Greeting in the Name of our Lord Jesus, who can turn rivers into a desert, and a desert into rivers!
“33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, 34 a frui8ul land into a salty waste, .... 35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.” (Psalms 107:33-35 ESV)
Most of us will opt for verse 35 to apply to our lives. Who wants deserts & parched lands and who doesn’t covet rivers and springs of water?
Yet God’s power to transform works much like a double edged sword - from good to bad and from bad to good! It really depends on His purposes and intentions - whether to execute judgment or for deliverance. He can turn rivers into a desert & vice versa! He is such a creative God that He works situations & circumstances in such a way that best fits His will and to the favour of His children!
However, at some points of life, rivers can be obstacles & deserts prove to be training grounds! Rivers can deter your progress or lead to flooding if there are too many of them. Sometimes, easy life may obstruct progress and brings downfall. King David was basking in the ease and comfort of palace life at a time when “kings go out to battle”. He chose to WFH (work from home) when his generals and army were fighting hard at the battle field. Yet he wasn’t really working on his desk to plot the next battle strategy but instead taking an idling stroll on the rooYop and you know the rest was David’s dark history.
Joseph’s driest “desert” moments came when he was sold as a slave to Egypt by his own brothers, falsely accused of an immoral sin in his master’s house and thrown into prison. Yet it was in these “desert” moments, Joseph reinforced his faithfulness to God not to sin and build his resilience to forgive and love those that betrayed him.
Hence as we review situations and circumstances in our lives, whether good or bad, do not read them in the myopic human perspective. Seek the counsel of God and let Him lead you one step at a time. God sees best, He knows best, He plans best & He transforms best! Many times, the Bible tells us not to lean on human understanding & conventional wisdom.
When a blessing becomes a snare, God will intervene to reduce or remove the blessing. We may be checking ourselves “do I have too many rivers?” If you have, start giving it away to others. God always bless us in order that we will bless others! That is the principle of the kingdom.
On the other hand, for the righteous & those who walk with Him, God always bring about transformation that truly meet their needs - overflowing so that they can share, sufficient so that they will have no lacks! What are our deserts & parched plains? Natural circumstances - financial lacks, depletion of health, dried up, sour relationships & stagnant careers. Or spiritually, dryness in our Christian lives - bese`ng sins, depression, lethargy, staleness, lack of motivation, lack of direction. Today God says He can transform all these. One of the condition is that you must have a hunger for this transformation. He prepared the transformed oasis & springs of water for those who hunger for Him & His giYs. Hunger will always followed by participation. We don’t only receive transformation, we are part of the transformation!
Don’t receive God’s blessings with folded arms but rolled up sleeves! Be ready to work & bring the blessing of God to the next level of fruiaulness. In Ps 107: 36-37, with the transformed water resources, we are to “establish a city to live in; ... sow fields and plan vineyards and get a fruiaul yield”. When Joseph was blessed to be Egypt’s top governor, he did not simply settled down to enjoy the “high” life of luxury & comfort. Instead, he got down to work to initiate a stockpile of grains, which later saved the nation from the famine. Ps 107:38 says, “By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish.” There will be increase & multiplication when God’s people participate in the transformation journey.
2021 is to be a Year of Discernment! It is time to understand the move of God in our lives and in the life of the Church! Ps 107:43 says, “Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord”. This is a wisdom (not man’s) we need to have- to understand the steadfast love of God - to read the things that change in your life .... the transformation that He brings about, all of which lean on the basis of His love! Do not take good things for granted neither despise unfavourable circumstances that come your way. At the end of the day, God’s plan for our lives and for the church is always “not for calamity, but for a future & a hope” (Jer 29:11). Dear Brothers & Sisters, let’s press on, press in, and press upward for the glory of His transformation of our lives and that of JMK!
Eld Francis Leong
King's Scroll Editor in Chief