The Creator does not want the earth empty!

I have heard of people complaining that the world is overpopulated. The Creator from the very beginning blessed the earth’s new tenants and told them to “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). After the flood wiped away living things on the earth (Genesis 7), the same command of fruitfulness and multiplication was given, “Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it” (Genesis 8:17). The earth was created to be inhabited and for thousands of years, all living creatures have replicated themselves ensuring sustenance and preservation. Imagine if the last child was born a thousand years ago, I will not be here and neither will you be reading this post.

An American government research done in 2019 shows that “Americans are having fewer and fewer babies” and not “making enough babies to replace ourselves.” The expected number of births needed for the population is 16 percent below the number needed to keep the population stable without additions through immigration, the report finds. Similar situations have been reported in Europe and other continents. Recently, China lifted the one-child ban to ensure sustenance. In recent years, Western nations have relied on immigration to get enough workforce as their own populations dwindle. The current economic conditions, decline in childbirth rate and the desire to control births are some of the factors causing the decline in population. If developed countries continue to decline in numbers, their economic and political fronts would have to gradually rely on immigrants and descendants of immigrants for sustenance. So why should people complain about the world getting overpopulated when we need humans to keep the world going?

For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:18)

Similarly, all other living things need to be fruitful and multiply. Animals, fishes, trees and every living thing stand the chance of extinction if we are not intentional about their replication, productivity and safety. Everything God made is important. The fierce lion and the slow sloth are all important in our ecosystem. The fact that an individual or another living creature does not directly affect us does not mean they are irrelevant. If we keep encroaching on animals, they will be extinct. If we keep attacking people and encourage actions that indirectly hinder growth, we will lose the diversity of our beautiful world. What does the Creator say about all these? Isaiah 45:18, “For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” The Lord formed the heavens and the earth to be inhabited. Until the Lord returns, or calls us home in glory, the heavens and the earth should remain populated and inhabited. 

May the Lord grant fruitfulness to all His children and may we ensure fruitfulness in the other creation. 

The Creator and the bang!

I love science and scientific research. My academic journey has been based on investigating, analyzing and making empirical theories. However, one theory has never ceased to confuse me…the big bang theory of creation. It seems to lack authenticity and verification. It looks like a series of deconcatenated information. None seem to support the other. Let’s read this explanation from Wikipedia.

“The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the earliest known periods through its subsequent large-scale form.These models offer a comprehensive explanation for a broad range of observed phenomena, including the abundance of light elements, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, and large-scale structure. The overall uniformity of the Universe, known as the flatness problem, is explained through cosmic inflation: a sudden and very rapid expansion of space during the earliest moments. However, physics currently lacks a widely accepted theory of quantum gravity that can successfully model the earliest conditions of the Big Bang.”

Can someone explain that to me? Who even caused the initial state of high density and temperature? This view of creation is being passed on to children at school and scientists keep forcing this theory to fit an unimaginable creation story. If the universe was not, and it came to being, then there is definitely a powerful Creator who brought all things together and arranged them uniformly. The uniformity of creation and the fact that humans are higher than animals shows that a standard was set at the beginning. Why don’t we walk with our heads? Why are the water bodies not in the sky? Who made the planets and arranged them in such a way that the Earth is at the right position from the Sun? Why don’t we live on Mars? Who placed the rings around Jupiter? Who gave life to humans? The Creator or the bang? Nehemiah has the answer to all these questions:

You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. (Nehemiah 9:6)

When we understand that the heavens and even the highest heavens, the starry host (a zillion of them!), the earth and everything on it (including man,animals,vegetation, dragons, Behemoth etc.), the sea and all that is in them (including the fishes, the sea monsters such as Leviathan) were made by God, it helps us to appreciate the importance of worshipping God. Further, if there is a Creator, then there is accountability. The principle of accountability is even modeled on earth. No two goats are imprisoned for causing havoc, but humans, the custodians of creation are queried and sometimes imprisoned for acts that lead the world and other lives in danger. In the same way, just as there was a beginning (Genesis 1), there will be an end (Revelations). If it took the Creator only 7 days to succinctly arrange everything we see, it will definitely take Him a day to come back and make things right. If the Creator did not forget to create the different types of ants, then know that He definitely knows your name and He is watching. Make your ways right with Him now. 

