Jeffin

In my previous post I wrote about the house of God and what it represents. Reading Psalms further I came to this verse in which King David compares himself to that of an olive tree in the house of God. In Psalm 52:8 it is written “But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God”.

Olive tree is biblically very significant. Olive oil represents anointing, healing, joy, and light, its leaves symbolizes peace which is still used in the emblem of the State of Israel, its branches represent beauty, its trunk is said to be strong and capable of regeneration in case of it being cut down or burnt, it is ever green and bearing fruits through centuries. Olive oil has been used extensively in Biblical sacrifices and to anoint some of the greatest kings.

To be an olive tree flourishing in the house of God means to be an anointed, shining, peaceful, beautiful, strong and ever fruitful child of God in an environment of constant prayer. Just like in the physical, we may have to go under the oil press of beating and crushing to produce good oil. Just have patience and submit to God praying constantly that he changes us to become like an olive tree in the house of God. God bless you.

King David said “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). The New Living Translation reads, it is the thing that David seeks the most. King David is a man of prayer. He cries to God when he needs help and praises God when he receives the answer. And if there is one thing that he seeks most, more than anything else in the world, it is to be in the house of God constantly gazing upon the beauty of the almighty. He loves to admire his heavenly father in an environment of prayer.

In the new testament, our Lord Jesus makes clear to us what the house of the Lord is. In Matthew 21:13 he says, “My house will be called a house of prayer”. I truly believe that both our Lord Jesus and King David were referring to the same house which in modern english should mean an environment where we continually come to God in prayer. Literally it could be a prayer room or your car or any place you almost frequently come in contact with the Lord. This is where we are able to seek his presence and admire his glory just as David did. Do you agree with me? If you have another revelation to share, please comment below. Thanks for reading.

King David used to spend his nights crying out to God for forgiveness and for help. In Psalm 6:6 he says “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears”. That was his style of prayer as a King. As children of God, we are not even close to that level of prayer. David believed that it was God who sustained him through the night and kept him safe from his enemies. At that time, his life was in real danger. In Psalm 3:5, he says “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me” and in Psalm 4:8, he says “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety”. His prayer in the night and his trust in God to protect him, gave him the peace that enabled him to sleep and wake up praising God in the morning. Prayer in our lives should not end at night. If we are distressed and we need help, we must spend our nights crying out to God till we are at peace. If there’s more you want to add about praying in the night, please comment below. The comments I receive here encourage me a lot. Thanks.

The book of Job is a valuable lesson for anyone who has gone through very bad times. Job, a man admired by God himself, hit his rock bottom when he lost everything. Satan took away Job’s wealth, people, children and in the end his health too. Job’s wife and friends blamed him for wrong doings instead of comforting him. Job only had God to plead to when all was taken away. He cursed his days, questioned God and asked for justice. If this has happened to you, how did you react? Did you blame someone? Did your friends come to your rescue? How did you manage to pull yourself out? I went through a similar situation and I learnt a lot of things from it. I learnt that I had to trust God only and literally pull myself out of the pit. You can only go up when you are at the bottom. I believe the right way of doing it is to seek God’s help and his guidance as you try to climb back up. God blessed Job in the end. His family, friends and wealth were all restored to him and his life continues to inspire us even today.