WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
MARCH 28, 2021
TOPIC: DON’T LET THE STONES CRY OUT IN YOUR PLACE
BY T. O. BANSO
“I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out” (Luke 19:40b New King James Version).
At Jesus’ triumphal entry to Jerusalem, all His disciples were rejoicing and praising the Lord with a loud voice for the mighty works they had seen.
Some Pharisees came to ask Jesus to stop the disciples from praising Him aloud. Replying, Jesus said, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out” (Luke 19:40b New King James Version). A stone is not a living thing. How would the stones have cried out? What did Jesus really mean?
There is a similar reference to the stone crying out in Habakkuk 2:11: “For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the timbers will answer it” (New King James Version). How could the stone cry out and timbers answer? In the context of this scripture, the verse is saying that the stone and the beams of the houses in Babylon built from the blood of the conquered nations and the wealth got by plundering them would cry for vengeance against Babylon. Blood has a voice, it can cry. In Genesis 4:10, God told Cain, who had murdered his brother, Abel, that the voice of his brother’s blood cried out to Him from the ground.
Let’s look at the context of Habakkuk 2:11 I cited earlier by reading it from verses 9-11: “Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of disaster! You give shameful counsel to your house, cutting off many peoples, and sin against your soul. For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the timbers will answer it” (New King James Version). For the stones will cry out. The stones and the timbers have a voice.
In Joshua 24:27, Joshua also talked about the stone as if it was a living thing. He said to all the Israelites, “This stone has heard everything the LORD said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God’” (Joshua 24:27 New Living Translation). How would that be possible? Do stones have ears? Yes, they do. Joshua said they would testify against the Israelites if they denied their God.
One could literally take the words of Jesus in Luke 19:40 concerning the stones crying out to praise Him since all God’s creatures have a voice. From the Bible, we know that nature can praise the Lord. Psalm 148:3-4 says, “Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens!” (New King James Version).
If human beings that God created in His own image will not praise Him, other things that He created will praise Him, thus putting human beings to shame. They may be non-living things but they will praise Him in their natural ways and He will understand and receive their praise. They’re doing it already, irrespective of whether human beings praise God or not.
Psalm 19:1-4 says, “The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world” (New Living Translation).
God created the heavens and it is for the creature to glorify its creator. Some Bible translations say the heavens declare the glory of God. The Hebrew word translated “declare” is caphar, which also means to count, recount, relate, or celebrate.
The implication is that as much as God demands that human beings should worship and praise Him, they do not enjoy the monopoly of praising God, and therefore, cannot starve God of praise. God receives praises from His other creations.
Did you know that the animals praise God? The writer of Psalm 150 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD” (Psalm 150:6 New King James Version). The phrase “everything that has breath” could be considered as including other living creatures but some believe it refers to only human beings.
Nevertheless, in Revelation 5:13, the apostle John says, “And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’” (New King James Version). I think there is no ambiguity here. Every creature praises God. It’s not only human beings. Even mountains and hills praise Him. We may not understand their languages but that is not important. God does.
Read this: “Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all the depths; fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word; mountains and all hills; fruitful trees and all cedars; Beasts and all cattle; creeping things and flying fowl; kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; both young men and maidens; old men and children” (Psalm 148:7-12 New King James Version).
Did you see sea creatures, beasts, cattle, trees, and nature generally called upon, alongside human beings, to praise the Lord? The psalm continues: “Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven. And He has exalted the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints — of the children of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the LORD!” (verses 13-14 New King James Version).
Given the foregoing, it is in the best interest of human beings to praise God. I believe what Jesus said to the Pharisees, He’s also saying to the church today, especially you. If you stop praising Him, the stones will immediately cry out to praise Him!
In addition to the other creations of God praising Him, if you won’t praise Him, God will raise somebody else to praise Him. He will raise the stones! Apart from the natural stones, believers are also called stones – living stones (1 Peter 2:5). Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone (Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6, 7). Don’t let the stones cry out in your place. Take your place and praise the Lord.
David says, “I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore” (Psalm 86:12 New King James Version). Do the same. As Revelation 4:11 says, the Lord is worthy to receive glory and honor and power; for He created all things, and by His will, they exist and were created. Praise Him forevermore. Don’t keep silent. Let no stone take your place.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to 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 will need to 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, thank You for the gift of Your Son to die for my sins. Thank You for all You have done in my life. I will praise You forevermore. Holy Spirit, convict sinners who have not given their lives to Jesus Christ to surrender to Him this season and accept Him as their Lord and Saviour.
(For about 600 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
