by lighthouse | May 31, 2019 | Fasting & Prayers, News & Announcements
An Imminent Change
Scriptures For Meditation — Is 66:7-8; Is 65:17-24
Yesterday in our scripture meditation, we read in Isaiah 26:17-18 about the discouragement of a people, lamenting about their frustrated expectations and the disappointment of pregnancy and the pain of labour without the benefit of delivering a live baby.
But in the first of our scripture text for today’s meditation, we see God presenting a prophetic declaration of an impending change and a new reality to Israel.
As soon as Zion Travailed, She Brought Forth
God was saying to His people; I know that the reality of your past experiences and the story of your present situation has been one of frustrated labour of pain without gain and aborted deliverances, but I am now declaring a different future to you!
“Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son.
Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born.” (Isa 66:7-8, NLT)
In this prophecy, God was promising them that a time was imminent upon them, when their story will change suddenly and their circumstances will turn around to conform with His will, plans and purposes for their existence — they would be delivered from their captivity, gathered from where they have been scattered, brought back into their own land and made to become a nation again.
And all these was going to happen in one day; suddenly, in an instant, and without the delay or pain of a protracted labour!
Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once?
Normally, the law of nature demands that through the operation of the principle of seed time and harvest, there is usually a time lapse between when a seed is sown and then the process of germination, maturity and harvest; but He was going to suspend the law of nature and make it happen in a moment.
As Albert Barnes said in his commentary —
“Months and years are required before the earth would be covered with its luxuriant and beautiful productions But here would be an event as remarkable as if the earth should bring forth its productions in a single day.”
Can you also believe this for yourself?
Can you dare to believe that God can do the same in your situation and about your life? That He can bring about your change in one day, in an instant and in a sudden moment?
If God can do it (as He did) for a whole nation, is He not able to do it for you as well?
Selah,
Pastor Wale Ola
PRAYER FOCUS
Our prayers for today will be taken from our second scripture text Is 65:17-24.
Every one of those verses contain a promise to Israel about the blessings of their coming change that we could also use as a template or pattern to shape our prayers today.
Dear Lord, please do something new in my life; change my story and wipe away the painful memories of my past experiences.
Let my life become a source of joy and gladness, and my household be a continuous manifestation of your mercy and victory.
Wipe away the tears of my disappointments and give me reasons to celebrate and rejoice in this new month.
I pray Lord, that your promises concerning my life will no longer be delayed; that I will not suffer any more miscarriages and your plans for my life will no longer be aborted.
I pray that I will no longer labour in vain neither will I toil for minimum returns or no rewards.
I pray that long will I enjoy the fruits of my labour and the work of my hands the the produce of my harvest will be blessed.
Bring the month of June before God, and pray that the answers to these petitions will be manifest in your life in the Name of Jesus.
Amen.
by lighthouse | May 30, 2019 | Fasting & Prayers, News & Announcements
Frustrated Expectations
Scripture For Meditation — Isaiah 26:17-18
When a woman is pregnant, she is said to be “expecting”.
Expecting means: To think or believe something will happen, or someone will arrive. It also means Normal; what usually happens; to regard (someone) as likely to do or be something.
Let’s do a quick word study on the meaning of the root word, expect.
When the root word “Expect” , is used, we mean to say that we believe that something will happen, or to consider something as likely to happen, to believe that (someone or something) will arrive soon.
So, Expect means: To anticipate, await, look for, hope for, watch for, look forward to, look ahead to, have in prospect; contemplate, bargain for/on, bank on, be prepared for, plan for; predict, forecast, foresee, prophesy, envisage, envision.
Unfortunately however, as we read in today’s scripture text, things sometimes don’t go, or happen as we expected; times are, when our expectations are delayed or even completely disappointed at other times.
“As a woman with child approaches the time to give birth, She is in pain and struggles and cries out in her labor, So we were before You, O LORD.
We have been with child, we have twisted and struggled in labor; We gave birth, as it seems, only to wind. We could not accomplish salvation for the earth, Nor were inhabitants of the world born.” (Isa 26:17-18 Amplified)
We have been with child — Like women with child; we have been full of hopes and expectations of great things, of deliverance from our enemies, and of the help from God being at hand:
We have been in pain — We have gone through the waiting period of pregnancy carrying the hope of a coming baby; sometimes in great distress and anxiety, and now we have come to the time of birth when we expect that the baby will be delivered; travailing in birth, we looked upon the pain as a prelude to a happy issue of things: ThatThis baby will be born!
