Learn from Him

B. A. Manakala For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight. Ps 49:3 "Stay home! Be safe!" Wise slogan that helped many during the pandemic situation. What words of wisdom come out of your mouth? How does your wisdom help others to make right choices and decisions? Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise (Pro 17:28). God is the ultimate source of wisdom (Job 12:13). If you lack wisdom ask the Lord (Jam 1:5). Speak only when you have wisdom; silence is better than meaningless words. Prayer: Lord, fill me with your wisdom, that I may always speak wise words. Amen

B. A. Manakala High and low, rich and poor — listen! Ps 49:2 What is the meaning of the words 'rich' and 'poor' in your own understanding? Imagine what would   be the meaning of these words for God. In our understanding, the rich may have more money and the poor less or no money. But in times of trouble both have to turn to God, and understand that God made both rich and poor (Pro. 22:2). Ultimately, what is important is that both understand what it really means to be rich (Col. 1:27). The rich may not be really rich, the poor may not be really poor when they both realise what it means to be really rich! Prayer: Lord, teach me to be thankful for what I am and what I have now. Amen

B. A. Manakala For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and He will guide us until we die. Ps 48:14 I had a research supervisor until I completed my research programme. When I completed the research, his responsibility of guiding me is over. From a human point of view someone can guide us maximum until we die. In the verse here we see a God who guides us until we die; but He will be our God forever and ever (48:14). He guided our forefathers, he guides us, and he will be a guide to all future generations to come! God is my guide until I die; He is my God forever. Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to understand at least a little bit about Your eternal plan and care for me. Amen

B. A. Manakala O God, we meditate on Your unfailing love as we worship in Your Temple. Ps 48:9 How do you worship? Be silent? Sing? Shout? Thank and praise? Here we see, meditation on God's unfailing love is a great way to worship God (48:9). The scripture repeats the phrase 'his love endures forever' hundreds of times (e.g. Ps. 136). When we truly meditate on His 'unfailing love' we will be truly humbled. And that itself becomes an act of worship. Would you take a minute and think of the ways in which God expressed His unfailing love in your life? Failed experiences of love is possible only with man, never with God! Prayer: Lord, help me to meditate on Your love as often as possible. Amen

B. A. Manakala God Himself is in Jerusalem ’ s towers, revealing Himself as its defender. Ps 48:3 My six year old son often wants me to defend and protect him than his sister or his mother. You can imagine the reason. Who do you usually desire to defend you? When David was delivered from his enemies, "He sang: “ The Lord is my rock , my fortress , and my savior ; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection . He is my shield , the power that saves me, and my place of safety . He is my refuge , my savior, the one who saves me from violence." (2 Sam. 22:2) If God Himself is on our side who or what in the world can be against us? (Rom 8:31). We have the most powerful Defender! Prayer: Lord, help me to always have You on my defense . Amen

B. A. Manakala The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted. Ps 47:9 Kings of the earth belong to God (Ps 47:9). The authorities that exist have been established by God (Rom 13:1). He removes kings and establishes other kings (Dan 2:21). They are servants of God (Rom 13:6). We are to submit ourselves to every human institution and authority (1 Pet 2:13). We are to pray for them (1 Tim 2:2). But "... the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world. He gives them to anyone he chooses, even to the lowliest of people" (Dan 4:17). You, your authority and their authority are all under one authority. Prayer: Lord, thank you for the human authorities set by You; help me to be obedient as scriptures instruct. Amen

B. A. Manakala He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. Ps 47:3 Recently as we were having lunch as family, my daughter told me: "do you know why this vegetable fry is so tasty? It is because I chopped them!" Often I tend to think I can do things with my own abilities. Once king Nebuchadnezzar had a similar thought (Dan. 4:30). This is a very dangerous thought to cherish. I appreciate my daughter that she cut the vegetables; similarly God appreciates my efforts. One plants; another waters; God makes it grow (1 Cor. 3:7). God is behind everything.   God is the ultimate reason behind all your success! Prayer: Lord, help me understand better that it is You who work in me to will and to act. Amen (Phil. 2:13)

B. A. Manakala Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! Ps 47:1 When I was young, if I was overjoyed suddenly, I used to hit hard on someone sitting next to me! Often that person got very angry too. Does God like lots of clapping and shouting? In fact, it is more about how you express your joy to Him. Our God is awesome (Ps. 47:2)! Knowing this truth, how do you express yourself before God? Jump? Cry? Sing? Praise? Even if you want to beat Him up, when you are overjoyed, go ahead. He will be very happy about it. Your natural expressions of joy about the awesome God are part of worship. Prayer: Lord, help me to express myself naturally before You as I worship. Amen

