Command the Raven

Jacob’s Prayer. B. C. 1739.
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Genesis 32:9-12 [show/hide]Genesis 32:9-12 [9]And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,' [10]I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. [11]Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. [12]But you said, 'I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'" (ESV)

9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. 11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. 12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

Our rule is to call upon God in the time of trouble; we have here an example to this rule, and the success encourages us to follow this example. It was now a time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it; and here we have him praying for that salvation, Jer. xxx. 7. In his distress he sought the Lord, and he heard him. Note, Times of fear should be times of prayer; whatever frightens us should drive us to our knees, to our God. Jacob had lately seen his guard of angels, but, in this distress, he applied to God, not to them; he knew they were his fellow-servants, Rev. xxii. 9. Nor did he consult Laban’s teraphim; it was enough for him that he had a God to go to. To him he addresses himself with all possible solemnity, so running for safety into the name of the Lord, as a strong tower, Prov. xviii. 10. This prayer is the more remarkable because it won him the honour of being an Israel, a prince with God, and the father of the praying remnant, who are hence called the seed of Jacob, to whom he never said, Seek you me in vain. Now it is worth while to enquire what there was extraordinary in this prayer, that it should gain the petitioner all this honour.

I. The request itself is one, and very express: Deliver me from the hand of my brother, v. 11. Though there was no human probability on his side, yet he believed the power of God could rescue him as a lamb out of the bloody jaws of the loin. Note,

1. We have leave to be particular in our addresses to God, to mention the particular straits and difficulties we are in; for the God with whom we have to do is one we may be free with: we have liberty of speech (parresia) at the throne of grace.

2. When our brethren aim to be our destroyers, it is our comfort that we have a Father to whom we may apply as our deliverer.

II. The pleas are many, and very powerful; never was cause better ordered, Job xxiii. 4. He offers up his request with great faith, fervency, and humility. How earnestly does he beg! Deliver me, I pray thee, v. 11. His fear made him importunate. With what holy logic does he argue! With what divine eloquence does he plead! Here is a noble copy to write after.

1. He addresses himself to God as the God of his fathers, v. 9. Such was the humble self-denying sense he had of his own unworthiness that he did not call God his own God, but a God in covenant with his ancestors: O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac; and this he could the better plead because the covenant, by divine designation, was entailed upon him. Note, God’s covenant with our fathers may be a comfort to us when we are in distress. It has often been so to the Lord’s people, Ps. xxii. 4, 5. Being born in God’s house, we are taken under his special protection.

2. He produces his warrant: Thou saidst unto me, Return unto thy country. He did not rashly leave his place with Laban, nor undertake this journey out of a fickle humour, or a foolish fondness for his native country, but in obedience to God’s command.

Note, (1.) We may be in the way of our duty, and yet may meet with trouble and distress in that way. As prosperity will not prove us in the right, so cross events will not prove us in the wrong; we may be going whither God calls us, and yet may think our way hedged up with thorns.

(2.) We may comfortably trust God with our safety, while we carefully keep to our duty. If God be our guide, he will be our guard.

3. He humbly acknowledges his own unworthiness to receive any favour from God (v. 10): I am not worthy; it is an unusual plea. Some would think he should have pleaded that what was now in danger was his own, against all the world, and that he had earned it dear enough; no, he pleads, Lord, I am not worthy of it. Note, Self-denial and self-abasement well become us in all our addresses to the throne of grace. Christ never commended any of his petitioners so much as him who said, Lord, I am not worthy (Matt. viii. , and her who said, Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table, Matt. xv. 27. Now observe here,

(1.) How magnificently and honourably he speaks of the mercies of God to him. We have here, mercies, in the plural number, and inexhaustible spring, and innumerable streams; mercies and truth, that is, past mercies given according to the promise, and further mercies secured by the promise. Note, What is laid up in God’s truth, as well as what is laid out in God’s mercies, is the matter both of the comforts and the praises of active believers. Nay, observe, it is all the mercies, and all the truth; the manner of expression is copious, and intimates that his heart was full of God’s goodness.

