WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JULY 25, 2024
TOPIC: BETTER DAYS ARE AHEAD OF YOU
BY T. O. BANSO
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13 New International Version).
Every day is some people’s birthday. Today could be yours. It could have passed or you’re looking forward to it. If yours is today, I rejoice with you and congratulate you. I pray that you’ll enjoy many more years on earth and that God’s purpose for your life shall be fulfilled.
People have different attitudes on their birthdays. Some feel satisfied with what they have achieved and aspire for more. They could celebrate their birthday in a colourful ceremony. Some have made substantial progress in life but don’t feel they are where they think they should be. Nevertheless, they don’t see themselves as a failure. They may or may not celebrate their birthdays.
Others are overwhelmed or besieged by life’s troubles. Life has been like a trap for them. They are wondering why they were born. Life is meaningless to them. Sometimes they entertain suicidal thoughts. They could be so frustrated about life and living that they behave like Job and Jeremiah.
Job was a man whom God testified that there was none like him on the earth. God described him as a perfect and upright man who feared Him and turned away from evil (Job 1:8; 2:3). However, in his travails, life’s troubles weighed him down so much that he cursed the day he was born. “‘Let the day of my birth be cursed,’ he said, ‘and the night when I was conceived. Let that day be forever forgotten. Let it be lost even to God, shrouded in eternal darkness. Yes, let the darkness claim it for its own, and may a black cloud overshadow it. May it be blotted off the calendar, never again to be counted among the days of the month of that year’” (Job 3:2-6 Living Bible).
He continued, “Let that night be bleak and joyless. Let those who are experts at cursing curse it. Let the stars of the night disappear. Let it long for light but never see it, never see the morning light. Curse it for its failure to shut my mother’s womb, for letting me be born to come to all this trouble” (verses 7-10 Living Bible).
Would you believe that a man whom God testified there was none like him on earth, a perfect and upright man who feared Him and turned away from evil would say such a thing? But Job did and said even more. “Why didn’t I die at birth? Why did the midwife let me live? Why did she nurse me at her breasts? For if only I had died at birth, then I would be quiet now, asleep and at rest, along with prime ministers and kings with all their pomp, and wealthy princes whose castles are full of rich treasures” (verses 11-15 Living Bible).
Job further said, “Oh, to have been stillborn!—to have never breathed or seen the light. For there in death the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. There even prisoners are at ease, with no brutal jailer to curse them” (verses 16-18 Living Bible).
If Job could say all these words, it tells us that nobody is a superman. Life’s challenges can sometimes, make a strong man act like a weakling. Don’t blame Job. You have not experienced what he went through. I pray you will never but you’ll only learn from his life. You’re not qualified to criticize him. There is a difference between the theory and the practical! Job lost his property and children; he was afflicted with sickness. Despite his woes, he still held fast to his integrity.
Job 2:9-10 says, “Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!’ But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips” (New King James Version).
Unfortunately, Job’s three friends, who came to comfort him, only condemned him when they began to talk. They were miserable comforters. It was better that they had not come or talked. Their focus was on making Job admit that his sin was responsible for his trials. They were wrong, though Job’s attitude to his trials cannot be described as entirely right. However, God’s silence during almost all his troubles affected him more than the pain of his losses.
The Prophet Jeremiah, a great servant of God whose ministry caused him to be hated, rejected, humiliated, and imprisoned, suffered depression. He also spoke as Job did when undergoing the excruciating pain of life’s troubles.
Jeremiah said, “Cursed be the day in which I was born! Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me! Let the man be cursed who brought news to my father, saying, ‘A male child has been born to you!’ Making him very glad. And let that man be like the cities which the Lord overthrew, and did not relent; let him hear the cry in the morning and the shouting at noon, because he did not kill me from the womb, that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb always enlarged with me. Why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?” (Jeremiah 20:14-18 New King James Version).
Depression is a terrible thing. You won’t suffer it in Jesus’ name. If you’re in that condition now, the Lord will deliver you. That great prophet, Elijah, was afflicted by depression, not because of failure in the ministry, and prayed that he might die. He said in 1 Kings 19:4, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” (New King James Version).
