CANOPY

Job‬ ‭36‬:‭29‬-‭33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬

“Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, the thunder from His canopy? Look, He scatters His light upon it, and covers the depths of the sea. For by these He judges the peoples; He gives food in abundance. He covers His hands with lightning, and commands it to strike. His thunder declares it, the cattle also, concerning the rising storm.”

INSIGHT
-Canopy in Hebrew is written as chaphah which means a chamber, closet or defense. Elihu endeavors to fill Job with high thoughts of God, and so to persuade him into cheerful submission to God’s providence apart from his retribution and suffering. It is impossible to fathom the thoughts and work of God from the beginning to the end, for His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways higher that our ways. Can anyone therefore understand the spreading and thundering of the clouds from its canopy? The canopy is the covering or hiding place and this is striking proof of the wisdom and power of God.

PRAYER
Almighty Heavenly Father we come before Your Holy Name this wonderful day, thanking You for all You have done for us and given unto us. Thank You for Your faithfulness this year and this October oh Lord. You have been our Faithful and Merciful Father, great is Your faithfulness dear Lord. Father, may You forgive all our iniquities and trespasses and cleanse us with Your precious blood. We commit our lives unto You and pray that Your will may be done as it is in heaven upon our lives, families and nation. May Your presence fill us and be upon us and all our endeavors and may we abide in You always. We commit all the candidates unto You and pray that Your Holy Spirit may give them remembrance of all they studied and learnt. May You grant them success and victory in Jesus’ name. We come against every plan and setback from the enemy, and we cover these candidates with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We also pray for all those who have been evicted during the recent demolitions, that You Lord may help them and secure them with Your righteous right hand. May Your restoration and help be their portion in Jesus’ name. Oh Lord may You visit and remember all those who need You in their lives and answer the desires of their hearts. We thank You for we know You have heard us and You will do all according to Your divine will. We pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Further reading: Psalms 91:1-10

2 Kings 16:18 NIV

“He took away the Sabbath canopy that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the Lord, in deference to the king of Assyria.”

INSIGHT

-King Ahaz put contempt upon the sabbath, and thus opened a wide inlet to all manner of sin. He redesigned the sabbath canopy and opened it up due to influence by other foreign cultures. This he did for the king of Assyria. When those who have had a ready passage to the house of the Lord, turn it another way to please their neighbors, and thus chose a path down-hill to ruin. When the Pharisees sort to kill Jesus, they asked Him whether it was lawful to heal during Sabbath. Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue and taught that it is indeed lawful to do good during Sabbath (Matthew 12:9-14).

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, we are here at Your most Holy throne of grace and mercy this day, with thanksgiving in our hearts that we may find grace to help us during our time of need. This is our time of need Abba Father, may You help us and accelerate us to the next level according to Your great purposes for us. We thank You for loving us and giving us life, peace, joy and showing us Your mercies this very day. Jesus, You made Sabbath for man and not man for Sabbath. May You help us to do good during season and off season. May You help us to keep the Sabbath day holy and to do Your will always. May You guide our steps and give us victory in all things. May You grant victory unto all our candidates and help them to excel and have good success. We pray this believing and trusting in Jesus Mighty name. Amen 

Further reading: Mark 2:27–28

Ezekiel 41:25 NKJV

“Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the temple just as they were carved on the walls. A wooden canopy was on the front of the vestibule outside.”

INSIGHT

-The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) was an initiative that began in May 2021 in the United Kingdom in honor of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. To increase and protect the native tree cover, people were urged to create this ‘special gift’ for the Queen, to mark her 70 years on the throne. The work of preservation of trees and conservation of the environment has gained traction over time even in our own nation. The walls and doors of the temple were decorated by cherubim and palm trees, probably to symbolize preservation of the presence of God to His people. The work of preservation of the environment is prime since this is God’s creation. Preservation of our hearts from wickedness of the world is a call to everyone and we will be found planted like trees in the rivers of water and we shall never wither.

PRAYER

Dear Lord Jesus,  we thank You for this far You have brought us, thank You for this new month. We pray that it shall be filled with Your blessings and promises shall be fulfilled this very month. We surrender our lives to You and pray that You shall take over every situation in our lives. We pray that You shall guide us and cover us under Your canopy and give us Your security in all matters of our lives. May You accelerate us in the purposes for which You have called us in Jesus name. May You break every chain and barrier in our lives and bring to completion the work that You began in us, in Your mighty name Jesus. No weapon fashioned against us shall prosper and tongue that has been raised against us shall prevail in Jesus name. Oh Lord may You deliver us, our families and nation from any accusation against us. May You grant us breakthrough even in the preservation of our environment as You preserve our hearts dear Jesus. Heavenly Father, we pray that as our candidates continue undertaking their exams that You shall bless their minds and give them victory in all the papers. We pray for the children who are at home already that Your protection and preservation is their portion in Jesus name and may You keep them away from the enemy’s plans. We pray for our nation that You shall cover us under Your canopy and You shall give our leaders wisdom as they lead us. We surrender all unto You and pray that all shall go by Your will. We pray this in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Further reading: Psalms 1:1-6

2 Samuel 22:12-18 NKJV

“He made darkness canopies around Him, Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him Coals of fire were kindled. “The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice. He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the world were uncovered, At the rebuke of the Lord, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils. “He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; For they were too strong for me.”

