YAHWEH’S GOOD PLAN
GOD’S SHADOW PROMISE | AUGUST 2021
A scene that we often come across within the
confines of police custody is that of an accused being beaten, assaulted and
tortured during the process of interrogation to confess the truth or make him
accept the crime. Even though such a harsh
practice is constantly condemned or questioned by the human rights activists,
the method is still in vogue. A suspect who is directly or indirectly involved
is expected to accept and confess the same.
If there is a denial on his/her part the authorities use force and such
other tactics to make him belch out the truth.
Unable to bear the pain and agony of torture, the suspect would express
the facts. Sadly, such an ordeal can
turn out to be heart-breaking to someone who is innocent, but wrongly
imprisoned. Even such a person, at one point of time, just to avoid the pain
may end up accepting the guilt! Tragic indeed!
There is another story that took place 2000
years ago. There the accused, though
innocent and blameless, though powerful to fight hisown case, meekly accepted
the punishment without any resistance. He
was tortured, bruised, humiliated and made to grieve for a crime which he
committed not. He took the suffering,
the punishment not because he was the culprit, but to deliver or set free the
original culprit(s). Strange. But Why should he?
Plans and Purposes
When it comes to plans, or its successful
fulfilment, two scriptures readily come to mind. Psalms
1:3 and Jeremiah 29:11. The former
says that to the person who walks in God’s ways and holds the law of God close
to his heart, everything that he does shall prosper. It essentially means that
a job, a business, a ministry or even an educational course in which he/she is
enrolled will turn out to be successful. In the second, the Lord reminds that all his plans are for good and not for evil. Plans to give a future
and hope. Plans to flourish and Plans for future. We love these verses and we
wish it to become a reality in our lives.
But there is another scripture that says that God’s pleasure,
God’s good plan, God’s will shall prosper and succeed in the hand of one man. No, he is not the Blessed man of Psalm
1. Not even Israel of Jeremiah 29. A man
crushed, bruised, falsely accused, tortured and sentenced to cross! How is
that?
Life of God
(or) Life by God
In Bible we read two interesting yet
cataclysmic events. Both involved the
effort of man to reach God. In one
incident, we see a valiant man trying to
build a big tower so to reach the heaven. The Lord disrupted
the effort and scattered the people.
In another incident, when there was a delay in hearing from God or God’s
prophet, people created their own God. A golden calf. God caused an earthquake to swallow those who
chalked out that plan. The scriptures clearly
state that ‘there are ways that seem pleasing to man. But the end thereof is
death’. Man’s ways are not God’s
ways.
A child of God should never insist God to
fulfil his or her own plans. Rather, it should yield wholeheartedly to the
plans and pleasures of God. The pathway may seem narrow, rocky, rugged and
steep. But the end thereof will be
life! The route to Canaan was
wilderness, but the end was a land flowing with milk and honey! Maybe things are not (at all) happening (in
your life) as per your wishes and dreams? Maybe things are happening contrary
to what you believed? Then, this is the
message for you. This is the promise for you.
Before you could read any further, submit your thoughts, your will, your
emotions, your plans, your goals, your disappointments, and your
frustration…everything in the hand of the Lord.
Choose the Life of God not Life
by God. In other words, choose God, not your plans.
Yahweh’s formula!
The people who lived during the time of Jesus
were confounded by the plan of God. They
were all praying for redemption to take place and they had their own idea and
philosophy on how it would (it should) take place. They were looking for a
revolutionary to emerge from palace. Yahweh’s redeemer was laid in a
manger. They were looking for a King;
Yahweh’s redeemer was a servant leader. They were looking for a warrior (like
David) to run through the enemy camp.
Yahweh’s redeemer never defended his own case when sentenced to
crucifixion. Yet the PLAN OF GOD
PROSPERED IN HIS HAND! Today, you and I,
along with millions and millions of people, all over the world, have found the
pathway to eternal bliss because of this one person who bore all the
sufferings. GOD’S GOOD PLAN WAS
FULFILLED AND IS CONTINUING TO GET FULFILLED THROUGH THAT ONE MAN JESUS!
Christ in you, Hope
of Glory
Apostle Peter says that when we suffer with
Christ, we will also reign with Him. In other words, we must follow his
footsteps to reach the heights that he reached. He should be our role-model, He
should be our example. The author of
Hebrews says, ‘Consider Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith’. Yes, for
all of the LORD’S GOOD PLAN to come through in your life consider Jesus. The plans of God are not for evil, but for
our good, for our prosperity. In Isaiah 53:5, we discover three major
imperatives in the Life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in whose hands the
plans of Yahweh prospered. We will take a look at three words, three truths,
three principles that could lead us towards this glorious experience.
