“So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, “ says the LORD Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6).
Throughout scriptures we come across numerous cases of God’s people who were driven to the end of their ropes, only for God to deliver them at that very moment. After living for 40 years in exile Moses had been driven to the end, and might as well have given up on his dream of liberating the Israelis when God of his own came and told him the time was ripe ( Exodus 3). Joseph was down in prison when he was plucked from out of nowhere to a premiership ( Genesis 41). Abraham had given up on having a child when God came through ( Genesis 17).
In these instances one thing we notice that God came of His choosing. Sometimes in the life of a believer one can do everything and nothing is moving. Perhaps one could say all the prayers there is, go into a long fast and so forth, but the break through is not coming. The comfort here is found in the old good scripture, “The horse is made ready for the day of the battle, but victory rests with the Lord” (Prov 21;31).
Do your part; and let God do His. Our time table is not God’s. There also those situations when God’s power can only be revealed after we have made all attempts and He then comes through at His choosing to take the glory. Today, may you be comforted that your prayers in a certain matter are not in vain, just because the answer is slow in coming. As 1 Cor 15:58 says, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves to the work of the LORD, because you know that your labor is not in vain.”
One day the breakthrough will come!
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, as your word says, “not by might but by spirit”, I do surrender to you that troubling issue that you reveal your power at your choosing, this I pray in Jesus’s name.
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17/05/2024 - 18/05/2024 All day“And I in righteousness I shall see your face; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness” (Psalm 17:15)
One of the defining aspects we see in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ is that He began the day with prayer. “Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). As he was always surrounded by crowds and after such a busy day before of preaching and engaging the Pharisees in debates this must have been a therapeutic moment for Christ when he would have some good time to himself.
But there was also more. For Jesus being away in a secluded place would also mean a chance to pour out His heart to God, meditate in quietness, plan for the day ahead and listen to the Father. Jesus must have looked up to this moment every day knowing its benefits. Conversations with His Father must have been real and intimate, bringing a certain soothing and uplifting of His spirit. You do not wake up and stick to something on a daily basis that is a drag – this must have been his best time of the day!
Martin Luther the leader of the protestant reformation is reputed to once have said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Here is the point. In the olden days before the arrival of locomotive transport those who were setting out for a long journey on foot had to start early with the first cock crow before the punishing sun came out. One of the things they had to start with also was a good meal, which was fuel needed to give them energy through the long walk to their destiny.
There are no rules about waking up to pray as first thing- or even saying prayer at a defined hour of the day. God is everywhere and ever with us. He is accessible at any time of the day. But there is something special about prioritizing our lives that the first thing we do is to talk to God. Just like the early traveller we need fuel, for the long day ahead!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a joy and privilege to make time at the start of any day, talk and hear from you, for the power I need through the day, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