When we journey through the Bible, it is so obvious that the Creator will come again. Read my post on a journey through the Bible here. 

God created all things

Some time ago, my brother called to ask me questions about Leviathan in the book of Job. I made time to discover the gigantic and ferocious creature. In fact in Job 41:9, God Himself told Job that any hope of subduing the Leviathan is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering. It is a gigantic sea serpent of a sort which had amazing strength and its presence scared people to the bone. It is also mentioned in the Psalms and Isaiah. Related to Leviathan, is another creature known as Behemoth (Job 40:15) whose bones are tubes of bronze and its limbs like rods of iron (Job 40:18). Genesis 1:21 states that “God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind and God saw that it was good. Both Leviathan and the Behemoth were made by God and He subdued them no matter how ferocious they were.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1‭)

What about dinosaurs? If dinosaurs really existed as we are told, then they couldn’t have popped up from nowhere. God made all things! He laid the foundation of the world and called all creation into being. In the beginning of time, God made everything. Genesis 1:1-2 informs us that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” No creation is unknown to God. He knows the anatomy of the very least creature. Genesis chapter 1 is a great place to start. Let’s look at some verses from Genesis 1:

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Genesis 1:3‭, ‬6‭, ‬9‭, ‬11‭, ‬14‭, ‬20‭, ‬24‭, ‬26 NIV)

If you are still in doubt that God made everything, take a look at yourself, who made you? 

All things were made by God and all things glorify Him. The Leviathan and Behemoth in their ferocious appearances also glorified Him. 

The Creator is worthy to receive glory, honour and power!

Alexander Graham Bell is well noted for inventing the telephone. His invention was patented on March 7, 1876. Bell was still very young and must have been proud that he had made a device that allowed humans to communicate over wires. The revolutionary technology of the telephone has gone through different stages and has transformed from a box device to a handheld tool that does not require wires to operate. In fact, in 2014, while on a Norwegian airlines flight,  I connected to the wifi and was chatting with friends down below. Is that not amazing! Now, we can be on earth and get messages sent to us from Mars, from the moon, under the water etc. The technology of the telephone has really advanced. Mr. Bell is accredited for the concept and creation of the telephone but we cannot credit him with the latest technological advances in telephony. I am sure, if Mr. Bell could be given a second chance on earth, he would be amazed that we make calls via watches, microchips (inserted into stuff) and via Bluetooth. He would have been wowed by the advances of what he started as a box device.

However, God’s creation has not changed over the 1000s of years the world has been around. Creation has not undergone production changes. Humans have not moved from walking creatures to flying birds; the tree still stand root down and branches up; the water bodies are still on earth and not in the sky; babies still need a male and a female to make (even if it is scientifically manipulated); dogs don’t behave like chicken and birds still lay eggs (they don’t push their babies out from wombs). The structures and systems in the world have gone through a considerable change. Our buildings have changed; our education systems have changed; scientific research has given humanity access to previously inaccessible places but the earth remains in its place. It has not fallen into space and neither has it moved further away from the sun and the moon. I appreciate all inventions and I honour all inventors but their works will always be modified! However, God’s creation has never changed!

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11)

Of course, humans are always looking for ways and means to change their look, appearances and all that. For example, as someone with typical African hair, it is possible to see me in the morning with my real hair, in the afternoon with extension and in the evening with a wig! I keep changing my looks but God who created all things has not changed and neither has he changed the appearances of His creation. When we consider all these and many more, our response should be praise, adoration and worship. Indeed, our God is the greatest Creator and his works bear witness. Let us join the twenty-four elders is Heaven to lay down our crowns (pride, our own honour)and sing this song: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11)

Trust Him to return

There are countless promises I have made to my nephews. Anytime we speak on the phone, I promise to visit them but it has been quite some time since I last visited. I am sure they don’t trust my visitation promises anymore. There are many people who don’t keep to their words. When they tell you to look up, they will be busily minding their businesses down without consideration for your neck! You can look up until you hurt your neck but they don’t care. Others have become professional liars and every word from their mouth needs to be passed through a litmus test. They have a lie to cover every lie and have built a hedge of falsity around them. Still, some people are so sincere and trustworthy that they are committed to ensuring that every promise they make is fulfilled. If you do not have a trusted companion, you are in a big dilemma!

