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The Joy of
the Lord
by Rev.
Myrl Eddings
Thank
the Lord for His joy, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. Looking back, I’m
reminded of the many times God has delivered me out of difficult circumstances. A
particular experience occurred when I had an episode of liver spots (temia versicola). They were not fatal, but as a young man were
certainly not desirable. I asked for prayer at the church I was attending and went my way. About three months had elapsed as one particular
day I was taking a shower. A voice spoke to
me and asked me “where are your spots?” I
looked down to realize that my skin’s complexion had returned to normal instantly.
Another
time we had the privilege of starting a church. During
service one night, the Spirit of the Lord was moving in a great way. As church continued, a vehicle came by and threw
bricks through the windows and shot out the glass. God
saw fit that no one was hurt and the service was not even disrupted. The following church night the same group called
the local police to see if our band of ‘radicals’ might be stopped from having
services there. When nothing could be done
legally against us, the landlord was charged with public nuisance. Reporters soon gathered outside to see what was
happening.
Other
such persecutions have arisen over the years, but through it all, the Lord has been by my
side. At times when it seems that God should
have given up on me, he has been faithful through every hardship. Many are the believers
who have suffered for the sake of the gospel. Even
Jesus warned us that men would kill his followers and think that they do God a service. I believe this very prophecy was fulfilled, along
with other occasions, on September 11, 2001 when the Twin Towers and Pentagon were
attacked by religious extremists. The name of Jesus is controversial. “God” is accepted because He can be
disguised as any type of deity. Yet Jesus
said he is the door to the sheepfold. Many
validate non-Christian religions, not recognizing Jesus as the one true Savior of the
world.
Someone
will raise a standard and show Christ to be the Messiah and perform His works. God has
promised to raise up a people to be His Church. We
don’t have to do anything on our own, because the Lord Himself has guaranteed the
establishment and survival of a chosen people for His sake. All that is required is to get
aboard. The Lord said He would
make His people the head and not the tail. We can see this evidenced on television that is
broadcast around the world. In the past, those in the United States who sought to worship
God in Spirit were scorned – often publicly. Today
the same demographic is tolerated in our society. The
full gospel is now recognized and published in over 400 languages because the Scripture is
being fulfilled.
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