Learn from Him

B. A. Manakala When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil, I am the one who keeps its foundations firm. Interlude (Ps 75:3 nlt) ‘Slurry Wall’ engineering technology was used as foundations for the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. They were founded in 1973 and attacked on 11th September 2001 using airplanes. Man finds it easier to build on rocks which is part of God’s creation. After all, we build only on what God has already created and using only what has already been made! So the foundations are his. “If God is the one who keeps earth’s foundations strong why does earthquakes happen?” might be a question that we may feel like asking.  Is there anything that you and I can do to stop the earthquakes or keep its foundation strong? God lays the strongest foundations possible which no powers can shake. And if they are shaken it is because He allows it. God may shake what we build; but we cannot shake what God builds. Prayer: Lord, help me to see and build on the strong fou

B. A. Manakala God says, "At the time I have planned, I will bring justice against the wicked." (Ps 75:2) I booked a train to go somewhere. The departure time was at 00:05 in the midnight. On the day of departure I went to the railway station and the train arrived on time. I got into the train and went to my seat and found that there was someone else on the seat! After some arguments between us he showed me on my ticket that the reservation was for the previous day! There is a time for everything (Ecc. 3:1-8). God has appointed (NIV) a time even to bring justice against the wicked (Ps 75:2). To me I was sure that I am on time at the railway station; but I was still wrong. God does things on a planned and appointed time. We may not always be very comfortable with God’s timing. But the best timing is His, not ours. Jesus said, to his mother, “my time has not yet come”; but he performed the miracle by turning the water into wine just ‘on time’ (John 2)! How would you reword your

B. A. Manakala We thank you, O God! We give thanks because you are near. People everywhere tell of your wonderful deeds. (Ps 75:1 nlt) Although it has been coming down gradually, people everywhere, across the globe, are talking about Covid-19, where it originated, how it spreads, how to be safe, how to cure etc. We need to be even more attentive when we hear God's people proclaim about His deeds. God and His deeds are always wonderful. And these are the only things you can always proclaim everyone everywhere boldly. After Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, she went back and proclaimed it to her villagers. The villagers came and listened to him and believed in him (Jn 4). Our life proclaims many things to people around us. Ask our friends to know what we are proclaiming to them through our lives. Am I proclaiming about the wonderful deeds of the Lord, so that everyone can hear it? Always listen to the wonderful deeds of God and keep proclaiming about them to others. Pra

B. A. Manakala Don’t let the downtrodden be humiliated again. Instead, let the poor and needy praise your name. (Ps 74:21 nlt) "1% richest Indians own 58.4% of the country’s wealth" according to Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report. According to the Oxfam report, "The net worth of India’s billionaires would be enough to eliminate absolute poverty in the country twice over." Some may think it is important to be rich if everything has to go well. But if we ask some rich people they would say whether everything is going well with them. Jesus said it is very hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God (Mk 10:24-25). It is also very hard for the rich to praise God and pray to Him. The good news is that it is the poor and needy that respond to the gospel better and praise God better (Ps 74:21). For the poor, prayer and praise may come so natural, while the rich may need intentional effort for the same. Do I remember God only when I am in need? Learn to praise God more eve

B. A. Manakala See how these enemies insult you, Lord. A foolish nation has dishonored your name. (Ps 74:18 nlt) Once a prophet named Balaam rode on a donkey despising the will of God. As an angel blocked their way the donkey misbehaved. The prophet asked the animal 'why did you insult me?' (Num 22) We may be often insulted by others at different occasions and we may quickly get hurt when we are insulted. Each one’s capacity to handle insults would be different. Leaders will generally face various kinds of insults; but most of them do not run away from their leadership role. Prophet Balaam was insulted even by his donkey. We may be insulting God in several ways. But I do not think God will be hurt by any of our insults. We are just His creation. He knows well how to handle our insults. Are we able to handle human insults without insulting God? If we insult God intentionally it would only hurt us, not God. Prayer: Lord, let me honour you always and not insult you in any manner.

