Today’s Reading:
Judges 6:1-13 (1-6, 12-13)
In today’s reading, Israel did evil in the sight of God and was delivered over to the Midianites who also opened doors to the Amalekites, and people of the East to afflict them such that the Israelites were no more in control of their homeland. They had no belongings they could claim as their own. They were reduced to struggle and starvation because they compromised, disobeyed and forsook God who did wonders and miracles in the days of their forefathers (vv. 1-6).
Throughout the history of Israel, their problem with God was that when any generation was steadfast with God, they enjoyed the goodness, mercy, blessing and protection of God. But after that generation, their children’s children will forget about God, and begin to do all sorts of things that are abominable before God (Deut. 6:8; 11:18; Jos 1:7-9). This is the same with all Christian nations today, and our nation Nigeria is not left out. Our fathers in faith have witnessed a series of revivals and turnaround for good in their time. Revivals are sovereign acts of God by the Holy Spirit which occurs at God’s seasons and timings. But they usually occur at the peak of turbulence when men and women are at their wits’ end when the society is totally deranged in decay and sin as we have today in nations of the world. Poverty in our nation makes the decadence worse. It is through reforms and revivals that the religious/Church leaders can bring believers back to the path of God’s righteousness. A few of such revivals are mentioned below.
The Nehemiah/Ezra reforms in Jerusalem/Judah for the Jewish returnee which span between 539 -and 423 B.C. In the 1730s-40s through the likes of Jonathan Edwards in England and the then colonies with his famous sermon on “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God.” John Wesley, Charles Wesley, and George Whitefield shook England and Wales, with their preaching on conviction of sin and re-newness in the need for Jesus Christ. In 1906-15 in Los Angeles, the Azusa Street Revival led by William J. Seymour, gave birth to the Pentecostal movement which was based on sanctification for separation from the world. On and on, in the 1910-70s known as the Industrial Age, the revival was led by Billy Graham and others. Back home in Nigeria, in 1914 and 1990s revivals brought church growth, and Pentecostal/Charismatic movements; but failed to bring about moral reformation in the society. In 1914 Sokari Garrick Braide led the revival in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. In 1927, there was the Spirit movement among the Annang and Ibibio in Akwa Ibom state. In 1930 the greatly talked about revival at Oke-Oye, Ilesa Western region of Nigeria led by Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola. Today, most Pentecostals in the nation were built on the tenets of Babalola’s revival. The Bible asks us to pause, look and ask for the good old paths that can lead to refreshment and bring rest to our souls (Jer. 6:16-20). This is how love and peace can reign for those who believe and enjoy God’s provision and protection. But our challenge now is that a lot of believers have compromised their faith like the story of Israel we read today. Most believers are seeking satisfaction in wealth, selfishness, self-centeredness, fame, and unnecessary competition. Compromise leads to barrenness. The excitement and pizzazz that come from association with the wrong group is always fun until the result of compromise starts to rear its ugly head. When we suffer like what is going on in our nation today, the only solution is to cry to our merciful God retrace our steps in penitence, turn to Him again, look up to Him for our deliverance and obey Him in faith. The fact is that there can never be genuine reforms, revival in our state of compromise, selfishness, self-centeredness, lack of harmonious unity, and lack of love. No wonder, Jesus asked that when He returns will He find faith on earth? (Luke 18:8).
Victory always comes to us not by our human wisdom or strength, but by the mercy, favour and power of God. The Lord uses any available vessel for His work. In the case of Israel’s major judges, all God used to deliver His people were misfits in the society. Ehud was left-handed, Deborah was a woman, Gideon was the youngest in the weakest clan of Manasseh and so on. Joseph Babalola was unlearned. Demonstrating that we can only be delivered from the oppression of the enemy, purely by HIS mercy and power. And today in our midst God still works His mysterious and gracious wonders by His power through people no matter how weak and insignificant they are. The plea now is that, for the sake of our younger generation and for generations unborn, our innocent brethren that have fallen, the homeless, and those greatly in pain; the body of Christ should rethink, retrace our steps, repent, unite in love and seek the face of God.
OLUFUNMILAYO TITILOLA ADEKUSIBE
Prayer:
You have made the earth by Your power, You have established the world by your wisdom, and have stretched out the heavens by your discretion.
Thank You for You are in control of the affairs of men here on earth, in Jesus' name.
May the souls and the blood of our brethren that have fallen, the death of our fathers in faith not be in vain, in Jesus' name.
The heart of the King is in Your hand Lord, purge and cleanse the community of faith by the blood of Jesus, and turn our hearts towards You, in Jesus' name.
Father, we say NO, to strange altars in the body of Christ, in Jesus' name.
Father, give us Christian homes where the Bible is loved and taught, where Your will is sought, and where Your beauty and love radiate, in Jesus' name.
Father, forgive our sins in the body of Christ as individuals, society, and denominations, in Jesus’ name.
O Lord, in Your concern, love and mercy, train and direct our children, the youths, and young adults by Yourself, in Jesus' name.
Every killer of peace, comfort and joy in our nation, be arrested by fire, in Jesus' name.
Father, may Your kingdom come, let Your rule begin and break with your iron rod, the tyrannies of sin, in Jesus’ name.
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