Open Heavens Devotional 3rd April 2018 Tuesday by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Memorise: “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” – Acts 16:25
Read: 2 Chronicles 5:1-14 (KJV)
1 Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished: and Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among the treasures of the house of God.
2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.
3 Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month.
4 And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.
5 And they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up.
6 Also king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
7 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims:
8 For the cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.
9 And they drew out the staves of the ark, that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without. And there it is unto this day.
10 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.
11 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course:
12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)
13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.
Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 33-34, Colossians 1:1-23
MESSAGE:
Do you know that the glory of the Lord makes the impossible possible? Indeed, the glory of God breaks Satan’s bars of iron and demolishes anything that represents the walls of Jericho in the life of a believer in Christ. One way to attract God’s glory is through worship. If you need any form of breakthrough in life, spend time worshipping God. However, you must learn how to worship God correctly. Before you can worship God, you need to know Him. In today’s memory verse, we read about how God’s glory came down in the prison yard through intense worship rendered by Paul and Silas, two men who knew their God. Instead of being engrossed in self-pity, they sang high praises to God, worshipping Him for counting them worthy to experience the fellowship of Christ’s suffering. No wonder Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10:
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
The result was God’s glory coming down into the prison yard, shaking the prison to its very foundations and loosing the chains with which they were bound. When a man or woman carries the glory of God, there is absolutely nothing that will be impossible to him or her, because God’s glory is synonymous with His power.
In today’s Bible reading, it is amazing that in spite of the meticulous setting of all the liturgical materials, and the orderly procession of the Levites and priests, God’s glory did not come down until the Levites who were singers led the congregation of God’s people in intense worship. 2 Chronicles 5:13 says,
“It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;”
Beloved, I want to encourage you to be an ardent worshipper of God because it is good and blessed to do so. However, I want you to know that when a sinner brings a sacrifice of worship to God, God does not receive it because the sacrifice of a sinner is an abomination to Him (Proverbs 15:8). So if you are not yet born again, surrender your life to Jesus today, and this will qualify you to be an acceptable worshiper of the Almighty Father.
Action Point: Devote quality time to personally worship God today, and the results will be amazing.
Hymn 6: A New Thing
(Tune: There shall be showers of Blessing)
1. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because GOD will do new things
Sinners will soon be forgiven
Prodigals will come home soon.
Chorus:
Shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Rivers in desert now flowing
Halleluyah to our king.
2. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Sickness and sorrow will be gone
Bondage will be forgotten.
3. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
The barren will be fruitful soon
Failure will be forgotten
4. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Poverty will be forgotten
Stagnancy will soon be gone.
5. We will soon shout Hallelujah
Because God will do new things
To all miracles are given
There shall be celebrations
6. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Many will have testimonies
Of prayers answered fully
7. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
One of us will chase a thousand
Two will conquer ten thousand.
8. We will soon shout Halleluyah
Because God will do new things
Songs of praises we will sing
Halleluyah to our King.
Recent Comments