B. A. Manakala Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. Ps 46:10 When do you be quiet, calm, still? Well, I have heard that I am quiet when I am asleep. And I know one day when I die I will definitely be quiet! But we may have to learn to quieten our body, soul and spirit to know who God is. Even if we only sit and watch all of our life we will know that God is always at work bringing glory to him through all that is happening around. Learn to be still for some time every day and listen to God. Be still, if you truly want to know who God is! Prayer: Lord, help me to set aside time to be still and just watch what you do. Amen

B. A. Manakala Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how He brings destruction upon the world. Ps 46:8 In the beginning, after each creation, God certified all He created as good. Even today, whatever God does is marvelous and glorious. But that includes destruction also! As God is just he cannot accept injustice. Pro 6:16-19 lists seven things that God hates. When man's wickedness increased, God once destroyed the whole world, including the people and all cattle by a flood (Gen 6). God wants to establish harmony on earth. We keep creating disharmony! God keeps creating harmony. Prayer: Lord, help us to join You in creating harmony in the world, and not create disharmony. Amen (1Jn 4:4)

B. A. Manakala The Lord of Heaven ’ s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Ps 46:7 If the question 'who is among us?' is asked in a large crowd where the prime minister is addressing the crowd the answer is very simple. But as we live in this world what would be our response to the question? But if the question is 'what is among us?' the whole world might answer today 'coronavirus'? The Lord of Heaven ’ s Armies is here among us (Ps. 46:7). This thought can make a big difference in how we look at everything else around us. Who is among us is more important than what is among us! Prayer: Lord, help me to continue to realize the fact that the One who lives in me is greater than the one who lives in the world. Amen (1Jn 4:4)

B. A. Manakala So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Ps 46:2 During this pandemic initially the fear was mostly about the virus itself. But now my concern is more about it's after effects and the future. Areas of life that it affected are amazing: where we go, what we touch, how we work, talk, what we buy, whom we meet and what not! Let's make God our refuge and fear nothing else (Ps. 46:1); let's make ourselves the sacred home of the Most High (v4); allow Him to live in our city and it cannot be destroyed, rather He protects it (v6). Growing in your fear for God is the best way to shrink in your fear for everything else Prayer: Lord, help me to see your protective hand upon me, and not fear anything in this world but you. Amen

B. A. Manakala God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Ps 46:1 We lock our eight months old daughter in a bedroom, along with one of her siblings and be attentive. If she cries we run and check what's the matter. In the verse above it sounds like God is ready to help only in trouble! The truth is, we see God only when we pray; and we tend to cry to Him only when we have trouble. Our baby gets special care when she cries; but as parents we are always attentive. God is with us wherever we go (Josh. 1:9). We see God better when we are on our knees Prayer: Lord, help me to see you that you are always with me, not just in trouble. Amen

B. A. Manakala I will bring honor to Your name in every generation. Therefore, the nations will praise You forever and ever. Ps 45:17 Here the sons of Korah are talking about praise of king David for generations and forever! This is just the way of praising a king. But there is only One whom we can praise forever. “ With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever ” (Ps. 86:12). More importantly, we should pass on the habit of praising God to our children and many generations to come. Our King deserves praises from us and our children and their children and... Prayer: Lord, help me to praise You sincerely all the days of my life, and train my children to do the same. Amen

B. A. Manakala God himself has blessed you forever. Ps 45:2c (NLT) These are words by sons of Korah about the king. Verses 3-5 describes how the king is because of God's blessings. It is important whose blessings are on us. Often we are excited about earthly blessings which are temporary and perishable. But what about the heavenly blessings which are eternal? When his brother Jacob once deceptively took away his blessing Esau pleaded to his father: "do you have only one blessing? Bless me too". Do not worry about the lost privileges on earth. Always run to God for blessings that last forever. Earthly blessings are temporary; Heavenly blessings are eternal! Prayer: Lord, help me to be focused on heavenly blessing. Amen

B. A. Manakala Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet. Ps 45:1 No one can live without words! You have the power to decide what you must or must not speak. You can decide to make your words beautiful. Gentle words bring life (Pro. 15:4). When you feel like speaking motivating words never keep silent; because that can bless others. A Malayalam saying goes like: ‘ silence is an adornment to the wise, extreme silence is a symptom of madness! ’ . Tongue is the pen of a skillful poet, at the same time a flame of fire! (Ps. 45:1; Jam. 3:6) Prayer: Lord, teach me to speak beautiful words whenever it is necessary. Amen

