Mensa Otabil - Praise
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Day number 39, the last but one day of our 40 days of power. To God be the glory, great things He has done. He has led us from the beginning, and we are almost at the end of our 40 days of power. This day, we just want to praise Him and thank Him for what He has done. Psalm 118, verses 4 and 5: Let those who fear the Lord now say, «His mercy endures forever. I called on the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.»
Psalm 118 is a thanksgiving psalm, and it reminds us of the love of God, for He is good and His mercy endures. The Lord’s mercy endures forever. The psalmist recounts testimony after testimony of God’s deliverance, and when you read throughout the psalm, it’s about God’s deliverance. Then he brings the refrain, «His mercy endures forever.» So when you read the psalm, you get the impression that this is a psalm sung in procession as people entered the temple in Jerusalem. These would be the songs they sang as they celebrated the Lord and thanked Him. Today, as we come to the conclusion of our 40 days of power, we want to enter the procession of praise and say, «His mercy endures forever.»
Three things the psalmist reminds us of: first, he says, «I called on the Lord.» In my distress, that word «distress» means to be in a narrow place, in a straight place, in a restricted place, or as we say colloquially, in a tight corner. «I called on the Lord when I was in a tight corner; I called on the Lord when I was in distress.» That is prayer; that’s what it’s referencing-prayer-and that’s what we’ve been doing. Some of us have prayed in distress; that’s the first thing. Then the second thing the psalmist says is that he answered me. God is a prayer-answering God. We don’t talk to the air when we’re talking to God; we’re talking to the Most High God, the King of the universe, the Creator of all things. He hears and answers prayer. I believe that because He answers prayer, your testimonies will explode on the left, on the right, and ahead of you. You are being ushered into a harvest of miracles and a season of testimonies.
The psalmist says, «Because the Lord helped me, and He answered me, He set me in a broad place.» He prayed when he was in distress, in a narrow place; when God answered, He set him in a broad place. That’s what the psalmist is saying. We start praying in distress-it’s a narrow space. We are constricted, restricted; we don’t know where to turn. But when God answers, He opens the space, He opens doors, He gives access. May the Lord give you a broad place, and I believe we will have our broad place testimonies of what God has done to enlarge us, to expand us, to open us up, and to open opportunities we never thought existed.
You have been in a narrow place for a very long time, but today God is bringing you to a broad place. He’s expanding you; He is growing you; He is increasing you. Each of us who have cried to the Lord, this will be our testimony, and that is why we praise Him, worship Him, and declare the praise of the Lord, for He is a good God. He is a prayer-answering God. He has taken us from the narrow place and brought us into the broad place. I want your heart to be full of gratitude, joy, and love for God for taking us through this time and for being the God who hears us, answers us, and brings us to the broad place. You’ve already entered a broad place; praise the Lord for it.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, You are a prayer-answering God. Thank You for turning my life around and giving me a testimony. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» Oh yes, you will and you do have a testimony, and God has put joy and laughter in your mouth. Well, tomorrow is the last day, the finish of our 40 days of power. I’ll be with you tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.