AUGUST REFLECTION: GOD CAN DO IT AGAIN!

From my childhood days till now I unconsciously grew fun of this song – God can do it again and again and again He is the same God today as He always has been. This Gospel number always reminds me of God’s relentlessness, and never tired approach in the blessing of His elect. Surely, God replicates His blessings; as in the days of Abraham so in our day. The book of Habakkuk adumbrates this point when it pointedly notes: “Lord I have heard of your fame, I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Do them in our days (Hab. 3:2).

      It is therefore important for Christians to always remember that God can repeat Abrahamic blessings in their lives, in order to help them relive their Christian conviction. The Israelite were always reminiscent of what God has done for their ancestors, and this for them constitutes a veritable springboard upon which to enter into further and deeper relationship with Him. They called Him the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, thus highlighting His nearness and readiness to fight their battles.

      If we read and reflect deeply on the marvelous works that God has done and continues to do, we are awe struck, but it makes us affirm the unchanging nature of God. Take a quiet moment; meditate on the wondrous works of God, and as you do so, remind yourself that God can do it again and again and again, because He is the same God today as He always has been.

      Let the testimony of others strengthen your resolve to continue to push until you come to the altar to testify His glory.

SEPTEMBER REFLECTION: ABRAHAM'S BLESSINGS ARE MINE

The Israelites were reputed as God's chosen people; they constantly reminded themselves of how special they are by virtue of the special covenant between God and their father Abram; a man with no serious spiritual antecedent but answered God's call and was chosen from a whole lot to perpetuate God's divine design which marked him and his descendants out as primus inter pares of God's own people.

God called and selected this son of Terah from Ur and through spiritual transformation wrought by means of covenant changed his name and instructed his circumcision at the age of ninety-nine, and made him the harbinger of an unparalleled covenant in which both were to participate in a covenant of total inequality. Through Abraham, God's covenant extended to his grandson Jacob whose dramatic encounter with the messenger of the great ancient of days got a name; Israel. Thus, Abraham responding to the covenant of Yahweh founded the United States of Israel, a nation of highly successful people. Hear the claims some Israelites make to depict their uniqueness as God's choice - the only people who were 1,939 years without a nation, 176 Nobel Prize winners have been Jews, exalted to the highest position in the global business community, producing top lawyers, skilled doctors, surgeons and successful civil leaders. The list is countless.

Know this therefore that you are also God’s chosen people, you are a holy nation, you are set apart. The covenant relationship with God ratified by the blood of Jesus Christ on the wood of Calvary has made it so and has made you an adopted son and daughter and God’s special choice. Yes, you are part of Abrahamic legislation and blessings, for the Lord himself has said '...I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed' (Gen. 12:3).

For the rest of the month read and meditate on: Gen. 12, 15 and Psalm 105 and you will be richly blessed.

OCTOBER REFLECTION: IS THERE NO BALM IN GILEAD? Jer. 8:22

This rhetorical question asked by Jeremiah addresses the sufficiency of God’s healing ability. Jeremiah asked: “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored?” Jer. 8:22.

The prophet was devastated that the condition of his people had moved from bad to worst; a critical condition which requires generous application of balm. Balm is a natural aromatic substance extracted from certain resinous plants and utilized for healing and soothing. So the question of the availability of balm was addressed to Gilead because in biblical or early times, Gilead was rich in spices and aromatic gums and provided export to Egypt, Tyre and Israel. Remember, Joseph was sold by his brothers to a caravan of Ishmaelite traders who were transporting a cargo that included balm (Gen. 37:23-28). However, upon settlement, Gilead on the Westside of Jordan became a part of the Promised Land and the tribe of Gad settled there and continued the balm trade (Ezk. 27:17).

People had sought the balm of Gilead to help their illnesses for centuries. So Jeremiah’s question is, “How can a people who traded in balm be so sick? The physical maladies and brokenness to which a medicinal balm is needed for a cure can easily be seen from the point of this reflection as spiritual brokenness and maladies caused by sins, idolatry and abandonment of our divine calling.

To bring the point home, questions could be asked: How can a country so rich in human and natural resources like Nigeria have citizens who are so poor and deprived? Perhaps there may be balm but the medicinal effect on the people remains to be seen. May be, just may be; the balm has been contaminated by sin, lack of due process, indiscipline; general state of brokenness and disregard to the ethos of life: civil and religious. Until we generously apply this balm adhering to the prescriptions given, we cannot but continue to ask: is there no balm in Gilead?