Dear Southcity and friends
What a joy it is to have a Father who loves us eternally
and completely! Today, this letter comes to you with an encouraged and
faith-filled heart, and I trust that after reading it, you too will be
encouraged by the words of our loving Father.
While a group of us were praying together last Thursday, as
is our practice, God caught our attention with the following words:
For thus says the Lord of
hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought
in this land.’
Jeremiah Prays for
Understanding
After I had given the deed of
purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: ‘Ah,
Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power
and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. You show steadfast
love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after
them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts, great in counsel
and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man,
rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his
deeds.' - Jeremiah 32:15-19
Like Jeremiah, I too have prayed for understanding, and
would like to highlight just three of the things I believe God wants to
encourage us in at this time:
Firstly, 'Houses and
fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land' - Families will
settle and enjoy the fruit of their labour on this coast. This is both for the
church and for the people of the coast. Persevere and look to God to be your
wisdom and great reward!
Secondly, 'It is you
who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your
outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you' - God is looking for men and
women who will respond in faith, not to reason only. Reason can restrict
because it deals with what can be seen and understood. Faith deals with
believing God is sovereign and nothing is too hard. Will you move beyond
reason, and act in faith and trust that God's purposes are mighty and deeds are
great?
And thirdly, 'you
repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them' - I believe God is
saying that one of the fathers' responsibilities is to leave an inheritance for
his children. It is a 'sin' not to. And when there is no inheritance, the
children have to live in the difficulty of that. This is both individual and
for the church. What are we sacrificing today in order to leave to our children
tomorrow, both our bloodline children as well as the household of God?
I hear God ask us: Will you pursue the impossible in me,
trusting my purposes, even when things around you seem to be screaming out
'no!'?
Our Father wants to fill us with faith and courage in order
that we may accomplish his purposes on earth. Be encouraged friends.
I am really looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday as
we worship God together, reconciled to him and to each other.
Much love
Rich
