The Lord is your banner

 Psalm 60:1–12 (ESV):  

1  O God, you have rejected us, broken our defences; 

you have been angry; oh, restore us. 

2  You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; 

repair its breaches, for it totters. 

3  You have made your people see hard things; 

you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger. 

4  You have set up a banner for those who fear you, 

that they may flee to it from the bow. Selah 

5  That your beloved ones may be delivered, 

give salvation by your right hand and answer us! 

6  God has spoken in his holiness: 

“With exultation I will divide up Shechem 

and portion out the Vale of Succoth. 

7  Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; 

Ephraim is my helmet; 

Judah is my sceptre. 

8  Moab is my washbasin; 

upon Edom I cast my shoe; 

over Philistia I shout in triumph.” 

9  Who will bring me to the fortified city? 

Who will lead me to Edom? 

10  Have you not rejected us, O God? 

You do not go forth, O God, with our armies. 

11  Oh, grant us help against the foe, 

for vain is the salvation of man! 

12  With God we shall do valiantly; 

it is he who will tread down our foes. 

Often when we read of David in battle, we hear of the victory that comes. Yet it was not always so, as we can surmise from this psalm. Here David tells us how their defences were broken, the people have seen ‘hard things’ and are staggering to safety (v4). They need delivering as they are being beaten and having to retreat. It feels as if, ‘you do not go forth with us, O God’. So instead of running in triumph, celebrating victory, the Israelite army is having to run, in fear, to the ‘banner’ (v4) - A symbol of retreat. The banner was at the rear of the army, a visual representation of who you belonged to. Especially important in war as you could easily get disorientated. It was important to be able to see where you needed to go to re-join your team if you got lost, injured, or needed rest. For Israel, their banner also reminded them that God was with them (Exodus 17:15, 'The Lord is my banner'). The banner therefore represented for David and his army that God is the Commander of the battle, their protector, guide, refuge and safety, a fortress they can run to. A place of retreat where they can be reminded that God is present and so they can be comforted, restored and re-engaged. In this battle, they needed that. They were fighting and felt like they were losing, so they had to run for safety and restoration. 

Sometimes, in life, you need to retreat to the ‘banner’ too. You need to reming yourself that the Lord is your banner, just as He was Israel's. God is your refuge, retreat, safety, fortress and restoration. In life, you will get tired, hurt, and feel lost. God is waiting for you to run to Him. He can remind you that He is the commander, refuge, safety, protractor, guide and healer. He will refresh you and re-equip you for the battles you face, are you running to Him? God is waiting for you. 

Battles are never won by an individual, so you cannot do it alone. You do not need to, and should not be trying to. If you are a member of His army, and you are leading your life following Him then you are on His team, and He is your banner. You do not have the vision, strength or the level of strategic planning required to even navigate the battles that are coming but God does. He has the might, understanding and plan to get you through and to bring about His promises. Are you running to Him to hear what He has to say so that He can guide you to where you need to go?

When you seem to be losing, battling, struggling, feeling like you need to refresh, rest or retreat, what do you do? You should be running to God, your banner. You need to rest and re-evaluate sometimes. Make sure that when you do you’re not sitting by yourself doing it, trying to fix things and navigate battles alone, but that you are under God’s banner. Going it alone causes anxiety, stress, worthlessness and worry. Sitting with God however creates vision, peace, strength, restoration, healing, power and brings, ‘great salvation’.

As David sat and reflected under the banner as he wrote this psalm, he felt as if God had rejected and abandoned him and the Israelite army. He was wondering who was leading this battle? If God isn’t in it, should they be? Yet he and the army are fighting for their lives, their families freedom and the nation of Israel, surely that's a good thing? They are under pressure, frantically caught in the fight that they are losing. Yet they are God’s people, His army, trying to do God’s will. How can this be the situation? How can they be defeated? David came to God in his disappointment and confusion when it seemed like they were losing the battle. It seemed that David was failing in the mission even though he was trying to honour God and do His will. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes we feel that the battles and missions we are on are failing even though we know God has us on this path. I know that I have struggled with knowing God has sent me to do things and then it seems like life has become a battle. As a family we have experienced emotional turmoil and physical hardship, we have suffered, dangers have come and unexpected battles have needed to be faced. So where is God when these things happen? Does it mean that we have messed up and got the call of God wrong? Has God disappeared or withdrawn? No! It means that we need to continually run to God, our banner to sustain us in every way. When life looks bleak, disappointing and like a losing battle shift your gaze and look for the banner then run to it! For God is there and He is ready and waiting for you. In the battle, God is present - look for Him. He can envision and equip, restore and heal you if you go to Him.

