At Peace with God and Man

UV 1020-10,000 At Peace with God and Man When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16 v 7 When we have the favour of the Lord, He will not let our enemies triumph over us. We have the favour of the Lord when we believe in the one perfect sacrifice He provided for the salvation of mankind in His Son Jesus, the Prince of Peace and the fountainhead of blessing. We have the favour of the Lord when we consistently do His perfect or pleasing will. We have the favour of the Lord when we humble ourselves before Him. We have the favour of the Lord when we delight in His Word and in keeping it or storing it in one’s heart and mind as well as living in accordance with it. We have the favour of the Lord when we show compassion to our fellow beings, especially the poor and needy among His flock. We have the favour of the Lord when we worship Him in spirit and in truth and clothed in the beauty of the clothes of salvation He gives us. When we have the favour of the Lord, we are blessed. When we are blessed, we prevail with God by His grace and prevail with men again by the grace of God. Even when the countervailing forces are greater, we prevail. A person who prevails with God and man is a true prince –in contrast to the writings of Machiavelli that attribute duplicity as the art and craft of the prince. A prince maintains his integrity and the Lord enlarges his territory. This was the experience of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Abraham prevailed against enemies who were numerically stronger than him like the chieftain Abimelech. He was blessed by the King-Priest of Salem, Melchizedek- forerunner of Christ. Isaac prevailed against hostile neighbours and tribes. Jacob stole his brother Esau’s blessing and fled out of fear that Esau would kill him after the death of their father. That fear continued to haunt him in all the years he lived in the community of Laban, his father-in-law. After working for fourteen years with Laban and winning the hand in marriage of two of Laban’s daughters, Jacob decided to return to the land of his father. When Jacob heard that Esau was coming towards his location accompanied by four hundred men, he feared for his life and that of his family. But as scripture says, the Lord will cause our enemies to treat us well. Esau hugged and embraced his long lost brother Jacob. Jacob had struggled with the angel of the Lord and said he would not let go unless the latter blessed him. He was so zealous for blessings that the first time as a young man, he had won his earthly father’s blessing by deception. Later on during his sojourn he learnt that the blessing of the Lord is more permanent and is in fact eternal. No earthly or heavenly power can take it away or prevail against it. Eternity spans the past, present and future. It was Jacob’s zeal for the blessing of the Lord that pleased Him and turned away the bitterness and anger of Esau. Indeed, when we please the Lord, even our enemies will be at peace with us. Prateep V Philip