The Lord Will Strike, Then Heal

DAILY ENCOUNTER

May 10 Wednesday

RBT: Psalms 50; 53; 60; 75

THE LORD WILL STRIKE, THEN HEAL

Text: Isaiah 19:19-22(In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the LORD at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness to the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. 21 So the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the LORD. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the LORD and keep them. 22 The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the LORD, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.)

The Lord will strike Egypt, and then he will bring healing. For the Egyptians will turn to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas and heal them. Isaiah 19:22, NLT

Over time, idolatry has always attracted divine judgement. At difference times, the Egyptians had trusted in the power of their idols and occult practices instead of the living God. God has used Moses and Aaron to address their stubbornness, but this is time He chose to deal with them directly. He also showed them that they cannot escape His judgement, unless they turn to Him. After they experience God’s judgement, they would realize how great God is and come to worship Him and declare Him as Jehovah. Since God does not compromise His standard, He will punish them when they go contrary to His expectation. However, He is always willing to forgive anyone who repents and forsake his sins. When God disciplines, it does not mean He hates anyone. It is only an expression of His love towards us and hatred for obedience. As God’s children, we must always be willing to accept God’s discipline in whatever way it comes. This is a means to bring us back to fellowship with Himself. We cannot continue to do things that are contrary to His nature and expect Him not to watch us glide into the hands of the devil. However, God is ever willing to save, heal and bring us back to Him.

Wisdom: God cares in His dealings with His children.

Food For Thought: God disciplines His own people to bring them back to Himself.

Follow-up Action: In times of difficult moment, seek the face of God to know what lesson(s) you need to learn.

Prayer: Lord, help me to understand that when I am being chastised, it is for my good.