(2.) How meanly and humbly he speaks of himself, disclaiming all thought of his own merit: “I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies, much less am I worthy of so great a favour as this I am now suing for.” Jacob was a considerable man, and, upon many accounts, very deserving, and, in treating with Laban, had justly insisted on his merits, but not before God. I am less than all thy mercies; so the word is. Note, The best and greatest of men are utterly unworthy of the least favour from God, and just be ready to own it upon all occasions. It was the excellent Mr. Herbert’s motto, Less than the least of all God’s mercies. Those are best prepared for the greatest mercies that see themselves unworthy of the least.

4. He thankfully owns God’s goodness to him in his banishment, and how much it had outdone his expectations: “With my staff I passed over this Jordan, poor and desolate, like a forlorn and despised pilgrim;” he had no guides, no companions, no attendants, no conveniences for travel, but his staff only, nothing else to stay himself upon; “and now I have become two bands, now I am surrounded with a numerous and comfortable retinue of children and servants:” though it was his distress that had now obliged him to divide his family into two bands, yet he makes use of that for the magnifying of the mercy of his increase.

Note, (1.) The increase of our families is then comfortable indeed to us when we see God’s mercies, and his truth, in it.

(2.) Those whose latter end greatly increases ought, with humility and thankfulness, to remember how small their beginning was. Jacob pleads, “Lord, thou didst keep me when I went out with only my staff, and had but one life to lose; wilt thou not keep me now that so many are embarked with me?”

5. He urges the extremity of the peril he was in: Lord, deliver me from Esau, for I fear him, v. 11. The people of God have not been shy of telling God their fears; for they know he takes cognizance of them, and considers them. The fear that quickens prayer is itself pleadable. It was not a robber, but a murderer, that he was afraid of; nor was it his own life only that lay at stake, but the mothers’ and the children’s, that had left their native soil to go along with him. Note, Natural affection may furnish us with allowable acceptable pleas in prayer.

6. He insists especially upon the promise God had made him (v. 9): Thou saidst, I will deal well with thee, and again, in the close (v. 12): Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good. Note,

(1.) The best we can say to God in prayer is what he has said to us. God’s promises, as they are the surest guide of our desires in prayer, and furnish us with the best petitions, so they are the firmest ground of our hopes, and furnish us with the best pleas. “Lord, thou saidst thus and thus; and wilt thou not be as good as thy word, the word upon which thou had caused me to hope?” Ps. cxix. 49.

(2.) The most general promises are applicable to particular cases. “Thou saidst, I will do thee good; Lord, do me good in this matter.” He pleads also a particular promise, that of the multiplying of his seed. “Lord, what will become of that promise, if they be all cut off?” Note,

[1.] There are promises to the families of good people, which are improvable in prayer for family-mercies, ordinary and extraordinary, ch. xvii. 7; Ps. cxii. 2; cii. 28.

[2.] The world’s threatenings should drive us to God’s promises.
- Matthew Henry Commentary

Acts 12:5 [show/hide]Acts 12:5 [5]So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. (ESV)

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

Prayers and tears are the church’s arms; therewith she fights, not only against her enemies, but for her friends.

The delay of Peter’s trial gave them time for prayer, therefore prayer for him is stirred up and they were very particular in their prayers for him, that it would please God to defeat Herod’s purpose.

It is the duty and concern of the church earnestly to pray for their life, liberty, and tranquility. Prayer was made without ceasing .

It was an extended prayer. Times of public distress and danger should be praying times with the church; we must pray always.

Observe when his deliverance came, it was the very night before Herod designed to bring him forth. Herod resolves he shall die, and now God opened a door of escape for him.

GOD’S TIME TO HELP IS WHEN THINGS ARE BROUGHT TO THE LAST EXTREMITY.

He was fast bound with two chains, between two soldiers, and, besides this, to make sure work, the keepers before the door kept the prison, that no one might so much as attempt to rescue him.

Never could the art of man do more to secure a prisoner. When men will think to be too hard for God, God will make it appear that He is too hard for them.

Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, not terrified with his danger. There was but a step between him and death, and yet he could lay himself down in peace, and sleep, SLEEP IN THE MIDST OF HIS ENEMIES.

An angel was sent from heaven on purpose to rescue him.

He seemed as one abandoned by men, yet not forgotten of his God.
Gates and guards kept all his friends from him, but could not keep the angels of God from him. Wherever the people of God are they have a way open heavenward, nor can anything intercept their intercourse with God.

The angel of the Lord gave him a gentle touch, and his chains fell off from his hands, for God loosed his hands.

