"The race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all" (Ecclesiastes. 9:11)(NIV).

We know that the Lord our God, the Almighty, who fights for us and does not slumber day or night in order to protect, support and save us, is good. Therefore we pray and wait on the Lord with faith. But we allow our souls to grow weary when a long-expected blessing is delayed or when we are not yet freed from our enemies who continue to worry us for a long time or when victory is delayed because we are not able to overcome the force that prevents us from receiving the blessings.

However, the Lord has appointed time for everything. It is not for us to know the times or seasons which the Father has kept in His own authority (Acts 1:7). God had determined that Jesus Christ should appear at such and such time and that He should die at the appointed time. God had also assigned the time when John the Baptist should be sent to prepare the ways for the Lord.

Not knowing such times, the priest Zacharias, having prayed for a child, slowly lost hope as years passed by (Luke 1:13,18). This Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord (Luke 1:6). Childlessness caused grief for them and the Lord granted their prayer at His appointed time. The Lord gave them a child after a very long time. He gave the child not at the time they expected but at His own appointed time. Yes, He gave a very noble child! Truly, among those born of women there had not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist till then! (Matt. 11:11). This Zacharias began to have doubts since the answer to his prayer was delayed. Consequently he had to remain dumb till the day of naming of his child as a punishment to his disbelief.

You, the children of God who are entreating God for blessings, do not despair and lose heart! Do not stray from justice. God will give at His appointed time and when He gives, it will be a noble and glorious blessing and a blessing of use to God. Therefore wait!

When Lord Jesus Christ was born, king Herod heard of the birth of the King of the Jews and sought to kill Him. Though the Child was His own, God did not choose to destroy the enemy who sought to kill His Son. Instead, God instructed Joseph to flee to Egypt with the Child and His mother (Matt. 2:13). Time passed by. Again an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and told him to take the young Child and His mother and to go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life were dead (Matt. 2:20).

To free us from the troubles of men and evil spirits, God uses times. We need not be perturbed over such evil people. "For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look diligently for his place, but it shall be no more" (Psalm 37:10).

Therefore, beloved, be patient. Don't attempt to wage war with the evil on your own. Stay aside and you will find them disappear without a trace. The scriptures say that no weapon formed against us shall prosper (Isa. 54:17). Wait and you will be saved! By the power of God we have accomplished many things. When one faces failure in his attempt to get what he desired, he may doubt God's power.

See, because God was with Judah, they drove out the inhabitants of the mountains, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron (Judges. 1:19). When the Almighty God fought for Judah, it was certainly possible to overcome any enemy. Then why was Judah unable to overcome people with iron chariots? Does it appear doubtful whether God was with Judah? But God fixed a time when the people who took pride in their iron chariots were completely destroyed. Sisera encamped against Israel with nine hundred chariots of iron. Deborah prophesied to Barak, "Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?" So Barak went for war and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot (Judges. 4:13-16). On the day appointed by God, the enemy fell. Israel emerged victorious. What is the necessity of pointing out a day as the day appointed by God? How was the enemy vanquished on that day? On that day, the river Kishon overflowed and the land became wet and marshy. Driving on this marshy land, Sisera was unable to move forward and his horses and chariots got stuck and became immobile. Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled for his life (Judges. 5:21-22). Then he was killed by a woman (Judges. 4:21-22).

Beloved ministers and children of God! The Lord will be with us and bless our efforts and our ministry. He will bless our family. When the struggle with evil spirits increases, do not think that the Lord has left you. Just as Barak obeyed the counsel of God and overcame his enemies by falling on them at the time appointed by God, we should also act according to His counsel. At the appointed time, the circumstances will turn in our favor. The power of satan will be blunted. Victory will ensue. Blessings will abound. Amen! Hallelujah. Wait for the times of the Lord!peace and prosperity, like a woman in a family way suddenly suffer birth pangs, so shall be the Lord's coming! Beware and be watchful. Heed to the warnings and walk carefully.

"Behold the Lord is coming"