Do you know the game, capture the flag? Each team tries to take the other's banner down, then they have won. When you are on God's team and He is your banner, then guess what?! You are never going to lose! His banner has been flying for eternity and will continue to stand in victory, so when the battle comes ensure that you run to Him for He will not let you down. You are on the winning team, so run to His banner for strength, refreshment and re-envisioning, with God as your banner what have you got to fear or lose? 

David knew he was on God's team, yet things got really desperate and difficult for him, so he ran to God as his banner and was upfront and honest with Him. He was wondering where God was, for wherever he looked, he didn’t see Him. He saw hard things, staggering, quaking land, torn kingdom and broken defences (v1-3), a far cry from victory. So, David says;

“You do not go forth, O God, with our armies. 

11  Oh, grant us help against the foe, 

for vain is the salvation of man! 

12  With God we shall do valiantly; 

it is he who will tread down our foes.” (V10-12)

David tells God his experience, and wonders, God, where are you? For David cannot see God at work right now, only the enemies work, and it seems like the other side is winning. Yet, he still knows that if God turns up, ‘we shall do valiantly’ and there will be ‘salvation’. David's trust in God was steadfast. He knew that following God wasn't easy, that living a life of faith is hard and that sometimes God seems distant or even absent, but that doesn't mean He is. It just means that he lost sight of God and so needed to search for the banner. For the banner still stands and will stand. So when you know you are doing the things God wants you to, don’t be surprised if life gets hard and becomes a battle. It is an opportunity to run to God, seek and see His salvation and remind yourself whose banner you are fighting under.

David’s experience was so shattering because not only was he being personally attacked and having to wearily keep on going for survival, but good people, fellow warriors and friends were dying. That is what happens in war. There is loss, distress, fear, confusion, pain, suffering and sometimes, defeat. That is why there is a banner available for you to run to. It is not giving up or turning back, but running to God for rest, refuge and restoration. Run to God and implore Him to show up and do the work, for great is His salvation. Remind yourself that you are on God's team, and that He fights so that His, ‘beloved ones may be delivered'. He will sustain and help you. Even if you feel defeated, it doesn’t mean that you have lost. David was still king even when he was fighting a losing battle. Nothing can change the promises of God so keep your eyes on Him as your banner.

Do your enemies know God?

 Psalm 4:1–7 (ESV): 

1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! 

You have given me relief when I was in distress. 

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! 

2  O men, how long shall my honour be turned into shame? 

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah 

3  But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. 

4  Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah 

5  Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. 

6  There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? 

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” 

7  You have put more joy in my heart 

than they have when their grain and wine abound. 

8  In peace I will both lie down and sleep; 

for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. 

Clearly this is another Psalm written at a time of distress and pain for David. He implores God to listen (v1), and knows that God does hear him (v3), reminding himself that God cares, is present, available and interested in his life. Once he has considered God first David then he goes onto speak to his enemies (v2-5);

2  O men, how long shall my honour be turned into shame? 

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah 

3  But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. 

4  Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah 

5  Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. 

David has spoken to God about his frustrations and difficulties and recognises that the hands of men are to blame. In particular their incessant need to shame him resorting to lies and exaggeration. So, he ‘speaks’ to these enemies through this psalm, maybe he even spoke to them via letter or in person to exhort them to a different path in life. Even though David was hurt and persecuted by these vain, angry liars, he wants to show them a better way. He confidently informs them that they are not going to succeed because they are railing not just against him but against God. David wants his foes to know that God has selected himself as king of Israel, and that fighting against God is not going to end well for them. He attempts to show these men that even if they club together, they are no match for God. So he attempts to motivate them to a different course of action. 

David calls out to his enemies to try to persuade them to consider their purpose and actions, to really think about their motivating factors when making decisions. He knows they are angry and have set their anger towards himself (v4), but he invites them to soberly consider what they are doing. He knows they too have a conscience and a soul, and that they, even as kings, have a responsibility for their own personal actions and decisions as well as those for the nation. That is why he invites them to, 'ponder in your own hearts on your beds', sometimes the only alone time, the time away from the busy-ness of life is the time when they lie down. So David asks them to take time, when things are running around their heads after another busy day, to really think about what they are doing and why. The time of quiet and rest is a good time to reflect if they are doing the right things by God. 

