The title of my devotional today is Nahum. It is actually a part of the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. It is in contrast to the Book of Jonah’s earlier message to Nineveh. Jonah is about Nineveh repenting and turning toward God from the top down. In Nahum, God said He had enough. No more opportunities for repentance, no options for mercy and no promises of future restoration. This massive city of over one million people would be completely destroyed. Revival was no longer an option. God had given this City over to their sin.
Look with me at some key verses: “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet” Nahum 1:3. “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness” Nahum 1:7-8. Enough was enough. God had given plenty of time for this ruthless nation to repent and walk in His ways. God is a just God and will not let sins go unpunished. He is also a loving graceful God who gives people time to repent. Nineveh obviously was all about what they wanted and not what God wanted. I pray often that the Lord does not give our Nation what we deserve. I pray for God fearing men and women to get elected in the election next week. We need godly leaders to influence our leaders in Washington. I think of the aggressions of Adolph Hitler during the 1930’s and 1940’s as we have been listening on the news about this aggression against Jews in Pennsylvania. In time, world tolerance reached its limit. The Nazi reign of terror was ended by force in World War II. This morning during our time of prayer I read the first part of Matthew 6 where it focuses on prayer. Leading up to the Lord’s Prayer, our pattern of prayer taught by Jesus Himself, it mentions several times that God sees what is done in secret. It is the secret things that God sees and rewards, not the outward things of our lives. We should not stop doing things that people see, they just need to be fueled by the times we spend out of the spotlight. If only Nineveh would have kept the fires of revival stirred in their hearts. May God speak to you from this small Minor Prophet written many years ago. Let us rejoice that God has come personally to each one of us and offered Himself as the source of right living in order that we might repent and follow His ways. Rejoice that God makes a way where there seems to be no way. Rejoice that God has given us fellow travelers to pray for and with during difficult times. Rejoice that God sees the small things of life and praise Him that He will cause the small things to multiply and make a big impact on the people around us. Rejoice again I say Rejoice… Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike
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Rev. Mike McClurgSenior Pastor, Findlay First Church of the Nazarene Archives
March 2020
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