B. A. Manakala You split the sea by your strength and smashed the heads of the sea monsters. (Ps 74:13 nlt) If we ask Titan watch-makers to make a watch that runs backward, it might only require them to make a minute mechanical change. For the Creator of the universe wouldn't it be rather easier to stop the sun at a point for 24 hours, make its shade move backwards, split the sea, walk on the water, give life to the dead and what not? If we go through verses 13 to 17 (Ps 74) they may give us some clues about God's power. All the great and wonderful miracles that God did and does are less than just a tiny bit of what He can actually do. I believe even such a comparison would only be good enough to humiliate God! No one other than God could ever split the sea! God did it through Moses, a man like us. Here is the wonderful part of the whole thing: He makes you and me do anything that He does or wish, if we believe and trust Him! Do I see God enabling me to 'split many seas'

B. A. Manakala You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth. (Ps 74:12 nlt) It was amazing to see Harold's stones at Trellech in Wales which date back 3,500 years to the bronze age, when we visited the country in 2018 as family! It was not easy to comprehend about something that existed for such a long time. Many were chosen as kings on earth. None of them came as kings; but were chosen and anointed  as kings. Here is One who has been the King ages past and ages to come. There is no one above Him who could ever anoint Him. He is the only One who is able to bring salvation to the earth (Ps. 74:12); the only One who reigns forever (146:10); the Only One who reigns over all the nations (47:8); the only One who is the King of kings (1 Tim. 6:15)! We may be fifty or hundred years old and have plenty of experiences  from our life on earth so far. But there is only One who can be ascribed to as ‘ages past’. The best part of it is that those of us who have become

B. A. Manakala Why do you hold back your strong right hand? Unleash your powerful fist and destroy them. (Ps 74:11 nlt) Camels are one of the animals with the most powerful kicks. They can kick with all four legs in four different directions almost simultaneously. This way sometimes they escape even from lions. I believe it would only be foolishness to compare God's powerful hand with anything that we can think of. The soldiers who nailed his hands to the cross did not know how powerful his hands were. When the Roman authorities sealed his tomb they never knew he would be powerful to come out of it. Do not forget the hands that created us with dust from the ground (Gen 2:7); the hands that blessed the five loaves and the two fish (Jn 6), the hands that touched Jacob's thigh (Gen 32), the hands that touched the blind (Matt 20), the hands that helped Peter from sinking (Matt 14:31), and the hands that flung stars into sky (Ps 8:3)! Do I truly know how powerful those hands are? Th

B. A. Manakala How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to insult you? Will you let them dishonor your name forever? (Ps 74:10 nlt) Think of a person who praises you a lot whenever he meets you face to face, but gossips about you whenever he gets an opportunity. Such praises do not have any value. We probably do not intentionally dishonour God. But when we look into the scripture we would know about different ways in which we dishonour Him. Two of them may be: 1) honour God with our lips alone, while our hearts are far away (Is 29:13); 2) dishonour Him by breaking the law (Rom 2:23). All of us have both secret and public life; it is important to honour God with both of them and not lead a double life. What corrective measures would I take so that I can truly honour God? It is easy to honour God with our lips; but God is bothered about our heart. Prayer: Lord, help to honour you with all areas of my life. Amen

B. A. Manakala We no longer see your miraculous signs. All the prophets are gone, and no one can tell us when it will end. (Ps 74:9 nlt) Many years ago I lived in a room near a railway track. For a few days whenever a train passed by during the night I woke up from my sleep. But gradually I got so used to the noise that I never noticed when trains passed by! The psalmist is complaining of seeing no miracles and even unavailability of prophets (Ps 74:9). For several reasons we may not understand how God is at work in certain situations. We may not hear his voice or experience His presence. Some of the reasons may be: 1) God's work is delayed for certain purposes (Jn 11:4); 2) it may be due to lack of our faith that He does not perform miracles (Mk 6:5); 3) or it may be that we do not see them (Mk 8:18). Whether we see it or not God is always at work. And His people are always around. Do I always see God's miracles around? Even when God seems silent find out how He is truly at wo

