Topic: More than Conquerors: Building and Thriving in Times of Troubles
Text: Daniel 9:20-25
“Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.”
Our text today refers to the divine visitation that Daniel had at a time when he decided to seek the Lord’s face. Jerusalem had been in ruins and had been desolate for close to seventy years. Jerusalem was in a sorry state with little or nothing to write home about it. However, just when the spirit of the people was at its lowest ebb, God sent His angel Gabriel with this reassurance: Jerusalem would be rebuilt again! After seventy years of ruins and desolation, hope was being rekindled. It is important to note the words of Angel Gabriel, “Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time” (Dan. 9:25b).
He said the walls of Jerusalem would be rebuilt during times of trouble or difficulties. For those of us God has called into the missionary enterprise these words of Gabriel are very instructive. We are seeking to reach unreached tribes such as the Hausa and the Fulani in the Northwest of Nigeria or the Kanuri, the Buduma, and the Shuwa Arabs in the Northeast. Beyond Nigeria, we have the Arabs and the Somalis amongst many others to reach. God is saying that even though we are confronted with daunting challenges as we seek to reach these resistant tribes when all is said and done, these tribes shall be reached. We are faced with a struggling economy and yet God is sending us to nations within the Vision 5015 Plus scope like Iran and Iraq. We are being assured that despite the downturn in our economy, we shall be enabled to reach these countries and deploy Nigerian missionaries to reach them.
Indeed, the security situation in our nation generally has deteriorated in the last few years. Some places are more prone than others to kidnapping, banditry, and other violent acts, and yet the gospel must be preached and the unreached need to be reached. Despite these challenges, says the Lord, the gospel shall be preached, and disciples will be made! Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more! Let the saints of God now arise! Even amid great dangers, inflation, and economic downturn, we are more than conquerors!
Prayer
•Pray for all missionaries laboring in difficult and dangerous places so that more courage would be ministered to their hearts.
•Pray for the arrowheads of Islamic fundamentalism in Northern Nigeria, the Sahel, and the Middle East. Ask that the God who accosted Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus would encounter them.
•Pray that the Lord of the harvest sends out more Kingdom laborers to the unreached people groups of Nigeria, North Africa, and the Middle East, while also providing financial resources to deploy and sustain them in the midst of economic hardships.
Pastor Tokunbo Salami
International Director,
Pleroma Missions
1 Comment
Thank you for the devotional. It is quite encouraging for missionaries like me. Thanks