OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - MONDAY- 242/2014 - GLORIOUS EXPECTATION BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

GLORIOUS EXPECTATION

MEMORISE

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

1 Peter 5:10

READ

2 Kings 7:1-10

1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.

6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

9 Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.

10 So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.

MESSAGE

A child of God has every right to expect a glorious tomorrow, even if the present situation does not in any way make such optimism look realistic. In the face of uncertainty and the total economic collapse of a country, the believer who knows his God will still rightly expect a change for the better, because he knows he serves a God who specialises in giving pleasant surprises to His children. The story of 2 Kings 6 & 7 is not fictional, though it may look incredible. The famine that resulted from the siege of Samaria by its enemies became so devastating that mothers were surviving on their own children. What a terrible thing! Have you ever thought about it: even Elisha the great man of God was in the midst of the situation as others? One thing you can be sure of is that God would have taken care of him for as long as the famine lasted; though that aspect of the story is not revealed in the Bible. In the same way, the Lord is able to take care of you in the midst of any crises, only make sure you trust in Him and obey Him in all things. Pay your tithes, win souls and live holy.

We should not cease trusting God in the place of prayer for desirable changes in the state of affairs of our country as we seek to do His will in all things. In the case of Samaria, God brought about a change within 24 hours at the peak of their national predicament of insecurity that resulted in acute want. By the mouth of His servant, God pronounced great abundance upon the land. This pronouncement brought to an end both the insecurity and the famine of the land (2 Kings 7:1&18). So will Boko Haram and its activities be brought to a sudden end in Nigeria in Jesus’ Name. On the other hand, being expectant does not imply sitting down and doing nothing; in the case of Samaria, it took the rising up of four lepers, who decided to go to the camp of the Syrians, only to discover that the Syrians had fled their camp, leaving all their supplies behind. There is always a place of action to your faith, just as the Bible in James 2:17 says:

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

Are you in need of a good job? You have got to take the right step of action. Do you want your business to be more competitive? Diligently get to know what action to take and take it.

ACTION POINT

Praise God for His mercy over Nigeria. Pray for the forgiveness of sins for Nigeria and that God will grant her political leaders the fear of God and the wisdom to run the country.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Jeremiah 5:14-7:29; 

Psalm 44:17-26