How do we agree with life and long life as God's will for us?
How do we agree with life and long life as God's will for us?
There are 2 contrasting remarks from 2 "advance in year" men in the Bible
An 85 years old Caleb said in Joshua 14:10-12
10 And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. 11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. 12 Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.”
"The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me, and I will provide for you at my side in Jerusalem.” But Barzillai replied, “How many years of my life remain, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king? I am now eighty years old (younger than Caleb). Can I discern what is good and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or drinks? Can I still hear the voice of singing men and women? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?"
Which confession do you want to make, the 85 years old Caleb's or supposedly younger 80 years old Barzillai? Caleb battled and conquered the mountain full of giants, he's got his inheritance as he believed the Lord. On the other hand Barzillai disqualified himself from great blessings the King offered him - it was the King's will to bless him, but he was the one who didn't receive it.
Notice from the way they spoke, Caleb was so focus on the Lord's ability in his life (Lord-conscious) while Barzillai is about himself (his limitation : "I", "your servant" which is himself).
How do we see ourselves? Do we see ourselves apart of God's active intervention or with His active intervention? Is our life about our own natural resources or about His goodness, His wills (better than our wills) & His ability? Is it about what the Lord said or what "I myself" said?
Proverbs 23:7
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
Proverbs 18:21 (New King James Version)
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Our gracious & sovereign Lord has given us the authority in our tongue about our life & death. How do we use His given authority?
What do we learn about humility, agreeing with the God's WILL or agreeing with our physical feel, experience, emotion, thought, majority say that might not be congruent with God's will? Do we humble ourselves to say that His opinion is more right than what we think & feel?
Many people think that God only gives us a lifespan of 70 or 80 years because it is what Psalm 90:9-10 says, "For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh.The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away."
But they don't realise that the context of this verses is for the people under God's wrath - See other verses on the same chapter, Psalm 90:7 "For we have been consumed by Your anger, And by Your wrath we are terrified"
Psalm 90:9 "For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh"
Psalm 90:11 "Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath."
Moses wrote Psalm 90 describing the people under law (old covenant).
Now under the new covenant (covenant of Grace) we are in Christ, our righteousness is a gift from Him & Christ lives our life - Christ redemption has restored our oneness with God. Christ has absorbed the "anger"/divine judgement that should be for us unto Himself.
Colossians 3:3 "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Colossians 1:27 "...Christ in you, the hope of glory"
John 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
David described the will of God for the people who dwells (hidden) in the secret place of the Most High, starts from Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
Psalm 91:16 "With long life (not short life) I will satisfy him (satisfying life - not suffering life), And show him My salvation (Yeshua)."
Let's learn to agree with God's will & see His salvation (see Jesus more & more in our life).
The longer we live doesn't mean that God's will for us to be weaker & weaker. Before Moses died he blessed the tribe of Asher (means "blessed"/"happy") in Deuteronomy 33:28 "...As your days, so shall your strength be." - let this be true for us the blessed ones.
And for those who are feeling old & weak, let His will in His word happen to you when you "amen" it in your heart & mouth :
Psalm 103
1. Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 3 Who forgives all your iniquities (all your sins are forgiven by Jesus' blood),
Who heals all (not some) your diseases,
4 4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Isaiah 40
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 31 But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
In the olden day (Genesis 6:3) the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive (abide) with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
What the Lord has done (His sacrifice, redemption) has changed the course of humanity, instead of being flesh we are now a renewed spirit (born again once we've received Christ) & His Spirit dwells in us permanently (we are one with Him - see the verses above)
If last time the Spirit of God didn't dwell in man & yet He wanted man to live 120 years old, how much more now for us who's got the Spirit of God - do you think 120 years is our minimum?
Romans 8:11 "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."
Perhaps we've heard Christians quote from Job 1:21, "And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD” - usually pertaining funeral. I understand that this might give emotional support to the grieving family, but is it true that God gives (in this case) life & takes life? There are some real cases that some family members became having bitterness towards God.
It's just because the Bible recorded what Job said, or Peter said, or Thomas said, or even the devil said, it doesn't mean it's true - it's just a recording of an event. The same thing as the fall of men, it's just because death entered through that fall it doesn't mean that it is God's will for death to exist on earth (in the later part of the book of Job the Lord dealt with him & he's got a renewal mind - so the story of Job tells us about his learning process in perceiving God & life).
Genesis 2:7 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (as a consequence that men wanted to be independent from God & be their own god) - it shows God's heart that He wanted mankind to live as well as the free choice He gave to man (because true love is a free choice).
It's just because things commonly happen in the history of mankind (and people have been saying it as truth), it doesn't mean it's the original plan of God. It's only God's word reveals His will the clearest as science only studies the condition after the fall.
In fact the Lord said in John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." - God is pro-life, not death!! We've been somehow mixed up between "the thief" & God/Jesus.
Perhaps there is/are some natural reasons that make you think His will is not going to work on you, eg : age factor - don't disqualify yourself, read again the words I shared before. Also look at this verse, when He's borne our diseases & our sicknesses, the effectiveness doesn't depend on our age - Isaiah 53:4 (YLT) "Surely (it's for sure, not maybe) our sicknesses He hath borne, And our pains -- He hath carried them, And we -- we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted."
Isaiah 53:5 And He is pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities . The chastisement of our peace [is] on Him (everyone, all age). And by his bruise there is healing to us (then why we think His bruise/stripe only heals certain age?).
Expect good things happen to you as He's redeemed you & invest Himself in you, change your mind from the old natural mindset to His words.
Let not our confidence be in ourselves but in Him Who loves us (put your faith in His will), Who's redeemed us and Who lives our life now - Jeremiah 32:27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?"
Let's declare Psalm 118:17 "I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord." - only when we live we can declare His works (it is His work that gives us life, not our own work).
I speak restoration, healing manifestation, long life, renewal of youth for those who read & meditate over these God's words, in Jesus' name Who loves you. Amen.
Daniel Purnomo
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