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.(Revelation 22:20)

A lot of people have been through so much that it is very common to hear people comment that they have trust issues. If you have experienced at first hand how it feels to be disappointed by those you trusted, you will take every word with a pinch of salt. However, we don’t stop trusting because others have failed us. Throughout this month, we have considered different biblical examples of trusting in God. Do check the previous posts. We have identified that God is trustworthy and He watches over His word to fulfill it (Jeremiah 1:12). As we consider this, I want to remind you of Parousia. Jesus is coming again and He said it on several occasions while He was on earth. He also told the Apostle John in the Revelation to the churches. He said in Revelation 22:20 that “Yes, I am coming soon” and He will return. It doesn’t matter how long it takes.

When we understand that the Parousia is going to happen, we prepare ourselves each day in anticipation. As we wait, we should get ourselves ready at all times. We should prepare spiritually, emotionally and physically. We should also be willing to share the love of God with others. How can others trust in His return if we don’t let them know? We should be driven by compassion and love for humanity. We should not be ashamed of our faith and be willing to share whenever there is an opportunity. My colleagues from other religious beliefs are identified by their appearance and dressing. They are never shy of their faith. But most of my Christian colleagues are silent about their faith because they don’t want to hurt others. I have never been hurt because others of different faiths publicly practice their faith. Why should others be hurt at lunch time because I prayed over my food? We might live in an ever changing world but that does not change who we are! Jesus is coming soon. Yes! Trust Him to return and be ready to meet your Lord.

Trust Him for an abundant catch

Sometimes we work with all our might and passion but the result is little or none. Most people have experienced struggles in getting results for a project they have worked on for a long time. I have experienced this at first hand and I know how it feels when your hard work does not seem to pay off. We could be so much engaged in our work and be committed to it such that when it does not yield result, we are left with no choice but to give up. Even the best workers in their field do sometimes experience a state of dryness. What do you do when your best efforts do not yield good results? Do you give up? Do you quit? Do you pack and move to another project? Seemingly failed situations could also be a season of turn around if a sudden turn of event happens. Imagine when the best fishermen go to the sea and fish all night and not a single fish is caught. Did all the fish leave the sea? Were the fishermen operating with a torn net? Did the sea suddenly swallow all the fish that not a single fish remained in the water? Unbelievable right? But most of us have had seasons where our hard work has yielded little or no result. 

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4)

If this sounds familiar to you, then know that you are not alone. The good news is there is someone who can cause a turnaround of events. The miracle of the great catch of fish appears twice in different scenes in the New Testament. Today, we shall focus on the catch that led to the call of Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John. These men were expert fishermen and the sea had been their office until Jesus called them to follow Him. On that particular day, Simon Peter had given Jesus the opportunity to minister to the people using his boat. After the successful sermon, Jesus told Simon Peter in Luke 5:4 to “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Peter the expert fisherman received fishing instructions from the expert carpenter. Peter could have ignored and packed his nets to go back home. But he listened to Jesus and fished on the Master’s word. Simon acknowledged that, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5:4-5). When we fish on the Master’s word, the result is enormous! My popular depiction of this event is the rendition from The Chosen season 1.

Simon Peter  and Andrew trusted Jesus enough to cast their net again for a catch. Then the miracle happened! Luke 5: 4-7 records that “When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.” Whenever we come to our lowest point, we should not stay there. We can give up on our dreams and call it over, or we can give in to our faith and let Him take charge. Many times, we lose focus of what really matters. We get so distracted by what we cannot do to the neglect of what He can do. We can live with an expectation to excel in everything, or we can give chance the opportunity to run our life. Remember, the sea can refuse to give fish all night long but if you hand over your boat to the Master, with just a single launch, you will catch abundant fish that will overwhelm you. Simon Peter and his colleagues had a rough night but at the end of the day, they pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything and followed the Master to fish for people.

