But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord, they do not understand his plan” (v.12) – this is true for most of us. God is at work behind the scenes, although it doesn’t look like it.
The tables will turn against the wicked, the cruel, the godless – when it looks like my work is in vain, I need to recall that Your plan will succeed (1 Corinthians 15:58).
The only hope for ending war (and all violence and misery) is for God to teach us His ways. The reason there is so much war and violence is because our sin-filled hearts defy God’s ways.
I am not an underdog right now, but maybe its because I am avoiding the call to follow in His steps. Do I avoid the risk of following God’s ways?
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, You followed Your Father’s way, and it led to suffering and death, yet You arose victorious. Help me to see that this life will involve suffering if I choose to live Your way, but that if entrust my life and future to You, my efforts will not be in vain. Amen.
This is such an encouraging verse, I’m assuming to most people as Christian, but especially to myself. Lately I’ve found myself and one other classmates as underdogs, the two people in the class that call themselves Christians. Because of what we believe, we are constantly cursed at, or have people constantly taking any opportunity to tear us down due to our choice to follow God. We have to continually pick each other up, and remind us that this is only temporary. We both take full advantage of having lunch together to discuss recent events and to encourage one another, for which I am so thankful to God for giving me another comrade to fight the battle with. I am continually reminded of the verse (forgive me, I don’t know exactly which one) where it says blessed is he who is abused for my name. Every day I try to start the morning with a prayer, reminding myself that we go to battle every day to fight, but our fight is not with flesh and blood, but with heavenly beings… and God will be victorious.