Coronavirus : An urgent need for National Day of Prayer
SERMON AT THE ZION TEMPLE, KASOA
DATE : March 15, 2020
THEME: MERCIFUL GOD.
SCRIPTURE : “Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place” ( 2 Chronicles 6:40)
Key Statement : An urgent need for National Day of Prayer.
Author : Reverend Obed Danquah, Enriching Lives Ministry, Ghana.
Beloved, when we say merciful God, we are seeking the providence and love of God “ Who is rich in mercy” ( Ephesians 2:4) and He makes it abundant to those who fear, and obey His words.
Therefore, we are on this day, praying, that “ we come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”( Hebrews 4:16).
READ: Living Word Devotional: THE GOD OF ABUNDANCE by Pastor Mensa Otabil
Specifically, we are on this day asking God’s mercy to be with us to deal with the global pandemic situation of the coronavirus disease and other socio-economic challenges; the locus infestation on the farms in Africa, terrorism and the volatile financial situation we face in this mundane world.
Indeed we have sinned against God, but even in all our infirmity, He has been merciful to us.
We note from Genesis 19:24-32 that;
God anger arose against the people of Sodom and Gomorrah because they sinned against Him. But ultimately, His great patience emerged because of His merciful nature and love for few people who were among the wicked ones in those cities.
Therefore, we are admonished to give up things that goes against God and look up to things that matters to God. Lot’s wife; Ado or Edith as known in Jewish tradition ( Genesis 19) instead of focusing on things about God, was rather reflecting on things of the past.
Key Statement : An urgent need for National Day of Prayer.
In our spiritual endeavour, we should avoid spiritual dualism. Jesus spoke against it in Mathew 6:24, that, “ no one can serve two masters.” So why must we play double game with God ?
But God’s mercy endures for everyone indeed. Because when His anger arose against the people of Sodom and Gomorrah destroying the cities because of their evil deeds, one person that came to His mind and caused Him to turn His anger away, was Abraham. The bible says, “ God remembered Abraham” ( Genesis 19: 29b).
Beloved, where is your position within your community, home, work or friends? In the midst of calamity, will God remember you to forgive your family of His anger against them ? Will you be among the ten people God looked at when he rose agonist the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah ? Sin has indeed engulfed our time and God is up with His judgement against us.
Beloved, in 2 Peter 2:6-9, Peter wrote about Sodom and Gomorrah about the destruction of the cities and how God “delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked” ( verse 7). There are still some righteous people in our nation, and so our prayer is that God should look to those whom He knows to be righteous to deliver us all from socio-economic calamities.
But let me sound a warning, for those of us who are Christians; if God did not spare angels or those who lived before the flood, surely He will not spare us if we do not suddenly change our ways towards Him.
We should stop wandering about or spiritually walking astray and come to believe Jesus as Our Lord and Saviour.
Key Statement : An urgent need for National Day of Prayer.
God’s judgement is true and must. We may emotionally assume that when God strikes, He will quickly be calmed with some interventions of prayers. No, God’s judgement is as certain as His blessings. He spares no rod to the foolish.
But it is my prayer, just like you, that; inasmuch as God rescued Lot from Sodom, so should His mercy be upon us to rescue us from the pandemic situation we find ourselves in this wicked world.
Indeed Lot was not sinless but He had his trust in God and was spared when Sodom was destroyed. May we depend solely on Jesus believing that only Jesus can save! Hallelujah.
Beloved, the bible says that Jesus promises rest for the soul, ‘but I think there is a caveat’. In Mathew 11:20-24, we read about Jesus rebuking certain cities because they failed to repent from their sins.
Beloved, Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom were known or had the reputation for human wickedness. Consequently, each of these cities were destroyed by God for their evil deeds.
Also, the people of Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum who were blessed to have seen Jesus the firsthand were still stubborn in their ways to repent from their evil deeds to believe in Jesus. But Jesus said if some of wicked cities in the world had seen Him, they would have repented so how dare those who had seen him at firsthand still behaving wicked and not believing in him or following His commands.
Beloved, are you a born again person? Do you claim to have a personal relations with Jesus ? Do you speak in tongues ? Do you see visions ? When you hear God speak to you, do you speak about it and speak as though you are a Prophets or Prophetess? Then don’t be like those in the wicked cities ! Instead, believe in Jesus. Because many of us hold huge bibles and goes to church every week and pray every day. There are equally many churches in our nations and yet, not many of us appeal to God the way He expects us to be.
Beloved, let us change our ways because when God strikes on us, we will have no excuse to plead His mercies. Repent from your wicked ways and believe in the ways of Jesus. May God’s mercy be upon us and cause us to change. Amen
Key Statement : An urgent need for National Day of Prayer.
Now, in Jeremiah 39:17, the Lord’s promise becomes prevalent. He says, “ for I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,.” Evidently, it is not just a matter of one day prayer that a sinful person can be cured from ailment.
It appears to me that by the time a sinful person is affected with wounds, the harm is already done. So merely having a pretentious confidence and cry and pray everyday will not cure you. It is in fact a useless cry and fake confidence.
READ: VIDEO: Mystery as Jesus on the cross appears in the sky – Millions watching live
You may now ask, what then can we do ? And I would wish to answer that, your prayer can only reach God in two ways ; one is the fact of Him being merciful to you at His own will, though undeserving, but decides to heal you.
And two is for you to repent from your sins deep from your heart and at His own estimation, knowing what is in your heart, may decide to heal you, again at His own will .
But before such healing, you might have been called by all names and have perhaps been mocked at and some of you May end up selling all your possessions and given away your treasures for healing, and then you will know that He is God, Who has power over every living thing.
The experience of Ahab is worthy of remembering. The drought caused lots of hunger and havoc and therefore it was only by faith and the mercy of God that Elijah was able to hear the sounds of the rain to alert Ahab to fill himself and his chariots.
The bible says ,” Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “ There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea”. So he said, “ Go up, say to Ahab, ‘prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops again”[45] Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain”( 1 Kings 18:44-45A).
Beloved, God’s mercy only comes by His own wish or through our repentance. We face all sorts of calamities because of our own doings. We cannot afford to turn towards God as though we have
repented but deep in our hearts we still maintain evil thoughts and multi- faith.
Beloved, the Lord is speaking louder than He ever did and this pandemic situation is perhaps the beginning of the end time.
But we can only trust God yet again for His mercy.
Key Statement : An urgent need for National Day of Prayer.
Ezra wrote in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14,” when I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, [14] If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land”.
READ: JUST BELIEVE: Living Word Devotional By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Beloved, this text is self explanatory in that God’s condition is repentance and turning towards Him and then His mercy shall pour down unto us like rain. Beloved , repentance is not a talk show and a doing show. True repentance shows on the person’s face and attitude because the heart gets changed before the persons disposition reveals what is in the heart.
And although Solomon pleaded in prayer with God to provide for the needs of the people, ( 2 Chronicles 6: 36-40). It appears to me that God paid attention to what Solomon said amid his solemn prayers and plea and so He gave His conditions accordingly.
READ: Aba the poet -News in Brief is loading with the Dazzling…
Therefore, in this critical stage in our lives, we have no choice than to follow the conditions set out by God; (1) To humble ourselves as an individual and a nation as a whole (2) Pray fervently without ceasing (3) Seek God’s face, which implies to plead His mercy. (4) turn from our sinful behaviour. When these conditions are fulfilled, God is merciful to answer our problems and then pour rain unto us, heal our land and heal all our infirmities and then we will be saved and go back with our normal business.
Beloved, the time is now, repent, and follow Jesus. Amen
NB: Let’s pray, Ghana
National Day of Prayer