By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
WEEK 354 – SEPTEMBER 8 – 14, 2024
GEMS FOR MEDITATION AND PRAYER
THEME FOR THE WEEK: TRUSTING GOD IN THE 21ST CENTURY
SUNDAY
THEME: ADDITIONAL REASON TO TRUST GOD”
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 10:12
“He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.”
REFLECTIONS
It is important to know who you are dealing with regarding matters of faith. Can we know God? Can He be trusted? Jeremiah 10:10,12 attests: “[10]But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath, the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation. [12]He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.” The power of God demands our trust in Him.
Our God is a down-to-earth God – mighty and immutable. From His heart of love, He seeks an association with us to bless us. He assures us that He is a God with unlimited presence and power. Jeremiah 29:12-13 – states, “[12]Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. [13]And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Searching and finding God is a great comfort to the soul. God can be found when a consistent effort inspired by a growing desire and purpose to know Him personally is made. He is a God so near.
God poses some questions in Jeremiah 23:23-24 to express His power more clearly: [23]“Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off? [24]Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.” With His matchless power He fills heaven and earth, such is the God who has called us into a relationship skewed to favour us. God is actively involved in our daily affairs and yearns to have His presence with us always as He did with the Israelites which scared the other nations who worshipped idols that could not interact or help.
Lest they forget, Moses reminded the people of Israel who had experienced in no mean measure the power of God in their national and individual lives saying in Deuteronomy 4:7, “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?” Beloved, you have a power backing you and to depend on. In your struggles, the power of God is near to deliver, succour, and support you. Today, fly high with optimism because the power of God is available to you – no height is a limit to where God’s power can place you.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 88 – “I Sing the Mighty Power of God”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for His loving kindness; rejoice with thanks for His protection over the past week; pray to seek and depend solely on God’s power;
– Pray for family members, loved ones, and acquaintances to experience the power of God this week;
– Pray for God’s intervention for people in distress, victims of wars, disasters, and violence;
– Pray for young couples, marriages on the brink of collapse, couples seeking God’s favour for a child; pray for the gospel of Jesus to spread and bring hope to lost humanity.