Make you walk erect!
Leviticus 26:13 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.”
I remember an incident that happened before my salvation, also during the time I was a young mother working as a personal secretary for the CEO of a Public Limited Company, big position with AC cabin alright, but I was a slave. I was skinned throughout the week with no rest and time for my family and my young daughter Shalina. On a particular Sunday, while I was planning to stay with her, the chairman asked me to come to his house with his mails. My husband along with my daughter came and dropped me at the gate and left, I had to walk the long garden to reach his palatial house, as I was walking with a heavy heart, his dog came behind and bit my leg. As I was writhing with pain and fear, his wife told me, ‘don’t worry, the dog is vaccinated’. I have tasted the pain, agony and anxiety that goes with working in the Corporate world for close to 15 years before joining the Lord’s vineyard as full time servant.
Though I had worked in some of the best multinational organizations, I felt in my heart “would I be released from this life of slavery”, one day Jesus walked into the plush office that I had slogged for several years and anointed me to be His Servant. Today my life is jam-packed with activities from dawn to night with various projects; however, I am not a slave to anyone ANYMORE, in fact, I sit in the best, cozy, luxurious chair ( that I did not buy) and have my own cabin. God not only delivers you from whatever kind of slavery you may be at: home, office, some kind of habitual sin, fear, sickness, debts; but He also makes you walk erect. I like the last portion of the above scripture, “ God will make you walk erect!” Wow!
Whatever humiliation, mockery, criticism you might have faced in the past, God will change that friend. When we were unable to pay our house rent on the very first month after we relocated our ministry to a new city Hyderabad, the owner asked us, ‘why did you come to Hyderabad for ministry if you are even unable to pay house rent?’ I had no answer though, but today after 10 years we are paying rent for three buildings promptly , He is the lifter of our head! Stay patient and endure sufferings, don’t borrow or do things with your own strength but wait for God to bail you out! Amen.
A) You need the touch of Jesus:
Luke 13:11 And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.
12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your sickness."
13 And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.
This woman was going to church for 18 years, yet she was bent double because of a spirit the Bible says. There are many people born in Christian homes; yet, are bent without delivery (like me) because they did not have the touch of Jesus in their lives. I had worked a few years in a Five star hotel, and watched people suffer under shift duties and tremendous pressure. Just when they plan to finish duty and leave, they would be told that they have to extend and do double duty because someone did not turn up for work. I had watched people cry under pressure; however, these people will never want to surrender their lives to Christ and get freedom. The world is full of people who are under bondage to people, work, habits and what not; but listen to me, we need the fingers of Jesus to touch us and deliver us.
Watch this, verse 13 says: “He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.” When the hands of Jesus touched her, this bent woman now does a catwalk on a ramp with Jesus by her side and also glorified Him. Jesus would give you confidence, courage, poise and dignity that you thought you never had. God would make you walk upright!
• Did He not make Ruth, the widow who lost everything in her life to again walk upright with Boaz? God would rebuild your broken life and make you walk erect again, say Hallelujah!
• God would give you back whatever you lost in your ministry and help you rebuild your ministry again, fear not, just learn to walk upright like Job, that’s the key to get double for what you lost.
B) God will lift you from the ash heap:
1 Samuel 2:8”He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. "For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; on them he has set the world.”
Hannah went through humiliation and pain in the hands of Peninnah because of her barren womb; however, when she decided to get up and walk into the presence of God one day, she understood the true character of her God: He Lifts the needy from the ash heap! Hallelujah! Clap hands for God, will you? He not only gave her a child, but gave her prophet Samuel besides she gave birth to five more children as well. Immeasurable are His blessings.(1 Samuel 2:21)
c) FROM THE DUST:
Psalm 113:7 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 To make them sit with princes, With the princes of His people.
9 He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!
This particular Psalm opens with praises and ends with praises, this is an awesome psalm of praises to the Lord who lifts the poor from the dust.
Do you know the meaning of dust? I know it. My life was like dust before I accepted Jesus into my life. I looked for the meaning of dust and this is what it says: tiny particles of earth or waste matter lying on the ground. Yes waste matter, may be your life looks like that now, but hang on there holding on to the ends of His garments because He is about to change your life. Friend, I am simply not able to write this portion, how can we run a free school for the poor without money, water and food? We had nothing in hand. My daughter, a computer Engineer, by now had resigned her job with a multination company to join us in our ministry. What do we do? Does God bail us out immediately? The answer is NO. The struggle continued until our entire family: My daughter, my son ( now a young pastor) my husband and I understood that :
Romans 5:3”….that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Glory to Jesus!
One day I was listening to my 20 year old son preach and he said: “many think that Christianity is all about blessings and prosperity; however, they fail to understand that trials and tribulations are part and parcel of every believer’s life and their faith should soar above it. Such words don’t come without experiencing pain and I thanked God for the trials and empty purse.
God bless you!
