The Power of the Righteous
13 Feb 2021, Day 2 of the Lunar New Year
Reading a few chapters of Psalms and Proverbs rekindled an old memory:
“The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon.
Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green, to declare,
“The Lord is just; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.””
Psalms 92:12-15 CSB
The Lord gave this verse to me in 1987, 34 years ago, when I asked for His approval to join The Pinetree Club, a recreational town and country club in an upper class neighbourhood, as their Finance and Administration Director.
It was in grave financial difficulties then.
On my first day of work, all I received from the Accountant, who had quit immediately when he heard I was hired, was a set of keys on my desk. The room had piles of papers on the floor and everywhere, taxes not filed for years and accounts and ledgers in a total mess.
No Bad Luck Can Touch the Righteous
NO BAD LUCK CAN TOUCH THE RIGHTEOUS
Then Fat Elsie, the receptionist customer office gossip, trotted into my office and happily announced that my room is filled with bad luck, adding that a previous F&B Director had died in that very chair I was sitting on.
Hahaha, I remember the eye-rolling disdainful look she gave me when I showed her the verses above pasted on my notice board, the first thing I did when I settled in, while declaring that my God has spoken – that this place will flourish and thank you very much, I will live to a ripe old age.
The Righteous Shall Thrive
I spent the first week answering calls, negotiating with angry suppliers who demanded cash payment for accounts long overdue and staving off threats of supplies, water and electricity being cut, as the bank chased for repayments daily, imposing penalty after penalty for late payment.
The ship was sinking but I knew the Lord had spoken and this is where I am to be.
Barely a week later, the green Japanese bamboo plant in my office, which was in the basement without windows and natural light, suddenly sprouted beautiful white flowers. It has never happened before and it was the only time it had bloomed during my entire five years there. Elsie’s jaw dropped a few feet that day when she saw the miraculous blooms :)
ELSIE'S JAW DROPPED A FEW FEET THAT DAY WHEN SHE SAW THE MIRACULOUS BLOOMS
True enough, this place did flourish. After presenting the owner with the dire cashflow situation and projecting the amount of working capital we need for the next 18 months to stay afloat, he went to secure a syndicated loan for the business.
The rest of the management team did exceedingly well with the extra time bought, while I fixed all of the accounting, back-office and compliance issues. We turned the business around in about a year, making millions of dollars for the owner in the years that followed.
We had such a great working environment, forging wonderful relationships for life. Sadly, not long after I left the Club for a regional position, it fell into evil hands and things soon went downhill. But my career and finances continued to thrive.
A Prayer for Elsie
As for Elsie, who had since then treated me with respect, took my advice to put her talents to better use and switched to a very successful career in life insurance.
Today, I whispered a little prayer for her. May this little seed of your Omnipresence be rekindled in her and lead her to a personal relationship with you, wherever she may be now.
Simply Believe
Thank you, Holy Spirit, for calling to mind this incident to remind me of the power of our righteousness in Christ – which is simply to believe in God’s rhema word.
THE POWER OF OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IN CHRIST - WHICH IS SIMPLY TO BELIEVE IN GOD'S RHEMA WORD
Even now, when this old soul is starting to feel its age, may I continue to grow in faith in you Lord because your anointing is fresh and new and is as powerful yesterday, today and forever.
Amen.
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