Healing at the Quantum Level

God commissioned mankind to “subdue” the earth, that is, to bring it into order. Experiments in quantum physics indicate that subatomic particles can be ordered by the presence of DNA.

From the Scriptures we know that the spiritual realm is the foundation for the physical realm. For God, who is Spirit, created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1; John 4:24), and that He framed the worlds by His Word (Hebrews 11:3). So whatever happens in the natural, physical realm is based on spiritual realities. But what might that interaction between the spiritual and the natural look like at the quantum level, say, in the matter of healing.

Take, for example, the account of the woman with the “issue of blood” who was healed when she touched the corner of Jesus' garment (Luke 8:43-48). This thing had plagued her for twelve years and the doctors could give her no relief (though they thoroughly depleted her funds). But when she touched Jesus, her body was instantly healed. Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”

Now, Jesus was (and is) fully divine, but He was (and is) also fully human, and His body was fully human. The apostle Peter tells us that the healing Jesus did, He did because He was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, and God was with Him. So all the miracles He performed, He performed as one who was fully human, but in perfect alignment with God. His flesh, even His DNA contained divine healing power. He actually felt it when it went out of His body; the woman immediately experienced it in her body. And this effect transferred through the material of the garment which, being worn by Jesus, perhaps held some of His DNA in the form of epithelials (thank you, CSI).

So maybe at the quantum level the divinely saturated DNA of Jesus, who was perfectly aligned with the order of God, brought divine order to the chaos that existed in this woman's body and thus healed her. The anointing of the Holy Spirit and divine power interacted with the physical realm, and would have somehow done so even at the most basic level of physics — the quantum level.

We know that this did not happen only once, but happened many times in the ministry of Jesus:

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. (Matthew 14:34-36)

We see the same sort of effect in other places in the Bible:

• Elisha the prophet carried a “double portion” of Elijah's divine anointing. But unlike Elijah, he had no one to pass it on to when he died, so it went with him to the grave. Second Kings 13:20-21 records that when a dead man was lowered into Elisha's grave, and his body touched the prophet's bones, the man came back to life.
• In Acts 5:14-16, we find that the presence of the apostle Peter had such a powerful effect that people “brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them ... and they were all healed.” Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and yielded to the will of God; perhaps his DNA, soaked with divine power, began to restore order and healing to the bodies of those who were brought near.
• In Acts 19:11-13, people brought the aprons and handkerchiefs that had been used by Paul (which would have been loaded with epithelials) to the sick, and diseases and evil spirits left their bodies.

God created us to bring the world into line with His divine order. Surely our DNA was created to bring glory to His name, even at the quantum level, and maybe even in healing.

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Healing Scriptures and Prayers
by Jeff Doles

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Even at the Quantum Level

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. (Genesis 1:27)

To subdue means to bring under subjection and into order. God created us to bring order to all the earth, and He created the earth to respond to us by coming into order. Recent experiments show that even the mere presence of our DNA can have the effect of bringing order to the natural world. This phenomenon, analyzed by Dr. Vladimir Poponin and Dr. Peter Gariev, is known as the DNA Phantom Effect.

In these experiments a “scattering chamber” was created, a vacuum which contained only photons. The control state of these particles was close to random. Then a DNA sample was introduced into the chamber and the state of the photon particles was measured and found to be in an ordered state. That is interesting in itself, but what is even more interesting is that, when the DNA was removed from the chamber and the state of the photons measured a third time, they did not return to their original random state, but were distinctly and very differently arranged. This phantom effect was observed to last up to a month when the vacuum remained undisturbed.

We were created in the image and likeness of God and commissioned to bring the earth into line with His divine order. Even our DNA appears to have an ordering effect on the world. When Adam rebelled against God, he plunged the world into chaos. But in Jesus Christ, the Second Adam, we are restored to our proper relationship with God, and all creation waits for this to be fully made manifest (Romans 8:19-22).

The World Responds to Us: Jesus Showed Us How

The world was created to respond to us. When Adam sinned, he brought the world under a curse. In Jesus Christ, the “Second Adam,” we have redemption. Not only us, but the whole world as well, and now all creation waits for that manifestation (Romans 8:19-22). By faith in Christ, we become new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17), and all creation responds to us.

Jesus demonstrated this, for example, when He spoke to the wind and waves and said, “Peace, be still.” The winds ceased and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39). On another occasion, Jesus spoke to the fig tree, “No one will eat fruit from you ever again,” and the tree was withered away by the next morning (Mark 11:14; 20-21).

Now, some will say that Jesus could do that because He was the Son of God and fully divine. And indeed He was. But that is not how He performed His miracles. Rather, He did them because He was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, and God was with Him (Acts 10:38). That is why He was able to teach His disciples to do the same sort of things.

In the example of the fig tree, Peter noticed that it had withered away, and he pointed it out to Jesus. Jesus answered and showed them how such things come about:

Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (Mark 11:22-23)

When we do not doubt, but believe what we say, we will have whatever we say. Even nature will respond to us.

Everything Jesus did in His earthly ministry, He did by faith and the power of the Holy Spirit. He made both of these available to His disciples, to all who receive Him. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). We receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us (Acts 1:8). It is enough to change the world.

The World Responds to Us: Biblical Examples

The world was created to respond to us. When Adam fell, the world fell into chaos. When we walk in obedience to God and His Word, the world also begins to respond in obedience. We see this illustrated many times in Scripture:

• When Moses parted the Red Sea. God said, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But life up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea” (Exodus 14:15-16).
• When Moses brought forth water from the rock. The Lord said, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink” (Exodus 17:5-6).
• When God told Moses how to bring forth water again: “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water” (Numbers 20:8). Unfortunately, in anger against the people, Moses struck the rock again instead of speaking to it as he had been instructed. Nevertheless, the rock yielded water, though Moses lost the blessing because of his disobedience.
• When Joshua commanded the sun. “Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight o f Israel: 'Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.' So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies” (Joshua 10:12-13).
• When Elijah commanded the rain. He said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1)

There are also many other cases in the Old Testament where men performed miracles and healings — even raising the dead! The natural world responded to them because they believed and obeyed God.

