18/03/11

The Lord has turned against my flesh, skin and bones

Lamentaions 3:3,4 - Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day. My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.


The cry of Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations can be heard by many in these days of calamities. As written in the scripture the Lord works in people in areas which Jeremiah specifies as the Lord is working in him, and they are flesh, skin and bones.

People must have seen the way majestic structures created by man coming down at the rumble of the earth and by simple thing like water. Man has woken up to see the demonstration of power in Japan by a simple thing like a sea wave and that too only 3meter high. If one sees aerial views of the places it is shocking to see the devastation caused and whole towns been flattened by water. Houses and cars were taken by this water and were treated as toys, huge fishing ships 20meters longs 8 meters wide were also tossed from the sea onto the streets in middle of the town.

The desires of man to created monuments, grand structures, technology etc. to show the world his capabilities, has been crushed by the Lord. This is the flesh Jeremiah talks of which the Lord is against.

Man has many desires to prove how great he is and history is proof of it. We too even if simple beings also have desires to make it great in our career, in society, our relationships. We always want this 'I' and 'me' to be given importance. When Jesus broke bread, He gave it to us to eat and said 'eat it, it is my flesh'. The flesh or desires of Jesus are not His own by of the Father and when we eat or make Jesus’ desires as our own then only will be having part in His Body.

In this triple disaster that hit the people of Japan there was something that caught my attention. A BBC reporter standing in the docks was reporting about the packed food and drinks in bottles lying on the floor all over the place and although most of the people were without food or water they did not pick them up from the floor for they knew it was not theirs. There was no report of looting and one could see the people had left their houses unlocked and fled for safety did not bother to immediately come back after the earthquake or tsunami.

Though came to my mind, if these people are so good then why did God allow such a disaster to happen to them?

What God sees is not our worldly righteousness which is perishable like our body but our spiritual righteousness which lasts like our spirit. All our social goodness even if we give every drop of our blood does not hold value if it does not add to our spiritual righteousness.

Skin is symbolic to righteousness that covers us. Like God worked on the self-righteousness of Job, He is working on our worldly righteousness.

The other area the Lord is working is our bones, which represents our character. Like the bones give shape to our body so also our character gives shape to our inner man. The bones of Jesus were not allowed to be broken when He was crucified even though all his body was beaten terribly because His character was perfect. Adam lost his sonship because sin came into him, but Jesus Who as God the Son came as man remained without blemish, therefore is yet called Son of God.

We too are called to be sons of God. We too are called to overcome the nature of Adam, the nature to sin in us and be like Jesus. If we have bones like Jesus then they will not be broken.

To avoid the Lord taking such serious steps with us let us set things right in us and that all starts with eating the Flesh of Jesus. It is only when we make Jesus' desire ours then God takes care of all our desires.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You have great plans for us. The precious things of this world are like dust compared to the things of Heaven. You are working in us so that we are able to receive them in abundance. Lord, we ask You to work in us even if we do not like it. Like David surrendered into your hands when given a choice of punishment so also Lord we surrender ourselves and the people with us into your hands. We know that even though You chastise us, yet You will not allow us to perish...

We declare this in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scripture ]
John 6:51-58
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

Genesis 3:21
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Job 35:1-2
1 Elihu spake moreover, and said,
2 Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God's?

John 19:32-36
32 The soldiers therefore came, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him:
33 but when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:
34 howbeit one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and straightway there came out blood and water.
35 And he that hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye also may believe.
36 For these things came to pass, that the scripture might be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.

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