Warriors Arise: April 22nd, 2020
Luke 24:12 it says: "But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened."
Our next focus for this verse "and he departed." From Scripture we can gather the women found the disciples together. They were probably bewildered and in mourning. But when the women delivered the message from the angel something changed. There was a decision to be made...
Peter and John went to see for themselves. Who knows if they were going to verify that Jesus was not there or if the angel was who spoke to the women? Peter was the first out the door. There was no body, only linen cloths. The body was gone. What does this mean?
When we are faced with a difficult, even unexplainable situation the best thing we can do is go home. The situation had changed. Jesus was not in the tomb. Would the disciples remember what Jesus had told them before they entered Jerusalem? Would they follow the instructions from the message, to meet Jesus in Galilee? Would they return to their old ways of life?
The next step for Peter, for each disciple was an important step. Peter ran into the tomb; Jesus was not there, only the linen cloths lying by themselves. When God takes us through a time where we are operating on our "raw" faith. What I mean by "raw" is unchartered circumstances, we have never had to trust God with so much, believe God for what our natural mind has difficulty comprehending, and obey God to see it through to the end. Peter saw into the tomb, there was no angel to greet him but he had been given the message, "But go, tell His disciples - and Peter - that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." (Mark 16:7)
After seeing the tomb where Jesus was buried and the linen cloths lying there by themselves, Peter departed. Once we have heard the President's report, the death toll, where the next outbreak has taken place, what is being done to protect us, the status of the cure and vaccine, and the projection on our economy, we need to depart. Everything had been stripped away from Peter and the disciples. Jesus had confided in them, shared with them, and taught them of He would go to the cross, but they didn't hear it. Looking into the tomb where Jesus was supposed to be, looking at the linen cloths that were just lying there by themselves could have been enough to send someone over the edge. But God sent a messenger to tell the disciples and Peter where they could go to meet Jesus.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where life was so uncertain, you didn't know what was going on, let alone what you were going to do? Peter was in this place. He had left his father's business to follow Jesus, to be His disciple, to serve God the rest of his days. Now what?
"And he departed." Scripture does not tell us Peter returned, at that time, to the rest of the disciples.
This is so important to grasp. Before we go discuss what we have heard or seen, we need to embrace Matthew 6:7 "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." Jesus is about to teach them to pray, most people know or have at least heard the Lord's Prayer, which is a few verses later in the chapter. However, we miss the importance of verse 7.
When you and I pray, we are to:
1. Go into your room
2. And when you have shut your door,
3. Pray to your Father who is in the secret place;
4. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Even though we are praying together as a group of warriors, each one of us is responsible for guarding our time of prayer. My husband is home along with 4 of our children. Praying in the middle of grand central station is not the place I am going to be able to concentrate on what I am praying, let alone hear from God. I have to "depart" from everyone else and go into a room to pray. If I should leave the door open I still can't concentrate. So I must close the door.
Some of you maybe do not have the challenge of having so many at home but you have to turn off your TV, phone, get away from your computer etc. Jesus instructed his disciples how to pray and what to pray (Matthew 6). Peter was faced with a ginormous situation. The tomb was empty, the linen clothes were lying by themselves, and we are told to go to Galilee. He needed to pray to his Father who is in the secret place. He needed to depart, go to his room and shut the door. Until he heard from God, he didn't need to discuss anything with any of the disciples.
Warriors, this is why we pray. You may listen to the President's report, the doctors,Facebook and friends but what is necessary at this time is to "depart". Go to your room, shut the door, pray to God who is in the secret place. God will hear our prayers and He will answer. His desire is that none should perish. I don't know when, I don't know how, but I do know God desires for His people to call upon Him and humble themselves and He will heal our land.
God, I have positioned myself in a room and shut the door. I come before You as Your servant. I petition You for the cure and the vaccine for the coronavirus. I ask in Jesus' name for there to be no negative side affects. I pray for wisdom in how to distribute the cure and vaccine without the whole world going crazy. I ask for You to direct how these will get to the people without creating chaos. God, my heart's concern is how ruthless people will act when one country has the cure and vaccine while others are waiting to receive it. Maybe it can't be announced but it has to be sent to the all the countries, to all the hospitals secretly. God, people just might kill to get the cure. I am asking for Your wisdom with doctors and governments in how to proceed when the cure and vaccine are found. God, we are going to need You to protect the people and direct the delivery to every person who is infected with the coronavirus. God, You can do this! You can hide people as they travel with the cure. I ask Father for You to intervene for the safety of Your people in Jesus' name.
God, while we are waiting for the delivery of the cure and the vaccine, I ask for You to protect our food supply. I ask for you to protect the farmers and ranchers, the food processing plants, delivery services, and the grocery store workers. God, You can do this. Nothing is impossible for You. I petition You to protect each person who is still in the workforce. I ask for You to put hedge of protection around each one in the name of Jesus. Father, Your love for us is greater than we can imagine. Even now, You are here giving us strength, comfort, provision, and deliverance from evil. Thank you God for empowering me to step in and release Your kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. You hear me when I pray and You are working things out. I will praise You for your lovingkindness is everlasting. The joy of the Lord is my strength and I will call upon Your name for You are worthy of my praise! Amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy
My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.