Now, some people might say that those were special men of God, and has nothing to do with us today. But James, the brother of the Lord Jesus, would beg to differ, as he encourages people to get serious about the life-changing, world-changing benefits of prayer:

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayer again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. (James 5:16-18)

The kind of things God did through Elijah in Old Testament times, He is willing to do through all His people today. Consider what Jesus said to His disciples and how it blows the parameters wide open for us today:

For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. (Luke 7:28)

Follow the equation: John the Baptist was greater than all the prophets and mighty men of God in the Old Testament. But even the least one in the kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist. Therefore, even the least one in the kingdom of God is greater than all the prophets and mighty men of God in the Old Testament.

If the natural realm responded to mighty men of old as they believed and obeyed God, how much more will it be responsive to us when we believe and obey God.

The World Was Created to Respond to Us

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-27)

God created us in His image and likeness — to be like Him — and so that we could exercise dominion over the earth and everything in it, to be stewards of His creation on in accordance with His purposes. The command He gave to Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it. To subdue the earth means to bring it into order. God created us to be like Him so that we could bring all the earth into line with who He is and what He is like. In other words, the earth was created to be responsive to us.

We know, of course, that Adam and Eve rebelled against God, and in so doing, disconnected from the life, and even the order, of God. Chaos followed, not only for man, but also for creation. That is how close the relationship is between man and the earth. Man was formed of the dust of the ground, and when Adam sinned, the ground came under a curse.

Then to Adam He [God] said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it':

Cursed is the ground for your sake [because of you];
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return."

(Genesis 3:17-19)

We know also that God had a plan or redemption, to restore us to Himself. That's why Jesus came. This redemption is not for us only, but also for all creation:

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (Romans 8:19-22)

Just as all creation was affected by the fall of man in Adam, it is also influenced by the restoration of man in Jesus Christ, because the world was created to respond to mankind. When we walk in rebellion, the earth responds in kind. But if we will walk in faithful obedience to God and His Word, the earth will respond to that obedience. Indeed, the world was created to respond to the Word of God, as well as to us, because it was framed by the Word of God. When we are lined up with that Word in all we say and do, how much greater will be creation's response to it.

We Were Created to Respond to the Word

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness ...” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Just as the worlds were framed by the Word of God (Hebrews 11:3), so were we. And like the world, we were created to be responsive to the Word of God. Seeing that we were created in the image and likeness of God — that is, to be like God — how much more responsive we should be to His Word.

Certainly, we should be responsive in our spirits to God's Word. But even our bodies, being made of the natural substance of the world, respond to it:

Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
Their soul abhorred all manner of food.
And they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He sent His Word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.

(Psalm 107:17-20)

The Roman centurion understood the authority of the divine word, that even our bodies respond it. He came to Jesus, asking Him to heal his servant. Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed” (Matthew 8:8). Jesus' response to him shows how important it is to understand this concept: “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel ... Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you” (Matthew 8:10, 13).

The Lord Jesus Himself is so closely identified with the Word of God that He is actually called The Word — the source of the world and everything in it:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made though Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-5)

He is our creator, and we were created not only to respond to Him, but to enjoy fellowship with Him.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life — the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us — that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. (1 John 1:1-4)

You were created to be responsive to the Word of God and to fellowship with Him. 

Created to Respond to the Word of God

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

The world was created by the Word of God. They are also upheld and sustained by the Word of God, the “Word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). Therefore the world will always respond to the Word of God, which is its source.

The prophet Isaiah understood this, for He recorded these words from the Lord:

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth;
And make it bring forth and bud,
That is may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

(Isaiah 55:10-11)

The natural elements of snow and rain fall from the heavens and do not return to return to heaven without accomplishing their intended purpose on earth. The Word of God is the same: It will aways do what God desires for it to do; it will always be fulfilled. The earth will always respond to it.

The apostle Paul also understood that the world responds to the Word of God. He gives the example of Abraham, who staked his destiny on that fact.

Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed — God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” (Romans 4:16-18)

Though Abraham had no children, and he and his wife were long past childbearing years, God spoke the promise, Abraham believed it , then the old, fruitless bodies of Abraham and Sarah responded to the Word, and their son Isaac was born to them, who became the father of many nations. That is how the Word of God works — it is creative! God calls those things that do not yet exist as though they did, and they come into existence. The whole world responds to His Word.

Everything consists of the Word of God and must always respond to it.

Arise God! Enemies Be Scattered!

Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate His name flee before Him.

(Psalm 68:1)

When God arises, His enemies are scattered. When we are in covenant with God, His enemies become our enemies, and our enemies become His enemies. That is what happened at the Cross. Jesus went up on our behalf and destroyed our enemies. Three days later, God raised Him from the dead, making His victory complete. Then He went up to heaven, where He ever makes intercession for us before the Father.

• For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)
• Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:14-15)
• Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:15)
• What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall he not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come nor height nor death, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)
• You are of god, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
• For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5)
• Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

God has arisen on your behalf to scatter and destroy your enemies. And this is how we enter into the victory — through faith in Jesus Christ.

The Ability of God in Us

Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4)

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient [able] as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6)

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (Ephesians 6:11-16)

When we are accountable to God as His servant, He is able to keep us from falling and to cause us to stand. For it is He who makes us able ministers of the new covenant made in Jesus' blood, to minister the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ to others. He has made every provision for us so that we can stand against the schemes and devices of the devil, to stand strong even in the midst of evil, and to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one — everything the enemy throws against us — with the shield of faith.

All of these are the ability of God at work in us, because He is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power [His power] that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

The Abilities of God's Word

So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32)

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21)

The Word of God brings us to salvation. It is called “the incorruptible seed” ( 1 Peter1:23). It is the truth about Jesus that washes us and makes us holy before the Lord (Ephesians 5:25; John 17:17). When we let God plant this word in our hearts it brings forth faith (Romans 10:17). It is “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Because it is given by inspiration of God (literally, God-breathed), it is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The Word of God is able to make us wise for salvation, to save and sanctify us, and to build us up and give us an inheritance through faith in Jesus Christ. Let the incorruptible seed of the Word of God be implanted in your heart and receive all the riches of this wonderful inheritance God has for you. It begins by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Abilities of God

He [Abraham] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. (Romans 4:20-21)

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)

For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. (2 Timothy 1:12)

For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18)

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. (Hebrews 11:19)

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy; to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)

When the Bible says that God is able to do something, it is not merely theoretical, but indicates God's willingness to do those things for whoever will come to Him, to all who call on His name. If you are ready to believe it, He is ready to do it.

