Day 172
Micah 7:8
Rejoice not against me, 0 mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me."
The prophet, Micah, was called by God to prophesy against people who had gone astray from the will of God. He also had a message of hope for the oppressed. He is the one who told of the birthplace of the Messiah, who would bring peace to His people. In Micah 7:8, the prophet tells the enemy not to get thrilled over the downfall of the people of God, because God will never leave His own in that state.
The apostle Paul referred to God as the God of hope. One reason is because of His faithfulness. As long as we trust in Him, there is hope that no matter what has befallen us, we will rise again. Proverbs 24:16 tells us that a just man gets back up after falling seven times. Micah said, "When I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me." The context in which this verse is found indicates that even when the dilemma was the fault of the people of God, they still had hope. Hope remains alive for us, even when we fail because of our sin, because God has made a way for us to be cleansed. Once we repent, we are placed in right standing with God again, and He would not appreciate our enemies mocking us.
Sometimes, unbelievers make mockery of the church, pointing to Christians who are weak and seem to be less "righteous" than some "good" sinners. However, an imperfect Christian is in better shape than a good person who has no relationship with God. It is not our good works that make the difference. It is the faithfulness of God to care for His own. When we stand before God, the question is not, "How good have you been?" The question is, "What have you done with Jesus?" God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
Let us never be dismayed when the world laughs over the state of the church. We will arise. Even when it seems dark because we have gone astray, God will shine the light of His Word upon us and guide us back to the right place. We must never give up.
I will look to God for encouragement if I stumble or fall, because He loves me and His mercy endures forever. I will be encouraged when I see failure in the church, remembering that God will never leave us. We are His people, and He will rebuke, chasten and restore.