The troubles of life are real but they are not permanent. They have an expiry date. With faith in God, we can always overcome. We must never think or talk hopelessly under the weight of life’s troubles. As children of God, we have an advantage over Job, Jeremiah, and Elijah. We have a living relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We have the right and access to the benefits of the works of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. And we have the Bible.
Job, Jeremiah, and Elijah were under the old covenant, which is inferior to the new covenant. 2 Corinthians 3:9-11 says, “For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious” (New Living Translation).
Although Job, Jeremiah, and Elijah, were under the old covenant, God didn’t fail them. He vindicated them. Job and Jeremiah experienced what would have made them eat back the words they spoke, in their sincerity, about how they felt, cursing the day of their birth and saying all the things they said.
Concerning the turnaround Job experienced, the Bible says, “Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers” (Job 42:12-15 New King James Version).
I am sure that, after Job’s restoration, if anyone jokingly reminded him that he cursed the day of his birth, and since he was tired of living, it was time for him to die so that he could go and rest, he would reply that the person wasn’t serious! Job wasn’t speaking then; it was the pain of the troubles! God knew that.
The Bible says at the end of Job’s trials, he lived one hundred and forty years and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. Job died, old and full of days (Job 42:16-17). Don’t entertain suicidal thoughts because of life’s troubles. Don’t wish you were not born. Don’t think your problems will continue forever. Don’t think you’ll not recover from your loss of property, business, employment, position, children, spouse, or health.
Job’s life teaches us that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). It further teaches us that God can restore the years that the swarming locust, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust have eaten (Joel 2:25).
Bible scholars believe that Jeremiah’s ministry lasted about forty years. His prophecies came to pass and the people of Judah suffered for their sins and disobedience to God. God punished them because they refused to heed Jeremiah’s warnings. The Babylonians set Jeremiah free from prison while his tormentors were tormented!
Jeremiah 39:11-14 says, “Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, ‘Take him and look after him, and do him no harm; but do to him just as he says to you.’ So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon’s chief officers; then they sent someone to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he dwelt among the people” (New King James Version).
The Lord didn’t answer Elijah’s prayer; he knew it wasn’t time for him to die. He was not meant to die but to be carried to heaven in a chariot of fire with horses of fire by a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). Before then, God sent him back to continue his ministry. “Then the Lord said to him: ‘Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill” (1 Kings 19:15-17 New King James Version).
Have faith in God (Mark 11:22). No matter your current challenges. God is a God of restoration. Trust Him to restore what you have lost and do much more for you. He can do it. He will do it.
If you’re going through life’s challenges, your birthday shouldn’t be a day to wish you were not born; don’t let it be a day that suicide becomes attractive to you. Let it be a day to reflect on your life and thank God for what He has seen you through and for keeping you alive for the best days are ahead. Let every day, not your birthday alone, be a day you expect the Lord’s visitation.
If Hannah, Rachael, Elizabeth, Zechariah, David, Jephthah, etc. had taken their lives, they wouldn’t have seen the better days they eventually experienced. Expect the Lord’s visitation.
David said, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13 New International Version). The New King James Version says, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.” This should be your attitude. Be confident. Don’t faint; don’t lose heart. Believe God to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. You will see the end of your present troubles.
Psalm 126:1-3 says, “When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion (Jerusalem), we were like those who dream [it seemed so unreal]. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting; then they said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them” (Amplified Bible). My prayer is that this shall be your song this year. What the Lord will do for you shall seem so unreal. It will seem like a dream. It will appear too good to be true.
If you’re enjoying the best season ever in your life currently, I rejoice with you and thank God for your life. However, I encourage you to live your life to the glory of God. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). It doesn’t profit you anything if you gain the whole world and lose your soul (Mark 8:36; Matthew 16:26). As Paul said, “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God” (Acts 20:24 New Living Translation). Discover, pursue, and fulfil God’s assignment (s) for you.
Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (New Living Translation). Life is short. You must, therefore, be very careful how you live. “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5:15-17 New International Version).
The Lord will do for you awesome things beyond your highest expectations. Better days are ahead of you.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. Take the following steps: *Admit you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, I thank You for all You have done for me and more You still have in store for me. Better days are ahead of me. My tomorrow shall be better than today and yesterday. I am not a failure; I am a success. I shall not suffer depression because of the challenges of life in Jesus’ name. Father, deliver everyone who is currently suffering from depression; set them free.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