Until you trust Him enough to relaunch your net into the deep, you will not experience the miracle of abundance. Once you pack your net and go back home, you have missed an opportunity to witness a miracle. 

What are you doing here?

Have you gotten to a point that you feel, you are all alone? Have you ever asked yourself, “How did I get to this unpleasant situation?” It can be overwhelming to be in a condition that affects your life and general well-being. If you are in a tough situation that gives you sleeplessness, know that someone cares for you. Never feel all alone. Elijah experienced a “wow moment” with the contest against the prophets of Baal and the rains after the drought. He had a big ministry highlight that obviously announced him to all Israel. Baal worshippers were threatened and God-worshippers were excited. However, Jezebel, the wife of the king, had plans to kill Elijah. “So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there.” (1 Kings 19:2‭-‬3)

There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9 ESV)

The same man who single handedly destroyed 450 prophets of Baal, ran away from one woman (the powerful wife of the king). The king feared Elijah’s words and did as the prophet requested, but Elijah feared the words of the king’s wife. It sounds ridiculous but Jezebel was a dominant force in Baal worship and Elijah’s destruction of Baal’s prophets caused Jezebel to retaliate. Couldn’t have God saved Elijah from Jezebel’s hands? Definitely, God’s plan was much bigger. Elijah was bold to meet the king but fled from the king’s wife to Mount Horeb. “There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9 ESV). Have you ever asked yourself a similar question? Sometimes, after experiencing amazing testimonies, a little situation comes that causes you to run helter, skelter. Today, God is asking, “what are you doing here?” 

When life takes you to a lowest point, you do not stay there. You can make a message out of your state or you can create a mess out of it. No Jezebel is bigger than our God. No matter how much life’s challenges rages on, there is always a small voice of peace and restoration. The Lord said to Elijah, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11‭-‬13)

If you are currently running into the Horeb of your life, wondering, “where is God?” God is whispering to you, “what are you doing here? Get up and move on. I have reserved for you legions of angels at your beckoning. I have good plans for you. Just let go of your fears and trust me. I am the God of the good times and the unpleasant times. Trust me to deliver,  protect and bring you to the expected end.”

My strength and my shield

As a child, I encountered several bullies at school. There were times, the fear of going to school was so great. I was scared of meeting those girls who used to maltreat me. They were in my class and the thought of spending hours with them each day made my life miserable. I loved school and academically I was good but fear of my bullies made going to school a very hard decision. After several complaints, and my parents and great-grandmother visiting the school, the bullying stopped. The Lord used my parents and my great-grandmother to shield me from the bullies. Years later, the girls, now women, still remember the caution they received from the school to stay away from me. I am not afraid of them anymore and any time I visit my native country, I am always excited to see them and so are they! My experience reminds me that there are times that our best strength could accomplish nothing. We need to rely on another for sustenance. 

One of the many reasons every child needs a guardian is for safety. We live in an adult-world and all over the world, children are at risk of bullies, pedophiles, abusers, etc. Every step a child keeps away from their guardians (including parents, foster parents, teachers etc.) is a step closer to the wrong person. Our response to protecting the children has been stricter laws and legislation across countries to ensure that the children are safe. But, who ensures the safety of adults? Who takes care of the children when they are outside the purview of parents and guardians? Who watches over all people even in the most unlikely places? How do we navigate the ever increasing hostile world? We all know that our governments are doing an amazing job at security and safety. Different measures have been put in place including security systems to ensure that all is safe. However, the government agencies are not omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.  Their knowledge is limited to their jurisdiction and where they have coverage. So what do we do?

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. (Psalms 28:7)

It is important to obey local laws and regulations about security and safety. Most importantly, we need to trust the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God for sustenance. We need to draw our strength from Him. We need to acknowledge Him as our shield. King David in the Bible had been a warrior throughout his life and was aware of the need for strength and a good shield for security and safety. He noted in Psalms 28:7 that: “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Similarly in Psalms 121, the Psalmist considered how the Lord keeps and watches over His own. Our best efforts cannot save us from our oppressors. We need God’s strength and shield to wade the blows and the arrows of the enemies. His strength is our strength and His shield is our shield. The Lord is our keeper! Rejoice in the Lord and sing for praise for He is our strength and shield. Trust in the Lord!