INSIGHT

-King David describes his deliverance initially in figure of terms and subsequently in more literal language. God thunders surrounded by dark canopies, expressing His power and majesty. When David was surrounded by waves of death and sorrows of Sheol, and the floods of ungodliness made him afraid, he called upon the Lord and was delivered. David openly describes his distress and trusted in God for safety. The blind beggar in Luke 18:39 could not keep quiet in his calamity even as he was warned to do so. He kept calling on Jesus the Son of David to have mercy on him and he was healed. We are confronted by many evils, trials and tribulations in the world. We should stay awake to the reality that the devil in always searching for people to devour, moving around like a roaring lion and that is why we should be covered under the canopy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The devil’s objective is to kill, steal and destroy but when we call on the name of the Lord and have faith in Jesus and His redemptive work, we escape all his snares.

PRAYER

Lord You are my Rock and Fortress, my Deliverer in Whom I put my trust. You are my Strength and Shield, the horn of my Salvation, I call on You for deliverance. You are my Stronghold and my Refuge, my Savior, You save me from violence. I call upon You Lord for You are worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. Save us dear Jesus from the snares and plans of the devil who comes to kill, steal and destroy. May You clear up the gates of November from every demonic activity that we may succeed and obtain breakthroughs in all areas of our lives. May You deliver us from every curse that originates from us or our forefathers and bloodlines, by Your precious blood. May You deliver us from any accusation against us in Your courts of heaven and accelerate our destinies according to Your books in heaven. May You forgive us all our sins and trespasses and enable us to forgive all those who offend us. May You deliver us from all evil, delay, barrenness, distress, destruction and cover us with Your canopy of protection. May You teach us and guide us on how and where to pray and fellowship with other brethren. May You bind us together with our families with cords of kindness and ties of love that cannot be broken. We pray this believing and trusting in Jesus Mighty name. Amen

Further reading: 1 Peter 5:8, James 4:7

Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭22‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.”

INSIGHT
-God’s power and glory are not only exalted above the inanimate creation, but also over men of power on the earth. God is uncontainable, He is Omnipotent. He transverses over all the universe like a canopy. Only God has this ability and only He deserves to be exulted and worshipped.

SUMMARY
Canopy is a unique theme that derives more of a symbolic than literal meaning. Canopy is described in the creation work and power of God, and none can have full comprehension of it. Like the clouds which cover the universe and thunders originate within His canopy (Job‬ ‭36‬:‭29‬-‭33). God is powerful and wise and none can fully know Him and His works. No one can fully comprehend what goes on under the sun despite all our efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it (Ecclesiastes‬ ‭8‬:‭17). God stretches over His canopy and His people appear like grasshopper. King Solomon a wise ruler guided by God to construct the temple, he designed cherubim and palm trees on the door and walls of the temple, and a wooden canopy on the front of the vestibule (Ezekiel‬ ‭41‬:‭25‬). This probably speaks of the preservation of the presence of God by the cherubim and work of preservation of trees in the environment. King Ahaz influenced by the Assyrian king redesigned the temple and removed the Sabbath canopy and royal entry (2 Kings‬ ‭16‬:‭18‬). He allowed his heart to be influenced by the Assyrian culture and disregard the Sabbath. The Lord in His mercy and kindness is able to liberate us from the demonic influences that come to kill, steal and destroy. Even as David was confronted by a strong enemy, he cried out for help to the Lord from His canopy thundered from the heavens and delivered him (2 Samuel‬ ‭22‬:‭12‬-‭18‬). The Lord nourishes us and the nations by His love and calls us to seek Him and His wisdom, and we will find Him through prayer, fasting, fellowship, reading His word and remaining in fellowship with one another.

PRAYER
You are the Almighty God, the Holy One, none can compare to You. You are Yahweh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the heavens and the earth. You are highly lifted up above all powers, kings, thrones, dominions, rulers, nations and above all creation. You are the one who appoints kings and depose them. Almighty Heavenly Father, how Holy is Your Name in all the heavens and the earth. We bow before Your throne with humble adoration that You may forgive us all our sins and iniquities and wash us with Your precious blood dear Jesus Christ. We surrender ourselves to You and submit to Your guidance and will. May You cover us with Your canopy of mercy, protection, kindness and love dear Jesus. Lord You can do all things, and none of Your purposes can be thwarted. May You bless us and keep us. May You shine Your face towards us and be gracious unto us. May You show Your countenance unto us and give us peace. 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 forevermore. Amen

Further reading: Jeremiah 32:27, Job 42:1-2