He was ordered to dress himself immediately , and follow the angel; and he did so.

He followed the angel with a great deal of courage and cheerfulness who had a messenger for his guide and guard.

Those who are delivered out of a spiritual imprisonment MUST FOLLOW THEIR DELIVERER, as Israel did, they went out, not knowing whither they went, BUT WHOM THEY FOLLOWED.

They made their way safely through the wards without discoverery, and did so without any opposition.

But still there is an iron gate, which opened of its own accord, by an invisible power. When this was done, the angel departed from him, he was out of danger.

As long as we are kept waiting for a mercy, we must continue praying for it.

So he found them, many gathered together praying fervently for the crisis. God’s praying people untied their forces in prayer.

They were praying for Peter to be restored unto them, and there he was, and yet, their unbelief of his appearance is startling, their answer knocking at the door, and they scarcely believing it.

We still serve a God of miracles, and without prayer, nothing of lasting value can ever be accomplished. What is won by prayer must be worn with praise.

Acts 10:31 [show/hide]Acts 10:31 [31]and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. (ESV)

And he said, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and harkened to, and your donations to the poor have been known and preserved before God – so that He heeds and is about to help you.

Many times we think that God does not hear our prayers, let alone answer them, especially when the answer and help have not been forthcoming in the time period that we stipulate, according to our perception of time.

Some are assailed with thoughts of guilt, then disappointment and finally anger towards God for not responding in time; and finally we succumb to despair and then imagine that possibly there is no God who hears our prayers.

How wrong we are to imagine that God would disregard our prayers considering that He even hears the prayerful whisper, the thoughts of our imagination and even the words that we speak before they are uttered.

Our prayers are heard and preserved before God and even though the time limit is exceeded, in the spirit realm there are delays and forces constantly at work for the exact purpose of causing the doubts and fears to evolve into unbelief.

Ultimately we bind the Hands of Omnipotence with unbelief instead of thanking Him for that which He is going to do before we even receive it. Today’s scripture emphasizes that he has heard and is about to help you, believe that, for He will do as He has promised.

You have been generous to the poor and the afflicted and when you give unto the poor God said that you have lent unto Him, and He will surely repay you. Be assured that the records in Heaven are accurate and each deed and donation is preserved before Him. If there is a delay, as the case in Daniel, it is written: “Blessed is he who endures beyond the period of tribulation without wavering”.

Fear not, and be strong, yes be strong and let your confidence and reliance be in God alone who answers prayers, for it will be exactly as it has been told to you.

Genesis 32:9-11 [show/hide]Genesis 32:9-11 [9]And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,' [10]I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. [11]Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. (ESV)

And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac; the Lord which sadist unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast shewed unto Thy servant, for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray Thee from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau,

It does not seem that there could be a finer model for a special prayer than this, - the most ancient of all.

He first claims his interest in the covenant with Abraham and Isaac, just as we might, and ought to, set forth our interest in the mercies covenanted to us in Christ; then he urges the covenant of personal mercies and promises: then he confesses his utter unworthiness of the blessings that have been showered upon him, yet venturing, not-withstanding to hope for deliverance from the danger that lay before him. – John Kitto.

The foundations on which we build the superstructure of prayer are broad and firm.
- Daily Meditations for Prayer.

Malachi 4:5-6 [show/hide]Malachi 4:5-6 [5]"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. [6]And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction." (ESV)

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. (Matthew 11:14 [show/hide]Matthew 11:14 [14]and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. (ESV)
; Matthew 17:10-13 [show/hide]Matthew 17:10-13 [10]And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?" [11]He answered, "Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. [12]But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands." [13]Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. (ESV)
.)

And he shall turn (and reconcile) the hearts of the (estranged) fathers to the (ungodly) children, and the hearts of the (rebellious) children to (the piety of) their fathers (a reconciliation produced by repentance of the ungodly):  lest I come and smite the land with a curse (and a ban of utter destruction). Luke 1:17 [show/hide]Luke 1:17 [17]and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." (ESV)
- The Amplified Bible.

