Week message: Historical victory fact
by the prayers of God’s servant 2/6/2019
by Rev.
Katherine Liu Bruce Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical Precepts & Gospel
Music.
Introduction
Bible provides the historical fact of victory in each
event approved that by the petition and prayers of His servant, God did modify the
judgments, purified people’s hearts, and renewed people’s faith. God gained the
victory over the human’s complains for the sake of His name, and His
righteousness. As Psalm33:10-12 states, “The Lord foils the plans of the
nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord
stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed
is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”
The petition and prayers of His
servant
My friends, do you
spend enough time to petition and pray to the Lord for your nation, people, and
families? How to live in the sense of peace, fulfillment, and victory over the
circumstances? We can simply refer to historical heroes in the Bible and in the
U.S.A. there are many good examples laid for us to follow and gain insight of
wisdom. For examples in Old Testament, First, Moses’ prayers delivered His
people out of the bondage of slavery, experienced freedom life, and received
the Spirit of God to obey and serve the Lord. Second, Elijah’s prayers gained God’s
comforting, encouraging and affirmation that he wasn’t alone. God’s presence
restored his faith, strength and delivered him out of the fear of his enemy. Third,
Daniel’s prayers moved God’s heart to forgive and saved His people. For the
sake of His name, God restored the sanctuary from be desolated, not for the
sake of people’s righteousness, but God’s own righteousness. Fourth, Esther’s
prayer and called her people for prayer and fast, not only saved herself before
the king, she also saved her people.
In N.T. the prayers of Jesus enabled Him to complete
Father’s eternal redemption plan. Through Jesus died on the cross as Lamb of
God took away the sins of the world, redeemed and reconciled the people back to
God. The Spirit of Christ after resurrected has poured out on His disciples and
all of us who believe in Him. The Apostle Paul’s prayers regained the spiritual
insight and vision about Jesus, and God’s way to reach out Gentiles for the
sake of salvation. The John the Baptist’s prayers enabled him to influence his
people and believed Jesus is Christ Messiah.
In U.S.A. there are many presidents whose hearts delighted
in the Lord, and fully committed to Christ, sought Lord’s guidance, and help. Such
as 1) George Washington, his prayers and a heart of fulfillment for Christ; he
asked Lord to frame him daily into the likeness of His son Jesus Christ, and living
in His fear, and dying in His favor, so that he may in God’s appointed time
attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life. George Washington’s prayers
as follows,
“Eternal and everlasting God, …increase my faith in the sweet promises of
the gospel, give me repentance from dead works, pardon my wanderings, and
direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation; teach me how to live
in they fear, labor in thy service; and ever to run in the ways of thy
commandments; make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors
of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an
unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a spiritual slumber, but daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son
Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy
appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life bless my
family, friends, and kindred.”(Undated prayer from Washington’s prayer journal, Mount Vernon)[1]
2) 28th president Woodrow Wilson’s commands reflected
the knowledge of Bible and salvation. Acknowledge the nation’s needs of Holy
Scripture guidance. He commanded,
The Bible is the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life,
the nature of God, and spiritual nature and needs of men. It is the only guide of life which
really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation. America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that
devotion to the elements of righteousness which and derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture. (Woodrow Wilson 28th
President)[2]
3) 18th president- Ulysses S. Grant, a heart
delights in the Bible Precepts to guide and lead nation into righteousness of
God. President Grant commanded,
Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor of
your liberties. Write its precepts in your hearts, and practice them in your lives. To the influence of this book are we
indebted for all the progress made in
true civilization, and to this we must look as our guide in the future. Righteousness
exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Ulysses
S. Grant 18th president) [3]
4) 30th president- Calvin Coolidge was
well-ground in the knowledge of Bible and well understood our government and
nation can rest on the teaching of the Bible. He commanded,
“ The strength of our
country is the strength of its religious convictions…the foundations of
our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it
would be difficult to support them if
faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our county.”[4]
5) 32th president-Franklin Roosevelt’s well-ground in
Biblical precepts and understood the important of obeying the Bible, for its
precepts was powerfully shaping our nation.
