PRAY UNTIL YOUR MORNING COMES
One of the most encouraging passages in the Bible is Psalm 30:5. The verse reads: “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for a night but joy comes in the morning”. No matter how long a problem may have gone on for, no matter how difficult and challenging the problem may appear to be, one thing is certain from this verse: PROBLEMS DON’T LAST FOREVER. Whatever you are going through today is a temporary situation. There’s nothing permanent about what you are facing today. That problem will last for only a night, for only a season.
The Night Season…
In our journey of life, we go through different seasons. Everyone at some point goes through a night season and a morning season. As we see from Psalm 30:5, the night season is a period of weeping. You weep because you may be going through a time of loss. In Job 16:16, Job said “My face is red with weeping dark shadows ring my eyes”. Job’s night season was a particularly distressing time of his life. He lost virtually everything. He lost his children, his house, his servants, his businesses, his health and everything that meant something to him. If like Job you are going through a night season because you have lost someone and something dear to you, you have lost blessings, testimonies and opportunities, I prophesy to you that your morning of joy begins today. Job lost so much, but the God of restoration brought him into a morning season. Job 42:10 tells us that “After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before”. As a new season dawns in your life today, the God of restoration will give you twice as much as you have lost. He will give you double for all you have lost, double for all your troubles (Isaiah 61:7).
For David, his night season was a period in his life when people were asking him “Where is your God” (Psalm 42:3)? Perhaps that’s the question some people are asking you today. They know you are a believer; you pray, go to church regularly and serve the Lord dutifully. So when challenges come your way, to mock you they ask questions like where is your God? In their hearts what they are saying is after all there are so many people who aren’t as dedicated as you are to God, who don’t do half the things you do for God yet they are married, have children, live in luxury etc. Why can’t the God you claim to serve help you or change your situation? If that is your story, all that ends today as God brings you into the morning season of your life. Those that have been asking you where is your God will see the manifestation of God’s faithfulness and goodness in your life and will start to say this is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes (Psalm 118:23).
Or maybe you are like Hannah and you have been weeping because you have been facing delay. For years you have been praying, waiting and believing God for a child, spouse, job, career, business or ministry advancement and nothing seems to have happened. During Hannah’s night season, many times her husband had to ask her “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons” (1 Samuel 1:8)? But when her morning season came, her tears turned to tears of joy. As God brings you into the morning season of your life, every yoke and stronghold of delay will be shattered in your life and you will be filled with tears of joy.
The morning season is a time of joy because it is a time God visits you, turns things around for your favour, and wipes away your tears. God will wipe away your tears today but you must be ready to pray until you see your morning season.
Joy comes in the morning because God remembers you…
In 1 Samuel 1:19-20, God remembered Hannah and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Her long awaited request became a testimony when God remembered her. Hannah saw her morning of joy because she didn’t give up in the place of prayer. 1 Samuel 1:7 says “This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat”. It was only when Hannah went to the house of the Lord to pray that her rival provoked her, that her rival mocked and ridiculed her. The provocation didn’t come when she cooked for her husband, slept with her husband, or went with her husband on evening strolls. It was when she prayed that she came under attack. The devil was trying to weaken her strength and resolve to pray because anytime Hannah prayed, a testimony was being birthed in the spiritual realm. Every time Hannah prayed, Hannah was drawing closer and closer to her breakthrough; her night season was giving way for her morning season. So in order to hinder her breakthrough, the enemy tried to weaken her prayer life. Though Hannah got discouraged by some of the things her rival Penniah said and did to her, she never gave up in the place of prayer. She still continued to pray. Hannah prayed until her morning of joy came.
Mark 10:46-52 tells us of a man called Blind Bartimeaus. He was a beggar and he was also blind. The day he cried out to Jesus to have mercy on him so many people gathered around him and rebuked. Blind Bartimeaus was close to his long awaited change, God was about to put a new song in his mouth, his morning of joy was about to dawn. To keep him tied to the same spot, the enemy got people to rebuke him and tell him to be quiet. But this man refused to give up just before his breakthrough. The more he was hushed down, the more he shouted out to Jesus to have mercy on him. Blind Bartimeaus didn’t stop crying out until he saw his morning of joy.
