BYM ONLINE DESK Blessing Feb 2020 English E-magazine | Page 5

cannot see. We may not be able to understand. We
may not comprehend. It will be entirely different. It
will be a NEW WAY. God will be glorified through
that.
This is the promise for you - “Behold, I am
doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not
perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and
rivers in the desert” (Isa 43:19).
Yes my beloved, God is going to do a new thing.
Let us hope in God like Jeremiah and Habakkuk.
They lived in the worst times and witnessed defeats
and failures all around. But they looked beyond the
situation. They looked to the promises God had
given them. They trusted in the goodness of God.
Look what Habakkuk says during the times of
distress - “Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from
the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will
rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my
salvation” (Hab 3:17,18).
Notice the hope that Jeremiah had: “For the
Lord will not cast off forever,but, though he cause
grief, he will have compassion according to the
abundance of his steadfast love” (Lam 3:31,32).
Let us join with Habakkuk and Jeremiah and
trust in the Lord's goodness.
2. The Remnant were Few
and Insignificant
The remnants were not only in great distress
but also were few and insignificant. Their numbers
had been reduced to a large extent. They were once
numerous as the stars in the sky but now they were
only few in number.
Isa 1:9 - “If the Lord of hosts had not left us a
few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and
become like Gomorrah.”
The people left behind were few in number.
This was the situation the remnant were in and it is
true even today. We find only a handful of faithful
people left in all the institutions. The Bible does not
believe in majority. We should never be swayed by
the crowds. God works miracles only through a
small group of people.
In the days to come, there will be large scale
apostasy and even “good” Christians and leaders
may fall away. Let us not be disheartened, rather let
us hold on to God. Sometimes, God might bypass a
generation just as He bypassed the unbelieving
generation of Israel during the time of Moses and
raised up a new generation who would be faithful to
Him.
It has been so through the ages. When God
chooses a person or a people group or a nation, they
would be small and insignificant in the beginning.
Then God blesses them with wisdom, prosperity
and honour. And when this blessed generation
becomes proud and forget the Lord, God moves
away to a new people group or a generation who are
suffering, poor, small and insignificant.
Andrew Walls, a noted historian of world
Christianity comments that Christianity's center is
always moving, always on the pilgrimage. The
original center was Jerusalem, then it moved to
Alexandria, North Africa and Rome and stayed
there for centuries. And when the church became
complacent, it moved to Europe, notably England
and Germany. From there it moved to North
America. Presently Christians make up nearly half
of African population. In the coming years, it may
well move to Asia.
Why is it so? God always works through
broken people and broken nations. When we are
broken, God's compassion reaches out. When we
humbly look to God, He graciously blesses us. What
a compassionate God we have! The Bible records its
wonderful promises for small and insignificant
people. I encourage you to memorize the following
passages:
Lev 26:8 - “Five of you shall chase a hundred,
and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and
your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.”
Isa 41:14 - “Fear not, you worm Jacob, you
men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares
the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.”
Isa 60:22 - “The least one shall become a clan,
and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the Lord ;
in its time I will hasten it.”
Lk 12:32 - “Fear not, little flock, for it is your
February 2020 | www.bymonline.org | Page 05