The word 'ordered' here comes from the Hebrew word 'kuwn', meaning 'to
erect, to set up, to appoint, to prepare, to establish'. With this word
'kuwn' here, I can also read Psalm 37:23 this way: The steps
of a good man are erected by the Lord, set up by
the Lord, appointed by the Lord, prepared by
the Lord, and established by the Lord.
People of God, if you have been going through a tough time or a difficult situation recently (in any area of your life), these verses in Psalm 37:23-24 are for you.
The other day, I heard and released these words to the congregation I
was ministering to:
“This month is a month of recovery! Recovery of your
strength! Recovery of your health! Recovery of your vision! Recovery of your
finance! Recovery of your business! Recovery of your vocation! Even recovery of
your marriage!”
Then I heard further:
“The grace for recovery is very strong for My people
this month! Tap into this grace! Access this grace! And watch Me supply from
heaven!”
According to The Free Dictionary, 'to recover' is 'to find and regain
possession of (something stolen or lost)', and 'recovery' can be defined as 'restoration of things (or situation) to a former or better condition'.
Make
this declaration for your recovery:
- I declare the enemy who has plundered me is
being plundered!
- I declare the enemy's strategies against me be
turned back!
- I declare the ending of the power of loss in
my life!
- I declare the beginning of the power of
victory in my life!
- I declare an amazing turnaround of events in
my life!
In Jesus' name. Amen!
Declare the above by faith over every area
of your life that has suffered recently and that needs recovery.
Declare the above as you let God re-order (i.e. ‘re-erect’ or ‘re-establish’) your life, and as you move forward from here.
Declare the above as you let God re-order (i.e. ‘re-erect’ or ‘re-establish’) your life, and as you move forward from here.
One good example in the
Bible on how God re-ordered one’s steps is found in the book of Ruth.
Indeed, Ruth had a great
recovery.
Here’s a background of what Ruth went through.
Ruth 1:3-5 says, '...Elimelech, Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons (Mahlon and Chillion). Now the two sons took wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chillion also died; so the woman (Naomi) survived her two sons and her husband'.
Ruth 1:3-5 says, '...Elimelech, Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons (Mahlon and Chillion). Now the two sons took wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chillion also died; so the woman (Naomi) survived her two sons and her husband'.
Ruth 1:8-9 continues, 'And Naomi said to her daughters-in-law, "Go,
return each to her mother's house." The Lord deal kindly with you, as you
have dealt with the dead and with me. "The Lord grant that you may find
rest, each in the house of her husband." So she kissed them, and they
lifted up their voices and wept'.
Ruth 1:12-13 then reads, '"Turn back, my daughters, go - for I am too
old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband
tonight and should also bear sons, would you wait for them till they were
grown?..." Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed
her mother-in-law (goodbye), but Ruth clung
to her’.
By the way, the name 'Orpah' in Hebrew means 'the
back of the neck', from the word 'araph' meaning 'to turn back, to cut
off', whereas the name ‘Ruth’ in Hebrew means ‘friend’. So, one ‘turned back’,
and the other clung on to Naomi,
whose name means ‘beauty, splendour, grace’ in Hebrew.
As you can see here, Ruth chose to follow Naomi
no matter what (see also Ruth 1:16-17). This is a ‘picture’ of you, a friend
of God (see John 15:15-16) who also keeps on looking to the ‘beauty, splendour,
and grace’ of the Lord, even when others may ‘turn back’ during difficult
times.
People of God, this will also be the key to your recovery this month. If you hang
on like Ruth, and hang on to the ‘beauty, splendour, and grace’ of our
Lord even when the odds are stacked against you, you will soon see ‘the
curtains being opened’ for you.
At this point of writing, I would like to share a
vision I saw (as I was praying) recently. In that vision, I was in a dark room, and initially
I saw curtains covering the window of that room. There wasn’t any light at all inside
the room. Then I saw a pair of shining hands opening the curtains of the
window, and as the curtains were being opened more and more, I saw light (rays
of light) from outside beginning to shine into the room, lighting up the room.
The view in the horizon got broader and broader as the curtains were being
opened, and the scenery outside was beautiful.
Let’s continue with Ruth now, and see how 'the curtains were being opened' for her. Ruth
1:22b says, '... Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of
barley harvest', and Ruth 2:1-2 says further, 'There was a relative of
Naomi's husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name
was Boaz. ... Ruth said to
Naomi, "Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain..."
And she said to her, "Go, my daughter.”’
Ruth 2:3 continues, 'Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field
after the reapers. And she happened to
come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz,
who was of the family of Elimelech’. Notice the word ‘happened’ here? This word is 'miqreh' in Hebrew, which literally means 'something
met with chance', from the word 'qarah' in Hebrew, which means 'to light
upon, to chance upon, to be divinely set up'.
Boaz then took notice of her, and asked his servant who
was in charge of the reapers, saying "Whose young woman is this?" And
upon finding out, he then said to Ruth, "You will listen, my daughter,
will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay
close by my young women." (see Ruth 2:5-8) In fact, later on, Boaz even commanded his young men, saying,
"Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. Also
let grain from the bundles fall purposely
for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her." (see
Ruth 2:15-16)
People of God, as you let God ‘re-order’
your life today, I believe He is going to do for you the way Boaz did for Ruth those days. Yes, He can
even command His angels to ‘let grain from the bundles fall purposely for you’ too. Just don’t limit Him on how He’s going to do it! Indeed, ‘Boaz’ is a ‘picture’ of your redemption
and recovery. Amen!
If you read on (in this book of Ruth), you know the
rest is history! One ‘happening’ led to another ‘happening’, all at the right place and at the right time. Surely God’s at work! In time, Boaz then took Ruth
as his wife, and a son, 'Obed' was eventually conceived and
born (see Ruth 4:13-17). By the way, this name 'Obed' is a very
special name, from the Hebrew word 'abad' which means 'to bring to pass'. Indeed, your ‘Obed’ shall come to pass
too!
So, no matter how helpless or hopeless your situation may be at the
moment, I want to believe together with you for a great recovery on your
part. Indeed, Ruth had
a great recovery, and I believe you will too. Because He is now here to help you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
