At that time, Israel was a country where faith in God had become cor…

At that time, Israel was...
Faith in God had fallen...
...and was morally corrupt. This passage is where the prophet Micah prophesied that by rebuilding the foundation of faith, they would receive God's blessing.
...A similar passage exists...
The famous "Prayer of Jabez"...🤔
...Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Bless me greatly and enlarge my territory.

Your hand must be with me, and keep me from disaster so that I will not suffer.'
...And God did what he asked.
...The name "Jabez" means "sorrow."
...It is said that "the name reflects the person," meaning "the true nature is revealed in the name."
..."Personality" is read as "tai" and means "the true form."

When we name someone, we often include wishes such as, "I want them to be seen in this way," or "I want them to become this kind of person."

...Jabez's name meant "sorrow," but...
He boldly prayed for a blessing to change the current situation!

...God blessed Jabez just as he had wished and prayed.

This is because he rebuilt the crumbling stone wall that forms the foundation of his faith!

✳️The stone wall...represents the purification of faith, prayer, and the thoughts of one's heart.

...Instead of simply asking for God's blessing,
God will answer your prayer when you are properly prepared to receive God's blessing yourself.

...I pray that you will receive Jabez's blessing this morning. 🙏

Shalom 😃

This page archives a Morning Word message shared by Pastor Peter Sunagawa on LINE. The English prose is a translation of the Japanese source message. For Scripture wording, use the BSB link above.