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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020

Title: How God protected a murderer JAN 12, 2020.

By: J.O. Lawal

Date: January 12, 2020

Series: From Pastor’s Desk

Number: Vol. 8, No. 36

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer. I am pleased to welcome you into the second week of this new year, year 2020. My prayer is that God’s favour and cover will rest upon you continually all through the remaining part of the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the things we learn in the Scriptures about God is that He is compassionate and full of mercy. For instance, Micah says this about Him: “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” (Mic 7:18-19NIV) Look at the things this man says about God, things that many still do not comprehend about Him. First, he says that He is a God who pardons sin and also forgives people’s transgressions. So, regardless of how great your sin may be in His eyes, He is still able to forgive you, if you will turn to Him in repentance. 

Also, Micah says God does not stay angry forever but delights to show mercy. Have you ever thought about that? There are people who think that once God is angry with them, that is how He is going to be forever. But that is not true at all. It is not His desire to be angry with anybody forever, that is, as far as our activities here on earth is concerned. Rather, His desire and pleasure is to show mercy.

Now we see this in the way He dealt with the case of Cain, who murdered his brother, Abel, in cold blood. God, evidently, was very angry with him. And so angry was He that he told Cain that he would no longer prosper as a farmer and that he would be a restless wanderer all the remaining days of his life. And when Cain heard that, he was like, “What! God, this is too much for me! I know I messed up. But please, this punishment is too much for me to bear. In short, it is as good as passing a death sentence on me.” (Cf. Gen 4:10-14)

If you were God, what would you say in response to what that wicked man said? You would most likely say, “Are you alright at all? Just hear yourself. Don’t those words of yours sound bad and terrible in your mouth? Just be thankful I am not killing you immediately. Now get out of this place and don’t ever let me hear a word from you again.” But God would not act like that or say such things. And that is why we just couldn’t be God. 

Well, God, having listened to Cain’s plea, looked at him and was filled with mercy for him. So filled with mercy was He that He put a mark of protection on Him and also said to him, “Anyone who touches you will be punished seven times over.” And I can imagine Cain going around and saying to anyone who wants to harm him, “What do you think you are doing? God has got my back. And if you dare touch me, your life will be seven times more miserable than mine.” What a powerful charm to use! (Cf. Gen 4:15-16)

Now think about that. God was willing to show mercy to a murderer and put a mark of protection on him, just because he appealed to Him. What, then, will He not do to keep safe His children, whom He loves dearly in Christ Jesus? Nothing! No wonder Paul says this to us about what He has done for us: “Remember, God is the One who makes you and us strong in Christ. God made us his chosen people. He put his mark on us to show that we are his, and he put his Spirit in our hearts to be a guarantee for all he has promised.” (2Cor 1:21-22NCV) Did you see that? God has put His mark of ownership on us. Hallelujah. So, we don’t need to pray, as many used to pray today, that God will put a mark of life or protection on us. We already have His mark on us. We go everywhere with His mark on us. Oh yes, it is an invisible and spiritual mark. But angels, Satan and demons can see it; they can tell that we belong to God and that to touch us is to touch Him (Zech 2:8). And what we now need to fully enjoy this is to walk in its consciousness.

Cain, a murderer, walked in the consciousness that he bore God’s mark of protection everywhere he went. And his life was preserved for years. This, of course, does not mean that you are free to murder people, in expectation that God will protect you. You are a rogue, if you think like that; and God will see to it that you get what is right for you. But what I am saying is that if Cain, despite what he did, would boldly take advantage of God’s provision for his protection, we, who are loved and cherished by God, should not act any less. Instead, we should rise every moment of the year and declare boldly, “God’s mark of ownership, life and protection are on me. Nothing can successfully harm me.” And if this is the way we are functioning, we will see for ourselves all through this new year that God never fails in honouring His word.

Do have a very pleasant week.  

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