By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
MONDAY
THEME: WALL OF FIRE: OUR DEFENCE BY NIGHT AND DAY
SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 2:5
“For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”
REFLECTIONS
God uses objects that are experiential to teach us valuable and lasting lessons. Yesterday, the Lord expressed to us that for the protection of those who trust Him, He has surrounded them like Mount Zion surrounds Jerusalem – a very apt illustration. Jerusalem feels secure because mountains surround it. God will be the everlasting mountain to protect and preserve the lives of those who trust Him. What an incredible thought! Do not understate, underestimate, or miss the import of the promise – God Himself will protect His people.
Zechariah also gives us another object for learning and faith – a firewall. When God declares something, He wants to do what is uncommon and prove it. In Zechariah 2:5, we read: “For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’” This promise is not new to those who follow salvation history revealed through the Egypt to Cannan exodus experience. When Israel was redeemed with the mighty hand of God and reached the Red Sea – a point where there was no thoroughfare and the enemy thought the Israelites were hemmed in, God made a pillar of fire to protect His people, while it posed a constraint to the Egyptian army. What they felt to be a “cold chop” was a fearful and destructive fire they could not come near.
Today, God repeats the same promise for your life. It means no enemy can have the power and audacity to try you. A wall alone is already a deterrent and an impediment or hindrance to the attacking enemy. But having a wall made of fire is divinely driven. God gave us more clear evidence of this experience when the three Hebrew boys were thrown into the blazing fire (Daniel 3). In their case, as soon as they entered the furnace, the fire became their protective shield, which fulfilled God’s promise in Isaiah 43:2, “. . . When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” The question is, is anything too hard for the Lord? God comes in fire, protects His people with fire, and destroys His enemies with fire. The thrilling and heartwarming thought is that the fire that protects His own purifies them, but for the unbelieving sinner, it burns them into ashes.
Today, you can claim the promise and be protected by God’s defense firewall. What else would you ask of the Lord? A Christian who is a coward and fears something else – witches, wizards, apparitions, etc. rather than God is a shame to the faith they pretend to hold. Such people are Satan’s ploy to create doubt, fear, and unbelief. Beloved, if you had the minutest glimpse of God’s protective accoutrements, you would be calm, trusting, and praise Him. Those who go for anointing oil, Florida water, and water from the Jordan River to ward off the so-called evil beings and spirits and juju spells only express gross faithlessness, massive ignorance, and evidence of the depth of deception they have sunk into. Know that the fire that serves as a wall for you while you have life will be the consuming fire to the wicked.
If you believe this promise of God and do not doubt it, then be assured that God has already built a firewall for your safety, security, and protection. In Christ, your safety is paramount. He assures us that those who are within the fire belt are safe. He concludes, “I will be the glory in their midst.” Lord, help my unbelief!
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 528 – “A Shelter in the Time of Storm”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for His plans for your life; thank Him for His promises for this week; pray to revere God and claim His promises;
– Pray for the fearful and unstable Christians who seek help from elsewhere and not from God; pray for families that feel tormented by the devil to claim God’s promise to be a wall of fire for them;
– Pray for hostages under all circumstances; pray for war victims and the safety of the innocent; pray for street children and the parents who put them on the streets;
– Pray for a peaceful and prosperous nation; pray for economic relief, reduction in hardships, and those living in slums; pray for God to be the keeper of our country.
