ALPHA AND OMEGA
“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” - (Isaiah 46:10)
READ: John 1:1-5
In Revelation 1:8, our Lord Jesus Christ reveals Himself as the Alpha and the Omega. Later on in Revelation 21:6, He describes Himself as the Beginning and the End. For further emphasis, in Revelation 22:13, He said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” This means that everything starts and ends with Him.
From the Scriptures above, you will clearly see that you cannot start anything without God’s permission, and you cannot finish anything without His approval. This is good news for you, especially if you are about to embark on a project. Just talk to the Alpha and Omega about it.
God is the One who began this world, and He is the One who will end it. In other words, everything in this world is under His control, therefore, when you are close to Him and let Him guide you throughout your life, you will have a better quality of life because the One in control is your guide. This is why Proverbs 3:5 says:
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
God knows what will happen before it happens. He knows where there is danger and where your blessings are hiding. He said in Isaiah 45:3 that He will show you the treasures of darkness and the hidden riches in secret places. He knows these things because He is the Beginning and the End. This is why David wrote confidently:
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. - (Psalm 23:1-2)
If I may ask, who is your shepherd? Who guides you through life? For me, I know that I am too foolish to go through life on my own, and this is why I have made the Beginning and the End my shepherd. When I was looking to buy land for the Redeemed Christian Church of God’s campground, I admired a particular location because it was on a major road, and in my own limited mind, it was perfect. However, God guided us to the location we are now, which has now proven to be so much better because He is the End. Those who let Him guide their decisions never regret it.
ACTION POINT:
Let God guide your every move and decision. He knows the end from the beginning.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Chronicles 13-16
WHEN YOU PRAY 2
“Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.” - (Psalm 95:2)
READ: Matthew 6:9-13
Yesterday, I discussed the importance of being totally focused while praying. Today, I will continue the discussion on how to pray effectively.
When you pray, you must note that prayer is not a one-way conversation but a dialogue between you and God. In other words, prayer is not complete when you only talk to God and do not give Him the opportunity to speak back to you. In fact, whenever I pray, and I don’t get a response from God, I become worried because I really want to hear what He has to say. Even if his response is a rebuke, at least I know He has heard me. Habakkuk 2:1 says:
I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
You are to stand on your watch until you hear what God has to say. It is not just a time to pour out all your complaints, wait to hear from Him too.
The reason many people don’t hear from God is that they just come to the place of prayer and start making requests. Isaiah 55:6 says that you should call on Him when He is near. You must first draw Him near to you before you call on Him. Psalm 100:4 says:
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
The Scripture above means that if you want to go near God, as you enter into His courts, you should come with praises and thanksgiving.
In our Bible reading for today, Jesus taught the disciples how to pray. He started with praise, saying, “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” It is this praise that gets you into His courts and then gives you an audience with Him. Before you pray, praise God first. For a prayer session of one hour, spend at least 50 minutes praising Him. After you have praised Him sufficiently and He has drawn near to you, you can be sure that He can hear you and that you will receive answers to your prayers.
ACTION POINT:
The next time you are praying, start with thanksgiving and praises before you make a request. Then, wait to hear from Him.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Kings 24-25