“The Mighty One, God, the Lord has spoken, and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth. May our God come and not keep silence; fire devours before Him, and it is very tempestuous around Him. He summons the heavens above, and the earth to judge His people: ‘Gather My godly ones to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.’ And the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is judge … Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the most High; and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you and you will honor Me. But to the wicked God says, ‘What right have you to tell of My statutes, and to take My covenant in your mouth?” (NAS Psalm 50: 1-6 ,14-16)
"Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air. Destruction and Death say, 'Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.' God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it. And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord-that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'"(NIV Job 28: 20-28)
God is not asking for Texas’ sacrifice, as though He were dependent on our resources or generosity; He is asking us to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to pay our covenant vows to the Most High. As we continued to pray, the Lord began to tie what’s going on in Texas to Israel. We are covenantly tied to Israel. As one of our members was praying she saw three different areas around Israel that began to war. As Israel’s enemies began to war against her, dust began to billow up. God’s glory went into the dust from Israel and His Kingdom was advanced into these three areas. We are now in a season where God is going to deal with the enemies surrounding us.
God is answering our prayers. Texas has been crying out for years for God to heal our land. We are today where Elijah was when God responded with fire to the altars of Baal. It is a time where “God will make His enemies like a whirling dust; like chaff before the wind, like fire that burns the forest, and like a flame that sets the mountains on fire” (Psalms 83:13,14). He is cleansing us.
So what do we do? First, we acknowledge that our Lord is the creator of heaven and earth. He is the only One who determines the time, location and amount of rain, or wind. He determines plenty or drought. He sends forth fire to purify, cleanse and judge. This is most difficult for us to grasp. The fires of Texas are destroying tens of thousands of acres of land and over a thousand homes have burned. It is especially hard as we experience loved ones close to and within the region of the flames. We confidently pray for the Lord to show His mercy and protection.
Second, we must persevere in the assignments He has already commanded us to obediently carry out. We must continue to divorce ourselves from every occult structure in the land. We must continue to divorce ourselves from the Baal, Jezebel and Leviathan high places in our lives.
But third, in this season (wilderness) of testing and cleansing the Lord is awaiting our response. Will it be murmuring and complaining or will it be a sacrifice of thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is birthed out a deep awareness in our hearts that God and God alone is in charge – regardless of the circumstances of life around us! He has promised to lead us through the fire and the water (Isaiah 43). It is His prerogative to judge or withhold judgment. He has asked us to trust Him as He cleanses His land. Again, It is a time where “God will make His enemies like a whirling dust; like chaff before the wind, like fire that burns the forest, and like a flame that sets the mountains on fire” (Psalms 83:13,14). And His enemies are not flesh and blood. He longs for the fullness of our redemptive destiny as much as He longs for the destruction of the evil forces that seek to kill, steal and destroy that destiny intended for us, and the land on which we dwell.
Most importantly, in the midst of judgment, God’s church must rise up to be the arms of His mercy, compassion, aid and resource to those who are losing and have lost their homes, belongings and loved ones. If you want to help we recommend you touch base with Somebody Cares and Austin Disaster Relief.
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