PLUS

Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”

Exodus 13:21-22 “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”

Exodus 14:9 “But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.”

Exodus 14:26-28 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharoah that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.”

Psalm 20:7 has been my theme verse from the earliest days of my Christian life (I was saved at age 32). It is a great reminder to me that the real source of power, protection, peace and provision comes from the Lord and not through the mightiest machines made by man. I wrote about this verse in some of the first days of the PLUS ministry:

Ultimate Trust

It was only after recently lingering in my study of the book of Exodus, that I recognized the amazing contrast between trusting in the Lord and trusting in the symbols of prestige in our society.

In their escape from Egypt, the faithful followed God’s guidance – His pillar of cloud by day and His pillar of fire by night. The Egyptians, on the other hand, pursued with ungodly reliance on their secular strength. While those symbols of earthly potency were quick in their pursuits, they were rapidly overwhelmed by the waters of the Red Sea at the command of the Lord our God. It provides a powerful punctuation for the truths of Psalm 20:7.

Today, may we follow God’s guidance – His proverbial pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. While the world all around us is relying on their secular strength, may we unfailingly remember the name of the Lord our God.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO STOP TRUSTING IN ANYTHING APART FROM THE LORD OUR GOD. Chariots and horses of all forms can be rapidly overwhelmed and overthrown by providential waters.

Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

I Kings 9:3a “And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me”

Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

The 30^th of April marks the 235^th anniversary of our nation under the U.S. Constitution. In 1789, the nation inaugurated George Washington as its first president, and his inauguration speech was a stunning sermon of appreciation and supplication to the Lord.

After some initial pleasantries, President Washington proclaimed the following:

“It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge.”

After several powerful paragraphs that every American should regularly review, Washington closed with these thoughts:

“Having thus imparted to you my sentiments as they have been awakened by the occasion which brings us together, I shall take my present leave; but not without resorting once more to the benign Parent of the Human Race in humble supplication that, since He has been pleased to favor the American people with opportunities for deliberating in perfect tranquility, and dispositions for deciding with unparalleled unanimity on a form of government for the security of their union and the advancement of their happiness, so His divine blessing may be equally conspicuous in the enlarged views, the temperate consultations, and the wise measures on which the success of this Government must depend.”

Washington began and ended his inauguration with explicit words of fervent and humble supplication – expressing deep appreciation to the Lord for past blessings and begging the Lord for future blessings. He acknowledged that God Himself would make the difference between future success and profound failure.

Today, we must be no less appreciative to the Lord for past blessings and no less dependent on Him for future blessings. We need to infuse our lives with fervent and humble supplication if we can ever expect the nationwide revival that we so desperately need.

PLEASE PRAY WITH FERVENT AND HUMBLE SUPPLICATION TO SEE WIDESPREAD REVIVAL IN OUR NATION. God Himself continues to make the difference between future success and profound failure.

ADMIN: Please see the following post from 2015 that started a six-post series on Washington’s Inauguration:

An Important Train of Consequences

Numbers 14:6-11 “And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneth, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not. But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? And how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?”

Numbers 32:13 “And the LORD’S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.”

The LORD’s plan for the Israelites was magnificent. He prepared the Promised Land for them as they escaped Egyptian captivity. It was a land that flowed with bounty and blessings, and was designed to be a perfect homeland for God’s people. Joshua and Caleb had scouted it out, and it was more than they could even imagine. Yet, because of the Israelite’s lack of faith, they rebelled against that plan. As a result, they wandered in the wilderness for decades until they finally were spiritually prepared to take possession of what God has prepared for them all along.

In our lives and in our country, God’s plan will be fulfilled. Our ability to participate, whether now or forty years from now, is contingent on our faithfulness. It is far better to enter our promised lands now than trigger a decades-long spiritual preparation of wandering in the wilderness.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO CLING TO FAITHFULNESS THAT WILL ALLOW US TO ENJOY THE LORD’S BOUNTY AND BLESSINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DESIGNED FOR US ALL ALONG. It is far better to demonstrate faithfulness now than to wander in the wilderness for decades.

Matthew 20:25-28 “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Isaiah 5:20-21 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”

I Kings 3:9 “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.”

I vividly remember my first time in New York City. It was my freshman year in college, and I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of everything in Manhattan. As a small town boy, it was the grandiose in every way.

During that trip, I met several very nice gentlemen who always seemed to want to sell me strangely inexpensive watches. The ones that particularly caught my eye were the ones with Gucci emblazoned on the face for only $15 – what a steal!

These watches looked real and they worked like they were real. My friends explained the truth of these watches, but I came up with a brilliant plan. I bought one for my younger brother and gave it to him for Christmas. To add to the mystique of the gift, I went to an actual Gucci store and bought a real watch box, which ended up being slightly more expensive than my timepiece purchased on the streets of Manhattan. My brother and my parents were amazed at my generosity. For years, my brother only brought out his new watch on special occasions, and he treasured this extravagant gift from his beloved sibling.

Several years later, as his gift for graduating from high school, I bought him the exact same watch, but from a real Gucci store. He was confused – why would I get him another watch when his still worked perfectly? That’s when I told him that in spite of the well adorned façade, the original was a fake and this one was real.

Life is full of fakes. Sometimes they are obvious, and sometimes they are not. Sometimes they are counter-cultural and sometimes they are based on the prevailing pressure of society. Either way, God calls for our judgments to be filled with understanding and discernment to sort out the real from the fake.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO REVEAL THE FAKES AND DISCERN THE GENUINE ARTICLES IN A SOCIETY ENGULFED IN CONFUSION. Just because it seems to work for a while doesn’t mean that it is real and authentic.

I Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

II Corinthians 10:12 “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”

II Corinthians 12:9-10 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.”

An interesting experiment was conducted on unsuspecting passengers several years ago in the Mediterranean Sea. These lucky people had been notified that they were “winners” of a free large boat cruise in the picturesque scenery on Europe’s southern coast. Throughout the cruise, they were given a survey to measure satisfaction, and the results were off-the-charts. That was until the real experiment kicked into action.

At one of the ports, a larger boat filled with actors pulled up next to them, and the “passengers” on that boat were enjoying themselves thoroughly. At the next survey of satisfaction, the passengers on the original boat had their positive ratings plummet. It wasn’t good enough that they were on a fun, free vacation when others seemed to have an experience that was more, better, and bigger.

Isn’t that typical of humanity!? Isn’t that typical of us!?

We have far more than we deserve, yet we quickly become restless when we see someone else with a bit more. Far to often, our satisfaction is tethered to unwise comparisons and unhelpful covetousness. It saps our joy and squanders our jubilation. Instead, in every thing we should give thanks. We should be content with whatever we have. We should avoid comparisons. And, we should even take pleasure in our infirmities. That is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD PROPERLY REPRESENT OUR APPRECIATION TO OUR MATCHLESS SAVIOUR THROUGH EVER-PRESENT JOY AND CONTENTMENT. Regardless of the status of those around us, with Christ our satisfaction should be off-the-charts.