THE WORD.
WHEN A SITUATION IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER APPEARS TOUGH AND
CLUELESS; A MIRACLE IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!
In the concluding phase of His ministry, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour exhorts, ‘These
things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have
tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33) KJV
A period of tribulation is a period of sufferings, difficulties and upheavals; it is a time when the
horizon is bleak, when hopelessness stares one in the face and it appears that one’s world would
collapse the next moment!
When one is at such crossroads of life, apostle Paul encourages affected believers to seek refuge
in, ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer’ (Romans 12:12)
KJV.The above, according to apostle Paul is the antidote a believer should embrace and the
psalmist confirms the efficacy of the antidote as he exhorts, ‘For his anger endureth but a
moment; in his favour is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the
morning’. (Psalm 30:5)
That means, no matter, how dark the tunnel may be, there will be light at the end and no matter
how ravaging the storm may be; Jesus Christ – the ‘Master of storm’ is always on hand for the
believer to do what is impossible for man. Halleluiah!
Ordinarily, when tribulations become daunting, the spirit, soul and body of a believer will
become tasked for a purpose and once the focus is on Jesus Christ, the impossible will become
possible, hopelessness will give way to a manifested hope, the cloudy horizon of
disillusionment will become clear and the unexpected miracle will break forth. Halleluiah!

The prelude to a historic famine in Samaria was the decision of Ben-hadad, the king of
Syria to over-run Israel. He besieged the city of Samaria and there was a great famine,
‘until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a
cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver’. (II Kings 6:25b). As if that was not
enough, women were partnering to eat their sons in rotation(Vs. 28 – 29). That was the
extent of the famine and the tribulation that befell the inhabitants of Samaria at that
time.
However, there was a man of God in the land who understood the workings of the Lord, that,
when people think they had come to the end of the road, (as in the case of the widow of
Zarephath), the ever-listening and compassionate Father opens up other routes and creates a
way where there was none before. His word says,’ And call upon me in the day of trouble; I
will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me’ (Psalm 50:15)
Prophet Elisha understood the way of God very well and he decreed the word of God
accordingly in is questto change the situation for the better; ‘Then Elisha said, Hear ye the
word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine
flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria’ (II
Kings 7:1).
Beloved, the word of God had been decreed and authority followed immediately from heaven.
As people awaited the glory of God; the heavens worked out their own arithmetic; caused the
ravaging army of the Syrians ‘to hear a noise of chariots and a noise of horses, even the noise
of a great host and they said one to another, Lo, the King of Israel hath hired against us the
kings of the Hittites, and the king of the Egyptians to come upon us. Wherefore they arose
and fled in the twilight and left their tents and their horses and their asses even the camp as it
was and fled for their life’’ (II Kings 7 : 6-7)
The Israelites were overwhelmed with the spoils of war (without raising a finger) in a
miraculous way thereby turning their adversity into prosperity even in a scenario that a top
ranking officer in Samaria had described as impossible.

For the Israelites on their way from Goshen to Canaan, the Red Sea encounter almost
resulted into a disaster but for the grace of God. The Israelites looked ahead, they saw
the Red Sea; at their back, it was the hostile army of the Egyptians in choice chariots
moving at top speed with a mission to re-arrest the Israelites and send them back into
captivity in Egypt. At the bank of the Red Sea, the Israelites went into altercations with
Moses and queried him on the rational for bringing them out of bondage only to die in
the wilderness. ‘’And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israelites lifted up
their eyes and behold, the Egyptians marched after them and they were sore afraid;
and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord, And they said unto Moses, because
there were no graves in Egypt hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?
Wherefore has thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt? ….. (Exodus 14:
10 -12)
When the awesomeness of God is to be manifested, Satan will also bring a doubting spirit,
confusion and will raise the bar of impossibility and hopelessness. However, for the faithful
who have absolute trust in God; they will anchor on His word that, ‘Behold, I am the Lord, the
God of all flesh, is there anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27)
Certainly the Red Sea encounter was a precarious situation and they needed a prophet in the
house to calm their nerves; ‘’And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, stand still and see the
salvation of the Lord which he will show to you today; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen
today, ye shall see them again no more for ever’ The Lord shall fight for you and ye shall
hold your peace’’ (Exodus 14: 13-14). The Lord that answers the prayers of His elects
hearkened to the cry of His people and responded with a three-prong attack on the Egyptians;
viz:
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‘And the angel of God which went before the camp of Israelites removed and went
behind them and the pillar of the cloud went from their face and stood behind them.
……..it was a cloud and darkness to them (Egyptians) but it gave light by night to
these (Israelites) so that the one came not near the other all night (Vs. 19-20)
By stretching the rod of Moses over the sea as directed by God; the sea parted and the
Israelites passed on dry land (Vs. 23)
While in the Sea pursuing the Israelites; the Lord took off the wheels of the chariots of
the Egyptians and thereafter Moses stretched his rod over the Red Sea and closed up the
Sea on the Egyptians while they were still troubled in the midst of the sea. (Vs. 25-26)
All the Egyptians that went into the Sea perished while the house of Jacob rejoiced
tremendously after the agonizing but victorious encounter. The Red Sea experience of the
Israelites culminated into the song initiated by Mariam; ‘Who is like unto thee O Lord, among
the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful inpraises, Doing wonders? (Exodus
15 :11) and re-affirms the word of the psalmist, ‘’They that trustin the Lordshallbe as Mount
Zion which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever’’ (Psalm 125:1)

It has been proved severally that even at the point of death, the Lord of hosts will not
forsake His elects and will always hearken to their requests. While the Israelites were in
bondage for about forty years; Samson - the son of Manoah whose birth, might, special
attributes and mission were twice predicted by the angel of the Lord walked on the
political theatre of the Israelites as a colossus. He was a Nazarite unto God. He was
adored by all and feared by the enemies for his great exploits against them (the
Philistines)
‘
Samson committed some errors which impacted negatively on the glorious accomplishment of
his mission as a leader in Israel;

He continually romanced harlots even from hostile tribes of the un-circumcised nation –
Philistines, against
the counsel of his parents (Judges 16:1 – 20).