We have as it were brought forth wind — But alas; our efforts have availed nothing. (The issue of all their painful toil was like the result of a false pregnancy!)
We have been through the waiting, we have suffered patiently in the hope; we have been through the pain of the travailing, but without the expectant result!
Can you identify with all that?
Hear again, what God is saying to you dear friend:
“Zion, would I bring you to the moment of birth and not let it happen?” says the LORD. “Would I close up a mother’s body when it is time for her baby to be born?” says your God.” (Isa 66:9 NIRV).
Keep Speaking Right!
Keep declaring the words of the prophecy and promise that God has given to you; keep speaking the right things concerning your life and into your situation. That is what pleases God!
“My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will be glad, even mine;
Yes, my heart will rejoice when your lips speak right things.
Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord all the day long.
For surely there is a latter end [a future and a reward], and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.” (Pro 23:15, Amplified)
Selah…
Pastor Wale Ola
PRAYER FOCUS
Ask that God will strengthen you in waiting.
As Paul prayed for the church In Ephesus,
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. (Eph 3:16, New Living Translation)
Pray that God will exalt His word concerning you and bring His promises to pass in your life.
Pray that there will no longer be any delays or obstructions to your delivery.
Pray that the hope you are carrying will not be disappointed, aborted or miscarried.
Pray that your expectations will not be cut off.
Pray that God will intervene in your situation to bring about a timely and safe delivery of His purposes for your life in their due season.
by lighthouse | May 29, 2019 | Fasting & Prayers, News & Announcements
May Fasting & Prayers — Day 1
Theme Scripture for Meditation: Isaiah 66:7-9
Sometime this month, I had a conversation with God in which He asked me about a pregnant woman in labour going through a difficult time in delivering the child — What will she do at that point; will she just give up and let the baby die in her womb without delivering it? Will the medical personnel give up and abandon the process?
Today, we’ll be focussing particularly on verse 9, which has been resounding in my spirit for the better part of this month.
Here, God was symbolically using the scenario of a pregnant woman at the point of delivery, who was about to go into labour, to the state of His people who were at this time in exile under Babylonian captivity.
In the text, God was speaking into a seemingly hopeless situation and declaring something totally contrary to the prevalent state of things as they stood.
His word to them through the Prophet, was that there was going to be a supernatural, sudden turnaround of their captivity and they would experience a quick, pain free birthing that would deliver the promise of the Messiah and of Israel as a reborn nation, gathered together again, from whence they had been scattered.
Even though the prophecy in these verses, pertain to the Jewish nation and the coming of the Messiah and flourishing of the Gospel church, for the purposes of our fasting and prayers this month, we will go outside of the verse in context, and see a truth about God that is universal and consistent with His sovereign nature.
I read a particular translation of this verse, that really conveys this truth — The Doug-Rheims Bible Translation
“Shall not I that make others to bring forth children, myself bring forth, saith the Lord? shall I, that give generation to others, be barren, saith the Lord thy God?” (Isa 66:9)
Meditate on that for a moment…
God was putting forth the omnipotence of His majesty and His track record as a life-giver, the way maker — the God of breakthroughs and sudden turn arounds.
Just as that woman going through the delay of the difficult delivery will not be allowed to give up on the process by the midwife and accompanying medical attendants in that labour room, God is asking you reading this, going through a delay and difficult moment at the point of delivering God’s promises for your destiny or season not to give up, but to p-u-s-h!
They will encourage the woman to push and if she is too weak or incapable of doing so herself naturally, they will look for ways to intervene in order to prevent a destiny from being miscarried and aborted and safely deliver the baby in her womb.
The Holy Spirit is the midwife of your destiny at this point, and God is about to intervene in the delivery of His promises concerning you —if God is able to bring your personal desires to pass, is He not able to bring His own desires and will concerning you to pass?
He will not bring you to the point of birth and then abandon you and not cause you to bring forth!
My dear friend, it is time for the push to happen — God is about to intervene to bring forth that destiny that you have been carrying about in your womb. Don’t give up on that baby just yet!
Selah…
Pastor Wale Ola
Prayer Focus
Just get on your knees, assume a birthing position and push; together with the Holy Spirit, we will all act as the accompanying medical support to push through at the place of prayer.
If you are too tired or too weak to push, simply turn it over to God and ask God for a divine intervention to help bring the promise to birth and to prevent the baby from being still born!
