Recently as I was praying on the way to falling asleep I was struck with how many places in the Bible are pertinent to our times (& frankly to all times). A number of passages provide encouragement for us during difficult days & reveal how God has interceded on behalf of people through the ages. Perhaps you too might be encouraged in bringing to mind God’s deliverance in days past & reminded of ways we can pray scripturally during these dark days.
I didn’t realize that the above scripture is from where God appeared to Solomon at the dedication of the Temple. It’s a fascinating read that you can find here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=II+Chronicles+7&version=NIV
Here is a pertinent part of the passage in II Chronicles 7: 13-16
13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
God has relented from destruction in the past, including against people who did not know Him. The book of Jonah reveals God as merciful to people he was going to destroy because they listened to the messenger He had sent & repented & called on Him. In the book of Hosea God reveals Himself through Hosea’s life, who was commanded to marry a prostitute & to redeem her from the slave auction when she’d left her husband to return to her whoring ways. Before destroying Sodom & Gomorrah Abraham bargained with God & He was willing to save those wicked cities if just 10 righteous people could have been found in them.
In the New Testament we see numerous examples of God’s mercy poured out through His Son Jesus. In the woman caught in adultery, possibly Mary Magdalene, He rescued her from stoning in act of astonishing justice & mercy!
John 8: 1-11, from here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%208&version=NIV
1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
In the tale of the paralytic man we see someone who is healed because of the faith of a few close friends (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2: 1-12; Luke 5: 17-26; & John 5: 1-15, this is possibly a story of a different paralytic). Likewise in the healing of the servant of the Centurion (Matthew 8: 5-13) we see God’s healing power poured forth even from afar.
In the resurrection of the dead we see multiple examples: the valley of the dry bones (Ezekiel 37: 1-14), the son of the Shunammite woman (II Kings 4: 8-37), the Synagogue Leader’s daughter who’d died (Matthew 9: 18-26), Dorcas (Acts 9: 32-43), & of course Lazarus (John 11). There were also many dead who arose upon Jesus’ resurrection (Matthew 27: 51-53)!
Here is a music video created using Carmen’s song “Lazarus Come Forth” that artistically retells the scriptural tale of Lazarus’ resurrection of the dead. (I used to attend church with Carmen back in my Tulsa days so this song really takes me back.)
There is nothing so dead that God cannot breathe life into it!
There are scriptural representations of God’s deliverance from seeming impossible odds:
- rescuing Moses from the decreed death of infant boys (Exodus 2: 1-10)
- the parting of the Red Sea to allow the Israeli’s to escape Egypt (Exodus 14 & 15: 1-21)
- David & Goliath (I Samuel 17)
- Samson’s death & the destruction of the Philistines (Judges 16: 23-32)
- the 4 lepers in the siege of Samaria (found in II Kings 6 & 7)
- Daniel in the Lion’s Den (Daniel 6)
- the fiery furnace (Daniel 3: 1-30)
- Elijah & his servant, who was likely Gehazi, (II Kings 6: 8-23) see the hosts of heaven.
Exodus 14: 13-14
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
God opened the servant’s eyes to see that “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
II Kings 6: 15-17
15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.
16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, fleshly, or human. We are strong (only) in the Lord & in the power of his might. Part of our power lies in praise & worship as we call on God to set us free!
This song recounts a number of places in scripture where worshipping God resulted in his people being set free. This is classic Petra with Greg X. Volz back in the lead vocalist slot singing “Let Everything That Hath Breath Praise the Lord”. I used to run with this song in my head, or on my walkman, way back in the day 😉
II Corinthians 10: 3-5
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Here you can find verse 4 above in all English translations: https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/2%20Corinthians%2010:4
Ephesians 6: 10-18, The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
I believe that Q Drops reference the Armor of God numerous times! These are those days that try men’s souls & we need to be armored in the Lord to withstand the evil onslaught that is incoming.
The Book of Daniel chapters 10-12 has some fascinating stuff. A passage in Daniel 10 is compelling in that it indicates that a heavenly messenger, an angel presumably, was prevented from coming for 3 weeks & it wasn’t until Michael (the archangel?) “one of the chief princes” came to assist him that he was able to break through…This may, in part, be due to the prayers of the saints, like how Frank Peretti portrayed in his breakthrough works “This Present Darkness” & “Piercing the Darkness”.
Daniel 10: 12-14
12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”
There are many places in scripture where we see evil doers come to a justified end. Here are a few:
- Proverbs 26:27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.
- Psalm 109 the majority of this Psalm is prayers for God to visit destruction on the psalmist’s enemy & ends with God’s blessing & favor on the one whom He loves.
- Proverbs 17:7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool— how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
- Ezekiel 13:8 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord.
We also see God restoring that which was ruined, lost, or discarded:
- The 2nd Chapter of Joel especially verses 12-14
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
14 Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the Lord your God.
- Ezekiel 36:35 They will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.”
- Isaiah 1: 21-28 could have been written just for these times!
21 See how the faithful city
has become a prostitute!
She once was full of justice;
righteousness used to dwell in her—
but now murderers!
22 Your silver has become dross,
your choice wine is diluted with water.
23 Your rulers are rebels,
partners with thieves;
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow’s case does not come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes
and avenge myself on my enemies.
25 I will turn my hand against you;[b]
I will thoroughly purge away your dross
and remove all your impurities.
26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old,
your rulers as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called
the City of Righteousness,
the Faithful City.”
27 Zion will be delivered with justice,
her penitent ones with righteousness.
28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken,
and those who forsake the Lord will perish.
Below are some tweets that provide encouragement as we continue to press on in the battle!
Above Major Patriot’s tweet of Lin Wood leading people in a powerful prayer is partially viewable at the Internet Archive here: https://web.archive.org/web/20201202193215/https://twitter.com/MajorPatriot/status/1334215092083298304
The tweet above is only viewable at the Internet archive now here: https://web.archive.org/web/20201217231742/https://twitter.com/BardsFM/status/1339711080088494080 BardsFM 🇺🇸 @BardsFMFolgen@BardsFM folgenMehr
Pray. For the Nation. For @realDonaldTrump For @GenFlynn For @SidneyPowell1 For @LLinWood For justice. For grace. For eyes to see and ears to hear. For all of us to humble ourselves before Him. God bless.
The tweet above is viewable at the Internet archive here: https://web.archive.org/web/20201218151532/https://twitter.com/cjtruth/status/1339951850901127169
JTRUTH @cjtruthFolgen@cjtruth folgenMehr
A prayer for today. BE READY! #SPIRITUALWARFARE #StandFirm #Ephesians6
As a final thought I believe that good & godly music can assist us in breaking through darkness & give us a boost so that we can rise up & do warfare in the Kingdom of God. Obviously music is an extremely personal choice & greatly impacted by our cultural & spiritual experiences. For me personally I often keep ClassicChristian247.com playing in the background, especially when digging into to topics connected to darkness. It helps lift my spirit & focus on the Lord.
Other favorite musical supports around our home include War in the Heavenlies & The Road to Jerusalem & too many others to name. There are links to both of these entire albums (I believe) & one favorite song from each mentioned here just below.
Well may the Lord continue to guide & direct our Precious President as he continues to do so much to beat back the forces of darkness that seek to destroy him, our land, & our very world. May God protect all the Patriots going to DC or assembling at state capitols or locally. May He grant us favor & deliver us & our land from those seeking dominion & destruction. May the Lord’s will & purposes be done in these challenging days. May He show Himself strong to set us free once again. May God be glorified & may this land be renewed & restored to it’s roots of faith. In Jesus Matchless Name!
God Bless everyone!
