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| Lady Evangelist Esther Ogunbayeje |
“Then king Nebuchadnezzar was astonished: and he
rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counsellors, “Did we not cast three men
bound into the midst of the fire” They answered and said to the king, “True O
king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the
fire, and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of
God.” Daniel 3: 24-25.
One of the ways
God shows His Sovereignty is making the time of His manifestation a secret to
us. Often times, we try to figure Him out or tell Him what to do, how to do
things, where to do them and when to do them. But God’s timing and way of doing
things are always higher, purer, and perfect. Isaiah 55:8-9.
As human beings,
we love to be without pains or troubles; we love enjoyment and a life without
pain or sorrow. So, when troubles come we want things to be sorted quickly and
when things persist beyond the time we expected we question God. We do wonder
why God will not prevent us from having any trouble or why He will not always
fight all our battles without us having any clue of the troubles. God is a God
who can never be put in a box; He is sovereign, He decides what to do, how to
do it and when to do it.
·
To
go before us- Isaiah 45:2, Deuteronomy 31:8, Isaiah 52: 12b
·
To
go through with us in it or to be with us Isaiah 43:2
·
To
be our rear guard Isaiah 52:12c
Though we would
love God to always go before us and clear all obstacles, we would love our
paths to be smooth, but God does not always clear obstacles from our ways.
Sometimes, He allows us to climb and trample on the mountains and hills; we
surmount them by His strength so that He can show His greatness to us and
through us. God might also help us to go through the Sea so that we know His
greatness and so that Pharaoh and His army can be drowned. He can also manifest
Himself in the fiery furnace so that the unbelievers can see His presence and
acknowledge His power.
We must know
(irrespective of the battles that may confront us) that:
·
God
knows the strategies of our enemies; He knows the strength of our troubles and
how to break this down. He also knows the position of our enemies and where and
when to fight against them. Therefore,
He will not act unnecessarily or untimely.
·
He
knows and has the best strategy for us to win/overcome any battle.
·
He
knows and has the right weapon to fight our battles.
·
He
knows the weak points of our challenges and when/where best to strike.
·
He
knows the time frame of our challenges, He know their end and how to completely
put an end to them.
·
He
knows our strength, what we can bear and how long we can put up with our
challenges.
Why does God allow us to go though some challenges
or difficult time?
God will allow us
to go through; He will go through with us or manifest Himself mightily in our
crisis if there is a need for us to go through. God will not act beforehand, He
will not be in a hurry to go before us and overcome all our problems if:
·
There
is something for us to learn in going through such time e.g. if He is training
us for warfare, future ministry, a greater height etc. (Psalm 144:1, 2
Corinthians 1: 3-4). The lessons of life do not come only in academic
classrooms but through life experiences. The lessons of going and coming
through fire, water, prison, or the lion’s den are different from going round
the wall like Joshua’s time when they walked round Jericho. When God allows us
to go through, He will not allow us to die in such circumstance. Instead, we
come out strong and better because we can only learn some lessons only when we
have gone and come through. So, when we need to go through, God will not act in
haste because He will never be in a hurry to put a cart before the horse.
·
God
will allow us to go through the lessons that are needed to accomplish our
destinies e.g. Joseph went to Egypt to prepare the place for his brethren in
time of famine (Genesis 50:20).
·
We
can only become a teacher and comforter after we have come through (2
Corinthians 1: 3-4). A teacher must be well prepared to teach. A teacher must
do his/her home work properly before teaching others.
·
Going
through shows our level of commitment and faithfulness e.g. Job, Paul and
Silas, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. If we love God, a proof of our
loyalty is how we respond to things in difficult time.
Why does God manifest in the middle of crisis?
God always have reasons for everything. He shows Himself great while we
are going through some stuff for different reasons:
1.
To
deliver us e.g. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed- Nego.
2.
To
win souls e.g. The keeper of the prison
in Acts 16: 31-34
3.
To
elevate and promote us e.g. Joseph in Egypt Genesis 41 and 42, Daniel 6
4.
To
show Himself to the unbelievers that He is sovereign e.g. King Darius confessed
God’s greatness. Daniel 6:24-28.
5.
To
make His grace sufficient for us and so we always rely on His grace e.g. Paul
in 2 Corinthians 12:9.
6.
To
teach us to hold on to Him always and to be loyal to the end. E.g. Paul and
Silas in prison. Acts 16 and Daniel in Daniel 6:22
Some of the things God want us to know and do in
time of crisis
·
To
know that crisis does not always mean God's rejection or abandonment. Isaiah
43:1.
·
To
know that He can still help us irrespective of how bad the situation may be.
·
To
trust Him to see us through.
·
To
rejoice in Him and refuse despair e.g. Paul and Silas in Acts 16:25
·
To
refuse to give in to the enemy that are on our pursuit or to the prevailing
circumstances e.g. the children of Israel at the Red Sea Exodus 14 and the
three Hebrews in Daniel 3
·
To
pray for His help. Psalm 46:1 e.g. Paul and Silas in Acts 16:25
·
To
continue in our service to Him e.g. Zechariah and Elizabeth Luke 1: 3-25.
·
To
remain loyal to Him to the end e.g. The three Hebrews in Daniel 3
·
To
stay calm and unruffled. Psalm 46:10.
In conclusion, we should recognise God’s presence with us at all times
irrespective of what we are going through. We must know that is ever with us
just as He was with the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace; He only revealed
Himself at the right time. We must refuse to panic or cringe because greater is
He that is with and for us than the challenges that we may be going through.
And because His faithfulness is new every day, we shall not be consumed,
drowned or destroyed by any problem of life especially at this time of covid-19
pandemic.
Lady Evangelist
Esther Ogunbayeje
Christ Apostolic
Church
United Kingdom
+44-7478044454/+44-7988672933.
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