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Redeemer and Restorer (Olurapada) - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) March 7, 2025

P L U N D E R E R
Mar 7
2 min read

The other night I settled down to spend time with the Lord and began to give thanks. I have a list of Names of Veneration that I sometimes use when I want to get serious about regaling the Lord, so I pulled it out.

A word jumped out at me and lingered on my tongue. The word was 'Olurapada.' From the Yoruba language, it is spoken in Western Nigeria, Togo, and parts of Brazil where many Yoruba descendants still speak it.

'Olurapada' translates to Redeemer and/or Restorer. However, this does not convey the true depth of the term. 'Olu' is a Yoruba word for King and is also used for the titles 'Lord' and 'God'. The rest of the word, 'ra pada,' requires a little explanation. It essentially means the one who buys back. So, technically speaking, 'Olurapada' means the King who buys back.

This was the understanding of the word that I focused on. As I meditated on it, I bowed in worship. I was amazed that the God of the universe considered me worthy to be restored to Him. And not only that, but He deemed me of so much value that He paid for me with the blood of His Son.

The more I thought about this, the more I marveled. I confess, I cried. (This happens more as I get older and I've leaned into this softer version of who I'm becoming.) The tears flowed as I considered who I was before God grabbed me out of a dangerous situation. I had a lot going on and desperately needed a savior. Somehow, He agreed to be that and much more.

God is my Olurapada, the One who bought me with a blood price. The One who restored me to Himself as a child redeemed (Psalm 107:2). He cleansed me and placed me in royal garments that reveal my heritage as a member of His Kingdom. The One who saves saved me and continues to save me. What a blessing!

My prayer is that you have experienced God the Redeemer, Rescuer, and Restorer. I hope you can attest to His stepping up to surround you with His wings (Psalm 91:4). If that is not the case, I pray you will come to know God in this way. I pray you will patiently wait for Him to reveal Himself to you and allow Him to be your Olurapada, no matter the circumstances, IJN, Amen.

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On Godly Friends: Job & Friends - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others), March 4, 2025

P L U N D E R E R
Mar 4
3 min read

The Bible highlights why friends are significant and the need for godly friends. We previously considered the friendship of David and Jonathan, which spurred a covenant that even death couldn't destroy. We looked at the relationship between Jesus and His disciples and learned that godly friendships mean sharing wisdom and genuinely caring for a companion's interests.

Then, we also examined ungodly friendships and learned that such relationships result in failure and great loss. Examining these relationships taught us that we should pray for godly friends and be godly friends to those the Lord places in our lives.

Nowhere are these lessons more glaring than in the story of Job and his friends. The Bible recounts Job as God's servant more than once. He was described as blameless, upstanding, God-fearing, and a man who shunned evil (Job 1:8). When his friends heard he'd lost all his children and possessions, three of them visited him. Like Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar also believed in God. However, an act intended to comfort Job ended up being a series of condemnations.

This happened because they could not understand why Job would claim to be sinless in light of his situation. The more he insisted he was blameless, the more they maintained he must have been the most sinful. Their failure to understand that God could indeed allow His servant to suffer and a desire to counter Job's narrative caused them to speak untruthfully about Him. God later told Eliphaz that this made Him angry. He nevertheless instructed him and his friends to let Job pray for them so they would receive His mercy.

And therein lies a lesson about godly friendships. Yes, godly friends are to comfort one another. They should also be careful not to condemn. The word teaches us in Matthew 7:1 - Do not judge, or you too will be judged. It is easy to forget this in the face of people displaying pride, especially nowadays when hubris is the order of the day. However, the role of godly friends is to pour out God's love and not pour out their pettiness.

And if a godly friend receives guidance from the Holy Spirit that indeed their companion and fellow believer has sinned against God, or they have clear evidence of this based on God's word, then how they express that wisdom is important. A God-fearing person must remember 2 Timothy 2:24 - And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. If, after taking this approach, the friend remains stiff-necked, then the godly friend has every right to walk away (1 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:14; Romans 16:17). Arguing back and forth is not the godly solution. Proverbs 20:3 - Any fool can start arguments; the honorable thing is to stay out of them.

