“The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you(Deut. 28:9-10).”
Following the solemn curses of chapter 27, the abundant blessings of chapter 28 unfold. The common thread between judgment and blessing is “obedience to God’s Word.” As I meditated on the numerous blessings listed, I asked myself, “What is the blessing I truly desire?” Wealth, health, and honor are all there, but they felt secondary—they were not the essence of my longing.
While reading repeatedly, verses 9 and 10 captured my heart. This is it. The blessing I crave is to be established as God’s “holy people” and for the world to recognize me as one “called by the name of the Lord.”
In an era where the church’s credibility has fallen and ministers are often mocked, we desperately need true shepherds and holy people who awaken the world by revealing God’s holiness through their lives. I pray that I may be one of them.
Today, I resolve once again to carry God’s Word within me. I pray that I will not turn to the left or the right, and that the place where I stand will always be where God’s heart, His will, and His Word reside.