Friday, September 19, 2003 (79) THE BRIDEGROOM LONG IN COMING. He had not delayed His coming, His time of arrival had simply not come. Our timing and the timing of the Lord are different. A day with the Lord is as a thousand years. 2 Pet.3:8 Then again, a thousand years are but yesterday and as a watch in the night. Ps. 90:4 How interesting, a thousand years as but a watch in the night, which was four hours long, or three watches in the night. Surely this is the cry of the Spirit of the Lord concerning the watches.
THE FIRST WATCH. This is watching in prayer. Not the vain repetition of words which are commonly used in prayer but an earnest, [Excuse the words] gut wrenching prayer. That which comes from deep within the spirit nature of a child of God. Commonly known as travail. This is that prayer of the Spirit and most certainly will produce positive results. Rom. 8:26 The same call is heard here as in Matthew 25, ARISE, cry out into the night. In this beginning of the last days, pour out your heart. This indeed is the call of the Spirit to pray for the youth of our world, most of whom have been deprived of any Spiritual life, of any kind. Lam. 2:19.
THE SECOND WATCH. Known as the middle watch, the watch of victory, from 10: PM to 2 AM. Known for the miraculous deliverance of the children of Israel from their enemies the Midianites. Gideon, [ tree feller or warrior], with a whittled down force of only three hundred men. The Lord called Gideon, a valiant warrior. Judges 6:12 He had the best of equipment. The sword of Jehovah, which was also the sword of Gideon. The swords in their hands were more than temporal weapons, the LORD made them His swords. Their burning torches were hidden in pots of clay until the vessels were broken. The Lord uses broken vessels. Ps. 51:17 The Lord is moved by a prayer which involves tears. We are praying too many dry eyed prayers today. Victory came when the pots were smashed and the lights shown around about the Midianites. The sounding of the trumpets was probably magnified in the ears of the Midianites striking fear in their hearts. Having done all this, the Israeli army stood still on the outskirts of the camp of the Midianites. It was not even necessary for them to attack the camp of the Midianites. The enemy was so confused and frightened they all began to fight each other while fleeing. Our God has unique ways of granting victory in the lives of His children. Judges 7:19-22 The Lord is seeking water pots which are filled with fire. All three relate to the church and her experience in these last days. We are the vessels of the Lord, and have need of being broken. We are filled with the water of the Spirit and the Word and need to be broken in order for the contents to be poured out to a lost and dying world. More than ever before the fire of the living Lord must be in the vessels as they are broken, allowing the light and the fire to be made manifest to all the world. The Lord has great things for His church as soon as she fits His pattern for His church. complete.