Daniel 9:2
“in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.”
INSIGHT
-Delay in Hebrew is written as de-la or chronizo in Greek, which means to inhibit, hinder, detain, postpone and defer. Daniel learned from the sacred books of the prophet Jeremiah, that the desolation of Jerusalem would continue seventy years, which had already elapsed. In Jeremiah 29:10-11 the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Even though the Israelites went through a tough time during the Babylonian captivity the Lord gave them hope of a prosperous future. The captivity was occasioned by their disobedience and worship of idols which angered the Lord (Zechariah 1:12-15). It was probably such circumstances as these which produced the anxiety in the mind of Daniel, and which led him to offer this fervent prayer; and his fervent supplications should lead us to trust in God that he will accomplish His purposes, and should induce us to pray with fervor and faith when we see no way in which He will do it. In all cases he can as easily devise a way in answer to prayer, as he could remove the king from the throne, and incline the heart of Cyrus to undertake the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple. God’s promises are to encourage our prayers, not to make them needless; and when we see the performance of them approaching or pass, we should more earnestly submit them to God in earnest prayer and by His mercy and grace, He will answer us.
PRAYER
Oh Lord our God how great are You in the heavens and the earth. You are faithful and awesome in wonder, we praise Your holy name. We exult You Jehovah for You are good and Your mercies endures forever. We love You Abba Father, thank You for loving us first. May You forgive us all our trespasses and wash us with Your precious blood dear Jesus. May You remove every accusation against us our precious Advocate. May You make a way for us even where there seems to be no way. May You remove any form of delay in our lives, families, businesses, marriages, purposes, and nation for You love us and You care for us. O Lord, hear us, O Lord, forgive us, O Lord, listen and act. Do not delay for Your own sake, our God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name. May Your purposes prevail in our lives dear Master. May You accelerate us to the next level merciful Savior. We appreciate You dear Jesus for Your love and kindness upon us. May You break every bar of iron and prosper all our ways. May Your peace which surpasses all understanding dwell in our hearts and minds through You Christ Jesus. May You grant us success in all that we do this entire week. We praise You and glorify Your holy name, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Haggai 1:2, Daniel 9:19
Exodus 5:7-9
““You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.””
INSIGHT
-In this chapter we see Moses’s first encounter with Pharaoh in the attempt to deliver the Israelites from bondage. Moses was able to go before Pharaoh perhaps because he had been adopted by the previous Pharaoh’s daughter. Pharaoh considered himself divine and did not consider God as more important. He asks, “who is the LORD that I should obey His voice” (Exodus 5:2). He also considered the Israelites as lazy and made their release more difficult and their work harder. Sometimes we encounter such huddles in life. When one thinks they have made it and broken through, new challenges come. We know the mission of the devil is to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). He opposes our missions and purposes to see us fail and die emotionally, spiritually or even physically. He occasions more pressure to the elect of the Lord sometimes through leaders like Pharaoh at work, in families, society, national or international levels. We are all affected differently by life situations but we are encouraged to stand strong in the our LORD God Almighty. Moses believed in the LORD Almighty (Exodus 6:3), which is translated as Jehovah El-Shaddai who is all powerful, self sufficient and enough for us. He believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and was able to deliver the Israelites from the hands of Pharaoh. Despite the challenges or delay that we might be faced with, we are reminded to trust in the Lord and in His mighty power, and we find freedom from every captive situation in our lives, families, work, businesses, societies and nation.