At the end of the day, are you confident that your behaviour, words and actions have honoured God and His people? Or have you been busy working against them as these kings were? God cares about your soul and your eternal future, just like David cared for these men. Are you taking time out of the busy-ness of life to ponder what it is all about and whether you're going in the right direction? Are you taking time to think about your life and the impact it has on others? If you do take time to think soberly about your life, what different decisions would you be making? How would your relationships pan out and what would you do with what God says in the silence? 

The last command in this section is, 'offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord'. After reflecting on the purposes of your actions, it is probable that you may need to give some things up. Maybe things you are passionate about, things that it hurts to put to one side, but David's encouragement is that rather than trusting these things, 'trust in the Lord'. If God is asking you to live a different life, it may well feel like a huge sacrifice, but if, like David's enemies, you know that your life is against God rather than for Him, where do you think it is going to end up? Even if you enjoy what you are doing, and you feel confident that your life is going in the same direction as many others, do you really think that fighting against God is a smart and successful idea?

David was a strong, kind, powerful king, a man after God's heart, and he cared about his life and the life of those around him whether or not they were nice to him. He knew that anyone leading a life without considering God was in trouble. He saw that even those who were fighting against him needed to know God. Do you think the same about those who are against you? Do you pray for them to know who God is, do you even attempt to speak to them about God like David did? Are you concerned about those who are against you because they do not know God? David challenges us to reconsider our own perspective on those who do not like us and even those who seek our downfall. Are you upset/annoyed with them because they are hurting you, or are you more concerned for their soul and the result of them living a life without God?

Praying through the pain

Ever felt like the world is against you? That everything is going wrong, and no matter what you do there’s injustice, persecution, hardship and pain? Be assured, you are not alone. You are not the only one that has felt this way, and you won’t be the last. Many people from all walks of life, from ordinary men and women to great kings like David have felt peril, confusion, heartache and terror. Take a read of Psalm 3;

Psalm 3

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. 

1  O Lord, how many are my foes! 

Many are rising against me; 

2  many are saying of my soul, 

“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah 

3  But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 

4  I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah 

5  I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. 

6  I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. 

7  Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! 

For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. 

8  Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Selah 

In this Psalm, David is suffering due to the actions of his own child. Anyone who has experienced the rebellion of a child, their wilful disobedience and purposeful destruction of relationship may understand something of what David is feeling as he writes this. Not only has his son rebelled, but he has gathered others to his side so that now there’s a sizeable, threatening army from which David needs to run and hide. Not because he has been a bad father or done anything wrong, but because of the sin, impatience and recklessness of his son. At times you too may suffer due to the sin of others and it can feel unfair, unjust and as if the whole world is against you. You can be threatened and chased down, not because of any error on your side, but because the world does not want men and women of faith to succeed and Satan is after you. It's a harsh truth, but it is the reality. 

If you are chasing after God, then do not be surprised if others are chasing after you - for your downfall and destruction. Yet do not despair, you are not alone and never will be. Psalms and Biblical teaching such as this can help you. Like David, you can pour out your emotions to God. Look at how David does it- he tells God how it really is; frustration, fear, pain, hurt, confusion - It is ok for you to do the same. To admit how hard your situation is and how terrified, worried and heartbroken you are. David does, so do many others in the Bible. I too have had many a rant to God about how hurt, upset, concerned, angry and disappointed I have been when I have felt threatened, persecuted, heartbroken and afraid. I have learnt to pray honestly to Father God by reading about how others in the Bible, like David, have prayed. I have implored God to intervene and turn things around, to help me, to sustain and guide me. You can too. It is ok to do that. Sometimes we need to be reminded that God is big enough and cares enough to see and hear our pain. He can take it - in fact He is the only one who can.