B. A. Manakala Wake up, O Lord! Why do You sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever. Why do You look the other way? Why do You ignore our suffering and oppression? Ps 44:23-24  During tough times in life we may ask God: "why do you ignore my suffering?" Even in the midst of COVID19 pandemic many may ask God similar questions. Psalm 44:9-22 describes many ways in which God is ignoring them though they follow God and his instructions. God, in fact, neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps 121:4). Each day he carries us and our burden (68:19). He is always active. Yet, it is good to express yourself before God. Even Jesus did (Mtt 27:46) God is active even when you are not! Prayer: Lord, help me to learn about the depth of Your love and care for me. Amen

B. A. Manakala. O God, we give glory to You all day long and constantly praise Your name. Ps 44:8 What do we do constantly! Breathing? But this happens automatically whether we are asleep or awake! The Bible tells of a few things that we should do constantly: 1) pray (1 Thes. 5:17); 2) meditate on his word Ps. 1:2); 3) praise/ worship God (today's verse); 4) fellowship with other believers (Act. 2:42); 5) rejoice in the Lord (Phil. 4:4). Constant communion with God doesn't happen automatically. Stop breathing, your body will gradually die. Stop communion with God, your inner being will gradually die! Prayer: Lord, teach me to be in constant communion with You. Amen

B. A. Manakala I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. Ps 44:6 My sword ! I have power, authority, capacity, strength, money, and much more! Often I think they are enough to save me, sustain me, protect me and so on. But none of these were often able to do what I thought they would do. In fact, some of these even do the opposite of what I expect them to do. Each of us would know what is our sword that we trust in? Often we trust in them unintentionally. Learn to trust God always; you will never fail! Prayer: Lord, teach me to trust You only even when I have a sword. Amen

B. A. Manakala They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was Your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from Your face that helped them, for You loved them. Ps. 44:3 My father is left-handed. He does almost everything with his left hand. In the Indian context it is considered sacred or auspicious to do many things with the right hand: giving money, food etc. Ps. 44:3 talks about God's right hand that is strong. It is the right hand of God that delivers us even when we have our own strong right hand. God is powerful, so we are; His right hand is powerful, so ours too. Prayer: Lord, I thank you because Your right hand is always with me. Amen

B. A. Manakala O God, we have heard it with our own ears — our ancestors have told us of all You did in their day, in days long ago: Ps. 44:1 Firsthand information is always better than secondhand information. Something that your friend tells you is more trustworthy than the same information you hear from another source. 1Jn 1:1 reads, "We proclaim to you the One who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him with our own hands. He is the Word of life." What is your direct experience about God? What authentic information do you have about the Lord that you are confident to share with others? Share only information that's authentic. Prayer: Lord, help us to experience You more and more daily. Amen

B. A. Manakala Send out Your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You live. Ps. 43:3 Many people have influenced me a lot. I will not be the person that I am today, if I missed any of them! But none of them can be compared with the true guide who is Light and Truth as found in Ps 43:3! In the New Testament Jesus is the light (Jn.8:12); Jesus is the truth; no one comes to the Father except through him (14:6). He was the Truth and the Light. And he wants you and me to reflect the Truth and the Light to the rest of the world. You come across many people in life; but there's only One who will always be with you and guide! Prayer: Lord, help me to reflect the Truth and the Light through the rest of my life.. Amen

B. A. Manakala Declare me innocent, O God! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars. Ps. 43:1 I find fault with my children and tell them you are forgiven. But the next moment I find another fault with them! Though I am saved I still commit many sins, in word and deed. Isn't that the case for all of us? But we have a great hope: our God is capable to declare us innocent forever! And only He can do that despite our sinful nature. Isa 50:8 says, "He who gives me justice is near. Who will dare to bring charges against me now? Where are my accusers? Let them appear!" Satan will always try to keep you guilty. But the Lord has forgiven you forever. I still do not know how to forgive seven seventy times though God has forgiven me a million times! Prayer: Lord, I thank you for declaring me innocent. Help me to understand the depth of Your forgiveness. Amen

B. A. Manakala My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “ Where is your God?" Ps. 42:3 Recently, I heard a good believer sincerely asking God, 'what are you doing there, God?', while watching a funeral service online where the family lost the young husband due to COVID19. Have you ever faced the question 'where is your God?' At some point in our lives we may have thought, where is God? Use such times to remember the good times in life (Ps. 42:4), to praise God, hope in Him and remember Him (verse 5-6 NLT). Even when Jesus cried on the cross: my God, my God, 'why have You forsaken me' the people there thought God truly forsook Him. Is that possible? Broken hearts get along with God very easily. Prayer: Lord, help me to see You well even when things go wrong in life. Amen