Despite the fact that he derived his power from the ‘spirit of the Lord’, he secretly
disobeyed the warning
about approaching a dead body. (Judges 14 :8-9)

Although a Nazarite unto God; he did not live a pious and devoted life expected of
someone so endowed with the spirit of the Lord.
Sequel to all these; after divulging the source of his power to Delilah, he became powerless
when his head was shaven, and he was picked up by his enemies like a snail. He had his two
eyes plucked and was turned into an entertainer in the house of the god of the Philistines. The
once valiant man of the tribe of Dan became a puppet in hands of his adversaries. What a great
tribulation!
Apostle Paul exhorts for all believers and would be believers that, ‘Wherefore let him that
thinketh he standethtake heed lest he fall’ (I Corinthians 10:12)
However, during the period of his tribulations, his hairs grew up again and while he was
requested to entertain ‘about three thousand men and women and all the lords of the Philistines,
‘’… Samson called unto the Lord and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, only this
once, O God that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.’’ (Judges
16:28)
Beloved, the word of God according to the psalmist played out immediately; ‘He suffered no
man to do them wrong; yea, he reproved kings for their sake; saying, touch not mine
anointed and do my prophets no
harm’ (Psalm 105:14-15)
Thereafter, Samson got hold of the two middle pillars of the building and shook them mightily
as the Lord granted him his request and he killed more people at his death than when he was
alive. He judged Israel for twenty years. (Judges 16:31( c)). At a time when his enemies
thought he was hopelessly hopeless and inconsequential, he manifested the mightiness of the
Sovereign God that he was still strong in the Lord, even at the point of death.

Death was imminent for the arrowhead of the church of God at Jerusalem – Simon Peter
at a time when King Herod had just killed his co-pilgrim in the Ministry; James the
brother of John. He (Herod) was still poised to deplete the camp of the apostles further.
Herod therefore threw Peter into prison hoping to deal with him after Easter.
Since the church lacked the political power to counter the wickedness of Herod, it resorted into
prayers; the only weapon it had as a church of God to combat and render impotent the powers
of the ‘principalities and the rulers of the darkness of this world’
So, while Peter was kept in prison, ‘’……… prayer was made without ceasing of the church
unto God for him’’ (Acts 12:5) Cognizant of the word of God which says, ‘Call unto me, and I
will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not’’ (Jeremiah
33:3), the disciples interceded for Peter in prayers and like lightening their prayers were
answered and same night an angel of the Lord came upon him and woke him up and his chains
fell off from his hands.
The angel led him out of the prison until, ‘’they were past the first and the second ward, they
came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of its own accord
and they went out ….’’ (Acts 12:10).While the divine deliverance was taking place, Peter
thought he was seeing a vision (Vs. 9); although he later came to terms with the realities on
ground; ‘’And when Peter was come to himself; he said , Now I know of a surety, that the
Lord hath sent his angel and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herodand from the
expectation of the people of the Jews’’ (Acts 12:11)
Thereafter he headed for the house of Mary the mother of John whose surname was Mark,
where many were gathered together praying for Peter who paradoxically had already been
released by the mighty hands of God.
The potency of effective and fervent prayers by the children of God and God’s awesomeness in
the affairs of men was again established in the divine deliverance of apostle Peter during the
period of his tribulation.
While it is true that all sorts of encounters will surface in the pilgrimage of the elects of God,
His comforting word says, ‘’And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail
against thee; for I am with thee saith the Lord to deliver thee’’ (Jeremiah 1:19)
As believers in God through the name that is above every other name – Jesus Christ; it is not
uncommon to face challenges in the journey of life, hurdles may surface on our routes of
salvation; adversaries may raise their heads (Acts 23:12 & II Tim. 4:14); personal deprivations
may be our lot (Acts 16:23 -24); enemies may even rise from our camp (Numbers 16:1-35), the
enemy could even be biological (II Samuel 15:1-15); in all these; no matter how tough and
clueless, particularly when it appears there is no way; God’s miracle is always on hand for His
elects.
Beloved, please note that whatever you may be passing through as adversity presently; ensure
you continue to persevere and wait on the Lord (Isaiah 40:31); and be assured that God will
remember you like Rachael (Genesis 30:22); cause you to laugh like Sarah (Genesis 18:12);
make people to celebrate with you like Hannah (I Sam 1:24 – II Sam 2: 1-11) and overwhelm
you with the joy of recovery like David at Ziklag (I Samuel 30:18). Now is the appointed time
of your miracle in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
As we put our hope in Jesus Christ, the prince of peace, the ever-faithful God will never
disappoint us and we shall live to testify the Lord’s goodness in Jesus name. Amen.
Stay blessed in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ and Saviour.
AKIN OWOLABI
Special Apostle,
Secretary General
pakinoevang@yahoo.com
0803-300-6735, 0808-463-8873
(All Scriptural quotations are taken from King James Version – KJV- of the Holy Bible.)