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It is for this hour……

Sep 21, 2011, 3:17 PM | Article By: Galandou Gorre-Ndiaye

In God’s kingdom events do not occur by chance, but by design. Very often what is unfolding under our very eyes is nothing but vivid and tangible proofs of what had been presaged years back by one of God’s emissaries. Every event, every occurrence fits neatly into a puzzle that is monitored by God. It is planned well in advance. What does this reveal to us? God’s kingdom is orderly; there is little chance of things happening by accident.

How can we justify this? God had declared that He would use Pharaoh to demonstrate His power after the Children of Israel would have served their 400-years sentence in slavery in Egypt. As Pharaoh hardened his heart he was being set up for the final onslaught that would provoke nationwide wailing throughout Egypt over the loss of their first-borns. God uses a pagan king to proclaim His glory the world over. 

Let my people go

When the yoke of slavery that dangled over the heads of the Children of Israel was about to be lifted, Moses who was no ordinary child at birth, - having been saved miraculously from Pharaoh’s murder weapon - was assigned to execute this task. It was for a time like that that God had spared his life among several Egyptian babies who had been brutally slaughtered. It was for a time like that that God had put him on the path of Pharaoh’s daughter to be raised in the palace…. God said to him; “And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:9)

Just as God had appointed Moses for this special task, Pharaoh also was going to serve as an instrument in accomplishing the work of God. You would think it strange that God should use an unbeliever to play this role. Here is the reason given; “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:16) Egypt, was at the heart and helm of world civilisation. It was at the centre of world business. Even more, it was the world power of the day.

The liberation of the Children of Israel from slavery could not have gone unnoticed, if it unfolded in Egypt under Pharaoh’s eyes. God is going to reduce to naught Pharaoh’s power for being drastically opposed to the idea of ‘letting my people go.’ As Pharaoh’s resistance was building up, God was putting more pressure until finally Pharaoh caved in.

It was never intended to be easy for Pharaoh after 430 years, to just let the Children of Israel go, particularly to please someone called ‘Lord’ whom he was not acquainted with. The departure of the Children of Israel in economic terms would have been synonymous with a great loss, one that could not have been easily quantified. The Children of Israel had become the backbone of the economy. It was for a time like that that God would use both Moses and Pharaoh to glorify His name in all the earth.

Jews in danger of extermination

The Jews risked being eradicated during the reign of king Xerxes if Haman, the prime minister’s plan had gone through. Mordecai however was anxious over the well-being of the Jews if that plan should materialise. He needed support from within the king’s palace where the authorisation was to come from. So he sent word to Esther, his cousin, who happened to be one of the king’s wives. He wanted her to win the king’s favour otherwise the consequences would have been disastrous. At one point she thought that as a queen - though a Jew by birth – she was not threatened because she was in the king’s palace. Mordecai sent her this message. “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14b)

Indeed, God had worked it out so that at that critical time in the history of the Jews someone would stand up to save them. It was clear that it was no accident, God had planned it. Esther was touched by the message, she suddenly realised that if the Jews were to be eliminated it did not matter whether she was in the king’s palace or not. Her life was equally at stake. She could not detach herself from her people’s fate; they were closely knit. So she took her courage in both hands and even at the risk of losing her life she appeared before the king without regard to standard protocol. “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)

The man born blind

Jesus’ disciples met a blind man who was blind since birth and they wanted to know the cause. “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents …?” (John 9:2) The answer surprised them as I am sure it would surprise you; “Neither this man nor his parents sinned but this happened so that the work of God may be displayed in his life.” (John 9:3) In other words this happened so that the glory of God will be seen; nothing to do with cause and effect. God wanted His glory to be established without a shadow of doubt.

As you read these lines rest assured you did not come into this world as an accident. Your entry was planned from the foundation of time to live a life worthy of your calling. Yes, you came into this world for a purpose. Is that purpose being fulfilled in your life? Are you living life to its full potential? Living out your destiny in the plan of God is giving meaning to our lives, to our very existence. It is for this hour that God has revealed Himself to you by His spirit.

Time is of the essence, it is ticking quickly by. The time for your appointment with your Maker is now. Give Him your all that you may begin to bear fruits as His Spirit directs every aspect of your life. It was for this hour that He would come o your life so that you may experience the eternal kind of life available only in Christ Jesus; “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)