We need this kind of tenacity, determination and persistence in the place of prayer. Check your prayer life today. Are you weak, tired and don’t feel like praying, haven’t been praying? When the enemy sees you are at the verge of something big, a breakthrough is coming your way, he tries to discourage you in the place of prayer so you don’t pray and prevail. Don’t fall for his trick, don’t give up when you are so close to a breakthrough, rise up and pray. Pray until your morning of joy comes.
When you are at the edge of something good, when you are at the threshold of your breakthrough, you need to pray like you have never done before. Hannah prayed like she had never done before, she prayed to the point that Eli the priest thought she was drunk (1 Samuel 1:10-15). This certainly was no ordinary, usual, stereotype prayer.
In Hebrews 12:2, we are told that Jesus “…For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”. Jesus saw the glory that would come after crucifixion; Jesus saw his morning of joy. So what did Jesus do? Jesus endured the cross; He went through Gethsemane the place before the cross, the place before the glory. ‘Gethsemane’ is the point before you step into your morning of joy. It’s the point where you have to pray like never before. Jesus prayed to the point that His sweat was like blood (Luke 22:44). This was no ordinary, usual, stereotype prayer.
Gethsemane is the point you realize that for the joy set before you, because of something big God is bringing your way, because of God’s great plan and purpose for your life, you can’t afford to sleep even if everyone else is sleeping. You have to pray through. It’s the point where you become your biggest encourager. Where you may not have people supporting you but you don’t allow all that distract you. You pray through. Imagine how Jesus felt the three times He came and met His disciples sleeping after He had confided in them that “my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death…” (Matthew 26:36-46). If Jesus wasn’t focused, if Jesus didn’t look above and beyond His night season of rejection, disappointment, betrayal, ridicule and false accusations, He wouldn’t have been able to pray and pray through. Look beyond what is happening in your life today, look beyond the night season of loss, lack, delay and disappointment and pray until your morning of joy comes.
Joy comes in the morning because you cease from all your struggles…
The morning season is such a beautiful season in one’s life. This is why we must pray to see it and experience it. For Hannah it was a time she ceased from all her struggles. For years she had struggled to have just one child. But when her morning of joy came, what had been so difficult for her started happening with ease, with no difficulty whatsoever. 1 Samuel 2:21 says “And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters…” Imagine that! She started having children without any struggles, free from delay. It is the favour of God that takes you into a season where things start happening for you with ease. Psalm 30:5 links the morning of joy with God’s favour. I pray God’s favour will rest on you, overshadow you and put an end to struggles in your life. Things that have been difficult for you to do for years, will start happening with ease because the Lord will surround you with favour as with a shield (Psalm 5:12).
Joy comes in the morning because God gives you victory over your enemies…
In I Samuel 2:1, Hannah’s heart was overflowing with joy. She prayed and praised God for His goodness in her life. She rejoiced that God had delivered her and her mouth could boast over her enemies. During her night season, this woman saw all kinds of enemies. Enemies that tried to weaken her resolve just at the brink of her breakthrough. Enemies that didn’t want her to progress. Enemies that wanted her to remain on the same level year in year out. Enemies within and enemies without. Seen and unseen enemies. But when her morning of joy came, God granted her victory over all these enemies.
In Isaiah 37:36-37, the Lord gave the Israelites victory over their enemies when morning dawned. Sennacherib the King of Assyria had been threatening and oppressing the Israelites. Then God sent his angel of deliverance who put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. By morning, Sennacherib the king of Assyrian withdrew from the Israelites. I prophesy into your life in accordance with the word of the Lord that every person, force and power that has been tormenting and oppressing you and your family will withdraw from you as God brings you into your morning of joy, your morning of victory.
