04-15-2019, 09:46 AM
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: MONDAY 15TH APRIL 2019
THEME: WHEN WEEPING DOES NOT WORK.
MEMORISE:
And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. Numbers 14:1
READ: 1 Samuel 30:1-6
1And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
MESSAGE
Weeping is an expression of deep emotions that move one to shed tears. It is a means of expressing sorrow, sadness, disappointment, misfortune or overwhelming joy. While it is not wrong to weep after experiencing an unpleasant situation, we should realize that such emotions can sometimes block our minds from seeing the door of opportunity that the Lord opens in every situation. There are some adverse circumstances the enemy orchestrates, where the Lord would want us to take action instead of allowing ourselves to be overrun by sorrow and weeping. In such situations, weeping will not do us any good. It might even rob us of the victory that God has prepared for us. If you continue weeping before God when He expects you to act, your weeping will not move Him to act on your behalf. We see an example of this in 1 Samuel 30:3-4, which says:
“So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.”
Is it not amazing that David and his men wept until they had no more strength to weep, and yet their situation remained as hopeless as ever? Their weeping did nothing to improve their situation. Things remained stagnant until David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Only after doing this did things begin to brighten up for him and his people.
While weeping is a very good way of attracting the sympathy of others, it often presents us as weak and helpless, which we are not. We have the All-powerful God as our help and strength, and in His word, He repeatedly told people in distress to weep not (Luke 8:52). Like David, we must stop seeking sympathy and begin to apply rugged faith. if you will ever overcome adversity and achieve anything tangible in life, you need to apply faith that persistently holds on to God, believing that He can make impossible possible against all odds. Hold onto the assurance that there is no situation or circumstance beyond God’s control. Our miracle-working God is able to reverse every irreversible situation. He can bring hope to a person’s life irrespective of the presence of long-running problems. In john 5:1-8, we read the story of the man at the pool of Bethesda who was at the same spot for 38 years. He claimed that the reason he had not been made whole for so long was because he had no one to assist him, but by the time Jesus came on the scene, his problems ceased without the help of any man. No matter how seemingly difficult your problem is, God will terminate it today in Jesus’ Name.
KEY POINT:
If you continue weeping before God when He expects you to act, your weeping will not move Him to act on your behalf.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 8-10
Jeremiah 18:1-18
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 3: TRUST AND OBEY.
1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
o Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.
4. But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.
DATE: MONDAY 15TH APRIL 2019
THEME: WHEN WEEPING DOES NOT WORK.
MEMORISE:
And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. Numbers 14:1
READ: 1 Samuel 30:1-6
1And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
MESSAGE
Weeping is an expression of deep emotions that move one to shed tears. It is a means of expressing sorrow, sadness, disappointment, misfortune or overwhelming joy. While it is not wrong to weep after experiencing an unpleasant situation, we should realize that such emotions can sometimes block our minds from seeing the door of opportunity that the Lord opens in every situation. There are some adverse circumstances the enemy orchestrates, where the Lord would want us to take action instead of allowing ourselves to be overrun by sorrow and weeping. In such situations, weeping will not do us any good. It might even rob us of the victory that God has prepared for us. If you continue weeping before God when He expects you to act, your weeping will not move Him to act on your behalf. We see an example of this in 1 Samuel 30:3-4, which says:
“So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.”
Is it not amazing that David and his men wept until they had no more strength to weep, and yet their situation remained as hopeless as ever? Their weeping did nothing to improve their situation. Things remained stagnant until David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Only after doing this did things begin to brighten up for him and his people.
While weeping is a very good way of attracting the sympathy of others, it often presents us as weak and helpless, which we are not. We have the All-powerful God as our help and strength, and in His word, He repeatedly told people in distress to weep not (Luke 8:52). Like David, we must stop seeking sympathy and begin to apply rugged faith. if you will ever overcome adversity and achieve anything tangible in life, you need to apply faith that persistently holds on to God, believing that He can make impossible possible against all odds. Hold onto the assurance that there is no situation or circumstance beyond God’s control. Our miracle-working God is able to reverse every irreversible situation. He can bring hope to a person’s life irrespective of the presence of long-running problems. In john 5:1-8, we read the story of the man at the pool of Bethesda who was at the same spot for 38 years. He claimed that the reason he had not been made whole for so long was because he had no one to assist him, but by the time Jesus came on the scene, his problems ceased without the help of any man. No matter how seemingly difficult your problem is, God will terminate it today in Jesus’ Name.
KEY POINT:
If you continue weeping before God when He expects you to act, your weeping will not move Him to act on your behalf.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 8-10
Jeremiah 18:1-18
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 3: TRUST AND OBEY.
1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
o Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.
4. But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.