Sunday, May 1, 2022
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them: for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.
-Deuteronomy 31:6
The long-lost manuscript was found in the temple by Hilkiah, the high priest, while the building was undergoing extensive repairs in harmony with King Josiah’s plan for the preservation of the sacred structure. The high priest handed the precious volume to Shaphan, a learned scribe, who read it and then took it to the king with the story of its discovery.
Josiah was deeply stirred as he heard read for the first time the exhortations and warnings recorded in this ancient manuscript. Never before had he realized so fully the plainness with which God had set before Israel “life and death, blessing and cursing” (Deuteronomy 30:19): and how repeatedly they had been urged to choose the way of life, that they might become a praise in the earth, a blessing to all nations. “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid,” Israel had been exhorted through Moses; “for the Lord thy God. He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, not forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6.
The book abounded in assurances of God’s willingness to save to the uttermost those who should place their trust fully in Him. As He had wrought in their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, so would He work mightily in establishing them in the Land of Promise and in placing them at the head of the nations of earth.
The encouragements offered as the reward of obedience were accompanied by prophecies of judgments against the disobedient; and as the king heard the inspired words, he recognized, in the picture set before him, conditions that were similar to those actually existing in his kingdom. In connection with these prophetic portrayals of departure from God, he was startled to find plain statements to the effect that the day of calamity would follow swiftly and that there would be no remedy. The language was plain; there could be no mistaking the meaning of the words. And at the close of the volume, in a summary of God’s dealings with Israel and a rehearsal of the events of the future, these matters were made doubly plain. In the hearing of all Israel, {PK 393}
Heart Question: Are you like Josiah, each time you read the word of God you are greatly stirred? Do you find encouragement each time you read the word of the Lord? Do you believe and trust that God will never leave you nor forsake you?
- Pray for strength to be strong and courageous in serving the Lord
- Pray that you will develop the trust and assurances of God’s willingness to save and deliver from the bondages of sin
- Pray that church members in Bahamas would understand that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is a prophetic movement with a prophetic message entrusted by heaven with a very special prophetic mission, and now is the time to shine for God’s glory.
- Pray for our children to be like Josiah. Pray for those who are not attending school that God will touch the hearts of individuals to help them. Pray that God would raise up caring Christians to find ways to feed and care for them.