In Judges 6:28, the people of Gideon’s town and family woke up in the morning to discover that the altar of Baal had been demolished. This was a major victory. This was a morning of joy. Evil altars speak against people’s lives. The moment the evil altar was destroyed, Gideon who was a-nobody, became somebody; he started to manifest as mighty man of valour doing great exploits for God (Judges 6:33-7:25). Every evil altar keeping you from manifesting the glory and power of God will be destroyed by the fire of God as God brings you into your morning season of joy.
Evil and wicked requests are brought to evil altars. Requests like the kind Balak made concerning the people of Israel. Balak made a request to Balaam to place a curse on the Israelites. Balak was ready to pay anything to see the Israelites become a people with a terrible curse hanging on their heads (Numbers 22). But God frustrated this evil request and intention. Instead of them being cursed, they were blessed. I prophesy into your life on the authority of God’s word that every evil altar were they have made evil requests concerning you and your family will be demolished by the power of God as God brings you into a new season of your life, as God brings you into your morning of joy. Not only will the evil altar be demolished to innumerable pieces, God will reverse every evil request made about you. Instead of you being cursed you will be richly blessed, instead of you going down you will rise high and soar like an eagle for God. Instead of you being sick, you will be healed from the crown of your head to the sole of your feet and walk in divine health. No divination and enchantment against your life and family will work in the mighty name of Jesus. No misfortune or misery will come upon you and your family in Jesus mighty name (Numbers 23:21).
Joy comes in the morning because God honours you…
Hannah also testified in 1 Samuel 2:1 that God had lifted up her horn. She was simply saying God had taken away her reproach and brought honour to her. The Lord shall keep shame far away from you and bring honour to you.
When the devil sees that God is about to honour and lift up a person, he will try all kinds of things. In Esther 2:21-23, Mordecai a man of integrity, an upright man did something worthy of honour. He discovered a plot to assassinate the king and this was reported to the king and the king’s life spared. This man worked for the good of the land, this man did something noble for the king. But in Esther 3:1 something strange happened. After Mordecai helped the king, after Mordecai did something worthy of honour and recognition, the king honoured Haman elevating him and giving him a seat of honour higher than that of all the other nobles. Haman had no business on that seat of honour. He was clearly a person who cared about nothing and no one but his selfish interests. It was clear he wasn’t a man of integrity and good character, yet he was honoured. This happened because some satanic manipulations must have gone down. The king was manipulated into honouring Haman. This is what Satan does. When the devil sees God is about to honour one of His own, the devil will introduce and promote one of his own candidates. The writer of Ecclesiastes stated in Ecclesiastes 8:14 that he had observed something strange happening in this world. He had observed the righteous getting what the wicked deserve, and the wicked getting what the righteous deserve. What was he saying? He was saying that he had observed that in this world blessings are diverted. But the amazing thing about our God is that no matter how hard the devil tries to divert the blessings and honour due to a child of God, God can go to the extent of withdrawing the sleep of a king to see that the honour and blessing due to His child, is given him or her. This was what happened to Mordecai. The devil tried to take the honour that rightfully belonged to him, but God restored it back (Esther 6).
The devil also tried to cut short Mordecai’s life. A gallow of untimely death was prepared for Mordecai but he never saw it, he never went near it (Esther 7:9-10). I prophesy into your life that you as well as every member of your family will never see or go near any gallow or coffin of untimely death that has been prepared for you.
The book of Esther is a book of serious prayer and spiritual warfare. It shows us that prayer is never in vain; there is power in prayer. The plans of the enemy to see that Mordecai was never honoured, to see that Mordecai’s life and the lives of all the Jews was cut short failed because as the enemy was planning, the people of God were praying. They went into a time of serious prayer and fasting (Esther 4:1-3, Esther 4:15-16). Imagine what would have happened if they didn’t pray; if they didn’t stand their ground in the place of prayer. If they didn’t seek a reverse of everything the enemy was planning in the place of prayer? Prayer is the place of restoration, the place where battles are fought and won, the place where the forgotten are remembered and honoured, the place where the host of heaven work in your favour and usher you into your morning of joy.
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