A Year of the Lord of Hosts - 8

Psalm 46:7 “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”

            This year will be the year of the Lord of hosts. When we the say that the Lord of hosts is with us, we mean that we are not alone. We have an army of God right beside us. We the children of God will never be afraid of anything that comes against us. We have the Lord of hosts to battle it out for us this year. The Lord of hosts is giving us the divine strength to conquer all the issues in our lives.

Looked upon her

I Samuel 1:11 ‘And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.’

            In the above passage we can read about the prayer of Hannah. Her heart goes out to the Lord of hosts and requests him to remember her. We see Hannah keeps everything in prayer in I Samuel 1:10 ‘And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.’ The request of hers is granted in I Samuel 1:20 ‘Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.’ The Lord of hosts was so compassionate towards Hannah as he looked upon her and blessed her with a baby. Hannah was afflicted and was struggling so badly as she did not have a baby. But the Lord of hosts saw her affliction and blessed her. Today let us meditate on the blessings when the Lord of hosts looks upon us.

I Big Change

Exodus 2:25 “And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.”

            When the Lord of hosts looked upon Israel, the people had a glorious time. The Lord looked upon the bondage of the Israelites and that changed their lives forever. When the Lord looked upon them they had a perfect change in their lives. The people of Israel were happy during the times of Joseph. Sadly, after his demise the place becomes like a hell. But the Lord looked upon the troubles of his children and gave them a promised land. We read in Exodus 12:40-41 ‘Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.’ The above passage signifies the change that the Lord God brings into the lives of Israel. The Lord puts an end to their bondage and sorrows. The Lord of hosts brought in a big change which gave them a divine liberty from their bondage.

II Big Preparation

Exodus 2:15,25 “Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.”

            Over here we learn about the preparations of Moses. The Lord prepares Moses right from his birth. The Lord of hosts brings a change in his life and then prepares him to fulfill what was purposed on him. We see there were certain incidents in his life that were not pleasing to the Lord God. And which is why the Lord of hosts prepares Moses and steers his life to the divine will of God. The first forty years of Moses, he lives a life of a prince. The second forty years he lives his life as a shepherd. The next forty years he becomes a leader to the people of Israel. During his years as a shepherd, he lived a sacred life. Moses walked in the way that the Lord has prepared for him. Moses who was shepherding was lifted to a position where he led the entire nation of Israel. Moses was prepared in such a way that he was able to fulfill the purpose of God. Even in our lives, we need to surrender ourselves in the presence of God to get ourselves prepared according to God’s will.

III Big Work

Exodus 2:23-24 “And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.”

            After the change and the preparation, the Lord of hosts begins his work. Soon after the training period is over, the Lord God begins to work out miracles for his children. Even in our lives, we might think that our Lord God is silent and things are taking time to happen. But we need to know that if there is a delay in something that means the Lord God is preparing something for us. We might not know all the good things that the Lord has prepared for us. Our Lord God will bring us surprises in our lives and that will happen at the right time. The Lord transforms the rod of Moses into a rod of power. Moses who was less confident was changed as a courageous leader. This is the divine work of God that will be manifested in our lives. Therefore, let us pray that he gives us all the above dealt blessings and transforms our lives forever. Amen.