DCLM DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL FOR APRIL 3, 2023  (BROKEN THROUGH PAIN)
 

TOPIC : BROKEN THROUGH PAIN

Text: Isaiah 26:6-16 (KJV)

6 The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.

7 The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.

8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.

9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

10 Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.

11 Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.

12 Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

13 O Lord our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.

14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

15 Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.

16 Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.

KEY VERSE: “LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.” – (Isaiah 26:16)

MESSAGE

It was reported by God TV, on March 25, 2020 that an atheist doctor, Julian Urban, from Italy realised he needed to start asking God for help in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic hitting their country while on duty. The 38-year-old medical doctor narrated: “Until two weeks ago, my colleagues and I were atheists. It was normal because we are doctors.

We learned that science excludes the presence of God”. He testified how he mocked his parents going to church in the past. And how all that changed after meeting a pastor who was admitted to the hospital. “Nine days ago, a 75-year-old pastor was admitted into the hospital. He was a kind man. He had serious breathing problems. When we talk to each other, we cannot believe that, though we were once fierce atheists, we are now daily in search of peace, asking the Lord to help us continue so that we can take care of the sick”.

The passage before us demonstrates how pain and suffering can lead us to God. The wicked people in the time of Isaiah received favour from God on daily basis, yet they refused to change and imbibe righteousness. But when the judgment of God was upon them, they began to learn righteousness because they had come to their wits’ end. Experience has shown that wicked people pour out prayer to God while under chastisement, when their strong will and odious pride is crushed; and they seek to embrace the love and mercy of God which they had despised.

We may not know exactly what it is that can break a man and bring him into the saving grace of God. We will have to rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our soul-winning. Some people have responded to the gospel because of the kindness and favour shown to them by the preachers, who display Christ’s mercy and compassion in their approach. The fact remains that there are many others who will despise love and continue in sin until something serious and terrible happens to them.

It took a terrible pandemic to convince the unbelieving doctors mentioned above. The advice to sinners here is clear; do not wait until God is compelled to break you before you bend. Respond to His call without further delay.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Better to bend to God’s will than to be bent by it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 8-9

Daily Manna is the daily devotional of the Deeper Christian Life Bible Ministry (DCLM) written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi. It is an extraction of God’s Word designed to draw the sincere seeker closer to God on a daily basis through an insightful exposition and analysis of God’s Word.