Prosperous Days, Peaceful Nights

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me —
A prayer to the God of my life.

(Psalm 42:8)

The “lovingkindness” of the Lord is His mercy and steadfast love. The Hebrew word is hesed, and refers to the love by which He has covenanted Himself to His people. God appoints, gives charge to His covenant love over us every day, to keep us, guide us, and prosper us.

In the nighttime, when the darkness closes in, He gives us a song to sing. It is a song of peace that turns our attention toward Him. It is a prayer to God, whom the psalm writer calls The God of My Life. For He is the one who gives us life, and He is well able to sustain us, to bless in the daytime and preserve us in the night.

Believe the lovingkindness of the Lord and look to Him to prosper you every day. Do not the fear the darkness of night, but listen for the song He will give you, and sing it to Him, and so let Him surround you with His peace. For it is the song of His love and tender mercies, and it will carry you through till dawn, and the manifestation of His prosperity in your life.

Sweet, Peaceful, Restful Sleep

If you have trouble sleeping, here are some verses to contemplate. For those who put their trust in the Lord:

I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.

(Psalm 3:5-6)

Be angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart on your bed, ad be still.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And put your trust in the Lord.
There are many who say,
“Who will show us any good?”
Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
You have put gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

(Psalm 4:4-8)

For those whose source is in God:

Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.

(Psalm 127:1-2)

For those who keep godly wisdom and discretion (Proverbs 3:21):

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

(Proverbs 3:24)

For those who seek first the kingdom of God:

The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day. (Mark 4:26)

Even while you sleep, His kingdom is at work, and everything is being taken care of on your behalf (Matthew 6:33).

Put your trust in the Lord. Do not anxious, do not be angry, do not let your heart be filled with business. Meditate on Him and let His love be perfected in you to drive out all fear. Seek His kingdom, and He will watch over all that pertains to you. So shall your sleep be sweet, peaceful and full of rest.

Life is God's Dream

A man in my Tuesday morning Bible study group told how, when he was little, his father went out and carved these words on a tree: Life is a dream. “And you know what?” my friend said, “Life really is a dream. It's God's dream.”

I agree.

I remember reading a book, a few years back, that was called Between the Dreaming and the Coming True: The Road Home to God by Robert Benson. God has a dream, and we are living in the time between when He first dreamed it and when it fully comes to pass.

Since God is sovereign, another word for “dream” in this context is “will.” That is, God's dream is God's will; God's will is God's dream. It is His desire, His plan, His passion.

The amazing thing is that you and I get to be a part of that dream. That's why Jesus came to bring us back to the Father, so we could share the dream with Him. Jesus' preaching was all about God's dream — He called it the “kingdom of heaven.” It is God's kingdom, God's dream.

Not only do we get to be a part of God's dream, we also get to be part of bringing it into manifestation. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom, come. Your will, be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We may just as well say, “Your dream come true on earth as it is in heaven.” God's dream has been fulfilled in heaven, and His plan is for it to be revealed on earth in the same way.

God has a dream for you and me. It is not a nightmare, but a manifestation of heaven on earth. We enter into that dream by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Riches Stored in Secret Places

I will give you the treasures of darkness
Riches stored in secret places,
So that you may know that I am the Lord,
The God of Israel, who summons you by name.

(Isaiah 45:3 NIV)

God has hidden depositories and secret storehouses filled with riches, and He wants to give them to His anointed. Who are His anointed? Those He has established to do His will.

• The Lord Jesus is His anointed, for He is the “Christ,” which means “Anointed One.”
• Every believer in Jesus Christ is anointed. He is our Shepherd who prepares a table before us and anoints us with oil (Psalm 23:5).
• Sometimes God even anoints people who do not know Him to do something that benefits His kingdom. Isaiah 45 presents us with such an example: Cyrus was a Persian king, but God anointed him for a purpose that helped His people.

Here is what the Lord will do for His anointed:

I will go before you
And make the crooked places straight;
I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron.
I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches in secret places.

(Isaiah 45:2-3)

To “make the crooked places straight” means to bring down the mountains, to “level the playing field.” Jesus taught the disciples how to move mountains out of the way: “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:22-23).

God will also break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, the plates that cover the gates. These are all completely destroyed. In Cyrus' case, this described the gates of Babylon, which he would destroy. For us, Jesus has promised that the gates of hell cannot prevail against His Church (Matthew 16:18). They cannot withstand His purposes. Jesus also taught us to ask, and it shall be given to us, to seek and we shall find, to knock and the door shall be opened unto us (Luke 11:9).

The way to hidden treasure and riches stored in secret places has been opened up to us in Jesus Christ. All that remains is for them to be revealed. Wisdom and revelation is given to us by the Holy Spirit, so that we may know the joyful anticipation of our calling, the riches of the glory of the inheritance God has for us, and the greatness of His power on behalf of those who believe (Ephesians 1:17-19). James said that if we need wisdom, all we have to do is ask God and He will give it to us, without rebuke, if we ask in faith (James 1:5-6).

God has given us the keys for moving mountains, opening doors and revealing riches in secret places. Ask Him for wisdom and revelation of where those treasures are stored, which mountains need to be removed, which gates need to be destroyed and which doors need to be opened.

Whose is the Earth?

The earth is the Lord's and all its fullness.
The world and those who dwell therein.

(Psalm 24:1)

The earth belongs to the Lord because He created it. In Genesis 14:22, He is called, “The Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of Heaven and Earth.”

The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's,
But the earth He has given to the children of men.

(Psalm 115:16)

As Possessor of Heaven and Earth, the Lord has given the earth to the children of men. This is a stewardship. For when God created man, He said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Genesis 1:26). God created man to have rule and reign over the earth, but it was not an authority that could rightly be exercised apart from God.

We know, of course, that Adam rebelled against the authority of God and spiritually disconnected from Him. The earth was cursed because of Adam's treason. Because man was no longer in proper relationship with God, he became vulnerable to the schemes and deceits of the devil. Since then, satan has held powerful influence over man, and has blinded his eyes to the Creator (2 Corinthians 4:3-6).

