Thursday, February 20, 2020
Bible Text: Luke 18:1, 6-7 NKJV “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?”
Memory Verse: I Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV, “pray without ceasing,”
Many people including myself sometimes give up way too easily when the going gets tough. This is usually as a result of various environmental factors and the devil making us see the problem with a magnifying glass rather than the possibilities. Often, this leads to discouragement and often a disconnect from our relationship with God. Giving too much attention to the problem is like telling the problem how much power it holds over us and likewise the possibilities how far unlikely they look. Whereas, we as believers should be doing the opposite.
Either you like it or not, you are never in charge. All those times when everything worked out just as you’ve planned it and it looked all so rosy, it was God behind the scene shaping up the successes not you, and He is still the only one in-charge, able to bring to fruition those expectations which you have been hoping for. Definitely when hope defers, it makes the heart weak, but the manifestation which has an appointed time will not tarry, God will make it all glossy in His own time.
The bible showcases various people who experienced delays at various times in their lives. These people took various actions when they thought they were in full control and in charge of their own lives but things still didn’t quite work out or manifest as its purposed to. Ultimately we see that God still does only what He really wants to do and our duty here is to remain prayerful and focused on Him while He decides exactly when and which of those needs to be met.
Today’s bible verse luke18:1 were words spoken by Jesus Himself where He instructs us to always pray (communicate with him). He knows and loves you and I so much but there are so many delays because life is not all that simple as it seems. Aside all our prayers, there are also real enemies out there militating against us with the major player being the devil who actively works against us to block answers to our prayers. We see this in the life of Daniel whose answers to prayers were dispatched from the first day of his request but his parcel was delayed 21days. Read Daniel 10:12-13.
Already we know that the devil and his enemies think they are winning because they see your reaction during delays. Are you continually praying or have you given up hope? We see the parable Jesus told in Luke 18:3-5, the judge refused to give in to the woman’s request, but with her constant pressing and persistence, he saw to it that she got her demands, the Judge knew she won’t give us and will wear him out. “but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’
A delay may be really short or very long but God is not necessarily saying No. Pray continuously and don’t give up, be patient to know exactly what God is saying and continue on Jesus’s instructions – Never stop praying.
PRAYERS:
- Father I’m grateful for your endless blessings over my life, thank you for your grace.
- I surrender all to you O Lord, Help me to pray without ceasing, not to give in to fate, but to continue in faith in Jesus name.
- Help me to fully acknowledge You for direction, live above fear of uncertainties and grant me the boldness to see beyond all impossibilities
- Forgive my iniquities Lord and let your mercy prevail over judgement
- Thank you Father and in Jesus Name I Pray, Amen.
I’m reading the YouVersion plan ‘Bible in One Year 2020 With Nicky Gumbel’. Check it out by clicking on the caption below.
