THE BLESSED OF THE LORD

Dearly Beloved, THE BLESSED OF THE LORD “Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways” (Psalm 128:1 NKJV). Once again, happy and prosperous New Year! As I used Psalm 128 to pray for you earlier this New Year, I say again that you will be blessed and sheltered by God’s favour; you will eat the fruit of the labour of your hands; it will be well with you; your family shall be like a fruitful vine within the innermost part of your house; you will see the prosperity of where you dwell this year and all the days of your life; and you will see the goodness of your generations in Jesus’ name. Amen. It is good to claim these prophecies. However, the prophecies are for particular set of people: those who fear God (see verses 1, 4) and those who walks in His ways (see verse 1). What does it mean to fear God, and how does one walk in God’s way? Both of them are similar if not interwoven. To fear God is to hold Him in reverence, to adore Him, to honour Him, to worship Him, to put one’s confidence in Him, to be thankful to Him, to love Him, and, of course, to fear Him for who He is and the fact He can kill the body and punish (and also reward) the soul (see Luke 12:5). The writer of Proverbs simply said: “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil...” (8:13). To walk in God’s ways is to live according to His words and will for our lives. Only those who fear God in revering Him, adoring Him, honouring Him, worshipping Him and loving Him can live according to His words. Enoch walked faithfully with God, he was given a special privilege by being taken from this life thereby not experiencing physical death (see Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5); Abraham feared God to the point of nearly sacrificing his son, Isaac, to God, and God blessed him and made all nations to be blessed by him (see Genezo 22:12-18); God gave the Hebrew midwives their own homes because they feared God (Eliro 1:21); David was a man after God’s own heart because he was ready to do everything that God wanted him to do (see Acts 13:22). The list of those who feared God and walked in His ways is inexhaustible. One thing is sure about each of them: they were blessed of the Lord. Do you also want to be blessed of the Lord this year? Fear Him and walk faithfully with Him! Only those who fear God and walk faithfully with Him will be really blessed by Him. These are the real blessed of the Lord! In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Give me the grace, O Lord, to fear you and walk faithfully with You so as to be blessed of You this year.