Franklin Roosevelt commanded as follows,
We cannot read the history of our rise and
development as a Nation without reckoning with
the place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the
Republic …where we have been the truest and most
consistent in obeying its precepts, we have attained the greatest measure of contentment and
prosperity.” [5]
6) Abraham Lincoln in second inaugural
address on March 4, 1865, it reflected a prayer to the Lord for helping to
finish the work in order to gain a just and a lasting peace among the nations.
he said,
“Fondly
do we hope-fervently do we pray… that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that
it continue…until every drop of blood drawn with
the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword …so still it must be
said, “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the
right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the
nation’s wounds, to care for him who
shall have borne the battle and for his widow and for his orphans to do all
which may achieve and cherish a
just and a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” [6]
7) Ronald Reagan’s speech to the American people
on February 6, 1986 reflected the meekness and
the needs of God’s strength to lead our nation. He commanded,
Inside
the Bible’s pages lie all the answers to all the problems man has ever known…
It is my firm belief that the enduring
values presented in its pages have a great meaning for each of us and for our nation. The Bible can touch our
hearts, order our minds, and
refresh
our souls.[7] To preserve our
blessed land we must look to God…it is time to
realize
that we need God more than He needs us…Let us, young and old, join together,
as did the First Continental Congress, in
the first step, in humble heartfelt prayer. Let us
do so for the love
of God and His great goodness, in search of His guidance and the
grace of repentance, in seeking His blessings,
His peace, and the resting of His kind and
holy
hands on ourselves, our nation, our friends in the defense of freedom, and all
mankind, now and always. The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America…our
country is in need of and ready for a spiritual renewal.
Today, we utter no prayer more fervently than the ancient prayer for peace on Earth.
“The Lord bless you and keep
you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord life up His countenance upon you
and give you peace…” and God
bless you all. [8]
Each
heart and prayers of our former presidents were reflected the meekness before
God and acknowledged the needs of God’s help, strength, and the divine light
guidance of the Bible and its precepts. They were well understood that our
nation needs God’s strength, by the powerful prayers can cease the storms,
destruction, corruption and delivered us from the darkness dominion into God’s
marvelous light; by God’s protection our nation can be safe from evil one. It’s
not a personal mind game, nor for a person self- glory, but for God’s glory, and
His name and His righteousness.
The urgent calling for the saints to
pray and fast for the nation
Today, we live in
United States of America, the urgent calling for the saints, believers are to
pray and fast for the nation in order to gain the right vision and direction.
Each saint shall lift up the holy hands and cooperate with Holy Spirit to pray
for the nation and petition for each decision’s making regardless denomination.
That God will pour out His spirit on all the people and the Spirit of Christ
may rest on us and reigns over our nation. Each fulfillment and intention let
God be glorified.
Living in the United States of America, we faced many
people who hold on “no God theory”, “no Christ, no Bible” and don’t want to do
anything with God, nor take oath with “so God help you”. When I responded, “I will
pray for you, May God have mercy on your soul”, the man talked back “What God?
Where is the soul?” I couldn’t image
that if our nation was controlled or led by the people who rejected God and
Bible, he or she lives without God’s divine light, strength, and the guidance
of precepts, decrees, laws and principles in the Bible. For the Lord commanded
in Joshua 1:8, “Do not let this Book of
the Law depart from your mouth, meditated on it day and night, so that you may
be careful to do everything written in it. Then, you will be prosperous and
successful.”
Prayer is key element turn around the circumstances
(Number 11:3)
During this New Year while I prayed for the
nation, God unveiled His scriptures in my dream, it awakens me to call for
praying and fast for this nation. The dream unveiled the Old Testament Number
11:1-3
“The people complained about their hardships
in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard
them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the
camp. When
the people cried out to Moses, he prayed
to the Lord and the fire died down. So that place was called Taberah, because fire from the Lord had burned among them.”
(Num.11:1-3).
The
consequences here are that Moses faced Israelites complained about their
hardships, wailed to him and wanted the meat, and fishes they had eaten in
Egypt, the Lord became exceedingly angry. Moses
was trouble. He responded in prayer and petition to the Lord for the
consequences and the fire died down. Moses’ prayers ceased the anger of the
Lord and the fire from the Lord burned among them died down. Prayer is key
element to turn around the circumstances. Moses learned not to handle the thing alone, but petition
to the Lord and asked God’s instruction and direction. Moses’ petition as
follows,
“Why have you brought
this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all
these people on me? Did I conceive all these people?
Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my
arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to
the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me,
‘give us meat to eat!’ I cannot carry all these
people by myself, the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going
to treat me, put me to death
right now, if I have found favor in your eyes and do not let me face my own ruin.” (Numbers11:10-15).
It is understandable that Moses’ heart was
trouble for his people and the tasks that Lord asked him to lead was too heavy.
He was an ordinary man, without expectation, the Lord elected Him to be the
leader to lead his people. Without Lord’s instruction and guidance, he lost the
peace. Hence, he made excuses, “I cannot
carry all these people by myself.” God had favor on Moses for reason, for
he was a very humble man (Num.11:3) and he wasn’t a jealous man (Num11:29). God
unveiled him the way to solve the problem in Num11:16-17.
“Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are
known to you as leaders and officials among the people…I will come down and speak
with you there and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit
on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have
to carry it alone.” (Num11:16-17).
The
Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not
what I say will come true for you.” (Num.11:23). Then the Lord came down
in the cloud and took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the
seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. Even Eldad and Medad had remained in the camp,
the Spirit also rested on them and they prophesied in the camp. (Num.11:27). God
provided quail by a wind went out from the Lord, it brought the quail down all
day and night and the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less
than ten homers. However, while the meat was still between their teeth and
before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people
and he struck them with severe plague. Therefore, the place was named Kibroth
Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food.
(Num.11:32-34). How awesome and a fearful lesion in this chapter Number11:1-35.
It awakens people stop complain the hardship, nor wail to have a luscious life
style. Rather than fear of the Lord, and know what the Lord’s will is? When
there is unity with same minds, same hearts and same Spirit of Lord, the things
can be better. Moses as a leader, he solved the problem by prayers and petition
the consequences to the Lord, yet, it’s God himself provided the best solution
and solved the problem and brought the judgment to the people.
My friends, are you a person God
elected to lead people as Moses? Each decision making, do you spend time enough
to pray to God for guidance? And listen to the voice of God, acknowledge of His
principles, precepts, laws, and decrees in the Bible? Do you have the good characteristic of Moses
as a humble man, not jealousy, nor envy others, when God pour out His Spirit
upon them? Historical facts had reflected the fulfillment of God’s calling it took
God’s hand, His way, His wisdom, His favor, His divine power and judgment to
complete God’s economy. Saints need to believe that Lord Christ Jesus has triumphed
and gained the battle for us. He is Lamb of God, setting on the throne, judge
the nations. It is God’s battle, not ours, but we need to act on our faith and
corporate with the Holy Spirit by prayers and petition to the Lord daily concerning
each consequence of this nation, let God unveils His might way and His will. For “the Lord foils the plans of the nations; he
thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm
forever, the purposes of his heart through all generation. Blessed is the
nation whose God is the Lord. The people he chose for his inheritance.” (Psalm33:10-12).
Pray for our nation
O Lord, I pray to
thee, have mercy on our nation while we don’t see the way clear to reach the
fulfillment of your will, nor the hearts of delight in your Biblical precepts.
Please pardon of our iniquity, and pour out thy Spirit upon us, so that we may renew
our vision, clarify of thy way in order to fulfill thy commands. Let the Spirit
of Christ reigns over us, and rest upon us. Let thy way be our way, let thy
vision be our vision, let thy thoughts be our thoughts and May thy
will be done. May our nation soar on the wings like eagles, we will run and
not grow weary, and we will walk and not grow faint. For those who hope in the
Lord will renew their strength. (Isa.40: 41). And blessed is the nation whose God
is the Lord. O Lord,
for your name sake, save us from corruption world and deliver us from the
dominion of darkness, and lead us into the path of righteousness, the kingdom
of God, Christ Jesus our Lord’s eternal shinning light. O Lord! May Thy name to
be praised and be glorified. May Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Bibliography,
Anderson,
Neil. The Bondage Breaker: Overcoming negative
thoughts, irrational feelings, habitual sins. Sisters Oregon: Harvest House
Publishers, 2006.
Bauer,
Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early
Christian Literature. 3rd Chicago: The University of Chicago
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Brown,
Robert, Philip W. Comfort and J.D. Douglas, ed. The New Greek English
Interlinear New Testament. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers,
Inc.1990.
Bruce,
Katherine L. Book review: the bondage
breaker by Neil T. Anderson. M.Div. VAN670. Orlando FL: Liberty University
Baptist Theo. Seminary, 2012.
Countryman,
Jack. If my people. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016.
Friberg,
Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical Lexicon
of the Greek New Testament.1st ed. Victoria BC: Trafford
Publishing, 2005.
King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company
Lee,
Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry,
1985.
Lucado, Max. God is with you every day. Nashville, TN:
Thomas Nelson, 2015
__________. Glory Days. Nashville, TN. Thomas Nelson, 2015
Myers, Roth. 31 days of praise.
Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 1994.
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible
(NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.
Strong, James. Strong’s: the expanded
exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 2010.
Towns, Elmer. Fasting for a Spiritual Breakthrough: a guide to nine biblical fasts. Ventura:
Regal Books, 1996 .
[1] Jack
Countryman. If my people. ( Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016),19
[2] Jack Countryman. If my people. (
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016),10
[3] Jack Countryman. If my people. (
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016),11
[4] Ibid.
[5] Jack Countryman. If my people. (
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016),11
[6] Jack Countryman. If my people. (
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016),10
[7] Ibid.,47
[8] Ibid.,89
