Message from the Monthly Flyer September 2021

The Power of truth

Proverbs 23:23 -KJV- Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

John 1:17 -KJV- For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

God’s mercy is often misunderstood. We tend to think it means that we will walk through life without hardship or difficulty, and then, when those times come, we question God’s faithfulness. Or we tend to think, whether we admit it or not, that His mercy means we can go through life however we feel is best, and His mercy will overlook any discrepancy between His will and our own. But, recently, I was struck by two consecutive verses in Psalm 136:

Psalm 136:15-16 “But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea: for his mercy endureth forever. To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth forever.”

God does fight our battles if we turn to him, and because of His mercy we have victory over the enemy! But the very next verse says that He also led them through the wilderness because of that very same mercy. God’s mercy wants what is BEST for us, and sometimes that means we have to go through a wilderness. It is not always a land flowing with milk and honey. We have to trust His plan above our own. I doubt any of us would lead ourselves through a wilderness on purpose, but then we would miss all the lessons learned along the way.

The same principle can be taken further and related to truth. Often, without even thinking about it, we change our idea of truth based on a current situation. We compromise truth, and therefore, the power of truth, without even realizing what we have done. A desperate situation or a seemingly hopeless situation does not serve as an excuse to change what has always been true. The real power of truth is that it was established from the beginning of time, and it has never once wavered throughout history. No matter how culture has changed and tried to change the definition of truth along with it, the power of truth is that, if it is truth, it does not change with the opinion of others or with the difficulty of a situation.

The truth is, His mercy endureth forever. Maintaining truth is not always easy for the flesh, and believing in God’s mercy is not always easy while we are walking through a wilderness. But if we can stand tall for what has always been true and if we can see God’s mercy through the trial, we tap into the power of the one true, merciful God. Sister Lauren Matthews