You can speak to God honestly about any situation and about the condition of your heart because God cares, protects and saves. David knows, even through this heart-rending experience that God is, 'a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head'. David knows the extent of the circumstances and the intent of his son yet he also knows and clings onto the intent and power of Almighty God. Even in the midst of life-threatening disaster David remembers the truth about God. He recalls that God gets to choose every outcome of every situation. He reminds himself that God is a shield - He protects and fights for His people, He is magnificent and beautiful, and transforms sorrow to joy. Do you, in times of trouble also call to your mind the truth of God? Do you, along with David, understand that when you rely and depend on God He can keep you going and give you what you need? 

As you cry out to God, know that He hears you and is working even when you do not see it. He is your shield, glory and lifter-upper too. God does and will sustain and protect you like He did David. When you consider these truths about God, it can easily lead into thanksgiving, like it did for David. From feeling despairing and desolate, David has poured out his emotions then made himself remember the truth about God which then led to praise and gratitude. When you also pray when you are in despair, don't stop there, don't stop once you have had your rant and let out your emotions, but also but call to mind your understanding and experience of God and see how your prayer also transforms into gratitude. Even in the darkest moments of life you have a Heavenly Father who cares and hears you, you are never alone or forsaken. When you consider what David was experiencing in these moments it is inspiring to see how in times of torment he continues to find reasons to praise. 

In the midst of turmoil what do you see God doing for you? Are you looking out for how God supports, loves, protects, sustains and is generous to you even when life is chaotic and disastrous? Do you look for the small, everyday blessings that you can be thankful for, like the rest David was grateful for? 

You may be in a season of suffering or turmoil, and it may not be your fault - do not despair, but do cry out to God - let your pain be known to Him and remind yourself who God is. When you do, you will be able to see that God is with you and is looking out for you, and remember that, 'Salvation belongs to the Lord'

Psalm 127 - part 2

In part 1 of this psalm, we looked at the first two verses, today will will be focussing on v3-5. With the recollection that labouring, watching and toiling without God is all in vain;

 A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. 

*1* Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 

*2* It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 

*3* Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 

*4* Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 

*5* Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. 

After the initial 2 verses showing us that working hard, worrying and looking out for others is pointless if God is not in it, Solomon then speaks about children. I think it is appropriate that Solomon tells us about the everyday things of life that we can worry about before he gets onto talking us about kids. Most of the time they are the aspect of life that parents worry about most! Therefore we need good practice at trusting God with the other things before we can even consider handing over our children to God. I think that is why this psalm is ordered that way - by first telling us that worrying about work, finances and safety is all in vain if God is there, before speaking into raising children. We have got to get our security in God in  those things first before we can even entertain the thought that our children can be entrusted to God because that is much harder to do. We need the very real practice of trusting God. When we can trust God for our future, work, rest and protection rather than our own abilities and hard work, and we have seen Him be faithful in those, then we can begin to entertain the idea that He can be trusted with our children too. It is easy to say that we trust God with all of these things, but it is very difficult to actually do. 

Verse 3 clearly tells us that children are a blessing. Sometimes we know that, other times we forget it! Children are in fact a, ‘heritage from the Lord’ - what an amazing statement! The word heritage is about having an ‘individual possession’ or an ‘allotted portion’. Children are ‘allotted’ to us ‘from the Lord’. They are not really ours, but we get to share life with them and guide them. Children are entrusted to us by God as a part of our life. We have part-ownership in our kids, not full ownership as we sometimes mistakenly believe. God has shown me this recently when things have been incredibly difficult, and i have told Him that i cannot do it. I cannot parent this child and i do not know what to do. God clearly told me 'give them to me then'. It was then i remembered this very thing; our children are not really ours. They were always God's first. I was battling, stressing and worrying (in vain!) when it is not fully my responsibility to do so, as these children are ‘allotted’ to us. We have part-ownership and we can go wrong and get stressed out when we forget and try to fix it all ourselves. That is what i was trying to do. I was praying and asking for guidance and at my wits end, so i was trusting God, but I wasn't handing over to Him. Does that make sense? Sometimes we can hold on too tight. We feel the full responsibility, but we were never meant to carry it by ourselves. It can be easy to pray and know that God is present even when things are falling apart, but then comes the reality that we need to give up trying to fix things and let God do it. That is where i was and it is scary and painful realising that you are not enough, but it gives God a chance to work and show what he can do. It is also a massive relief when you are able to emotionally do that. Remember that children are an, 'heritage from the Lord'. We can easily forget that and mistakenly believe that they are ours. Yet we share part-ownership. God is also invested and involved in the lives of our kids, and sometimes we need to let go and let Him influence, guide and guard. 

