Pains shall end in praise, by Funmi Komolafe

At a time such as this, many of us reflect on events of the year, our areas of success, limitations and shortcomings.

Whatever may be the situation, we should give thanks to God for keeping us alive.

It is by His Grace and Mercy that we are alive. 

Anyone who is alive is a candidate for a miracle as long as the person serves the LORD and keeps his commandments.

The reality though is that some people are coping with   loneliness as a challenge.

Loneliness comes in different forms.  Some are lonely because they haven’t children in their homes after years of marriage.

Others are lonely because they haven’t got a marriage partner.  Though  they desire to get married and raise a family.

A third category of loneliness is the one associated with poverty.  When   a person is down financially, such a person would discover that he has few friends or none at all.

In circumstances such as this, even extended family members would desert such a person.

Another form of loneliness is when one is seriously ill especially those coping with the form of illness that doctors term incurable or  terminal diseases.

All these forms of loneliness leave one with emotional pains.  Any of them may make  a toll on one ‘s physical appearance.

The good news is that for Christians that are truly in Christ, all these challenges could end in Praise.   Provided that the victim has total faith in God.

Why should a Christian be so confident?

Leviticus 26 vs.13 (NIV):” I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high”

Beloved, anyone coping with any form of loneliness can be said to be a slave to that challenge but Our God is able to set you free from that challenge.

When you walk with your head held high, you have moved from pain to celebration. 

That would be your portion this season in Jesus name.

Brethren, fear not the ember months.

Rather, begin to see the ember months as the months that God would remember you and an end would come to that challenge no matter how long it has stayed with you.

You may be familiar with the story of Noah and how God singled him and his family out for protection from the flood that took away every living thing except those that God instructed Noah to keep.

My prayer for you is that concerning that challenge, you will hear from the LORD this month in Jesus name.

This could be a prayer point because only those that ask receive answers.

We’ll look at the word of God in Genesis 8 vs. 1&5: “ But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded”.

Beloved if God remembered not just Noah but also the animals with him, what makes you think God cannot remember you?

Verse 5 : “ The waters continued  to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month  the tops of the mountains became visible”.

You are also in the 10th month, so   you can   experience and end to that challenge provided you ask God for help.

You only need  to say to yourself that you are not alone because JESUS is with you.

When Jesus is with you, in whatever form loneliness presents itself in your life, with you in Christ, you will surely overcome.

1st John 4 vs. 4 ( KJV): “ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world”.

Brethren, you need to be conscious that you have a helper in Jesus and call upon him.  

The mistake many of us make is that we expect God to give us our miracles immediately we ask.

This happens in rare cases but most times it is gradual.

For instance you matter how righteous a woman is, she cannot take in and put to bed the same day.

Besides, we often fail to realize that the Lord’s time is different from ours.

Sometimes, God wants to deal with the Herod, Prince of Persia, Pharaoh in your life before the miracle manifests.

In our world today, some Herod like persons  abort babies before they are born because they want the woman or couple to be in permanent pain,

Beloved, at this time, even if you haven’t seen any sign of an end to that form of loneliness in your life, continue to praise God.

When you praise God in your lonely state, you are appreciating his awesome powers and before you realize it, the yoke is broken.

The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 54 vs. 6&7 ( KJV): I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good.

For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies”.

When the LORD delivers you from a challenge, He has moved you from pain to praises and thanksgiving .

Last Sunday, a couple gave a testimony at Laughter Foundation International Ministry.

The couple got married  in 2012 and for more than a decade, there was no cry of a baby in their home.

The woman said all medical tests confirmed   she had her husband  fit  to make babies but none was forth coming.

According to her, she knew that the case was spiritual.   Someone or some forces want  the couple to be permanently lonely.

According to her, she became more serious with her service to God  with more commitment.

She made sure she was one of the early comers to the church.

The Bible tells us  in  Proverbs 8 vs.  17 : “ I love them that love me; and those that see me early shall find me”

The reward of her sacrifice of   shortening  her sleep time to get to church early among other forms of servicing and worshipping ,  was the birth of a baby girl after about 13 years of waiting.

The lesson for us is that we must never lose hope when dealing with God.

We also need to be patient.

As you remember the LORD, the LORD would remember you and your pain should end in Praise.

Shalom!

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