Job's story also reveals that godly friends can and should play a role in the deliverance of their companions. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar forgot the reason they came to see Job. It seems they equally forgot that they'd been so horrified when they initially saw the state he was in that they'd sat in silence for seven whole days.

Once they realized Job was convinced of his innocence, they should have allowed God to be the judge instead of trying to humble him. It would have been better to pray with and for him to be delivered from his affliction. Notice God used Job to pray for them so that they would receive His mercy. That is because godly friends are to be a person's prayer support team and intercede on their behalf, not sit in judgment. Indeed, believers are not to war alone.

In our relationships, we must remember what Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). This commandment applies to our friends. As those who profess our belief in the Lord and His Son, Jesus, we should be led by His word in how we interact with our friends. May the Lord help us all to be godly friends and to be surrounded by godly friends, IJMN. Amen. See you at Noon EST for fellowship when we will worship God and be godly friends to those whom we will pray for.

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Speak Truthfully About God - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) February 28, 2025

P L U N D E R E R
Feb 28
3 min read

God is loving and kind yet He takes seriously how people speak about Him, especially those who claim to know and serve Him. He expects His people to speak accurately and truthfully about Him. This should be no surprise because He detests all lies and deception. We learn more about how He treasures His reputation through the story of Job and his friends.

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar came to commiserate with Job when they heard that he'd lost his family and riches. Upon seeing his condition, they tore their clothes, covered themselves in dust, and sat mute with him for seven days.

Their words eventually began to flow and they weren't always the most charitable to Job. Although he asserted that he had not sinned against God to deserve his hardship, they insisted he must have done something wrong. And from their perspective, he was being punished for it.

When Job's trial ended, God spoke to Eliphaz, saying, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has..." (Job 42:7). God was upset about how He'd been characterized. The Berean Standard Bible quotes God as saying, "you have not spoken about me accurately." That was what He took issue with.

One can say many things about what Eliphaz and his friends said during their conversations with Job. On its face, however, their comments about God don't seem rude. None of them insulted the Lord. Nevertheless, their statements revealed that they could not imagine that God could choose to do things outside of their understanding. They put God in a box and did not realize that He could allow His servant to suffer and it wouldn't be to punish the individual.

How many of us have done something similar? How often have we applied our limited human thinking to describe and assess God? Unlike Job's friends, we have 66 books of the Bible which show that God can do things beyond our expectations. Take the different approaches Jesus used to heal blindness. In one case, He created a paste from His saliva and mud and placed that on a man's eyes (John 9:6). For the beggar Bartimaeus, sight was restored with the words, "Go...your faith has healed you." (Mark 10:52).

The Pharisees and Sadducees couldn't come to terms with the fact Jesus did things outside of what they'd been taught. Job's friends were no different. They assumed they knew exactly how God could or would do things. That hubris led them to unintentionally speak wrongly about Him.

This is a mistake many of us can and do make regularly. We need wisdom from the Holy Spirit to reveal when God is doing something outside the scope of conventional wisdom. The Holy Spirit will also help us discern between spirits to know when the Lord is not involved in something at all. This requires the investment of time and obedience. When we relate with the Holy Spirit this way, we limit the chances of speaking untruthfully about our Heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit will break apart our preconceived notions and reveal the mysterious things.

Let us be grateful that although Job's friends stirred up God's anger, He showed them mercy. He instructed them to get animals for an offering and have Job pray for mercy for them. Neither Eliphaz, Bildad, nor Zophar were punished for their comments. Instead, they received God's grace and mercy, the same grace and mercy available to all who believe they have spoken untruthfully about the Lord. When we repent, receive mercy, and allow the Lord's Spirit to guide us going forward, we enjoy all the grace of our Lord Jesus and God, the Father. God bless you.

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