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Friday, February 14, 2014

Dropped

2 Samuel 4: 4, (There was a little lame grandson of King Saul's named Mephibosheth, who was the son of Prince Jonathan. He was five years old at the time Saul and Jonathan were killed at the battle of Jezreel. When the news of the outcome of the battle reached the capital, the child's nurse grabbed him and fled, but she fell and dropped him as she was running, and he became lame.) TLB
Today’s scripture reading is just one verse from the Old Testament; however, let’s look at all the treasure it contains. We see here that the very person that had been picked by the family to protect and take care of Mephibosheth as a child was the one who inflicted the most pain. As the nurse was running to protect this child from being killed, she fell and dropped him, which caused him to become lame.
As tragic as this story is, we can learn a lot from the principle within it. What do you do or how do you respond when someone who is trying to protect you ends up hurting you? I’m not talking about an abusive parent or spouse. I’m speaking of someone whose intentions are to not to harm, but love and care very deeply for you; nonetheless, their actions end up causing you pain. The nurse’s fall caused Mephibosheth to suffer his entire life, not to mention the loss of his independence.
Pain can enter our lives through those who love us just as easily as it can through those who don’t. We live in a fallen world that gives us opportunities to harbor ill feelings; and at times we can become almost bitter over the tragedy and loss that we incur. Nevertheless, we must remember that we are children of the king. As such, we are promised that God will restore to us the years that the enemy has stolen from us. The key is for us to keep our eyes on Jesus and off of the attacks and pain that have been inflicted by our adversary. Satan’s primary goal of afflicting God’s children is to turn us against our faith in God so that we no longer adhere to His commands. Why, you may ask, does Satan do this against God’s people? He does it so that he might cause us to bring a curse upon ourselves by turning our hearts away from God’s love and authority.
Since Mephibosheth was the grandson of King Saul, he was granted favor in King David’s heart, which allowed Mephibosheth to sit at the king’s table and eat bread continually. Please notice that it wasn’t Mephibosheth’s “condition,” rather it was his relationship to King Saul; in other words, it was his “position” that gave him the favor of restoration. God has given us this story to show us that our favor from God comes because of our faith in Christ, and not because we have been the victim of Satan’s devices.  
It is Satan who will try to exploit our condition so that he might turn our hearts away from our position of faith; thus making us forfeit the victory that we already have in Christ. So, if someone who has said they loved you has dropped you and caused you to have severe pain or loss in your life, remember this story of God’s redemption. Through faith, we can overcome every weapon and trap Satan has formed against our faith in order to rob of us our favor in Christ.  
When this favor was bestowed on Mephibosheth, he was living in Lo-debar, a place of hopelessness. He was in a state of mind, and in a place where he saw himself as a “dog.” He felt unworthy to receive mercy and compassion from the King. A feeling of unworthiness is just another lie that Satan inflicts on people when we go through his sifting. Unworthiness can cause us to reject the king’s favor…just as Mephibosheth tried to do with King David.
When God brings us out of a low place and causes us to sit in a heavenly place in Christ, He knows that it will be a process, and it will take time. The Word of God declares over and again that God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. It’s time for a turnaround in our lives and situations. Even though we have been in a low state, the favor of God is going to lift us up and sit us on high, far above our adversaries. Even when we can’t walk, we can still walk by faith and be restored through Christ.
Walking in God’s Favor,
Pastor Asa Dockery    

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