(Note: An unusual history on this post.
The main body of this post was written a good number of weeks ago. I'd totally forgotten the Lord had given it me, came on with idea after quiet time for post.
Lo! clicked on this post, to find it already done! "Coincidences are God's way of remaining anonymous", is a saying of a dear sister. So here it is, warts and all, the post God gave me twice. I did edit it then and after publishing if received emsils. This I frequently do.)
God sees what we cannot.
We are temporal beings, living in the here and now.
God is eternal, He is not limited by time or space as we are.
He sees workings, happenings, occcurences about which we have no idea.
"The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." Prov 15:3
God alone knows what today will bring.
Others before us - Abraham, Moses, Daniel, so VERY many have interceded, wrestled in prayer by faith to the Living God.
They wrought by their prayers great mercy of God's blessings upon those requests. God, our Heavenly Father loves us deeply and delights in our prayers.
Many times Abraham, Elijah, Moses stood in the eye of the storm with the Eternal God his Refuge… as perhaps we may today, or believers in times past, Daniel before a lion’s den, or John on the Isle of Patmos.
Think of how many times the LORD punished the children of Israel in the wilderness, even to the point of threatening to wipe them off the earth and make a new nation of Moses descendants??
Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
(Vs 10, 12, 13. See all in Ex 32:9-14)
Yet dear faithful Moses, the meekest, most humble man who ever lived (Numb. 12:3), trusted in God's mercy and pleaded yet the more for God to bless and keep Israel from destruction!
And God repented of the evil He thought to bring upon His beloved people.
Can’t we see the similarities to today? How we likewise need to intercede for our nations?
Yes, OUR nations are in the very throes of judgement by our God. He has allowed Satan a stranglehold of confusion - see Job chp 1. Job suffered from Satan’s overreach into his life, his family through God’s permissive will, and so do we.
Overreaching controls upon every area of our life, a Gov decree deciding if we may keep our job, feed our families or attend God’s house! When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them (and us) a free will. At certain times in history the free will is undermined, restrained, seemingly common sense is not as common as it was once.
Then it is very, very good to remember that Satan’s power is limited, and His power is the more limited especially as we pray.
How much more do we need to follow Moses’ example, especially today, pleading for our nations, for our beloved towns and cities, for our dear workers who'll lose their jobs over current Covid mandates. Some fellow believers have said to let this prayer burden alone. This is God’s battle, not yours.
Let God have His way.
However, I see a different path, as illustrated so often in scripture. Not taking this battle out of God’s hands, but to faithfully lift it before Him in prayer, pleading for mercy, “against hope believing in hope” as Abraham, et al before me .
This life we live as believers IS a battle, that is the point. I wonder if they said the same to Moses? For “HE BESOUGHT the LORD” his God!
Or of Daniel, David, or Esther, the Queen who interceded for her people that that they might not be slain.
Esther the Queen went against the express command of the King Ahasuerus’, entered into his presence without his royal decree or permission, and faced certain or possible death.
Yet said her uncle Mordecai, perhaps you’ve come for such a time as this?
For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:14
This life we live, dear brethren, IS a battle - we must never, ever forget that!
It is no accident or coincidence that WE are alive here, where we are, in 2021!
It’s not a walk in the park, we WILL suffer persecution, “for servant is not greater than his master”, as Jesus Himself said. (See Here John 15:20)
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:12, 13
Our Saviour, our Ensample, was the greatest of prayer warriors, He spent nights in lonely vigil with His Heavenly Father. If the perfect Son of God needed it, how much more do we?
I am compelled by God’s Holy Spirit to pray, constrained to be informed of folks needing prayer, of current events, and so intercede more wisely… “the love of Christ constraineth us” 2 Cor 5:14a
It looks grim, dark, foreboding WITHOUT the eye of faith.
But FAITH does NOT need to see.
"Now faith is the substance of things HOPED for,
the evidence of THINGS NOT SEEN." Heb 11:1
FAITH BELIEVES, even though it sees not.
Jesus said to his frightened disciples, who did not see with that eye of faith:
"Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid!" Matt 14:27
PRAY pleading earnestly yet again for God's great mercy, not because it’s deserved because it’s its never deserved ...
.. but because of His great grace.
Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?
He retaineth not his anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. Micah 7:18.
(Micah 7 is a beautiful chapter, that would be lovely to do a study on that, too)
The fight is on,
the trumpet sound is ringing out,
The cry “To arms!”
is heard afar and near;
The Lord of hosts
is marching on to victory,
The triumph of the Christ will soon appear.
CHORUS:
The fight is on, O Christian soldier,
And face to face in stern array,
With armor gleaming,
and colors streaming,
The RIGHT and WRONG ENGAGE today!
The fight is on, but be NOT weary;
Be strong, and in His might hold fast;
If God be for us, His banner o’er us,
We’ll sing the victor’s song at last!
The fight is on, arouse,
ye soldiers brave and true!
Jehovah leads,
and victory will assure;
Go buckle on the armor
God has given you,
And in His strength
unto the end endure.
The Lord is leading
on to certain victory;
The bow of promise
spans the eastern sky;
His glorious Name
in every land shall honored be;
The morn will break,
the dawn of peace is nigh.
I'm praying and trusting in the God of miracles, as so many have before.
Bless, LORD God of glory, bless ALL our sinful, idolatrous nations, save souls today, now, for ETERNITY’s sake, please, with Thy holy mercy abounding, for Thy Eternal glory. In Jesus name, Amen.
Things today can look so hopeless and overwhelming, Shaz, but you've reminded us to pray without ceasing that God will intervene and turn hearts and heads around to see Him and His power, not the "power" of nations. Simple common sense is so needed right now in this crazy nations gone mad with their lust for power. Only God holds the power and the glory.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Everything is possible with prayer, no matter how grim it looks. I will keeping prayering on! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 Hugs, Brenda
ReplyDeletePrayer is key and our focus should always be on Him, not the storm. Let us throw ourselves at the Throne of all Grace and believe on Him, not the waves and the wind. xx
ReplyDeleteLife through years past til now have been full of hard times in various ways. Prayer does help as it keeps us in connection with God. Sometimes we don't get what we prayed for but there is a reason for it. He is our father who cares for His sons and daughters and walks among us. 2 Samuel 7:14, 2 Corinthians 6:18. Thanks for sharing the scriptures. Have a blessed day!! X.....X
ReplyDelete