Reader, if the aforementioned verse is descriptive of your children. your husband/wife, and your loved ones, there is a solution, an urgent, supernatural intervention to right the wrongs of sanctity in mariages and family life, and human life,  in the eyes of our Holy God… With profound sadness I have observed the breakdown of marriages, child/parent relationships, parents with their parents, multitudes of divorces, the phenomina of fathers murdering their wives and children, women that provoke men to desperate actions, and vica versa, lack of faithfulness in marriages, hatred, unforgiveness, bitterness, hardened embittered men and women in multiple marriages, and sadly when these ungodly or not, men and women go to bed at night, the unsuspecting next victim has to share the bed with all the past husbands and boyfriendsperceived wrongs, and they are punished for the past actions of others….

Somebody’s children are raised up to become victims of sexual abuse, slave trade, and subject to intolerable anguish…

Somebody’s children are being raised up to become paedophile’s…

Somebody’s children are raised up  to become criminals, murderers, serial murderers, and drug addicts…

Somebody’s children are raised up to become abusive husbands and wives towards their children…

Somebody’s children are raised up to disregard precious human life and murder, to sell body parts…

Somebody’s children are raised up to despise and mistreat their parents, grandparents and disabled…

Somebody’s children are raised up to practice incest with impunity….

Somebody’s children are raised up to become alcoholics…..

The list is long and distinguished and could go on and on….

The cycle must and can be broken and urgently needed restoration brought to families, cities and nations…

PRAYER:

Father in the Name of Jesus I come in desperation to your throne of mercy, and I pray that you forgive me for all my trespasses and sins, wherein I have wittingly or unwittingly been the cause of pain for my loved ones, or another, let my sins be remembered no more, and as I  come with a pure heart and clean hands I know that my prayer will be acceptable to You.

Father turn the hearts of the estranged ungodly fathers to the hearts of the rebellious ungodly children, pluck out their stony hearts and give them a heart of flesh, a new heart that has inscribed on the pages thereof,  with the finger of Your mighty hand, Your laws, Your precepts, Your commandments, Your love and compassion, a heart that cleaves to You and loves You with their whole might, body and soul…

Father you have said that “You are the God of all the families of the earth”, and once again there will be heard the sound of laughter, the sound of happiness, the sound of music, in the homes of Your families…. Let them behold You and be transformed as the Holy Spirit moves upon the four winds to all the corners of world, reconcilling families and turning their hearts to love one another unconditionally…

Loose the children, the fathers, mothers, and families from the hatred, rebelliousness, stubornness, unforgiveness, and bitterness of injustices of the past…  Loose them from the scales upon their eyes and the veil upon their hearts, set them free to worship You in Spirit and in Truth…

Loose Your peace, which surpasses human understanding, upon all the families of the earth, upon the homeless, the outcast, the children in streets, the old people, the despised, the prisoners, the lawful captives, the dying and the multitude in the Valley of Decision….

Loose a mantle of praise for a spirit of heaviness, beauty for ashes, and the oil of your joy for mourning, as You O Lord, touch each one from Your Holy Sanctuary, with the finger of Your Hand.

Who do we have in Heaven but thee, Who do we have on Earth but Thee? Unto Thee do we call this day, and though we have been long in making this decision, with great swiftness, Thou O Lord will answer the cry and prayer of our hearts….. I thank you in the Name that is above ALL Names, the Name of Jesus… “For it is not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit, sayeth the Lord”…..

Let us read what the great prophet Isaiah wrote about these last days:-

Isaiah 3:12 [show/hide]Isaiah 3:12 [12]My people--infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths.
; As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O My people, your leaders cause you to err, and confuse (destroy and swallow up) the course of your paths. The Amplified Bible.

Does the above passage appear to be familiar to you? I am sure that it does, and many of your acqaintances are most likely subjected to similar patterns in their home lives.

There is a better way, Pray the Greatest and most Urgent Prayer that this wonderful world of ours weeps and groans for, yearns for, at the gates of heaven. Sage

Ecclesiastes 3:11 [show/hide]Ecclesiastes 3:11 [11]He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (ESV)

He has made everything beautiful in its time; He has also planted eternity in men’s heart and mind (a divinely implanted sense of purpose working through the ages, which NOTHING under the sun, but ONLY GOD, can satisfy), yet so that man cannot find out what God has done from beginning to the end.