B. A. Manakala They burned your sanctuary to the ground. They defiled the place that bears your name. (Ps 74:7 nlt) Once when I accompanied a Hindu friend, at one point I noticed him taking his shoes off. Because of my respect for him I also took off my shoes. People passed through the area without sandals only, as the area was attached to a temple. I admired his piousness for his deity. Both destruction of church buildings and persecution of Christians may be considered as defiling God's sanctuary, as our bodies are also God’s temples (1 Cor. 6:19). But I would only want to pray and ask God to forgive them, like Jesus did, because they are ignorant about what they do (Lk. 23:34). After all, we are to have many trials and sorrows in this world (Jn. 16:33). But I do not have an answer to it when we ourselves, who are to take care of His temple, are defiling it. If I am not able to take care of the body of Christ, or keep my body fit as the temple of God, am I not defiling His sanctu

B. A. Manakala Walk through the awful ruins of the city; see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary. (Ps 74:3 nlt) I still remember afresh those school days with very noisy classrooms. Whenever the principal came in, the silence used to be such that I could hear even my friends breathe! God first walked in the garden of Eden when man sinned (Gen 3:8). Later God became man and made His home with us on earth (Jn 1:14). By letting God walk among us He becomes our God and we become His children (Lev 26:12). Once when his disciples were in a stormy sea, Jesus walked on the water and then into the boat; the wind stopped and everything became calm (Matt 14:32). Asking God to walk among us is the best way to find solutions to our problems. Do I let God walk on the problems in my life? The more we let God walk the less we need to walk ourselves. Prayer: Lord, please walk with me, my friends and every other human being you created. Amen

B. A. Manakala Remember that we are the people you chose long ago, the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession! And remember Jerusalem, your home here on earth. (Ps 74:2 nlt) I was very young when my great grandmother told me about her friend in school - how they went to school together and played together. She died at the age of 96 in the 1980s. As a young boy I could not understand how many years ago they were young girls and played together! Today I would imagine it was just about a 130 years old story! The psalmist is trying to remind God that his people were chosen by Him long ago (Ps. 74:2). Does God need such reminders? I think the truth is that we generally forget that we were chosen by God long ago, even before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). God has to remind us about it several times in life through various means. We remember to remind God only when God reminds us! Do I know how long ago God chose me? The period between ‘long ago’ and ‘now’ will never be th

B. A. Manakala O God, why have you rejected us so long? Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture? (Ps 74:1 nlt) When we ask our children to sit and study for an hour they would ask, 'why so long, can we sit for half an hour?' When we allowed them to watch TV for an hour the question was reversed, 'why so short, can we watch for an hour and a half! When God delayed the psalmist understood that He is angry and has rejected him and his people (Ps. 74:1). Joel Hemphill' lyrics is what comes to my mind now: He's still working on me To make me what I ought to be It took him just a week to make the moon and stars The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars How loving and patient He must be 'Cause He's still workin' on me So, I too think the delay is not from God, but from us. It is taking Him more time to make us what He wants us to be. It is certain that one day we will become perfect as He wants. It might be a lifetime before which Go

B. A. Manakala But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do. (Ps 73:28 nlt) At the end of a long week we went to a small park just to sit and relax forgetting work and other activities. As we were there just chatting, one of us said, 'how good it is to be here!' Only after being there for the first time we knew how good it is. What the Psalmist proclaims here is an ultimate truth: 'how good it is to be near God' (Ps 73:28). The best place we can ever be is nowhere else but near God! The nearer we get, the better our experience would be. Until and unless we are there we will not know how good it is to be near Him. The joy of His presence and the pleasures of being with Him are wonderful (Ps 16:11). Two ways to have more information about how good it is: 1) keep meditating on His word, 2) continue to have fellowship with others who have better experience of being with Hi