God gave man the right to rule over the earth, but satan cheated man out of it. We find something very interesting concerning this when Jesus was in the wilderness and satan tried to tempt Him:

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if you will fall down and worship me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” (Matthew 4:8-10)

Notice that Jesus did not dispute satan's right to give Him the kingdom's of the world and all that belonged to them. But He was not about to yield worship to satan, for God alone is to be worshiped. For the works of the devil were about to be destroyed. The Bible says, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise share in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Jesus went to the cross, taking all our sin and bondage upon Himself, and destroyed them there. Then God raised Him from the dead. Forty days later, He ascended to His throne in heaven, at the right hand of the Father, where He rules and reigns forever. But before He ascended, He came to His disciples and declared: “All authority has been given to me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). Then He commissioned His disciples to make disciples of all the nations — the same nations and kingdoms that satan offered to give Him if He would simply transfer His allegiance!

These are the nations the Father promised the Son when He said, “Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Psalm 2:8). “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of the God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool” (Hebrews 10:9-10).

The Lord God of Hosts has always been the Possessor of Heaven and Earth. Though He gave stewardship of the earth to the children of men, He has always been the owner. And though Adam lost this inheritance because of the trickery of satan, Jesus, the “Second Adam” has come to destroy the works of the devil. Now the Lord Jesus is receiving the nations unto Himself through the preaching of His Gospel in all the world. We are now in the time of the outworking of His rule and reign in all the earth.

Positively Positioned and Empowered to Prosper

He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

(Psalm 1:3)

If you want to know how to come into the place of prosperity in every area of your life, study this man closely:

• He is like a tree that has been planted (even transplanted) beside the rivers of water. He did not get there by himself, but was set there by God. He has a good foundation; his roots are well-watered. He is established, supplied and cultivated.
• He brings forth fruit in season. The life of this tree is nourished by the rivers of water and the nutrients of the soil. It drinks in the sunlight and is faithfully tended by the grove-keeper. It goes patiently through its seasons — the season for resting and recreating, the season for germinating, the season for budding and blooming, the season for fruit-bearing, and the season for harvest. In the season of harvest, this man is not found wanting, but is very fruitful. He has much to give, and he shares generously of his bounty.
• His leaf shall not wither. This man stays connected to his source, so he does not fall away or faint in the time of drought, or when the heat is on. He tends to the things that need to be tended, when they need to be tended, and does not leave the important details undone, so that even the tiniest of his leaves are full of life.
• Whatever he does shall prosper. The psalm writer now moves from the metaphor of the well-watered tree and speaks plainly: Everything this man does increases his prosperity. He finds success and increase at every turn. Even when he makes mistakes, or experiences failures or adversities, he learns from them, adapts his strategies and perseveres until he sees his prosperity come forth. Not only is he himself blessed by his prosperity, but many around him also benefit from his success.

So, who is this man, and what is the secret of his prosperity? First, take a look at who he isn't:

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful.

(Psalm 1:1)

This is not a man who takes his cues from the world system, from those who have no regard for God in their lives and do not care whether the things they do are morally right or wrong. He does not share the same pathway with these men, because it will eventually lead to destruction. He does not sit under their influence, because they treat everything — God, good, honor, truth, right, integrity, everything! — as a joke.

Now take a look at who this man is, and what he does do:

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law, he meditates day and night.

(Psalm 1:2)

There it is — the secret of his success! He delights in the law of the Lord. He takes great pleasure in the ways of God. He craves them, and looks forward to them as a lip-smacking delicacy. His fills his heart, his mind, even his mouth with the Word of God, letting it forge his will, shape his emotions, correct his thoughts and empower the very words that roll off his own tongue. So he is established in a fertile place beside life-giving streams, and so he prospers, because he has found his source in God.

Heirs of the World

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Romans 4:13)

We often think of Abraham as one through whom the inheritance came. But Paul called him the heir of the world. An heir is one who receives an inheritance. Here we see that the inheritance Abraham was given is the world itself. When God called Abraham to leave his father's house and his country, He gave him this promise:

I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

(Genesis 12:2-3)

Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” (Genesis 15:5)

Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger; all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. (Genesis 17:3-9)

The blessing for all the families of the earth comes through Abraham. He is the father of numberless descendants, the father of multitudes, the father of nations and kings. This is the inheritance Abraham received from God, and it is the inheritance he passes on to all those who are heir to him.

How does this happen, and who are the heirs of Abraham. The point Paul makes in Romans 4 is that it is not a matter of law, or of works such as circumcision. It is not even a matter of being a Jew (for Abraham was neither a Jew, nor circumcised when the promise was first made). Rather, it is a matter of God's grace and is received by faith:

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. (Romans 4:13-15)

From beginning to end, it is all about faith — believing God. As it was for Abraham, so it is for us:

He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord form the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. (Romans 4:20-25)

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are not only made right with God, but we also become the heirs of what God promised Abraham. Because of Jesus, through faith in Him, we are made heirs to the world. That is why, as Paul later said,

The earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:19-21)

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are made heirs to the world, along with faithful Abraham, and all of creation waits for the full manifestation of this inheritance.

The Mysteries of the Kingdom

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given; for whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing the do not hear, nor do they understand … But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.” (Matthew 13:10-13, 16; see also Mark 4:10-12)

There are those who are ready to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God; and there are others who are not. What is the difference? In another place, Jesus put it this way:

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. (John 7:17)

If you are willing to do the Father’s will, you are ready to know the mysteries of His kingdom. If you are not willing to do His will, you will not understand His kingdom because it is about His rule and reign, and His righteousness — His way of doing and being right. That is why Jesus preached, in His foundational Sermon on the Mount, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Parables reveal who is willing to do the will of the Father, and therefore who is ready to know the secrets of His kingdom. Those who are ready will understand the parables; those who are not willing to obey are not ready to know and therefore will not understand.

If you are willing to the Father’s will, you are ready to know the secrets of His kingdom, and the parables of Jesus are for you.

To Keep You in ALL Your Ways

For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.

(Psalm 91:11)

Angels are the messengers of God. That is what the Hebrew and Greek words translated as “angel” mean. They are messengers, acting on God’s behalf, not their own. God gives them assignments, and they carry them out.

Here we see that He gives His angels charge over His people. That is, He gives them commands concerning us. He instructs them, appoints them for our benefit. Their assignment: To keep us in all our ways.

The Hebrew word for “keep” means to guard, protect, hedge about. This is where the idea of guardian angels comes from. God sets His angels over us to guard us in all our ways. Our ways are not just the roads and paths we travel, but everything we do. God instructs His angels to guard and protect us everywhere we go and in everything we do.

