Words for Life Articles

I recently read a story about an elderly lady who was a member of Charles Surgeons congregation.

This elderly lady was one day visited by Charles Spurgeon in her poor wretched house. Mr Spurgeon on arriving in the house noticed a frame certificate hanging on the wall. This was a certificate she had received when a wealthy man she had cared for died. She did not know what was written on the certificate because she could not read. I doubt if the framer could read either. It is said that Mr Spurgeon read and found out that the wealthy man had left this woman his entire vast estate. Yet this woman was living in poverty not knowing not realising her inheritance. She lived in penury.

Isaiah 48:13

"Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together."

Psalm 138:7-8

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands."

It is amazing that most of us hardly talk or even recognise the existence of the hand of God. The Bible talks about the hand of God in many ways.

We are living in apostolic times. The Holy Spirit is stirring the church of the 21st Century just as he moved in the 1st Century –with apostolic power. This power energises God’s people to rise up to be all that God calls them to be. The church is Christ’s agent for change in our personal lives as well society as a whole.

“And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.” (Acts 6:8,9 KJV)

“But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:55-60 KJV)

When we pursue His secret place it is for a purpose. We do not pursue a bus for the sake of pursuit, we do not pursue a train for the fun of pursuit, we pursue for a purpose and to arrive at a destination.

Even on the velodromes for cyclists, the individual or team pursuit is for glory, it is to win a medal.

The bible is said to be the bestselling book of all times, the most printed and probably the most quoted book in the English language.

The bible is not the work of a single man; it is a collection of 66 books by 40 authors from different walks of life, kings, prophets, farmers, shepherds, doctor and many more. We are told in the book of 2 Peter 1:20-21 (KJV):

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29 NKJV).

Some months ago I was given a book by one of my students at the bible school, who said the Lord had asked her to give it to me. I was really fascinated by this gesture, but more intrigued by the title of the book, "Secrets of the secret place". The more I read the book, the more I became aware of how much we have lost touch with the one who holds the key to the future and have tried to build the future ourselves.