‘Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.’ A warrior knows how to use his arrows. He takes care of them, protects them and refines them before he sets them loose. As a parent or influential adult in a young person's life, you can invest in guiding and refining them. The purpose of an arrow is to fly. A warrior does all he can to ensure it flies straight and hits the mark. That is our responsibility too - Children will one day fly - what are you directing them to when they do? 

One thing I often say as a parent is, “if my kids have got hold of who God is in their lives then I know they will be alright.” It doesn’t mean their lives will be easy or straight forward, but it does mean that their souls will be well. If our children know they have access to and can have a relationship with God, then they can handle life well. No matter what happens. So, it is my duty as a parent to do my best to model a good relationship with God and invite them into it and let them know they can have the same. To me, this is ensuring that the arrows fly well. Our children have purpose, meaning and a direction in life to follow. Our responsibility is to help, encourage and 'train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it' (proverbs 22:6). What great comfort that is.

Psalm 127 - part 1

As you enter a new year, have you thought about what are you worried about this coming year? Are you concerned for your family? Your community? Your nation? Your life? finances? security? Work? 

Take comfort as you read the following psalm;

127

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. 

*1* Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 

*2* It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 

If you are starting off the year worried, pause to consider, are you letting God build into your life? Or are you striving under your own power and inspiration? 

‘Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain’. It may be something good or positive that you are trying to build, but is God in it? Is He in command and are you doing the part He wants you to? If not, then you are basically wasting your time. Going round in stressful circles and not achieving much. God wants to be allowed to take the stress, the time frames, the projections, hopes and aspirations and show you what He can do. You don’t need to do it all or try to fix everything. For God knows what will succeed and what will fail, so surely it is a good idea to get His take on things. If you are fed up of your, ‘labour in vain’, then why not invite God into what you are trying to build and see what He can do with it all. As you begin this year, before you make those resolutions, why not take time to consider is it in vain, or is God helping and motivating you? 

It may not be work, finance or making something in life that you’re concerned about, what about safety and security? The same goes for those aspects of life too. God is the best watchman - He doesn’t fall asleep or get distracted. A watchman looks out and spots trouble coming, checking the security and safety of what they have responsibility for. God can be a watchman for you. It doesn’t mean that trouble is going to disappear, but you can rest assured that God is there watching and expecting. Therefore you can rest. You can relax and rest as eventhough you do not know what is going to happen, you can have the assurance that God does and He is ready and waiting. There is no point losing sleep over the things that you are worried about but can do nothing to change, instead ask God to watch over the things that concern you. Having sleepless nights and troubled thoughts is in vain - it doesn’t change anything other than the fact you will be tired and grumpy! How about this year, give yourself a break from stress and worry and hand things over to the faithful watchman who can guide, protect and look after each person that you care  about.

Oh, v2, I am sure many will be living this right now, ‘anxious toil’. Christmas is known as a time when many overspend, and January a time when people regret it. In the world at present it is also a time of financial uncertainty, increased bills, unknown income. A time when people look at their bank balance and wonder how on earth they are going to be at zero at the end of the month let alone have money leftover. Yet here in v2, we are clearly told not to worry and stress about it. We can work ourselves into ‘anxious toil’, trying to burn the candle at both ends just trying to make ends meet, puzzling over the bank balance or working hard to try and earn a bit more, the reality is even then we don’t always manage to make it work. What does working like that achieve? Anxiety, tiredness, stress, sickness; ‘anxious toil’. This verse tells us it is futile. Instead we can know rest and sleep even when we are concerned about work, bills etc.

How? By knowing that you are ‘his beloved’ and He wants to give you a break. If you are one of God’s children, then you are his beloved, and as someone dearly loved and cared for, you can trust that God has got it all in hand. He can give you rest from anxiety and toil when you really trust Him. Know who you are to Him, then that will give you peace and comfort. Your situation may not change, but when you trust God to love you, then you will find rest. Not just sleep, but the rest you need from the stresses and strains of life too. 

These first 2 verses show that there is nothing too big for God. He can handle your dreams, your prospects, your household, family, work life, finances, safety and protection. God can take care of all of it. Are you trusting Him to?

Are you heading for your allotted place?

 The last verse in the book of Daniel reads thus;

*13*But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.” Daniel 12:13.