B. A. Manakala My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. (Ps 73:26 nlt) Possessive friendships are very common. Do you have someone you consider as your best friend? Are you jealous when that person makes friendship with other people? Then, it is a possessive friendship. I feel like asking Asaph, the psalmist, how dare you say, 'He is mine forever' (Ps 73:26). But this is just the expression of his intimate relationship with God. He wants to proclaim to everyone about this relationship. I am excited and proud of God’s possessive friendship with me, as God says, ‘you are mine’ (Is. 43:1). When God tells us, ‘you are mine’, He loves to hear us respond to Him in the same manner. How often do I hear God telling me ‘you are mine’? How often do I tell God ‘You are mine’? Be possessive about your friendship that lasts forever; and always help your friends to connect with the best Friend ever! Prayer: Lord, help me to

B. A. Manakala Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. (Ps 73:25 nlt) I was at the textiles desiring to buy a shirt. Initially the salesperson tried to observe the general pattern I am looking for and brought me such colours and patterns. When I began to look at one of them over and again he began to describe more about the good qualities of that shirt. Finally, I bought that one! We have likes and dislikes as we live on earth. People around us observe what we like and do not. The devil also observes us well, and keeps enticing us based on our expressed desires. But the good news is that God knows us inside out, and He leads us into the paths of righteousness (Ps.23:3). There are several things that we desire as we live on earth. But, like the psalmist, it pleases God the most when we desire for Him more than anything else on earth (Ps. 73:25). What or whom do I desire the most even when I live on earth? Desire more for the One that can truly satisfy yo

B. A. Manakala You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. (Ps 73:24 nlt) 'What is your dream?' I asked a young man. He said, 'I want to get a good job and earn well'. I asked him again, 'then what?' He said, 'I want to become a family and settle down'. 'Then?' I asked him further. 'Just take care of my family and live' was his response! From the verse above it is clear that God's counsel is required to have the right perspective about our destiny (Ps 73:24). Short term goals are important for us to make progress. But do not let them swallow the ultimate dream of our life. We need to learn to balance both our short term goals and our ultimate destiny with the right perspectives. Let us be focused on the glorious destiny God has set for us even as we live our life on earth for a short period. How much am I focused on the glorious eternal destiny? Have a good perspective on your glorious destiny and help others to

B. A. Manakala Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. (Ps 73:23 nlt) When my son was young we had been to a crowded market. As there were many things that attracted children he often wanted to run away from me to get them. So he told me 'Pappa, you don't hold my hand, but I will hold yours'. Asaph, the psalmist was sure of one thing that he belongs to God and that He holds his hand (Ps 73:23). We often adopt the strategy my son used. We think we are capable of holding on to Him strongly. But often our hands go weak and run away to the attractions we see in the world. He loves us and constantly holds us. Our love for God is still weak and we are only growing in it day by day. But God even carries us in His arms each day (Ps 68:19). Do I hold God's hand or allow Him to hold mine? The God who created and controls the universe is capable of holding our hands no matter what. Prayer: Lord, let me never choose to hold your hand, rather allow you to hold mine. Amen

B. A. Manakala I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. (Ps 73:22 nlt) "Man is a social animal; he who lives without society is either a beast or a god", the great Greek philosopher  Aristotle said. The psalmist spoke negatively about others for sometime and realised that he did it because he was senseless like an animal (Ps 73:22) God is the creator of both man and the animals. But He made them both very different. Human beings are the only ones who were made in the image of God. That image of God makes us very special. Animals follow their natural instinct and do all that they want (2 Pet 2:12). When we become senseless we become like animals (Eccl. 3:18-19). We will also die just like animals (Ps 49:20). Do I recognise how unique I am as God's creation? Animals can never become like humans; but humans can become like animals! Prayer: Lord, help me recognise the full potential in me as your creation. Amen