PRAYER
Jehovah El-Shaddai, You are our only Lord and God. You are sufficient for us. You are God with us in and in us. We rest secure in Your mercy and grace. In Your presence we find favor. You are our Savior and Redeemer. Thank You for redeeming us from the curse of sin and shame. Thank You for Your sufficient grace upon our lives and our families. Thank You for loving us and blessing us with every kind of spiritual blessings. May You wash us with Your precious blood. We thank You Jehovah and give You thanks and praise. You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. We exult Your name and lift You high. You are the Lord our God. You are our Sure Foundation. All our hope and trust is in You. Some trust in horses, others trust in chariots, but we put all our hope and trust in You. May You renew our strength. We shall soar on wings like eagles. We shall run and not grow weary. We shall walk and not be faint, for all our hope is in You our Lord and God. May You provide for our every need dear Jesus. May You heal all those who are sick among us. May You enlighten our streps and make us prosperous in every purpose under heaven. May You break every form of delay or evil plan against us dear Jesus. May You protect our nation from violence that may be occasioned by the upcoming general elections dear Jesus. May You give us leaders who hearts are after You Lord our God. All glory, honor, power, praise and blessings belong to You dear Jesus, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 25:3
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
INSIGHT
–The above text may have some ambiguities which can cause one to form dogmatic conclusions about certain particulars in this section. Although what is clear is that apostle Paul experienced a thorn in the flesh. This can be translated to mean a tense, wearyingly difficult or affliction caused by a messenger of Satan or demonic agent. This caused Paul great consternation and ultimately served a good purpose, becoming the occasion for a revelation to him of the overcoming grace of God, which proved sufficient in the midst of his weakness. We know that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:10-17). Even though Paul was buffeted by Satan, either directly or indirectly, he did not cease serving God but remained strong in the Lord. We are reminded to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power amidst every tribulation or delay in prayer and purpose. To put on the full armor of God that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. The belt of truth buckled around our waists, breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, shield of faith that extinguishes all the flaming arrows of the evil one, helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Moreover, we are called to pray reverently like Paul who prayed three times and the thorn was removed from his flesh. The parable of the unjust judge and the widow reveals to us that God responds faithfully to persistent prayer, and grants us His abundant grace even in the most desperate situations (Luke 18:1-8).
PRAYER
We extol You Lord at all times, Your praises will always be on our lips. We glory in You Lord God Almighty, let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together. We shout for joy to You Lord in all the earth. We worship You Lord our God with gladness and come before You with joyful songs. Only You Lord are good and Your love endures forever. Your faithfulness continues through all generations. How great are You in all the heavens and the earth. May Your unending peace dear Jesus sanctify us completely. May our whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at Your coming Jesus Christ. May Your deliver us completely from even thorn in our flesh and make us whole in You and Your divine purpose Jesus Christ. May You deliver us from the snares of the enemy and make us stand upon You dear Jesus, the Rock of our salvation. May Your grace and favor forever dwell in our hearts to deliver Your power that saves us from all weakness. When we are weak then we are strong for You are in us and with us Holy Spirit. Thank You for making us more than conquerors in You dear Jesus. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Luke 18:1–8, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Acts 25:17
“When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in.”
INSIGHT
-Festus the Roman procurator went into the judgment hall, and took his place there, in order to hear this cause; which circumstance he mentions, to show how expeditious he was. Festus’ problem was that he had to send Paul to Caesar for trial, but he had no idea what to say to Caesar about the case. He did not know what accusations the Jews brought against Paul or why they wanted him executed (Acts 25:23-27). The questions about God’s worship, the way of salvation, and the truths of the gospel, may appear doubtful and without interest, to worldly men and mere politicians. But the day is at hand when Festus and the whole world will see, that all the concerns of the Roman empire were but trifles and of no consequence, compared with this question of Christ’s resurrection. Festus could not follow the argument at all and thought that Paul was mad. Agrippa, however, was familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures and understood what Paul was saying. Paul therefore appealed to him for support (Acts 25:25-27). Agrippa replied, either light-heartedly or sarcastically, that Paul was being over-enthusiastic if he thought he could convert him to Christianity in such a short time (Acts 26:28-29). Nevertheless, he was honest enough to admit that Paul had done nothing that deserved imprisonment (Acts 26:30-32), and his case did not delay. Sometimes delay in one’s purpose can be occasioned by an accusation against believers, which could either be true or false. The devil accuses the brethren before the Lord day and night (Revelation 12:10), and a case in filed in the courts of heaven. Other times such cases manifest and people find themselves in court; which might take too long to conclude. We are reminded to pray to our Lord Jesus Christ who is our Advocate and we find absolution from all sins, accusations and faults.
