The times and seasons of life are full of uncertainties and require discernment and prayers to navigate through them. God expects us to exercise our authority in prayers to minimise the negative impacts of each season in our lives.
Asaph in Psalm 74: 16-17, acknowledged God as Lord of all times and seasons. “The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun. You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter,” (Psalms 74:16,17 NKJV).
David went through several seasons in his lifetime. There was the season when he was a shepherd boy, another was when he was anointed in the presence of his brethren, another was when he encountered Goliath, another was when he served as a minstrel in Saul’s presence, another was when he was in the wilderness being hunted by King Saul, another was when he was anointed king in Hebron, and another was when he was anointed the King of Israel. David navigated these different seasons of his life because he frequently sought God’s direction.
Until he finally settled in Zion, David was constantly exposed to the uncertainties of wilderness life, which made him move from place to place, (1 Samuel 27:1; 2 Samuel 5:9). His saving grace during this time was that, he was in constant touch with God, (1 Samuel 22:10; 23:4, 6, 9; 30:8; 2 Sam. 5:19).
In 1 Samuel 23:1-13, David asked the Lord if he should go and attack the Philistines in Keilah. Though the Lord gave him the green light, his men hesitated to go with him to Keilah because they felt insecure where they were. Eventually, he went and defeated the Philistines at Keilah.
In 1 Samuel 30, David sought the Lord before pursuing the Amalekites to recover what they had taken from their camp in Ziklag.
In 2 Samuel 2, David asked God if he should go to Judah and God told him to go to Hebron instead. David then went to Hebron with his two wives and a group of men with their families. All of them took up residence in Hebron. At Hebron, David was anointed King of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4).
In 2 Samuel 5, David sought the Lord before fighting the Philistines at Baal Perazim. After the initial defeat, the Philistines reappeared at the Valley of Rephaim, leading David to ask God again if he was to go after the Philistines. This time the Lord gave him a different battle strategy: “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”
Some seasons of life are journey-related as Paul discovered. Paul did not leave anything to chance when he and some prisoners set out to travel to Rome to appear before Caesar. As they embarked on the journey to Rome, they ran into a turbulent storm, which would have claimed their lives but for the prayers and fasting Paul undertook in the course of the journey. Some have embarked on trips and never returned alive.
The awesome God has the times and seasons of life squarely in His hands. We need not fear.
•Contact:pastoracukachi@gmail.com
The post Praying into different times and seasons of your life – Part 3 appeared first on Guardian Nigeria News.
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