Pioneer Christian Monthly - September, 1976

Meditation
C. P. Turkstra

Here is a recipe that everyone should use. It will be successful every time you use it and is not something that must be kept for special occasions. Using it regularly improves the quality of your life.

Ingredients: one or more life situations, one act of confidence, one or more of God's promises*

Combine these ingredients together and you have a delicious treat.

This is a royal recipe used by King Hezekiah. Isaiah 37 : 9-20, 36-38 tells us the story.

ONE LIFE SITUATION: helplessness (verses 9-13)

The king of Assyria destroyed every nation around Judah and now came to destroy Jerusalem. Assyria was so powerful and Judah so weak that on a previous occasion the king of Assyria had offered Hezekiah 2000 horses if Hezekiah could supply the horsemen (Isaiah 36 : 8).

ONE ACT OF CONFIDENCE: prayer (verses 14, 15)

Hezekiah took this situation into God's house, into God's very presence and placed it before Him.

ONE OF GOD'S PROMISES: protection (verses 16-20)

God is the only God and is committed to protect and keep His people. He will not be mocked.

COMBINE THESE INGREDIENTS: verses 37, 38)

For Hezekiah, the combination of these ingredients resulted in an angel of the Lord killing 185,000 Assyrians. Jerusalem was saved! The recipe was so successful that people are still reading and talking about it today.

Today, each of us has life situations which can be handled in the same way, whether big or small. The Lord is interested in every aspect of our lives, for He has numbered the hairs of our head and even one hair is His concern. Let us be confident as God's children. God desires that we stand in heaven today and place our concerns before Him. Hebrews 10 :19 tells us to come confidently into God's presence (His sanctuary) thru the blood of Jesus.

I know a person whose father is the head of a large business. Whenever my friend is in the neighbourhood of the business, he visits his father. He confidently walks right up to the office door and knocks, knowing that he is welcome. No one tries to stop him because he is the boss's son. He is always welcomed by his father even if it is right in the middle of a very important board meeting. We children of God have this same right with our heavenly father. Jesus has made us God's sons and daughters thru His blood. Because of this we are always welcome to come into heaven to talk to God. God is pleased when we confidently walk into His presence thru Jesus. He listens immediately.

Whatever your need is, find one of God's promises applicable to your situation and ask God to keep that promise. He is always pleased when His children claim his promises. He desires to give good gifts and to act on behalf of His children. In fact, everyone of God's promises is given like a cheque to be cashed whenever we have a need. II Peter 1 :3, 4 tells us that the promises of the Lord are given to us so that we won't be upset and defeated like the rest of the world. Since we have the wonderful privilege of going to the bank (heaven) to cash the cheque (promise of God), we can live our lives with the victory assured. God will act for us as He did for Hezekiah.

The recipe works every time. "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34: 8).

These promises are found in the Bible. For a catalogued list of some of these promises, read Precious Bible Promises by Samuel Clarke.

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