Notice that God sends His angels to keep us in all our ways. That covers everything, every area of life, all our assets, everything we set our hands to. It covers our homes, our businesses, our ministries. There is a lot of concern over identity theft these days, but God’s angels are able to guard even our identities, our bank accounts, our credit information, our medical information. Angels are hack-proof, because Almighty God has given the assignment.

Now, like everything else in the Christian life, this angelic protection is not automatic, it must be appropriated by faith. Faith is believing the promises of God. Everything God does for us is a gift of His grace, and the way to receive a gift is to say “Thank You,” then begin to use it, treating it as your own, because now it belongs to you.

All who know the Lord Jesus Christ, you are entitled to angelic protection, 24-7, in everything that pertains to you. I give thanks to God everyday for His angels watching over me and my family:

Father, I thank you that you give your angels assignment over me and my wife and my children, to keep us in all our ways, to bear us up in their hands so that we do not even dash our foot against a stone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Diligence: The Parable of the Talents

Jesus told this parable concerning the kingdom of God. It demonstrates the importance of being diligent with whatever God has place in our hands.

A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, “Do business till I come.” … And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

Then came the first, saying, “Master, your mina has earned ten minas.” And he said to him, “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.”

And the second came, saying, “Master, your mina has earned five minas.” Likewise he said to him, “You also be over five cities.”

Then another came, saying, “Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.”

And he said to him, “Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?”

And he said to those who stood by, “Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas … For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (Luke 19:12-26)

God has given each of us resources and opportunities, and He expects us to make good use of them, to “do business” for Him until He comes. For Jesus has been given a kingdom, and when He returns, He will be looking for increase. To those who are diligent with what has been placed in their hands, even more will be given. But to those who make excuses, even what little they have will be taken away from them and given to those who will use it faithfully. For all who obey God, He will command the blessing on all they set their hands to. What are you setting your hand to? Are you doing business for Him?

The Power to Create Wealth: Diligence

The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 28:8)

In addition to commanding the blessing on us in our storehouses, God also promises to bless us in all we set our hands to, when we are obedient to Him.

Just as the Lord cannot command the blessing on your storehouse if you don’t have a storehouse, He also cannot command the blessing on all you set you hand to if you never set your hand to anything. This calls for diligence.

He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

(Proverbs 10:4)

The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.

(Proverbs 12:24)

The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
But diligence is man’s precious possession.

(Proverbs 12:27)

The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

(Proverbs 13:4)

The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

(Proverbs 21:5)

Do you see a man who excels in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before unknown men.

(Proverbs 22:29)

Be diligent to know the state of your flocks,
And attend to your herds;
For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.

(Proverbs 27:23-24)

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.

(Ecclesiastes 9:10)

In the morning sow your seed,
And in the evening do not withhold your hand;
For you do not know which will prosper,
Either this or that,
Or whether both alike will be good.

(Ecclesiastes 11:6)

The Hebrew word translated as “diligent” generally means to be incisive or sharp. We might say “on the ball.” It is active, it is timely, it is decisive. It is quick to act, but not without due consideration, to take care of the things that ought to be taken care of. Another word means to be skillful, to excel. Such excellence requires that one be ready and steady in their effort. The word for “diligent” in Proverbs 27:23 is actually the word for “know” used twice, reflecting a Hebrew idiom for emphatic action. The idea in this verse is to do all you can to keep up with what’s going on in your affairs, or your prosperity can easily slip away.

God wants to bless the work of your hand, so set your hand to work.

The Power to Create Wealth: Go to the Ant

Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no captain,
Overseer, or ruler,
Provides her supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.

(Proverbs 6:6-8)

To those who are obedient, God has promised to command the blessing on us in our storehouses and in all we set our hands to. The ant is an example of both the storehouse principle and of diligence. For in the time of harvest, it is busy gathering, storing away food so that it will be available when needed at a later time. The success of the diligent ant is quite different from the results of the lazy:

How long will slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

(Proverbs 6:9-11)

The ant will know plenty, and not be in want. But those who are indolent will lose even what little they have managed to acquire.

Obey the wisdom of God and consider the ant, who knows how to be diligent and how to use the storehouse.

Storehouses: Where Are Yours?

Put simply, a storehouse is a place where you keep your goods until they are needed. Financially speaking, a storehouse is where you keep your money until it is needed. It may be:

• Retirement accounts, IRAs, 401Ks, etc.
• Savings accounts for specific projects
• Reserve accounts for contingencies
• Investment accounts
• Cash for emergencies
• Money set aside for giving (1 Corinthians 16:2)

How much should you set aside? Some Christians suggest the 10/10/80 rule: 10% for God, 10% for savings, 80% for meeting expenses. That may be difficult for some people. But anything is better than nothing, so begin somewhere. You already have some amount, however small, that you can use to start your storehouse. If you will be faithful to do that, and add to it regularly, God can cause it to multiply. Remember the widow with the cruse of oil in 2 Kings 4.

John Wesley, in his sermon on “The Use of Money,” made these three points:

• Gain all you can.
• Save all you can.
• Give all you can.

God gives His people the ability to create wealth — gain all you can. God commands the blessing on us in our storehouses — save all you can. God’s desire is not only to bless us, but to bless others through us — give all you can.

Storehouses: Being Rich Unto God

One day Jesus was preaching to the crowds, and said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possess” (Luke 12:15). Then He told this parable:

The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he though within himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?” So he said, “I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’”

But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?”

So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16-21)

The problem with this man was not that he had storehouses. It was not even that he was laying up treasure for himself. The real problem is that he was not rich toward God.

God has already promised us that He would bless us in our storehouses when we honor Him with out possessions, and with firstfruits of our increase (Proverbs 3:9-10). That is being rich unto God.

The Lord Jesus had this to say about laying up treasure:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

Notice that Jesus instructs us to lay up treasure for ourselves — but to lay it up for ourselves in heaven, and that is about the attitude of our heart. We are not to lay up treasure the way the world does. The world ends up loving, trusting and serving money, just as the fool in Jesus’ parable did. But we are to lay up treasure and use it for the purposes of heaven. That is being rich unto God.

The man in this parable thought wealth and riches were about using them to satisfy his lusts, so he said to his soul, “Take it easy. Eat, drink and be merry.” But James comment about unanswered prayer is also applicable here: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasure” (James 4:3). God does not give us the ability to create wealth so we can be selfish with it, but so we can use it to glorify Him and bless others.

