Praying in Faith, Believing

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”  Matt. 21:22

Between 2014 and 2017 our country had two major assaults and a potential pandemic that threatened the nation.  First, a surprising and alarming shift from our longstanding acceptance of what constitutes a family in America had been made.  Secondly, we had just completed one of the most shocking U.S. Presidential elections in modern political history.  And finally, during that time we were threatened by a new and potentially devastating biologic pandemic called H9N2.¹

 The H9N2 avian flu epidemic was rapidly spreading in Seoul, Jakarta, and London.  Health authorities in America feared that it had the potential to be one of the worst influenza pandemics since 1918, in which 50 million people died.  Not only was the virus found in the U.K., Korea, and Indonesia, cases were reported in California and Texas.   Since the church was in corporate prayer concerning the aforementioned first two issues in America, it is my opinion that God stayed His hand of judgment against our country.  Hence, the threat of the H9N2 virus as an overwhelmingly destructive force did not materialize.  It is probable that most Americans were unaware of the potential pandemic threat of H9N2 avian influenza in 2016.

In November 2016, God gave me these words of encouragement for the church, which I posted in social media:

God says:   To my saved and called out people:  I have seen your tears and have heard your prayers.  You stand in this country as a beacon of light against sin and wrongdoing.  You have cried out to me to save your country and deliver the leaders.  I have turned my hand of judgment from America because of your cries.  You seek my face daily and are a bulwark against Satan.  You have stood in the gap and made up the hedge.  The country was not torn apart because of your payers.  Continue to stand, live clean and holy lives and stand for right.  Cry out against sin and stand tall for righteousness.  Run and tell others what I have taught you about Jesus, for he is the only hope for the dying world.  I am soon to come to rapture my people.  I will lift the heavy burden from your necks and will deliver you soon.  I love you, my people, and your reward for standing for Holiness is prepared.

The church has many responsibilities.  Key roles include praying, seeking the face of God, and serving as a light in this dark world.  Our prayers are powerful weapons that can hold back the tides of destruction that frequently plague our land.  Although we are not able to stop the damage that will eventually come, we can delay it with our prayers, allowing time for a few more souls to be saved.

And now here we are, four years after the 2016 events, being damaged by COVID-19.  We are experiencing a global pandemic that didn’t just “go away,” as did H9N2.  Whenever we experience new events that we feel are unprecedented, it is crucial to go to the Word of God for guidance and instruction.  Why?  Because there are no new things under the sun.  Even though we may think that events are unique, Ecclesiastes 1: 9 (KJV) lets us know that that is not the case.

⁹ The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

 In the Book of 2 Samuel, chapter 24, verses 1-25, King David made a grievous error that destroyed 70,000 souls when he decided to number the people.  David was provoked by Satan to do this thing that greatly displeased God according to 1 Chronicle 21:1

As Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel,

 It was not God who told David to number the people; it was Satan.  And David obeyed.  God sent the prophet, Gad, who told David that he would be punished for His actions.  David was given a choice concerning the punishment that he would receive.   King David humbled himself and repented of his sins, then chose his sentence, that there would be three days’ pestilence in the land.

¹⁰ And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

¹¹ For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,

¹² Go and say unto David, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.

¹³ So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

¹⁴ And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.

 David realized that God was going to send punishment, and many would suffer for his (David’s) poor decision.  Leaders must therefore carefully consider their actions because of the effect that those actions will have upon the people.  David chose the third option that God gave him because He knew God to be a God of mercy.  And plainly enough, although 70,000 men died, God did not utterly destroy the land.

 In the Book of 2 Chronicles 7:14, God said,

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Saints of God all over the world are standing upon this passage of scripture, along with Psalms 91, believing that what we ask of God will happen.  Just as God commanded the destroying angel to cease his destruction in David’s case, we believe that God will do the same today.  We must continue to pray that God will show mercy and stay His hand of destruction upon us for our country’s and the world’s many sins. God’s people are not only praying, but we are praying in faith, believing that what we ask of Him He will do.  We know that God will honor His word.  At what point God chooses to stay His Hand concerning Covid-19 is up to God.  How many will die as a result of this pandemic?  We don’t know.  What we do know is that God’s mercy will prevail if we continue to cry out to Him.  We will not be utterly destroyed, for these are but the beginning of sorrows (Matt. 24:8).  We believe that His hand will be stayed, sooner, rather than later.

The church must continue to stand tall and pray and seek the face of God.  We must reach as many souls as possible for the Kingdom of God.  We must keep the thought ever before us that those who die without Christ will be ushered into Hell.  What we are experiencing today is just another of many signs that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is coming soon to rapture away His church.  Meanwhile, God is moving all over the world, giving lost men and women everywhere an opportunity to be saved.  The distraction of clubs, overly-busy lives, cavorting, large gatherings, sports, and the like have all been curtailed for a period of time.  This has happened all over the entire globe.  Not one man or woman will have an excuse that they did not know that God is real.

Closing words:

To the unregenerate:  We encourage men and women everywhere to recognize the true and living God, to repent of your sins, get saved, then get the power to live holy by asking God to fill you with the Holy Ghost.  Please don’t squander your opportunity to be saved.  God’s ear is open to your cry for salvation.  Do it today.

To the Saints:  Deliverance is on its way, Saints.  Our prayers have again stayed the Hand of God.  Continue to win souls for the Lord.

And, to all of the survivors of Covid-19:  Don’t go back to “business-as-usual” when this is all over.  Make the worship and service of the Lord paramount in your lives.  May God bless us all.

Let us pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, we submit to Your Will and to Your Way.  Please forgive us for our sins and deliver us.  Be our covering from the noisome pestilence.  We love You and are thankful that You are our God.  We pray for the leaders of our world, realizing the weight of responsibility that they bear.  We recognize that as constituents we bear the responsibility of choosing leaders that are supportive of Your Holy Will.  We further recognize the responsibility, necessity, and power of Your church.  In the Mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.

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¹ (Before Trump’s Inauguration, a warning:  The worst influenza pandemic since 1918.  http://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/16/trump)