He reached down with a strong hand and lifted me up... off the floor.

Thursday 3-31-16   Pedro Luro, Buenos Aires.

Scripture reading:  Judges 9 – 10     Psalm 49    1 Cor 16

S=Scripture  O=Observation  A=Application  P=Prayer  SOAP for the soul.

S.  Judg 9:53  But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. Vs 56 Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers.

Judg 10:16  So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.

Deut 32:36 "For the LORD will judge His people and have compassion on His servants, when He sees that their power is gone” NKJV

O.  Over and again the Israelites turned away from the true and living God to serve idols.  The result was always disastrous.  The story of evil Abimelech (Judges 9 and 10) is filled with broken promises, deceit, jealousy, fear and slaughtering of many innocent people just to gain political power.  It took a woman, who from a tower, took careful aim and dropped a huge millstone of his head.  An upper millstone was very heavy.  How did this brave lady get that huge stone up to the top of a tower?  It took foresight and great effort, but this gal put an end to a horrific political despot and her name is not even mentioned in the script.

A.  Oh! But sadly Israel went back again to foreign idols and... when they got themselves in deep trouble they called again on God.  And here is a sentence that captured my attention: And His (God’s) soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.  Can it be that God, Himself, suffers when His people suffer.  Surely they had brought their sad situation on their own heads, yet God’s inherit mercy “could not endure it.”  He just could no longer sit by and let them suffer... when He saw that “their power was gone.”  God looked down and saw that my power was gone.  I was powerless to save myself from the slavery of sin.  So, at great cost, He intervened in my life purely out of His mercy.

Last night, Wednesday, I ministered in Pedro Luro city.  After finishing with Felipe I sat down on the floor with the kids as I often do to talk with them and pray with them.  But when I tried to get up I lost my balance and tipped over backwards and sat down on the floor with both feet in the air.  Some people thought it was part of the act, but I assure you it was not. J  I was glad to see the strong hand of Pastor Daniel Yanes reaching down to rescue me... when “my power was gone.” Ha!

P.  Heavenly Father, I cannot thank you enough for Your mercy extended down to me when I was powerless to save myself.  Your mercy and love arranged the sacrifice of Your Only Son in my place to redeem me and deliver me from slavery.  I pray especially for my loved ones that may still be helplessly under the firm hand of the evil one.  May You allow them to see their need of You and if You wish, please get some fragile lady to drop a millstone on their enemy... their stubborn unbelief.  Amen.

Ralph