Reader, do you sense the shift of power in this dispensation of the threatening darkness which seems to continuously attempt to control you?  God has a message for you in this time when your world seemingly is spinning out of control. Your restlessness and unhappiness with your present situation is but a compelled sense of the eternity which God has planted in your heart and your mind to drive you,  yea, force you, with urgency to seek Him and find your divine destiny which has been charted for you before the foundation of the world was laid…. This word is for you, for this very moment, this season, for a time such as this…

Prayer:

Father God, I come in the Name of Jesus Christ, to humble myself before Your throne of mercy and acknowledge that there is no good thing within me, my sins are more than the hairs numbered upon my head, yes, and after all that I have done, your embrace and the door of mercy remains open to receive me.

I acknowledge that Jesus Christ was born of the virgin Mary, that He lived and died, and was resurrected on the third day,  and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and that I am now changed into a new creature, accepted in the Beloved, that I am cleansed of all sins and iniquities by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and that my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Loose the scales from my eyes, and the veil from my heart and mind, let Your anointing break the yoke of unbelief, and burst the bonds which shackle me to my past, asunder. Father I thank you for this in the Name that is above all Names, the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazereth, Amen and Amen.

Matthew 6:7 [show/hide]Matthew 6:7 [7]"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. (ESV)

When ye pray use not vain repetitions as the heathen do.

But earnest reiteration is not vain petition. The one is born of doubt; the other of faith.

The prayer that springs from a deep-felt need, and will not cease till that need is supplied, may say the same things over a hundred times and yet they shall not be in vain.

Rather, as the same flood is repeatedly driven through the veins by the contraction and dilating of the heart, so all true prayer will flow forth over and over again, as the Spirit opens in yearning and closes itself in calm fruition on the grace it has received, and then dilates again in longing and sense of need.

So the Master who warned us against the paganism of empty repetitions, enjoined upon us the importunity which prevails; and of Himself it is written, “And He left them and went away again the third time, saying the same words”. – Alex. MacLaren.

Few men, if any, have been more mighty in prayer during the past century than George Muller of Bristol, and yet there were objects for which he continued to pray for years.

- Daily Meditations for Prayer

The Lord: A Man of War

1 Kings 20:27 [show/hide]1 Kings 20:27 [27]And the people of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went against them. The people of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the country. (ESV)

The Israelites were counted and, all present, went against them. The Israelites encamped before the enemy like two little flocks of lost kids (absolutely everything against them but Almighty God); but the Syrians filled the country.

The enemy of your soul might appear to be overwhelming, surrounding you on every side, trying to instill fear, confusion and chaos in your life.

Do not be afraid, God is more remarkable in ability than mere mortals and the greater the odds, the more remarkable and Glorious in Power and Victory will be your salvation.

It is written in Exodus 15:3 [show/hide]Exodus 15:3 [3]The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.
that “The Lord is a Man of War”; throughout the many battles of Israel He went before the Hosts of the armies and the victory was a foregone conclusion.

He triumphs Gloriously, and saves with His Right Hand of Victory. Who is like Him, Glorious in Holiness, Awesome in Splendor, doing Wonders?

Because you set your love upon God, and you know and understand His Name, relying on Him, He will save you and guide you in His Strength.

He knows your present position and takes offence when you are harmed in any way! He that touches you touches the apple of His Eye. Even King David acknowledged that the day of his enemy would come, or that he would fall in battle (Nabal – as recorded in Samuel).

The Battle is God’s and not yours, stand still and see His Salvation, for we serve a God of Miracles.

He is able to lift you from the depths of despair and anguish with the Breath of His Nostrils and in the Greatness of His Excellency, overthrow the overwhelming hosts camped against your soul.

HE SPEAKS ONE WORD, and with ONE WORD saves you with tender love and mercy.

Psalm 147:3 [show/hide]Psalm 147:3 [3]He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

“He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds – curing their pains and sorrows.”

Who is there among us that can fathom the depths of the pain of a broken heart, the heart that is crushed by sorrow and continuous agony, the heart that weeps an ocean of tears in brokenness and anguish of spirit?

Consider then the misery of the outcast street children, abandoned and rejected with hunger and fear etched upon their small faces; the torment of the mothers as they helplessly witness the slow painful death of their starving children; the terror of the abused women and children; the pain of the wretched, miserable prisoners; the starving nations and refugees in the war-torn nations of the world.