After all of the experiences Daniel has had throughout his life, both miraculous and mortifying, he is encouraged to, ‘go your way til the end’. What a beautifully simple instruction. God is telling Daniel that he just needs to keep doing what he has been doing. God has confidence in the way Daniel lives his life, there is nothing more that he needs to do so God exhorts him to keep it up. Daniel had many challenges and triumphs throughout his life, and he remained steadfast in his trust in God. Daniel sought God and listened to Him, and learned to care about what God cares about. So the greatest instruction that God could give Daniel at this stage of his life is to keep going in that way, with the confidence that he has a place reserved for him in eternity. Daniel is on the right path and almost there, he has an, ‘allotted place’, a secure position assigned to him because of the faithful and faith-filled life he led, he just needs to keep going.

Wouldn’t you like a word from God like that? 

I would. The simple assurance that the way you are going is right and the confidence of your eternal place. What relief, satisfaction and hope that must have brought Daniel. Towards the end of his Earthly days, he is reminded of eternal security and encouraged in the long road of life that he has been on. Daniel is assured that he will be able to ‘rest and shall stand’. Meaning that he will have relief from struggle, peace of heart, and the right to be there. When we accept Jesus as our saviour and live our lives with a God-first mentality, we too earn the right to rest and stand in our allotted places when our time on Earth is done. 

Are you living to earn that eternal reward? 

This instruction for Daniel shows us the generosity of God. God not only provides us the salvation we need - forgiveness from all our wrongs through Jesus - but He also gives us a place of honour in eternity when we live focussed on Him. God delivers us from the sin which causes separation from Him, so that we can walk life and the life after with God  Yet, like the generous father that He is. God is not satisfied with just that. God did not stop at offering us all salvation and restoration, but He also secures an eternal place for those that believe in Him and live for Him. Not only can we be free from condemnation, but we can also have relationship with God, and be given an, ' allotted place' like Daniel was. 

I think this verse is an apt way to end the book of Daniel. The genuine faith of Daniel has lasted through many trials, roles, responsibilities, persecution and revelations, and he is pretty old now. The faithfulness and boldness of Daniel has a promised reward. Daniel did not get the reward or the promise of it at the start as a young teenage exile, but at the end of an eventful, faith-filled life. Daniel had to keep going through his life doing his best to honour God in the midst of many trials, and now he receives a wonderful assurance from God. Daniel has not much further to go - the end is in sight - he is heading in the right direction, so he just needs to continue so that he gains his 'allotted place at the end of the days'. 

One day, we too will face the end of our Earthly lives. What will be the assurance God gives you then? Will you will be given rest and an eternal, appointed position because of the life you have chosen to live?

*13*But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.” 

The Seventh Day

 

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. *2*And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. *3*So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 

Genesis 2:1

God rested, most of us realise this fact about the 7th day, but did you notice that God also blessed the 7th day and made it holy? He didn’t do that  for His own benefit, after all, how would God bless himself? Therefore it must be for the benefit of His creation. 

So,  what does it mean that the 7th day is blessed and holy? 

This 7th day, at the start of creation is marked out as significant and highlighted as different rom every other day. Every other day, things were made, God worked, but this day, something different happened, God rested, therefore signifying that it was set apart and significant. 

God, at the very start gave the 7th day high value, He wanted the 7th day to look different from the rest of the week. He dedicated it to rest and reflection. 

Does your 7th day look different to every other day? Do you set it apart in some way?

God next tells us this day is ‘blessed’. This means it has good bestowed upon it and it is consecrated. Therefore it should be a day that is used for noble purpose. It should be a day of contemplation and enjoyment of the work already completed, a day when there’s a different focus and routine. A day that we choose to do something good, and where we appreciate the good in life. 

The 7th day is also holy, therefore it must be set apart for religious purpose, dedicated to God. This conjures the ideas of meeting others with the same beliefs, building and encouraging one another up, declaring God’s goodness, doing something with a God-ward focus.  Taking time to see the good we, others and God have done and appreciating that. Sharing time acknowledging the creator. 

This is why, as christians, we usually meet up on a Sunday, it’s not just some cultural tradition, but a mandate that God has infused into the creation of the world! God has spoken that this day is blessed and holy - are you ensuring that it has this significant place in your life, are you treating your 7th day with his value like God does?