Date: 01/01/2024

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to Him be the Glory, Power, and Dominion forever and ever and to the Holy Ghost that is yet abiding in the body. The Proclamation “God is Taking Us Higher” for the year 2024. Psalm 61:2 says, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” 

Brothers and Sisters, God’s power and promise are a rock that is higher than we. The Psalmist  David implores God because he recognizes that he cannot trust in his own strength and pleads with  God to be his rock. The Psalmist is asking God to be his refuge. The cry of David’s heart can be a  guidepost for us in times of weariness and sadness. We may not know the specific event that  prompted this Psalm, but the appropriate response to heartbreak and emotional exhaustion is to turn  to God for help and restoration. We can come to Him with our brokenness and trust that He will  renew and restore us with strength and peace. 

David was the king of all Israel; unlike David we sometimes forget about God and consider  ourselves able to deal with any need that may arise. David never made this mistake. He never forgot  that God was infinitely above him and that it was always God he needed. The people of Israel  looked to David as their rock, but David looked to a rock that was higher than he. The elevated rock 

is a symbol of security, which cannot be obtained without the Divine help. The Divine rock is Jesus  Christ. A Saviour – a Redeemer on the same level with ourselves could not help us. We must have  one that is supreme over all things. Like King David, we cannot be fixed on the Rock of Salvation,  unless the Lord place us upon it.  

In closing, when God wants us to go higher, it usually requires a different level of faith. When God  is bringing you into a new season, you’re about to learn something new. It’s an exciting and  uncertain time. We Must Come Up Higher! Look for the signs God is taking you to the next level.  Something good feels like it’s ready to explode on the scene. He wants to prod us to seek Him so  He can take us to new levels. God always wants us to grow stronger, to go deeper, and to increase  in intimacy with Him. Most of the time, He brings us into that process of maturity by leading us  out of places where we’ve been comfortable in the past. Until next week, let us remember, “…with  God all things are possible” Matthew 19:26b. 

Happy New Year (2024) from the Worthem Family: General Chief Overseer Worthem, First  Lady Linda, Macedonia, and Kenny! 

In His Service, 

Bishop Dr. Calvin Worthem 

General Chief Overseer/Senior Bishop