PRAYER
Abba Father You are enthroned above all other gods. Only You are the true God, and all other gods are the works of human hands and cannot speak, hear or see. You are seated on the right hand of the Father our Savior Jesus Christ. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus You are God to the glory of God the Father. We acknowledge that You Jesus are the true God and there is none but You. We praise You and worship Your holy name. May You forgive us all our sins, sins of our fathers, sins of our forefathers, sins of our ancestors, sins our family members, sins of our leaders and our nation. Your blood dear Jesus our Mediator speaks better things that of Abel. May You wash us with Your precious blood dear Jesus. We humbly ask that You remove any accusations against us, our families, president and nation in the courts of heaven our Advocate Jesus Christ. May You give us peace during this season of elections and may Your presence engulf us always. May You deliver us from any form of relational, economic, financial, spiritual, and purposive delay in Your name dear Jesus. Have mercy on all those who have court cases and release them dear Jesus. May You deliver all those who are in prison our loving Savior. We humbly ask You to preserve us from shame and show us the light of Your salvation. May Your gift of salvation reach all our family members and all people for the glory and honor of Your name. Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory; forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: 1 John 2:1-2
Ecclesiastes 3:11
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”
INSIGHT
-God has a beautiful time for every purpose under heaven. He is our eternal God and nothing catches Him by surprise. He has set eternity in our hearts that we may achieve everything that He has commanded us at this beautiful time. It is important to understand His purpose for our lives, family and nation even though we may not fully comprehend it. We are hopeful that everything that happens, occurs just when it should happen according to God’s plan. This doesn’t necessarily help to understand why, but it does allow us to trust him and find our ultimate purpose in that. John 1:3 reminds us that, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Also that, God has created all and is in all (Col 3:11). He is behind the way things are and the way they are going to turn out.
SUMMARY
Scripture reveals instances that delay occurred, which of-course has a purpose. Delay in purpose can be occasioned by the dark forces of the enemy whose work is to kill, steal and destroy. We know that our struggles are not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers and rulers of this world of darkness. The Israelites had gone through another form of captivity in Egypt under the leadership of Pharaoh. When Moses went to intercede for them that they may go to worship God, Pharaoh exerted more pressure on them to deliver the same number of bricks with no provision of straw (Exodus 5:7-9). Later during the invasion by king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Daniel realized their the divine revelations by Jeremiah that the captivity of Israelites would last seventy years (Daniel 9:2). It was after this time had elapsed and he called on God for deliverance of the people. We are reminded to call on the Lord always even during time when we sense delay for the prayers of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). Apostle Paul called on the Lord for deliverance from a tribulation that he experienced. A thorn in the flesh occasioned by a messenger of Satan, and he prayed three times, and the Lord abound His divine grace upon him causing freedom. It is through God’s grace that we have been saved not by our works, and we have no room to boast. We are called to submit to Jesus all our cares and burdens and He will deliver us by His sufficient grace. Presented before court, Paul also made an appeal before Festus the Roman procurator who had doctrinal limitations and did not understand his arguments emanating from his Christian faith. He struggled with the truth about salvation, the gospel of Jesus Christ and resurrection of the dead. It was king Agrippa who absolved Paul from his accusation as he appreciated the message of Jesus Christ. Even though delay in purpose occurs, we should appreciate the fact that God makes everything beautiful at His time. Even though we cannot fully comprehend the purpose of God, He reveals to us some truths through dreams, visions, prophecy, and His word. God is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness, but He is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. God desires that we succeed and that His purpose may be fulfilled in our lives. He gives us hope of restoration like He did with the Israelites at the promise of repaying us for the years the locusts have eaten both great and young. He promises provision of plenty to eat until we are full, and deliverance from shame that we may forever praise His name (Joel 2:25-26).
PRAYER
Abba Father You are faithful even when we become faithless, you remain faithful. You are exulted on high dear Jesus. You are the great I Am, the great High Priest and our sure Foundation. You are our Almighty God. All Strength and Might belongs to You Lord our God. May Your sufficient grace abound in our hearts and minds in You Christ Jesus. May You strengthen us when we are weak. May Your purposes in our lives, families and nation come to pass at Your appointed time Holy Spirit. May Your acceleration occur in every delayed purpose for her glory and honor of Your name. We love You Lord and praise Your holy name. May You restore what has been eaten by the locusts. The great and the young locust. May we get back track with our divine purposes, our lost finances, delayed marriages, and lost time. May You refresh us with Your goodness, love, favor and grace dear Jesus. May You bless us Lord and keep us. May You make Your face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us. May You turn Your countenance upon us and grant us peace. Amen
Further reading: Isaiah 60:22, 2 Peter 3:8-9