 "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and they are safe (~ Proverbs 18:10.)"
What a comforting promise in the time of trouble. And did you notice the medical banner waving at the top of the fortress? We know that symbolizes hospital, sickness, pain, injury, etc. In other words it's an S.O.S. for emergency help ... right away. So many times in every day lie the enemy tries to keep us out of the presence of the Lord by creating any possible duress and disquietude of spirit. He thinks that if he can just turn up the heat , that we will fold and not stand. Guess what? Sometimes we don't even need to stand, we just need to know where to run! When you don't know what to do, you DO know where to run. #Shondo!  Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, and marks the beginning of Holy Week. It marks the week of events leading up to Jesus' death and as we observed it today in worship, I felt my heart skip a beat. My heart tightened as I had an epiphany or "Aha moment" as I waved my palm branch as high as I could lift it up.
"HIS LIFE FOR MY LIFE!" My spirit leaped at the fresh realization that CHRIST ACTUALLY DIED FOR ME! I am consciously aware that I am alive today because Christ humbly saddled a donkey to fulfill prophecy and save the whole world from sin. He allowed Himself to be hung on the Cross at Calvary to fulfill prophecy and save the whole world from sin. He endured the piercing in His side to fulfill prophecy and save the whole world from sin. He ROSE again to fulfill prophecy not only concerning His life, but for my life and the lives of my children and my children's children! Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David! Yes, Blessed Is He Who Comes In The Name of The Lord!  Anybody remember Whodini's song, "The Freaks Come Out At Night?" Maybe your era played Wilson Pickett's crooning "Gonna wait til the midnight hour, that's when my love comes tumbling down." Lol! We know these songs referred to people getting ready to get their club and their "hustle" on but that's not my perspective tonight.
What comes to my mind is that MIDNIGHT ain't always a bad or negative time frame that only yields foolishness! It can actually be a wonderfully blessed time for the children of God. I don't hear Whodini and I don't hear Wilson Pickett but I do I hear Fred Hammond belting out: "LATE IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR, GOD'S GONNA TURN IT AROUND! It's GONNA WORK IN YOUR FAVOR!" A very familiar passage of scripture supports this in Acts 16: That it was at MIDNIGHT that Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. A word to the weary: "LATE IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR, GOD'S GONNA TURN IT AROUND! It's GONNA WORK IN YOUR FAVOR!" Watch the evidence of the day show how God worked for you at midnight. Selah.  Wouldn't it be great if when we were having a terrible day, we could snap our fingers and smooth everything out? Guess what? In a way, you can!
Last week my Monday began with car trouble, hair trouble and Homework OVERLOAD! By 1 pm, I was already having the worst day ever. 'Frustrated' doesn't describe half! Try 'wits' end' or 'boiling point'. Through my tears, I heard God say: "Start your day over. Start this over!" On the way to a class I was already 10 minutes late for, I carefully turned my car around and drove home. Praying the entire way, I made plans to clean up my house, play music and fix myself breakfast. I had no CLUE how much I needed that hiatus until I calmed down. In the midst of folding clothes and warming up a meal , I smiled realizing I had gone from Level 10 to Level 0 in 1 hour. By 2 pm? I was back in my car, driving back to school to study with peace in my heart. God instructed me to take a step back, breathe and get myself together! Now, I live 2 minutes away from my school so 'just going home' was much easier for me but that doesn't mean you guys cannot do some version of my mini-getaway! In the middle of your anguish, tears and yelling all alone in your car or room, pause yourself. Allocate 30 minutes to a wind down period of prayer. Incorporate a simple activity during the period to redirect your negative energy to something else! For me? It was fixing breakfast and folding a basket of clothes. For you? It might be organizing CDs or updating books on your Kindle! While you work on what you're doing? PRAY! Prayer calms us down and has the power to change things instantly! More importantly, it shows God that when things are upside down, you depend on him wholly to take care of you. Snapping fingers to make a day perfect isn't realistic but snapping yourself back into reality is. God can help! It's all good! Restart your day! -Marquaysa L. Battle My God, the old school's still got the power! I fell in love with this song at the age of 16 while recovering from Guillain Barre Syndrome. Had just recently got out the hospital after being in there for months, 95% paralyzed. When I finally got released, I still couldn't walk. I used to roll my wheelchair through the house singing this song daily, praying and believing that God would get me out of that chair and help me walk again. Needless to say, He gave it to me! I don't know why this hit my spirit this morning, but I do feel a need to tell somebody that "whatever you want, whatever you need, ask God in faith and... He'll give it to you." Yes He will! |
Archives
August 2017
Categories
All
|