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Open Heaven Devotion

  • 09 Sep 2020

COMPANY FOR THE LONELY II.

HYMN 20:  NEARER, MY GOD TO THEE.

1. Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

o Refrain:

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

2. Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,

Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;

Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee.

3. There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n;

All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv’n;

Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee.

4. Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,

Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;

So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee.

5. Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,

Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly,

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

6. There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest,

There in my Savior’s love, perfectly blest;

Age after age to be nearer, my God, to Thee.

MEMORISE:

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9

READ: 1 Samuel 16:18-19

18 Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.

19 Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.

MESSAGE 

Having established yesterday that your period of loneliness will soon be over, today, I want us to look more deeply at David’s major preoccupation when he was alone with the sheep. This major preoccupation is also what attracted the anointing that broke the yoke of loneliness in his life. 1 Samuel 16:18-19 gives a report about David while he was alone with the sheep.

“Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him. Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.”

David’s harp-playing prowess was attested to by one of King Saul’s servants who had witnessed David playing while he was alone with the sheep. The servant could attest to the fact that God was with David, so in the reality he was never lonely. When I used to drive myself around, many times I would praise God to such an extent that His presence would fill the car and I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on driving. I would have to park the car on the road side for a bit. Now, I spend hours walking alone in the middle of the night, praising God. Sometimes, I go into the bush because I don’t want any disturbance, but never do I feel alone in those times. Today, I have so many people around me that it would be difficult for me to be lonely in any part of the world.

God’s presence is the best company you can ever want. If you spend your lonely days praising God, doing His will and soaking yourself in His presence, soon, He will anoint and lift you out of that place of loneliness and you would become one whom the whole world would want to spend time with.

KEY POINT:

Constantly soak yourself in the presence of the Lord. Very soon, the whole world will want to be with you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 42-43