Text: Isaiah 6:1-10 

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.   2 Above it stood the seraphims:  each one had six wings;  with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.   3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts:  the whole earth is full of his glory.   4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me!   for I am undone;  because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips:  for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.   6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:  7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips;  and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?  Then said I, Here am I;  send me. 9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not;  and see ye indeed, but perceive not.   10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes;  lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.  

Sunday, 21^st January 2024; Day Sixteen of the 21 days fasting.

GOD IS LOOKING FOR A PROPHET

Text: Isaiah 6:1-10

Memory verse: Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

However, a new vision replaced the one that was fading away. This time, I found myself looking into a small, messy room. I saw an editor sitting at a desk in the centre of that room. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and he wore a visor on his forehead to shield his eyes from the brightness of the fluorescent lighting. The editor was busily working on a manuscript, changing words, correcting spelling errors, and murmuring quietly. Slowly, the door to the editor’s office swung open, and a man who was wearing a long, flowing robe walked in. This man was carrying a very large stack of paper. Immediately, I knew that he was a prophet. Quietly and respectfully, the prophet walked slowly toward the editor’s desk as his sandals flapped softly with his every step.

Without a word, the prophet placed his work in front of the editor, bowing low as he backed away from the desk. Then he stood nervously, pulling at his long beard, as the editor put aside what he was doing and reached for the prophet’s book. Without once looking at or addressing the prophet, the editor went to work on the manuscript. Mumbling to himself, the editor began to scratch out large portions of the text with his pen saying, “No one wants to hear this.” Occasionally, he even crumpled up entire sheets and threw them away, saying, “You can’t say that and get away with it.” The prophet stood silently as the editor worked. The editor paused, took a deep breath, removed his glasses, and looked at the prophet. “Don’t you get it?” he asked the prophet. “You must tell the people what they want to hear. You make it look a bit radical, but in the last analysis, you must tell the believer what he wants to hear, if you are going to sell books.” He then shook his head in frustration and went back to work. The prophet didn’t respond. He lowered his head submissively and silently feeling embarrassed as the editor dismantled the message God had given to him. In my heart I knew that the prophet was willing to do anything to get his work published, even if it meant compromising the message. The voice of the Lord rang with indignation as He spoke these words to me: “It is an abomination for My prophets to submit their words to mere mortal men.” As He uttered the last three words, I could sense that their taste in His mouth seemed bitter to Him.

He then spoke to my heart once more, “I am looking for a prophet to publish the prophesies.” In the heat of that afternoon as I sat in my car, I cried out to the Lord: “I care about what You have to say!” Without quite knowing the full importance of what He had told me, I said, “I’ll do it. I’ll publish the prophesies. I care about Your heart. I’ll do it.” To be truthful, I did not realize who or what I was at that time of my life. When the Lord said He was looking for a prophet, I offered to find one for Him. But it did not take long for me to understand that God was referring to me. Once again without response, like smoke being blown by the wind, the vision faded. The sound of angelic choirs, heavenly anticipation, and the overflowing joy of the Lord was gone, leaving me alone in my car. All was quiet except for the dull hum of cars and trucks speeding by on the highway. I was alone. For a moment, I simply sat in awe at what had just happened, but the abrupt end of the visions troubled me. “Did I say something wrong?” Silence. “Did I say something out of order?” Silence again.

I continued to sit alone in my car, pondering my next move. Had it all been a dream? Was it a hallucination? Perhaps it had merely been the product of my overactive imagination. All these thoughts were bombarding me when, suddenly, the heavens opened to me once again. The glory of ageless wonder and magnificence enveloped me, and music that went beyond being beautiful once again flowed into my spirit. God spoke to me, “If you will guard My Word as silver, and your integrity as gold, I will cause you to publish My prophesies.” It was His deep, resonant voice speaking to my heart. He continued, “I will cause you to be to this generation what I intended another to be before you.” My only response to Him, “Yes, Lord. Whatever you want, I will do it.”

This year 2024, get ready, God is looking for someone to do whatever he wants to do, to publish what He has to say to the world. Be available and ready.

CGDS HYMN 47: SS & S 763

LIFT UP YOUR EYES TO THE FIELDS THAT ARE WHITENING.

1. Lift up your eyes to the fields that are whitening ;

Hark ! 'tis the voice of the Master and Lord :

See ! on each side there is work for the reaper,

Sheaves that are golden shall be the reward.

Refrain:

Are you a reaper ? Are you a reaper ?

Gath . . . ering fruit . . . unto life evermore ?

Lift up your eyes, for the harvest is ready ;

Hasten, oh hasten to gather your store 

2. Look on the fields how the harvest is wasting,

Waiting for reapers to garner it in !

He that is faithful receiveth his wages ;

Joy everlasting the reaper shall win.

3. Souls that are ready to enter the kingdom,

Wait for the glad invitation today :

" Go ye and tell," is the word of the Master----

Servant of Jesus, oh hear, and obey !

4. Reap for His glory in fields that are nearest,

Look all abroad, for the harvest is white ;

O'er the wide earth are the sheaves to be garnered----

Hasten, O reaper, fast cometh the night !

 Prayers  

1.  Lord God, put Your words in my mouth concerning my life in this year 2024 Jesus’s name. Amen.

2.  Lord God Almighty, put Your words in my mouth concerning my families this year 2024 in Jesus’s name. Amen.

3.  Lord God Almighty, put Your words in my mouth concerning the church (the body of Christ) this year 2024 in Jesus’s name. Amen.

4.  Lord God Almighty, put Your words in my mouth concerning this nation (Nigeria) this year 2024 in Jesus’s name. Amen.

5.  Oh God, put Your words in my mouth concerning the poor this year 2024 in Jesus’s name. Amen.

6.  Lord God Almighty, put Your words in my mouth concerning the sick this year 2024 in Jesus’s name. Amen.

7.  Lord God Almighty, put Your words in my mouth concerning the lost this year 2024 in Jesus’s name. Amen.

8.  Holy Spirit, put Your words in my mouth concerning the oppressed this year 2024 in Jesus’s name. Amen.

9.  Holy Spirit, put Your words in my mouth concerning those in captivity this year 2024 in Jesus’s name. Amen.

10.  Lord God Almighty, put Your words in my mouth concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ to the world this year 2024 in Jesus’s name. Amen.

11.  Lord God Almighty, put Your words in my mouth concerning those that have backslid from Your ways and faith this year 2024 in Jesus’s name. Amen.

12.  Lord God Almighty, send me with a special word to faint-hearted this year 2024 in Jesus’s name. Amen.

13.  Oh God, open my ears to hear Your life-giving word to this generation in Jesus’ name. Amen.

14.  Lord God Almighty, help me to understand Your prophetic agender for mankind this season in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Declarations

Lord God, put Your words in my heart concerning my life this year, put Your words in my mouth concerning my families, put Your words in my mouth concerning the church, the body of Christ, put Your words in my mouth concerning this nation, Nigeria, put Your words in my mouth concerning the poor, put Your words in my mouth concerning the sick, put Your words in my mouth concerning the lost, put Your words in my mouth concerning the oppressed, Holy Spirit, put Your words in my mouth concerning those in captivity, put Your words in my mouth concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ, put Your words in my mouth concerning those that have backslide from Your ways and faith, send me oh LORD with a special word to faint-hearted, open my ears to hear, open my eyes to see Your life-giving word to this generation, help me to understand Your prophetic agender for mankind this season, empower me to publish what you have to say in Jesus’ name. Amen.