Preserved!

Preserved!

Nahum 1:7 AMP

[7] The Lord is good, A strength and stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows [He recognizes, cares for, and understands fully] those who take refuge and trust in Him.

Not much is known of Nahum of Elkosh, who received this message about Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria. It is interesting to note that this same city was the one that Jonah the prophet was sent to warn about God's impending judgement. It is even more poignant to note that this was a nation that had oppressed God's chosen people for some time, and you might wonder why God would be interested in their repentance. That is a side to God that we will do well to note: His love is not race or gender-based; His love is available to any and all who will come to Him. If a nation that had rebelled against Him was spared judgement because it repented, then  imagine the blessings that would accrue to a nation that stays faithful to God. If after all the warnings, anyone chooses not to return, then you cannot complain about the severity of the punishment meted out by God. 

Unfortunately for Nineveh, even though it was warned by Jonah, and it repented and was spared destruction, it later went back into sin and the vision of the prophet Nahum was about the coming destruction of the land of Nineveh, which happened not long after. With God, there is an air of predictability about His hatred of sin. He hates sin, and will punish it, no matter in whom it is found. If the people of Israel, chosen by God and set apart for His glory, could be punished for their rebellion and rejection of God, then let nobody ever think that s/he is immune from punishment due to a special status with God. In fact, the closer you are to God, the more careful and deliberate you have to be about your daily choices and habits. Sometimes, a man can become careless because the punishment for sin is delayed, as it was in the case of the land of Nineveh, but let there be no doubt that sin leads to punishment. 

His 'delay' is always about love. He does not delight in the death of a sinner. That is the message of the verse above. The Lord is good and there is no doubt about that. For all who have come to place their trust in Him, they will not be disappointed. That is the condition for access into the resources that God makes available. How can I lay claim to resources that do not belong to me? How can I pay allegiance to one master and then seek the benefits of yet a different master? God does not force Himself on anyone, and He will not go against the exercise of my freewill, but if I can take refuge and trust in Him, there is no end or limits to what I can achieve in and through Him. If you have tried other options and have found them to be disappointing, why not try this God? He is a refuge and trust for all who come to Him. He waits for us all. God's time of favour is here.