“In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me” - Psalm 120 (NIV)
There was once a case of a certain unbelieving teacher at a certain school who was at pains to understand why a group of his students would raise their voice and cry out to the Almighty God for help in some situations. The teacher accosted the “praying warriors” and shut down their meeting. “Is your God hard of hearing that you must raise so much noise!” He sent them packing.
The teacher might indeed have had a point. The Almighty God reigns everywhere and even before we open our mouths He has heard our prayers. Jesus, once advised, “But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” (Mathew 6:6-7). Certainly, there is a case for a quiet and reflective prayer.
However, there also those situations of deep agony, that one’s prayer cannot be one quiet appeal. Think of a plane that is going down and about to crash; of course, there are those who will pray quietly for rescue, but some others will open up their mouths and cry out to the Almighty for his deliverance.
Once when the disciples realized they were perishing at sea, as “a windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” (Luke 8:23-24). That could not have been a quiet and gentle plea. A childless Hannah wept bitterly as she pleaded to the Lord to bless her with a child (I Samuel 1:10).
There are certain times and situations when our prayers cannot be quiet and reflective muses. A people under attack do not meow when lives are perishing. They rise up and call upon the Almighty to come for their deliverance. And the times of the sweeping Covid-19 pandemic are the kind where individuals along with the church, there needs to be those who rise up and cry out for the deliverance of the Lord!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today we as a people, cry out to you, for deliverance from this plague of Covid-19, that you come and with your powerful hand that parted the Red Sea, stay its havoc, and bring healing to the land, this I pray in Jesus’s name.
Related upcoming events
-
18/05/2024 - 19/05/2024 All day“Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:15)
Perhaps one of the most inspiring passages in the Bible with enduring lessons is where Moses pleads to Pharaoh to let the Jews go. Instead Pharaoh dared Moses if he had the power as that of a king. Challenged to “perform a miracle” Moses turned to Aaron who threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs (Exodus 7: 9-12).
What we see here is the presence of occult powers in high places, as is true even today. A common mistake by some is to deny the existence of the occult behind certain thrones or power centers, especially in instances where we find those putting on a genteel manner of social respectability. There are also those who through their education and confined exposure to the spirit realm of things, doubt the existence of occult powers. The reality is that in the world we live in the enemy is much at work. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
In this passage we see that while Pharaoh did release his snakes the staff God had placed in the hands of his messenger, Moses, was far greater and swallowed all. Here is the point. As believers we do have a far greater and mighty power to protect us from any attacks of the enemy. It is the blood of the lamb. As it is written, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony...” (Revelation 12:11).
Today whatever snakes you may encounter from anywhere be assured that you have a far greater power than of the enemy. It is the blood of Jesus. As His word says, “call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me” (Psalm 50:15).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray for protection from the attacks of the enemy by the blood of the lamb, this I pray in Jesus’name.
