"He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry." Psalm 147:9
“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:13-14
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” Deuteronomy 6:5-9
When the children of Ammon, the children of Moab, and others came to fight against Israel, king Jehoshapaht and Israel were afraid. But, the Lord told them not to be afraid, for the battle was His. And the children of Israel went out as though God had already given them the victory.
“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.” II Chronicles 20:21-24
It is important to live like you are going to get the victory on this earth. Trouble comes from us not trusting in God’s promises. It can bring us addition trouble. It can also cause us to forfeit the victory.
When the children of Israel were ready to go into the Promised Land, instead of claiming God’s promise they became afraid, and wanted to turn around and go back into Egypt (Num. 13-14). This displeased the Lord, and they had to wander the desert for forty years.
“For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble. . . For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.” Psalm 78:32-33,37
Now the Devil is constantly trying to get us to stop working for the Lord, and to stop doing what God wants us to do. To be steadfast, and unmoveable in the work of the Lord, requires us to be steadfast in resisting the Devil.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” 1 Peter 5:8-9
The Scripture says whom the devil “may” devour. It does not say whom he “can” devour. The word “may” implies permission, while “can” implies ability. The Devil will roar, and try to get you to stop doing what you are doing for the Lord. But, he can’t touch us unless we move away from the Lord, and he can’t touch us unless without God saying so.
When we try to stand for the Lord, he is going to get loud and keep making a bunch of noise. He did this to king Hezekiah.
The men of the Assyrian army came to Hezekiah, and made a whole bunch of noise. It appeared as though they would take Judah.
We read in II Kings 19:10, “ Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.”
But they weren’t able to do anything, against the Lord.
We read again in II Kings 19:32-36, “ Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.”
The giant Goliath made the children of Israel hide in the ditches for forty days. He made a whole bunch of noise in challenging them both evening and morning (I Sam. 17. 10,16). But when young David, who was unafraid when a roaring of a lion came forth this uncircumcised Philistine also fell before the armies of the living God.
Sanballat and the others tried really hard to keep Nehemiah and the remnant from building the wall. “But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.” Nehemiah 4:1
“. .. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.” Nehemiah 6:19
But they continued in their work and the wall was built.
If we don’t live like we are going to get the victory we may stop working. If we stop working, we may miss out on a lot of blessings.
“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” II Corinthains 9:6
We need to be steadfast and unmoveable and always abounding in the work of the Lord!
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” Psalm 46:1-7
“They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.
For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.
Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.
As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.” Psalm 125
When the children of Ammon, the children of Moab, and others came to fight against Israel, king Jehoshapaht and Israel were afraid. But, the Lord told them not to be afraid, for the battle was His. And the children of Israel went out as though God had already given them the victory.
“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.” II Chronicles 20:21-24
It is important to live like you are going to get the victory on this earth. Trouble comes from us not trusting in God’s promises. It can bring us addition trouble. It can also cause us to forfeit the victory.
When the children of Israel were ready to go into the Promised Land, instead of claiming God’s promise they became afraid, and wanted to turn around and go back into Egypt (Num. 13-14). This displeased the Lord, and they had to wander the desert for forty years.
“For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble. . . For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.” Psalm 78:32-33,37
Now the Devil is constantly trying to get us to stop working for the Lord, and to stop doing what God wants us to do. To be steadfast, and unmoveable in the work of the Lord, requires us to be steadfast in resisting the Devil.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” 1 Peter 5:8-9
The Scripture says whom the devil “may” devour. It does not say whom he “can” devour. The word “may” implies permission, while “can” implies ability. The Devil will roar, and try to get you to stop doing what you are doing for the Lord. But, he can’t touch us unless we move away from the Lord, and he can’t touch us unless without God saying so.
When we try to stand for the Lord, he is going to get loud and keep making a bunch of noise. He did this to king Hezekiah.
The men of the Assyrian army came to Hezekiah, and made a whole bunch of noise. It appeared as though they would take Judah.
We read in II Kings 19:10, “ Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.”
But they weren’t able to do anything, against the Lord.
We read again in II Kings 19:32-36, “ Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.”
The giant Goliath made the children of Israel hide in the ditches for forty days. He made a whole bunch of noise in challenging them both evening and morning (I Sam. 17. 10,16). But when young David, who was unafraid when a roaring of a lion came forth this uncircumcised Philistine also fell before the armies of the living God.
Sanballat and the others tried really hard to keep Nehemiah and the remnant from building the wall. “But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.” Nehemiah 4:1
“. .. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.” Nehemiah 6:19
But they continued in their work and the wall was built.
If we don’t live like we are going to get the victory we may stop working. If we stop working, we may miss out on a lot of blessings.
“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” II Corinthains 9:6
We need to be steadfast and unmoveable and always abounding in the work of the Lord!
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” Psalm 46:1-7
“Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:6-7
In tenth chapter of Matthew’s testimony of the Gospel, we read that two sparrows are sold for a farthing. We see that this message in Luke is slightly different. It is that five sparrows are sold for two farthings. “Buy two get one free”? One sparrow is thrown in extra, and is all but forgotten by man.
Men might not take much notice of sparrows, but God notices. Men might forget about a lot of things, but that doesn’t mean God does. And He notices us, and we are not forgotten.
“But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
When Ravens Cry 