“Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old…” (Isaiah 51:9).
Many years ago, I was studying my Bible lying on the bed, and when I came across the scripture above, I jumped out of my bed. What excited me was that at that period, I’d been praying to God, asking for strength, the anointing, calling for revival; and the more I prayed, the weaker I felt. Then I heard God say to me through this scripture: “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep…? (Isaiah 51:9-10).
As far as I was concerned, the Lord was talking to me about the past few months, because I had conducted some crusades where I preached the gospel with power, healed the sick and cast out devils, with several people giving their hearts to Christ. I felt God was encouraging me and telling me, “Son, weren’t you the one that wounded the dragon? You wounded that devil before, you can do it again.” Boy! I loved that. But what got my attention the most was when He said “Art thou not it which hath dried the sea” (v.10). You might say, “But it was God that dried the Red sea for the children of Israel to pass over. Not exactly, because He gave the credit to Moses! He needed a Moses to do it.
Sometimes when God comforts you, He does it in a special way by reminding you of all the great things your faith had done in the past, and then He gives you credit for them. We give Him credit for His power, greatness, love and kindness, but He also gives us credit for our acts of faith.
Maybe you’re there today feeling weak and discouraged, the Lord is saying to you, “Rise up; you can do more! Put on strength. You can do it again. Your faith will yet prevail, and you’ll yet share your testimony!” God doesn’t want you sad, depressed or cast down; for that’ll dissipate your faith. That’s why He sometimes encourages you by reminding you of how your faith had triumphed in the past. What great things can you remember that you did in the Name of the Lord? Think about them; let them encourage you, then wake up, because God wants you to do more.
Prayer
Dear Father, I thank you for strengthening me through your Word today; thank you for all the victories and triumphs that I experience everyday as a result of putting my faith in you to work. I’m encouraged and rightly positioned for the victorious life as you lead me daily in triumphal procession, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Further Study
2 Corinthians 2:14
Psalm 42:11
(Taken by permission from Christ Embassy Church , aka Believer’s LoveWorld Ministries , Lagos, Nigeria. www.ChristEmbassy.org )
