Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha
Sin especially the sin of idolatry is usually the
reason for poverty, lack and drought in the lives of individuals, families,
communities and nations; and even institutions. Please read Judges Chapter 6
for the account of how Israel suffered lack because the y turned away from
serving God. God handed them over to Midian and for seven years, Midian
tortured Israel. The crops planted by the people of Israel were destroyed,
their herds were carted away and Israel was greatly impoverished. Significantly,
the Midianites had only one agenda – destroy whatever Israel had; crops planted
and growing, herds being tended so that Israel would have nothing to live on. The
oppression and affliction from Midian got so bad that Israel remembered God and
they cried to God for deliverance. God
responded and sent a prophet to rebuke them of their sin before raising Gideon
to deal the Midianite a great offensive blow.
Beloved, idolatry is a cause of poverty, lack and
drought and when not dealt with through repentance towards God, poverty, lack
and drought can become generational. Please read Deuteronomy Chapter 28 verses
14 to 68, Leviticus Chapter 26 verses 14 to 46, 1st Kings Chapters
17 verse 1, 18 verses 1 to 46. Israel experienced drought and attendant famine
for about three years because of the sin of the nation. Thereafter, God sent
rain after the prophet Elijah led the people in national repentance, cleansing
of the land; as well as repairing the altar of the Lord.
The Judeans experienced poverty, unexplained lack
and drought because they kept on putting off the building of the temple even
though the foundation had been laid. Fortunately for them, the great love of
God for them was at work as God sent the prophet Haggai to rebuke them. God
also explained to them through the prophet that He was the One behind the
drought which was affecting all the labor of their hands. Again, the love of
God was really at work as the people repented of their disobedience to God and
promptly went to work on the temple.
God is indeed awesome, forgiving and kind to His
own. Immediately hey commenced work, God promised to bless them even though
they had not planted seed; and the fig tree, the pomegranate and olive trees
had not yielded fruit. The blessings of God to them would overtake and exceed
the harvests from planted seed and economic trees because they had obeyed God
to work on the temple.
And quite significant and instructive is that they
did not have to do anything extraordinary or anything that would involve huge
monetary costs to build the temple. The message from God through the prophet
was for them to go to the mountains and collect wood for the building of the
temple. In essence, God was not looking for mansions, citadels and cathedrals.
God wanted a temple where the people would worship Him, a temple He would take
pleasure in and be glorified. Beloved, this is key and strategic. God wants you
to create room in your heart, family, home, Church, community, nation,
institution, business premises for Him so that He will take pleasure in you and
be glorified. Also of great significance is the fact that God promised to fill
this temple built of wood with His glory so that the glory of the temple built
with wood would be much greater than the glory of the magnificent temple which
Solomon built with cedar, stones from Lebanon, gold and other precious metals.
Herein is the crux of the matter. It is not the
glamour, magnificence which makes a temple glorious. What makes a temple
glorious is the awesome, sanctifying Presence of God and His glory. Therefore,
open your heart to allow God in and see what wonders He will do with your
entire life, spirit, soul and body.
Beloved, procrastination on services and commitment
to God in the house of God and to the people of God can be a reason for
drought, poverty and lack as evidenced by what the Judeans experienced in the
book of Haggai. Outright refusal is a different ball game and may attract stiffer
punishment. I pray that God will grant you the grace to obey Him; avoid
procrastination; in point of fact, run away from it and stop giving or making
excuses. The Judeans said it was not yet time for the building of the temple
but they built beautiful houses for themselves and ignored the temple.
The young man devoid of understanding described in
Proverbs Chapter 24 verses 30 to 34 owned a beautiful vineyard which could have
made him rich but he became poor because he kept giving excuses. His body
required sleep, more rest when other people were working their lands. His refusal
to work at a season of working the land cost him the vineyard and he became
poor. He gave excuses, procrastinated and suffered poverty.
The lame man at the pool in Bethesda lived there
for thirty eight years because he always had the perfect excuse of not having
anyone to put him in the water when the angel stirred the water. So even when
Jesus asked him if he wanted to be made whole, he gave excuses. Fortunately,
Jesus had compassion on him and he was made whole.
God in His infinite mercy and compassion promises to
bless all the labor of His children but that same labor can be cursed if His
children choose to walk in and live in disobedience to God. Beloved, now is the
appointed time to favor Zion and you can be greatly used of God to do so in
your family, nation, wherever God planted you. Take a quality decision to be
the blessing God wants you to be to your nation today and end poverty, lack and
drought. God bless you as you do so in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Shalom.
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