OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SUNDAY 04/08/2013 - A JOYOUS ENDING BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

A JOYOUS ENDING

MEMORY VERSE

For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

Proverbs 23:18

READ

Luke 7:11-15

Luke 7:11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.

Luke 7:12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

Luke 7:13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

Luke 7:14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

Luke 7:15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

MESSAGE

Every part of the human body is important and is given to us for some reason. The mouth particularly is given to us to protest against any contrary condition we may be experiencing. If you fail to cry out when you should, you may be prolonging the negative situation you are in. I was out for a prayer walk one night and did not really care if anybody else was around. I had a very crucial issue to settle with God so I laid prostrate on the road. Then one fellow came to me and called Daddy. In my heart I wondered, 'what is his business about this?' Who is daddy when there is trouble? According to Luke 11:9-10, we are instructed to ask, seek and knock but the duration for making the request is not stated; in other words, we are to continue to ask, seek and knock until we receive our desire – till our joy is full (John 16:24). How are you asking today?

Moreover, another lesson from the Shunammite woman of 2 Kings 4:18-26 is that all is well that ends well. When you go through the scriptures, you will see several people who encountered problems but at the end, they had a pleasant, glorious ending. How a given situation ends is more crucial. In Mark 2:1-12, we read of a man who was paralysed. He was borne by four people because his situation had made him heavier, but at last he walked home by himself. In Mark 5:1-20, we see how a notorious mad man became an evangelist. Similarly, in Luke 7:11-15, we read of a woman who was happily married and had a son. At some point, she lost her husband then her son, and was embarking on a journey to bury him when she encountered Jesus. At the end, her trip into lasting sorrow became a trip into permanent joy and comfort when the Lord raised up her son from the dead. Are you in a particular sorrowful situation? The Lord will step in and your end shall be glorious. Fear not, the problem you think will kill you will not kill you. The problem will be terminated so that your joy might be full. You shall end in joy.

PRAYER POINT

Father, irrespective of what I am going through today, let my end be glorious.