Toward the end of chapter 4, James makes a comment that is very reminiscent of Jesus’ parable:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16)

Just like the fool in the parable, these whom James addresses have no regard for the purposes of God. Their plans and their profits are about their own arrogance, so their boasting, just like the boasting of the fool in the parable, is evil.

God gives us the power to create wealth so that we may be rich toward Him. When we have our hearts properly oriented toward Him, then God will be able to bless us richly in our storehouses, because He knows that we will be using it for the purposes of heaven. This is a vitally important issue because, where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also.

Storehouses: The Jar of Oil

“Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

(2 Kings 4:2)

One of Elisha’s disciples had died, and his widow came to him. She came to him and said, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”

So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?

And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

Then he said, “God, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors — empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And you when you have come in , you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones. (2 Kings 4:2-4)

This woman had a big need, but little resource. She needed help, so she turned to the man of God, who had at one time been her husband’s teacher. What she didn’t realize is that she was about to receive a miracle of multiplication.

Elisha’s mentor, Elijah, also helped a widow receive the miracle of multiplication. In both cases, the blessing of storehouses was involved. When God multiplies your means, you need someplace to put it.

All this woman had was a little jar of oil. But that was enough for the blessing of God. All she needed now were storehouses to contain it all. So Elisha directed her to go to her neighbors and gather up empty vessels, as many as she could get.

Gathering the empty vessels took an act of faith on her part. She didn’t wait for the miracle to occur and the blessing to flow before she enlarged her storehouse system. No, she established her storehouse, just as the prophet directed, in faith that the blessing would come.

So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”

And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest. (vv. 5-7)

Note that the oil ceased because the last vessel had been filled. If she could have gathered more vessels, more would have been filled. But what she was able to collect was sufficient for her needs. She had enough to pay off her debt and live on the rest, along with her sons.

If does not matter what financial circumstances you are in, there is already something in your hand that God can use to deliver you, for He gives seed to the sower (Isaiah 55:10; 2 Corinthians 9:10). There is always something you can set aside in your storehouse. It may be only a small amount, but if you will be faithful to save it and not consume it, God will bless and multiply it.

Storehouses: A Widow in Zarephath

For thus says the LORD God of Israel: “The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry.” (1 Kings 17:14)

Because of the wickedness of King Ahab, the prophet Elijah proclaimed a drought in the land: “As the LORD God or Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word” ((1 Kings 17:1). Then the Lord directed him to dwell by the Brook Cherith, where he would drink from the brook, and the ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening — God is a God of miraculous provision! So Elijah lived by the brook until it dried up because of the lack of rain. Then the LORD sent him to Zarephath, “See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you” (v. 9). When Elijah entered the gates of the city, he found a widow there who was gathering sticks.

And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD god of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’”

So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Elijah. (1 Kings 17:10-16)

Sometimes storehouses were buildings and barns; sometimes they were dry cisterns used to keep and protect one’s goods; and sometimes they may have been nothing more than bins and jars.

Here was a woman of Zarephath, which was somewhere between Tyre and Sidon. She was not of Israel, but was a Canaanite woman, a widow who was nearly destitute, having no one but her son. Their provision was almost gone, but the Lord wanted to bless her. He also wanted to feed His servant Elijah.

Now, this widow woman had storehouses — a bin and a jar — but they were severely depleted, and just about empty. She had just enough flour and oil for one last, little meal for her and her son, then that would be all. But here came the prophet of God asking her for water and a handful of bread. Had the media been around in those days, the headlines might have read, “Traveling Evangelist Takes Last Meal From Destitute Family!”

“Go and do as you have planned,” Elijah told her, “But first, make a small cake for me.” That would have been a very hard request, but then he gave her this promise directly from the Lord: “The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.” And suddenly there was hope — if the woman had the faith to act on it.

Proverbs 3:9-10 says that if we honor the Lord with our possessions and with the firstfruits of all our increase, then our storehouses would be heaped up with plenty, and our vats would overflow with new wine.

That is what Elijah was asking this poor widow to do, to honor the Lord first with what she had. And this is what God promised to do for her, to heap up her storehouses — her bin and her jar — with provision enough to carry her through the rest of the drought.

And that is exactly what happened. The woman did what Elijah said, and she ended up with enough to feed him, herself and her household for many days. “The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Elijah.”

The storehouse principle begins by honoring the Lord with our possessions, and with the first and the best of all our increase. Then keep your bins and your jars handy, and watch as the Lord heaps up your provision. Faith in the promise of God sets it in motion — even in a time of drought.

The Power to Create Wealth: Storehouses

The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 28:8)

The Hebrew word used for “storehouse” here also appears in Proverbs, where it is translated by the NKJV as “barns”:

Honor the LORD with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

(Proverbs 3:9-10)

When we walk with the Lord in the obedience of faith, He commands the blessing on us in our storehouses. A storehouse is a place where provision is set aside until it is needed. In Bible times, after the harvest was gathered, threshed and winnowed, it was brought into the storehouse. The first and best portion was set aside for God. The next best portion was set aside for seed for the following year’s harvest. The rest was used for sustaining one’s family, and also as fodder for the cattle. If there was extra, it could be sold to those who needed it. So a storehouse was not only a place where wealth was stored until needed, but was also a place where additional wealth was created.

A storehouse is oriented toward future need and future provision. Many people spend all they make as soon as they make it. They do not set anything aside for the future, often because they think they cannot afford to. But the truth is, we cannot afford not to. God is ready to command the blessing on our storehouses, when we obey Him. His desire is to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). But if we never establish a storehouse — setting aside a good portion of our increase for the future — then how can we ever be blessed in our storehouse? Indeed, creating a storehouse requires the faith to believe that God does have a future and a hope for us.

The account of Joseph in Egypt shows us how useful the storehouse can be in the creation of wealth. When Pharaoh sought the meaning of a pair of dreams he was given, God gave Joseph the interpretation: There would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine (Genesis 41:1-32).

Then Joseph relayed to Pharaoh this divine wisdom: During the years of plenty, set aside one-fifth (twenty per cent) of the increase, then it shall be a reserve for the seven years of famine. Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph’s ability to walk in the wisdom of God that he made him ruler over all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh (Genesis 41:33-44).