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalms 121:1‭-‬8)

Show me the way I should go

It is very important to have a plan and a vision for your life. Afterall, you do not want to move about like one without any aim. While we propose our plans and visions, it is important to know that we do not control their manifestations. There is a popular cliché that “man proposes and God disposes.” However, if you do not propose, how can God dispose? Each day is an opportunity for us to get closer to our plans and visions. When we wake up each morning, we anticipate having a better day. We pray that our paths are fruitful. We commit our ways into the Lord and we trust the Lord to keep what we have entrusted into His hands. We may not consider this; but it is a big thing to fully trust in another for the sustenance and preservation of one’s life. To entrust God with your life, plans and visions, is a big thing!

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. (Psalms 143:8)

One way to ensure a better relationship with the one we have entrusted our lives with is to have a daily moment spent with Him. Preferably, having a daily quiet time is an important step. The Psalmist discovered this and noted that: “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life”  (Psalms 143:8). When we make time to commune with God in the morning, it sets a tone for our day. We meditate on His words, we share our plans and visions with Him and we commit our day into His hands. No one is too mature to skip quiet time. In fact, Jesus, our perfect model, had a daily habit of spending time with the Father. Mark 1:35 records that “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Jesus started off His days with time spent with the Father. Although the whole city was looking for Jesus in the morning, He had a mission: “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come” (Mark 1:38).

Each morning as we come before the Lord, we should pray: “Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” The Lord leads, He guides into all truth, He takes care of what is entrusted in His hands, He preserves etc. Each morning we spend with the Lord, we should anticipate that we will receive word of His unfailing love. He will communicate to us through His word, through people, through dreams and visions. We are living in uncommon times, we need the Lord to show us the way each morning. Our best decisions without the Lord’s guidance could be our worst decisions. We do not want to walk into places we have not been called to go. Everyone was looking for Jesus, but after His communion with the Father, His focus was to go to the nearby villages (Mark 1:35-38). Our declaration each day should be: “Lead me God, show me the way, guide my paths, and I will follow.”

Be still, He is working!

There are times that we feel like, ‘God should know better’. Sometimes we expect God to act in a particular way, we expect Him to come into our situation with the speed of thunder. As the disciples asked Jesus in their frustration, we tend to also ask a similar question when life seems to be drowning us: “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38). In response to the disciples’ frustration, “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm” (Mark 4:39). The answer to the waging storm was stillness. Jesus did not mince words, He went straight to rebuke the storm and then “He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalms 46:10)

The answer to life’s raging storms is stillness. But how can we be still in the midst of storms? Our bodies are wired to respond to our environment. Every event sends signals to the brain and the whole body reacts accordingly. Happiness, joy, sadness, fear, frustration, anger, worry, depression etc. stem from the signals we receive from our environment and send to our brains. Whatever you feed your brain with, your situation will react to it. Thus, if all the stimuli trigger fear, worry and pain, you are bound to live in a perpetual state of anxiety. Jesus doesn’t want us to be unaware of our environment but He wants our response to the stimuli to be different.  The Psalmist discovered this, he came to understand that in the midst of life’s challenges, he needs to be in God’s stilled course. God says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalms 46:10). Yes, we have to be still!

Stillness in the presence of God doesn’t mean doing nothing. It is about trusting in God, putting your faith in God and learning to obey God even in the most unlikely situation. Sleeping all day and night does not bring stillness. In fact, we need to be intentional about building up our most holy faith. We need to study what God’s word says about the situations we go through. We need to meditate on His word in our stillness. We need to create an atmosphere of prayer and praise. Even when we are terrified, we should understand that the voice of the Lord is obeyed by even the winds and the waves, therefore our situations should not be difficult for the Lord. While we wait, we should know that God’s response could be “Yes, No or Wait” and each response is based on the long term effect of our request. Like many of us, my desire has always been to get a “Yes” from God. But, sometimes the best answers are “No” and “Wait”. Be still in the Lord. He is working for your good.