Winds of Change 2-1-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I lift up my face, stretch out my hands, and open up my heart in worship and prayer, to honor You and commit myself and my day to You. … "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that the locusts may come upon it and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.' So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land that day and all that night; when morning came, the east wind had brought the locusts…. Pharaoh hurriedly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 'I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. Do forgive my sin just this once and pray to the Lord your God that at least He remove this deadly thing from me.' So he went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. The Lord changed the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt" (Exodus 10:12-19). When Moses stretched forth his hand in obedience over the land, You sent forth Your wind from the east to bring the locusts in judgment. Then Pharaoh confessed his sin and asked for prayer. When Moses stretched forth his hands in prayer, You changed the wind. You sent forth Your wind from the west to drive away the locusts in mercy. Obedience and prayer bring us into agreement with Your will. As we stretch out our hands in proclamation and prayer, You send forth Your word and wind in Your Spirit and power. Judgment and mercy belong to You. Obedience and prayer belong to us (James 5:17-18). Your heart is for mercy, not judgment, for blessing, not curses. "Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and live? ... For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live" (Ezekiel 18:23-32). "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Yet You will not be mocked and You will not refrain Your winds of mercy or Your winds of judgment upon our land, as our choices require. "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:7-9). So where we have sinned, let us confess it in repentance. Where You have moved in our hearts to stretch forth our hands in prayer or praise or proclamation, let us do it in obedience. You have the power to move the winds of change in our land, either in judgment or in mercy. And in Your sovereignty, You have purposed to release Your power in response to the obedience and prayers of our hearts and our actions. Lord, send Your winds of change. Send Your winds of mercy. And even when our choices in our land or of our leaders require the winds of judgment for a time, "in wrath may You remember mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2). Your Word reveals Your will; and Your will is that all would "turn, then, and live" in Your blessings rather than the curses, so that "mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13). So, Lord, we bow our knees in confession, we turn our hearts in repentance and prayer, and we stretch out our hands in obedience and proclamation, to declare as Your Spirit leads, "Let the winds of change blow. Let the time of harvest begin." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I join with you in prayer, praise, and proclamation over the lands where we live and where we have been entrusted with responsibility and authority before the Lord for His will to be done and His kingdom to come. In Kentucky where I live, we've been praying for the first 31 days of this year for revival again in our land. I pray the same for you and your land. I'm attaching our prayer guide from Kentucky Prayer Focus we prayed in 24 hour prayer watches over all 120 counties of Kentucky, that you might like to adapt to your region. May the winds of change blow in all of our lands and lives; may the Lord's harvest begin. God bless you! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute On-line at www.shop.messiah-ministries.org