Now watch how Joseph conducted the storehouse. During the seven years of plenty, he did just as he advised Pharaoh, storing up food:

So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable. (Genesis 41:48-49)

When the seven years of plenty ended, the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And now the success of Joseph’s storehouse plan began to materialize:

The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.” The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands. (Genesis 41:54-57)

Because of divine foresight and wisdom, and prudent use of the storehouse, when Egypt and all the surrounding countries needed food, Joseph had enough to sell it to them and supply their need.

Now observe what happened as the years of famine progressed. The money ran out in Egypt because the people had used it all to buy grain from the storehouses which Joseph managed for Pharaoh. Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone” (Genesis 47:16). So Joseph fed them with bread, and ended up with all their livestock that year (v. 17).

The next year, the people came and said, “Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate” (Genesis 47:19). So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. He moved the people into cities and gave them seed to sow, for the years of famine would soon be over:

“Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.”

So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.” (Genesis 47:23-25)

Because he knew how to use the storehouse, Joseph was not only able to save the people of Egypt and the surrounding countries in the time of famine, but he also amassed all the wealth — money, livestock, and land — of Egypt and the surrounding countries. He operated according to the wisdom of God, and the LORD commanded the blessing on him in his storehouses.

When you obey the LORD, and honor Him with your possessions, He will command the blessing on your in your storehouses. So, in addition to setting aside the first and best of your increase for God, create a storehouse where you can set aside funds for future provision and investment. As your storehouse begins to fill up, ask God for wisdom and opportunity for the appropriate investment of your funds. This will create wealth, and meet the needs of others, as well as for you and your family.

The Table of Divine Judgment

For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup,
And the wine is red;
It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;
Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth
Drain and drink down.

(Psalm 75:8)

Calling the Table of the Lord the Table of Divine Judgment sounds pretty ominous and fearful, as does this verse. And yet, the Lord’s Table does indeed represent a divine judgment that has taken place. For at the cross, the full measure of God’s judgment rained down on the Lord Jesus Christ as He gave His body and shed His blood on our behalf. And now, for all who receive Him, the judgment He willingly suffered at Calvary is counted as ours. It is no longer necessary for us to bear it, because Jesus endured it in our place.

The apostle Paul put it this way, “He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). That is, Jesus took our sin upon Himself, and we are not just given His righteousness, but we are made the righteousness of God in Him. We are also accepted by God in Him — “accepted in the Beloved” is how Paul says it (Ephesians 1:6). And “there is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).

The judgment of God has now become a very good thing for us. For it is the nature of judgment to come and set things right, to bring justice where injustice has been done. Because Jesus took our sins to the cross, we are now judged to be righteous through faith in Him. So now the judgment falls on all those things that are our enemies: sin, sickness, demonic strongholds, poverty, even death. They cannot stay on us because they do not belong on us. Even death, which is called “the last enemy,” has been defeated by the cross and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the assurance that we shall likewise be raised (1 Corinthians 15).

When we take the Table of the Lord, we are recalling that divine judgment fell on Jesus Christ for our sakes, and that we receive His righteousness, and therefore all the blessings and provisions that belong to the righteous. We no longer need to fear the judgment of God, because Jesus drank that cup for us, and now the divine judgment is to our benefit. We just need to stay close to Jesus, and one of the best ways to do that is to meet Him often at the Table of the Lord.

The Table of the LORD: Let God Arise

Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those who hate Him flee before Him.
As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.

(Psalm 68:1-3)

When God arises, His enemies scatter. And when He has made a covenant with us, His enemies become our enemies, and our enemies become His. So there is great rejoicing — lightheartedness, gleefulness, cheerfulness, blithesomeness, gladness, and even triumphing and jumping for joy — among His people. This psalm of David is a celebration of God’s victory on our behalf.

The New Testament people of God have a celebration as well — the Table of the Lord. For it is here that we receive the cup of the new covenant which was cut in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is here that we lay hold of the benefits of His body given for us. It is the continuing sign that God has arisen on our behalf, and has scattered our enemies. As John observed, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). In Jesus Christ, the works of the devil have been destroyed on our behalf. The bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper is our song of rejoicing.

David details some of the practical benefits of this victory:

• The LORD is to us the father of the fatherless, and the defender of widows (v. 5).
• The LORD sets the solitary in families (v. 6).
• The LORD brings out the bound into prosperity (v. 6).
• The LORD goes out before His people, leading us, even through the wilderness (v. 7).
• The LORD sends us plentiful rain, whereby He confirms our inheritance when we are weary (v. 9).
• The LORD has made this inheritance our dwelling place (v. 10).
• The LORD provides for the poor out of His goodness (v. 10).

The blessings are so plentiful that David declares,

Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits.
The God of our salvation.

(Psalm 68:19)

The Hebrew word for “salvation” here is yeshuah, which in name form is Yeshua, the Hebrew name of Jesus. Truly it is in Him that we have all these blessings. For He was anointed by the Spirit of God to preach good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and proclaim the year of God’s favor (Luke 4:18-19).

This psalm begins with a note of triumph, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered,” and only gets better, for it ends with the sure prosperity and protection of His own: “The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people” (v. 35)

The Lord Jesus Christ has arisen on our behalf to scatter the enemy and destroy all the works of the devil. And now the God of our salvation, our Yeshua, daily loads us with His benefits. The Table of the Lord is the perfect place to lay hold of all these provisions, to celebrate the victory with Him, even to jump for joy and dance with abandon in care-free celebration.

The Power to Create Wealth: The Blessing

Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your god, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 28:1-2)

The blessing of God is His power and all the resources of heaven brought to bear on behalf of the one who is blessed. It belongs to all those who diligently obey His voice and walk in His righteousness — His way of doing and being right.

Notice how Moses details the blessing in this passage. They speak of the abundant prosperity and protection God has for His people:

(You can hear this passage in streaming MP3, with a background of relaxing music. This track is called Choosing Life, from our Healing Scriptures and Prayers CD Vol. 2.)

• Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. (v.3)
• Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle, and the offspring of your flocks. (v. 4)
• Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. (v. 5)
• Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. (v. 6)
• The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. (v. 7)
• The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. (v. 8)
• The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. (v.9)
• Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. (v. 10)
• And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. (v. 11)
• The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. (v. 12)
• And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. (v. 13)

Then Moses adds this important warning from the Lord: “So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them” (v. 14). We follow after other gods whenever we make anything other than the LORD God our primary concern. If we are not careful, we can idolize even the very abundance and prosperity God desires to give to us. Jesus give us the correct order for living a life of blessing: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

God blesses us with the means and opportunity for abundance and prosperity, even for the creation of wealth, that His name may be glorified and others may be blessed through us.

The Power to Create Wealth: Remember the LORD Your God

And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is to this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

How do we remember the LORD our God, who has given us the ability to create wealth? Earlier in Deuteronomy 8, we find this: “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today” (Deuteronomy 8:11).

The Hebrew word for “beware” means to hedge about, guard, protect, attend to, mark, preserve. It introduces something that calls for great diligence. The word for “forget” means to mislay or become oblivious to for lack of attention. It is not forgotten intentionally, but slips the mind because it has not been remembered intentionally.

What are we to be diligent about and mindful of so that we do not forget? To keep — to mark, observe and do — the commandments, judgments and ordinances of the Lord. We remember Him by doing whatever He instructs us to do.

Psalm 1 speaks about the intense happiness and great prosperity of the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly:

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Who leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

(Psalm 1:2-3)

Notice that it this not a drudgery but a delight, because it is filled with great promise. We don’t remember the Lord and His commandments because He is a hard, cruel taskmaster, but because He is a good and gracious God. The ability to create wealth does not come grudgingly from His hand, but is given freely to those who will take Him at His word and follow His direction. It is an act of His kindness and favor.

We do not keep the commandments just because it is pragmatic for us to do so, but we honor the LORD for who He is in Himself. We do not delight just in the law of the LORD, but also in the LORD Himself. David said, “Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). It is about a personal relationship, getting to know the heart of God, and letting His heart change our heart so that His desires, which are always good, become our desires as well. The result is that the prosperity of God will always lead us into prosperity, too.

Honor the LORD with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

(Proverbs 3:9-10)

“Honor” is not giving lip-service, but is a very tangible expression. The Hebrew word is kabod, which is the word for “glory.” Literally, it means “heavy” and refers to the weight of good things. We honor the Lord by giving Him the good things out of our possessions and our increase. We literally give Him glory when we bring Him the first and the best (not the last and the least) of all our means. We respond to His prosperity toward us by being prosperous toward Him. Then we find that there is a greater prosperity released toward us as God honors our faithfulness toward Him.

When we remember the LORD our God, He always reminds of His benefits towards us:

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

(Psalm 103:1-5)

When we are diligent to remember the Lord, delighting in Him and His Word, obeying His commandments and instructions, and honoring Him with our possessions and the first and best of all our increase, we are positioned for operating in prosperity and the divine ability to create wealth.

The Table of Abundance and Satisfaction

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust
  under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.

(Psalm 36:7-9)

Here is a table prepared before us in the presence of our enemies. David knows that the wicked are around. That is what the first part of this psalm is about (Psalm 36:1-4).

The wicked are the ones who have no fear of God before their eyes. That is, they do not recognize how mighty and majestic God is and stand in awe of Him. Their eyes are too full of themselves to see the holiness of God, so they are unaware of their depravity. They fill their mouths with wickedness and deceit, and are always plotting trouble, never seeking what is good, never detesting what is evil.

David is well aware of their presence, but he is not troubled one bit because he is aware of a much greater Presence. He has filled his eyes, his mouth, his heart and his thoughts with the goodness of God:

Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

(Psalm 36:5-6)

This leads him to the lovingkindness of the Lord — the chesed (Hebrew), the steadfast love of Yahweh, by which He entered into covenant with His people. It is the love with which He has promised to always love us and take care of us. It is the same agape love (Greek) which He showed to us in Jesus Christ: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

It is in this love that we can trust and find protection under the shadow of His wings. It is by this love that He offers us full access to His house and all its provision. It is this love that prepares a table before us where we can be abundantly satisfied, drinking from the river of His pleasures — the luxuries and delights of God! His love is a fountain of life. That is why Jesus came, that we might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). It is by this love and this light that we can truly see and understand what life is about.

The Table of Abundance and Satisfaction is not just for when we die and go to heaven. It if for us right here and right now, even in the presence of our enemies. Even now we can drink from the river of the pleasures of God, to enjoy, not only His protection and provision, but even His delicacies and delights. It is all portrayed for us, even presented to us, in the Table of the Lord. For there we see Jesus, the love of God manifested in the body given and the blood shed for us. Everything we need — salvation, forgiveness, freedom from captivity, healing, provision, even prosperity — is found in the new covenant made in Jesus’ blood, and can be laid hold of at this Table.

It is here that the petition of David finds fulfillment for us, who have been made the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ:

Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

(Psalm 36:10)

The Table of the Lord is the Table of Abundance and Satisfaction of every need and godly desire you could ever have. When the enemy shows himself and adverse circumstances press in around you, that is a good time to go this Table and drink from the might river of God.

The Table of Forgiveness, The Table of Happiness

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

(Psalm 32:1)

The Hebrew word for “blessed” here is asher, and refers to a deep and abiding happiness. It is like a wave of joy that puts a smile on your face every time if washes over you.

What is the cause of such wonderful bliss? Knowing that your rebellion against God has been forgiven and God no longer looks at your sin. That the evil of iniquity is no longer charged to your account and you no longer feel the need to hide out from God.

Adam tried to hide when He rebelled against the Lord. “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10). But we no longer have to be afraid—or ashamed. Because God no longer charges sin, but righteousness to our account. It is the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Get the picture? God charged your sin and mine to the account of Jesus, who had no sin of His own. Then He charged our accounts with His own righteousness, and now we can be debt-free in the most important sense. Paul revelates more on this more in his letter to the Romans:

But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”

(Romans 4:5-8)

When we receive this wonderful righteousness by faith, the blessings and benefits of the righteous belong to us. David continues in this psalm:

For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

Selah.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.”

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

(Psalm 32:6-8, 10-11)

This righteousness and these benefits are portrayed for us at The Table of the Lord. The bread displays the body of Jesus given for us. The cup reveals the wonderful promises God has made to us in the blood of Christ, for Jesus declared, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20).

The Table of the Lord is the Table of Blessing and Benefit, the Table of Deep Happiness and Abiding Joy. Because it is the Table of Forgiveness.