Be Inspired End of the Month Prayer and Fasting 29th -31st October 2021
Theme: Pleasant Surprises
Text: Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19 AMP
Glory to God for the opportunity to partake in the end of the month prayer and fasting also to be used to share the word and prayer. God deserves all the glory, who would have brought us this far if not for God?
Father all glory, honour and adoration is yours, nothing and no one can be compared to you, you deserve all our praise and worship, speak through me and to us all and let all hearts be receptive to your word and will in Jesus name amen.
Hallelujah, all glory to God! When we hear the word pleasant, we think of something good, something soothing, great basically positive energy fills our mind. The word surprise is something unexpected, or maybe expected but not to the extent of its manifestation or reality.
Our theme for this month says pleasant surprise, so if we sum the two words up we are basically expecting something positive right!
The reference text is something we all know or have heard of, Isaiah 43:19, I like the words that started the statement, Listen carefully, that is do away with distractions whatever it may be, I (God) am about to do a new thing, and now it will spring forth, will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert... I believe God is speaking us individually and collectively, the new thing He promised, He said will we be aware, God is not sneaky, yes He will surprise us but He will let us know He did it. It's not a dodgy ungodly thing, it's something He will triumph over, something He will say yes I did it and we will attest to it.
To give more clarity I will share two stories from the scripture both related to King David.
David and Mephibosheth
And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house (family) of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” There was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, so they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “ I am your servant.” And the king said, “Is there no longer anyone left of the house (family) of Saul to whom I may show the goodness and graciousness of God?” Ziba replied to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan, [one] whose feet are crippled.” So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba replied to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.” Then King David sent word and had him brought from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell face down and lay himself down [in respect]. David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will certainly show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall always eat at my table.”
2 Samuel 9:1-7 AMP
From the story above, David enquired if anyone was left in the house of Saul, and if you know the kind of relationship David had with Saul it was somehow bitter sweet, it started well but the end was not beautiful. But in the process of this, David made a lifelong relationship with one person in particular, Jonathan son of Saul who died same time as his father. David however was not an ingrate, he knew and remembered the impact of Jonathan and how much love he had for him. So for the sake of Jonathan he asked is there no one in the house of Saul that I may show favor to and bless. Then they told him about Mephibosheth, even when they approached Mephibosheth, he thought he will be killed for his grandfather deeds, he was scared, he was disabled/crippled from childhood.
The life of Jonathan and his ways became a blessing that eventually became a pleasant surprise for his son and grand son Mica and generation that followed because of the seed he sow.
The second story involves David and his own lineage.
Hezekiah from Lineage of David
In those days [when Sennacherib first invaded Judah] Hezekiah became deathly ill. The prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came and said to him, “Thus says the Lord , ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not recover.’ ” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord , saying, “Please, O Lord , remember now [with compassion] how I have walked before You in faithfulness and truth and with a whole heart [entirely devoted to You], and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle courtyard, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord , the God of David your father (ancestor): “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. Behold, I am healing you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord . I will add fifteen years to your life and save you and this city [Jerusalem] from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.” ’ ” Then Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And they brought it and placed it on the [painful] inflammation, and he recovered.” Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will [completely] heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” Isaiah said, “This will be the sign to you from the Lord , that He will do the thing that He has spoken: shall the shadow [indicating the time of day] go forward ten steps, or go backward ten steps?” Hezekiah answered, “It is easy for the shadow to go forward ten steps; no, but let the shadow turn backward ten steps.” So Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord , and He brought the shadow on the steps ten steps backward by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.
2 Kings 20:1-11 AMP
Hezekiah was the 13th king that reigned after David, just to let us know he wasn't the direct king after David. Hezekiah however lived to please God, even when Israel was sent on exile under his rulership he didn't renounce his faith in God. (Read 2 Kings 17-18)
Then came this sickness that would have brought the end to Hezekiah, he was so sick, gravely sick and God sent Isaiah to tell him to put his house in order. I believe this was still because God loves him, because death could have just come and take him like that but instead God sent his prophet to speak to him. Hezekiah instead called to God, he cried to God and reminded God of all the great things he had done. Does it mean God is forgetful, no God is not forgetful. Then God in His mercy heard his cry and added 15years and saved his city because of David.
Pleasant surprise can come from anyone but the pleasant surprise from God is beyond the imagination of ordinary human being and all earthly resource. Who could have added 15years to a man's life, who could have caused a king who had authority to kill and end a generation that hurt him but instead brought them from state of poverty to state of wealth even with their stigmas and but.
Pleasant surprises from God sometimes is not about our limited human expectations, Mephibosheth wasn't expecting what happened to him, Hezekiah indeed called on God and was expectant but wouldn't have known he would get over a decade more.
One thing about God's intervention is that, it's pleasant, it may look like it's never going to happen but when it does just a day will erase decades of unpleasant occurrence. Just a word will put an end to the endless tears.
One thing we must be assured of is God doesn't need the permission of anyman to turn around any man's situation. He is the one who determines and decides whom to have mercy on and who to show His compassion. Because He is God.
Man can surprise us but it's limited but when God shows up, His surprises which are divine intervention are limitless they go from generation to generation because He is the alpha and omega and the unending source and supplier.
Sometimes we wait on God for one thing and just because it has not or doesn't come is not a right to rule God out or off.
Mephibosheth was crippled from childhood, he still fathered a child, God still remembered him. Hezekiah was sick but God still showed mercy. I don't know what it looks like or feel like around you now. What's that situation showing you, what is the message you are receiving, what vibes are you getting. No matter what it may be, place God above them. A saying goes thus "don't tell God how big the problem is but tell the problem how big your God is."
The Bible says God owns everything, imagine the earth 🌎 is His footstool so what can be above Him, who can be above Him? He said I will do a new thing and it will spring forth. None of His word return to Him void.
Another thing I want us to deduce out of those scriptural stories is the benefit of our deeds to generations to come. If not for the mercies of God Mephibosheth would have suffered due to his grandfather's ways and deeds but there is a father above all fathers and it's God and in the case of Hezekiah God favoured Him because of His great great great grandfather. What seed are you sowing, what legacy are you leaving for your generations?
What is it that has become a mountain that God can't move?
Why are you downcast because you are basically using the earthly clock and time?
He controls time and season because He is God.
He will give you that pleasant surprise and now it will spring forth in Jesus name
Let us pray
Father thank you for your word that is efficient and always shed light on my path
Lord forgive me in anyway I have stayed focus on issues of life and problem instead of trusting you
Lord open my heart to be receptive to what you are doing right now and grace to wait to see the manifestation when it starts
Lord over all expectations long term or short terms I claim my pleasant surprises according to your will
I decree every issues and decrees that may want to hinder my testimonies is destroyed
*Lift your prayer requests to God and thank Him for divine intervention*
Lord over every home and lives that read this message and vessel used let this season birth pleasant surprises and testimonies beyond human comprehension in Jesus name
Thank you Jesus for answered prayers in Jesus name
Congratulations