The horror that pervades the world is largely ignored by the masses and yet the facts are inescapable, the news media constantly exposes the atrocities perpetrated in various nations, and after the initial out-cry the world promptly forgets, they get used to it……

Yet, there is one who never forgets, the Father of Sympathy and Tender Mercies. He too witnessed the brutality and crucifixion of His Only Begotten Son. And the Son, Jesus, He would not forget, for He loved us to the last, and to the highest degree, by willingly giving His life for us.

He rides through the Heavens on the wings of the wind to help us and wrap His everlasting arms around us in comfort and consolation.

He hears the sighing and groaning of His miserable wounded ones and He takes knowledge of and concerns Himself about them.

With gentleness He wipes away every tear from their eyes and heals their broken hearts, binding up their wounds.

He bares His Holy Arm and with the finger of His Hand, touches the languishing souls. He lifts the veil of wretched misery and removes the mantle of sorrow from each one.

Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you, for He who formed your heart in the womb of your mother will heal and revive your broken Heart. He will lift you from the valley of despair and the halls of judgment and cause you to walk, with confidence and strength, (not run in terror) upon the high places of your enemies.

He knows everything, understands and remembers all, not one is forgotten….no, not even you.

Malachi 3:6 [show/hide]Malachi 3:6 Robbing God [6]"For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. (ESV)

And He shall turn [and reconcile] the hearts of the [estranged] fathers to the [ungodly] children and the hearts of the [rebellious] children to [the piety of] their fathers [a reconciliation produced by the repentance of the ungodly]; lest I come and smite the land with a curse [and a ban of utter destruction].

The earth trembles with the heavy burden of lawlessness and iniquity – for her iniquities, her crimes and transgressions are piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her wickedness and crimes – AND CALLS THEM UP FOR SETTLEMENT.

Before the great and terrible day comes – the day of settlement – He will send Elijah the prophet;
To turn back the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient and incredulous and unpersuadable to the wisdom of the upright – in order to make ready for the Lord a people perfectly prepared in spirit, adjusted and disposed and placed in the right moral state.

The tentacles of the depravity of the wicked and its insidious influence has reached the uttermost corners of the world and the magnitude of the effect has left no family unscathed - estrangement, disunity, bitterness and an ocean of tears flowing from the children which wash the streets, the highways and the byways and the pavements of the world.

Total collapse of family values and standards, coupled with extreme violence, has driven the children from their homes to seek shelter among the criminals thus exposing them to even greater danger and abuse.

The children are slaughtered as the fathers look in another direction and the world at large places no value on their lives. Like Abel, their blood cries out from the ground to God – surely the world will give an account to the Creator when He calls them up for settlement.

There is no semblance of family life, discipline or honor, overindulged children that are demanding and disrespectful as opposed to the outcast children lining the pavements of the world – as Isaiah, the prophet aptly wrote in Isaiah 3 [show/hide]Isaiah 3 Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem [3:1]For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and supply, all support of bread, and all support of water; [2]the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, [3]the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the skillful magician and the expert in charms. [4]And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. [5]And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable. [6]For a man will take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying: "You have a cloak; you shall be our leader, and this heap of ruins shall be under your rule"; [7]in that day he will speak out, saying: "I will not be a healer; in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; you shall not make me leader of the people." [8]For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence. [9]For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves. [10]Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. [11]Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him. [12]My people--infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths. [13]The LORD has taken his place to contend; he stands to judge peoples. [14]The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders and princes of his people: "It is you who have devoured the vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses. [15]What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor?" declares the Lord GOD of hosts. [16]The LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet, [17]therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will lay bare their secret parts. [18]In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents; [19]the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarves; [20]the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets; [21]the signet rings and nose rings; [22]the festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags; [23]the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans, and the veils. [24]Instead of perfume there will be rottenness; and instead of a belt, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a rich robe, a skirt of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty. [25]Your men shall fall by the sword and your mighty men in battle. [26]And her gates shall lament and mourn; empty, she shall sit on the ground.
: 12 – AS FOR MY PEOPLE, CHILDREN ARE THEIR OPPRESSORS AND WOMEN RULE OVER THEM.

Let us earnestly pray for the coming of Elijah to turn back the hearts of the fathers to the children BEFORE THE LORD STANDS UP TO CONTEND AND STANDS TO JUDGE.