B. A. Manakala When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning. (Ps 73:20 nlt) Many human inventions like the wheel, telescope, satellite, airplane etc. would tell us that we humans have great and wonderful ideas. The stories of the Titanic ship, the Challenger space shuttle etc taught us we are still learning. Tsunamis, floods, terminal illnesses etc tell us that we still have several things that we do not have control over. The ultimate credits for all human creativity goes to our Creator alone. We have several great ideas; but we also have several silly ideas. Even our great ideas would be silly before God. Sometimes, we may even think that our ideas are the best, ignoring God’s ideas. God is the source of the knowledge, skills and abilities we have. We are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) which includes the free will, creativity and ability to innovate. How do I deliberately give God the due credit and tap on Him? God

B. A. Manakala Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. (Ps 73:18 nlt) I was walking down a snowy slippery mountain with a heavy backpack. Suddenly I slipped and began to slide down. It was a thrilling experience for me. Though I was quite anxious in between, finally I landed in snow safely. Some of our experiences on sliding cliffs on earth may be thrilling for the moment. But not all of them would end in a safe place. When we are on slippery grounds God is faithful to provide us with a way out (1 Cor 10:13); but if we deliberately choose to miss the way out and continue on, the end may be destruction (Ps 73:18)! God would provide a way out only to those who desire for it; for those who want to carry on in their way of wickedness God would only let them move on in their slippery path, and slide over the cliff (Ps 73:18)! How would I stand on the solid Rock and help those who are on the slippery ground? Only those who stand on a solid

B. A. Manakala So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! (Ps 73:16 nlt) Isn’t it difficult to understand why the pandemic has hit the world so badly? If we are going through a terminal illness, if we are at the end of the rope and have lost all hope in life, isn’t it difficult to understand why? The psalmist here says, what a difficult task it is to understand why the wicked prosper! (Ps. 73:16). It is quite natural that from a human point of view there are umteen number of things that we would find difficult to figure out. I do not think that God is going to let us figure out everything when we are on earth. Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete; when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless (1 Cor. 13:9-10). Setting our sights on the realities of heaven (Col 3:1-2) is the only way to help ourselves to continue on even in the midst of all the hopelessness we face in life. This would even help us understand why

B. A. Manakala Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? (Ps 73:13 nlt) About 25 years ago I planted a tree in the courtyard of the house we lived in then. Today the tree has grown very big. Whenever I go there I still think 'I planted this tree'. The psalmist is stressed out that keeping himself pure and innocent did not do any good to him. First of all, we cannot make our heart pure and keep ourselves innocent; only God can do that. And, because we are made righteous, it does not mean God would bless us with all the material blessings we want. It is improper for us to think like the psalmist and ask, "why are we not flourishing like the wicked around us?" Remember, God has blessed us with 'the greatest blessing' we can ever have! Our love for God would only let us desire that even the wicked around us get that blessing. Do I keep myself pure and innocent for all the temporary blessings on earth? No wicked man around us h

B. A. Manakala “What does God know?” they ask. “Does the Most High even know what’s happening? (Ps 73:11 nlt) Some time ago one of my friends asked me, ‘if God exists and He knows and sees all of that is happening on earth through this pandemic, how could He not do anything about it?’ I think from a human point of view I understand his good concern for the world. When we get into an aeroplane that we made we almost know that we will reach our destination. When we look at a clock and say ‘it’s 9 am’, we are almost sure that it is 9 am. For everything that man invented we can only be almost sure that it will work the way it is intended. Only God is hundred percent sure about whatever he created will function the way He intended. Human beings are the only ones from His creation that have the freedom to choose what they wish to do; therefore, we have chosen our own ways than what God intended. We have gone even to the extent of thinking, what does God know, what would He do, and how would