All through the pages and pages of the Bible are principles for living that are unparalleled in their facility to guide one rightly through the hallways of life. There are some who can find no merit in the Word of God and end up embarking on smear campaigns in a bid to discredit what has come to be cherished by many, conversely: The Holy Word. Sad, indeed it is, that people miss the true essence of what the Bible describes itself as being: God-breathed. It says of itself: “all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” among so many other things and the “formula” so to speak that our caption denotes, is often not known to many and we end up living life as though it were too difficult a test to pass or a road to walk. And I hasten to say, for us all, life proves extremely difficult to live at some junctures but thankfully, isn’t impossible to surmount. But God uses principles in all His doings that, not being known, causes us to miss out on enjoying the journey and living in expectancy believing that truly, we followed the right path laid out there in the Holy Writ.
All through the Bible, God gives promises to his people. Some are of good to come if we live in obedience to His commands, as well as, conversely, evil to follow if we ignore right principles in our living. As far back as Eden, God made a promise to Adam and Eve that we know now as having been the condition for enjoying a lifetime and eternity of bliss or sorrow depending on what was chosen to do. “And the Lord commanded the man saying, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” This could easily be the first or one of the first promises of God found in Scripture. And it came with a condition. For the child of God, there is nothing sweeter than a promise from Him of good for doing what is right. And all through are many sweet pledges of lasting benefits for God’s people if only we obey. The promise is God’s first step in charting our lives and channelling our pathways. In all cases, God’s promises are intended for our benefit, especially as it concerns building faith. In some instances promises are a way of testing our ability to cope as we wait on the outcomes He has laid out before us only in sketches and skeletons.
Often, a promise comes with a call to action such as we, in working towards goals take in our daily living. It gives us reason to take steps to facilitate an outcome. And this brings us to the process. This we term: ‘faith in motion’. It was said, “faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.” And in a very real sense, all through the Bible, we see the promise ensued almost invariably by something to do. This constitutes the process. While we wait, (and there are times when it is all we are required to do) we work as part and parcel of the Divine plan for our lives. Spiritual aid is always available to the child of God who receives His promises to walk out His part of the deal. And this is how our spiritual muscles are built. There is never just one benefit or outcome. But trust in God will accompany our wait as we see our own obedience and efforts bearing fruit and too, the testimony that shows to the world we have a God who is true; the testimony that will cause us to overcome the enemy as he progressively tempts and buffets us.
I can tell you as a singer, songwriter, poet and general writer that all these giftings could never have come about without working and seeing as a result, the progress that would have surely, in the end, cemented me as one of the better persons at all these efforts, simply because as I learned from childhood the parable of the talents, I took it as a promise that I am now seeing the process as having been applying diligence in school as well as writing through many sleepless nights and taxing days, to also include rewinding many audio cassettes trying to perfect the runs and phrasings with my voice that other more seasoned singers would have done; and oftentimes singing so intensely and frequently, that I would have faced many very painful bouts of laryngitis, tonsillitis, mouth ulcers and pharyngitis. I had to walk out my faith and do my part.
And sure enough, God has blessed me to be one of the foremost in my varying fields of endeavour. Important to note too, is that I never started out walking in all these giftings. And this is where we come to the provision. After the promise and the process, certainly, I can truly say for myself, the provision has become and is becoming more evident as I see my efforts, as well as with God’s blessings bearing fruit: Lives are being impacted positively. My faith has also grown. The laws of life and the cosmos are invariably the same for us all. It is the same basic process we must all go through to reach the desired outcome. The provision usually comes after a waiting and a working. God’s inmost desire is to bless His children beyond measure. And when all the conditions are met in His eyes, He pours out in copious measure upon us. A short paragraph, isn’t it? But what much needs to be said anyway? The provision is the end of the process. So, why not keep it short and sweet? It’s the climax and zenith of the well-worn and weary path to glory in this life and the next.
Father Abraham, Jacob, Solomon, David, Hezekiah, Gideon also known as Barack, Jephthah, Jabez, Mary, Elizabeth, Ruth, Esther, among many others, were partakers of the promise, the process and the provision. For some and others, promises for taking divergent paths from God’s intended plan were also, sadly fulfilled. But the biggest lesson we learn from all these characters is that God ever remains true to His Word. It is said in the Bible: “forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in Heaven.” And it was also said that it would not return unto Him void. The question today, friends, is where will we each find ourselves as it concerns the outcome, starting with the promise, leading to the provision? Will we have faith and tenacity to co-operate with Divine leading to find our lives blessed beyond measure? Or will we stop halfway through, as well as never move from the promise? May it be, that every soul chooses to go all the way. Regret for what could have been is a cruel outcome that can never be remedied by anything else but making every moment, every step along life’s way count for something good prior to that response. Regret cannot really be remedied in the strictest sense, can it? It can only be assuaged. Let the promise, process and provision be all yours today and with the passage of time. All Heaven is on your side to lead and direct your goings. Be blessed and encouraged by the words.