1.dâkâ' (Crushed)
But it
was the Lord’s good plan to crush him (Isa 53:10, NLT)
The word daw-kaw
translated into English as crushed
connotes many things. It means to pierce, to bruise, to crush, to break into
pieces, to oppress, to smite. Father
breaking his own son into pieces. Yes,
that is what happened to Jesus. His
body was pierced and broken for us. That
was the only way God had in mind to deliver us from the clutches of sin and
hell. Unlike the police custody episode,
here the accused was not the one who was chased down by the authorities. He was
the Lamb of God which willingly, wholeheartedly, voluntarily submitted itself
to get slaughtered. Crushed to death, so
that you and I could live. Remember, it
was the Lord’s good plan.
In your life, are you going through of a
path, a phase where you feel life has been very unkind to you? Maybe you feel you do not deserve this
illness or the loss that you have been put through. A chronic disease, a virus
infection, an accident may have caused irreparable physical damage. I pray, I pay my tithes; I read my Bible and
even support missionary work. In all the ways possible, I am trying to live
pleasing to him. Yet, why this calamity?
Why this turmoil? Or maybe it is your
friend, someone in the family? Take
heart. Our God who does nothing wrong
has crushed you to make you a blessing. The broken alabaster box filled the
room with a sweet aroma!
2. châlâh (wounded)
But it
was the Lord’s good plan to cause him grief (Isa 53:10, NLT)
If daw-kaw
speaks of physical affliction, kha-law refers to mental or emotional affliction. Lord Jesus went through a period of awful
emotional turmoil before crucifixion.
The one who supped with him betrayed.
The one who said he will give his life for him denied. The people who enjoyed his healing and
deliverance miracles rallied behind the leaders in shouting “Crucify him,
crucify him”. At the Garden of
gethsemane, blood oozed from his sweat glands, biological indication of broken
blood vessels. Intense pressure, grief,
sorrow and weakness.
Are you still mourning, crying, lamenting,
weeping over the loss of your loved ones, loss of estate, loss of employment,
loss of family, loss of opportunity? You
think it is highly unreasonable. Maybe
your grief has even led you to backslide from the Lord. Why should I go to this Church? Why should I
take part in that prayer? Why should I fast? Why should I…? Yes, when you mourn beyond a limit, when you
worry too long, not only your faith will diminish, your very love towards God
will decline. While facing a huge
emotional drain Jesus prayed and he was strengthened by the angel. In your emotional struggle, God will
strengthen you by sending His help from heaven. Your sorrow will turn to
joy. Even your grief is part of LORD’s
good plan. Do you trust that?
3. aw-shawm' (Guilt)
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin (Isaiah
53:10, NLT)
In Lord’s Good plan the Son of man had to
undergo tremendous physical piercing, in Lord’s Good plan the Son of man had to
undergo enormous emotional pain, in Lord’s Good plan the Son of man was also to
accept the guilt and offer his own life as sacrifice. In daw-kaw,
his face was marred, in khaw-law his
soul was troubled. Now the most
challenging of all is aw-shawm. Accepting the guilt. We may tolerate physical
pain. Emotional offence is also
manageable. But being labelled a culprit
for a wrong not committed is hard to digest.
Let me illustrate the brutality.
A person with high moral standards is accidentally found in a place
where a girl is raped and killed. He may
bear police beatings and even forgive the ones who did not help in this dire
situation. But imagine, if his name hits the headlines with a title, ‘rapist’,
‘molester’, ‘murderer’ etc., how would he feel?
His reputation is spoilt. An innocent
one faces an undeserved sentence. It was
not the case of just accepting the punishment, but taking the guilt upon
himself.
How many times you have come across
situations in your life where you were falsely accused, wrongly victimized,
undeservedly labelled as sinner, as wrong doer.
How do we react during those times? Does our heart boil and do we get
infuriated with such allegations? It was
Lord’s Good plan that Jesus should offer himself as an offering for the guilt.
Jesus did not file a defamation case against the High Priest. Rather, the Bible says, he went as a lamb
that is led to the slaughter. Jesus
said, the one who vindicates me is near.
Broken
to Build
The Bible is full of
characteristics broken, crushed, cast down at some point of time in their
lives. They were broken, only to be
rebuilt according to the purposes of God.
Abraham was broken when he was
asked to sacrifice his only beloved son.
Job was broken when his
faithfulness was tested. Peter was broken when his determination was
tested. Paul was broken when his
prayers were tested. All of them faced trials which were tough in their own
way. We all know that their latter
state, their end was a glorious one. IT WAS YAHWEH’S GOOD PLAN.
If you are facing the pain
of brokenness, grief and unfair accusation in your life, be reminded that you
are in the centre of God’s GOOD PLAN.
God’s good plan will prosper in YOUR HANDS! Amen.
God bless you!
Your brother in Christ Jesus
Vinod Kumar
God’s Shadow Ministries
9840011374, 9840595057
