What does the Bible indicate concerning ‘the 51st’ and how should we pray in the 51st week? Let us examine, first, the patterns for the week:
A. BIBLICAL PATTERNS FOR THE WEEK
1. The second day of creation narrative (Genesis 1: 6-8) when God broke the monopoly of water by creating space.
2. The 51st book of the Bible (Colossians) that focuses on the preeminence of Christ.
3. The 51st chapters of Psalms, Isaiah and Jeremiah that are about mercy, hope and judgment.
B. BIBLE READING SUGGESTIONS FOR THE WEEK
The 51st book of the Bible (Colossians) and the 51st chapters of Psalms, Isaiah and Jeremiah are guiding lights for the week. You may read the suggested chapters as follows or as led by the Spirit:
December 17: Psalm 51
December 18: Isaiah 51
December 19: Jeremiah 51
December 20: Colossians 1
December 21: Colossians 2
December 22: Colossians 3
December 23: Colossians 4
C. THOUGHTS ABOUT THE WEEK
The 51st book of the Bible (Colossians) and the 51st chapters of the Bible point to three things concerning the 51st season:
1. IT IS HEAVEN’S SEASON OF WAR AND VENGEANCE
The 51st season is Heaven’s season of war against evil and wickedness. This week is for raising the Lord’s battle axe against evil monopolies and space-blockers. This is a season to break the rule and control of evil and oppressive powers.
The 51st week expresses the work of God on the second day of creation when He released the firmament (heaven) to break the dominion of the waters and create space for other things to exist.
In Jeremiah 51, God spoke about the desolation of Babylon and about His battle axe for the operation. Jeremiah 51:20-24 says, “You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms; [21] With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider; With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider; [22] With you also I will break in pieces man and woman; With you I will break in pieces old and young; With you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden; [23] With you also I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen; And with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers. [24] “And I will repay Babylon And all the inhabitants of Chaldea For all the evil they have done In Zion in your sight,” says the LORD”.
Jeremiah followed up the prophecy against Babylon with a prophetic action. Jeremiah 51:60-64 says, “So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that would come upon Babylon, all these words that are written against Babylon. [61] And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you arrive in Babylon and see it, and read all these words, [62] then you shall say, ‘O LORD, You have spoken against this place to cut it off, so that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be desolate forever.’ [63] Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this book, that you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the Euphrates. [64] Then you shall say, ‘Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary.'” Thus far are the words of Jeremiah”.
2. IT IS A SEASON FOR THE HUMBLE TO CRY OUT FOR MERCY
the humble hear of judgment, they tremble and cry to God for mercy because they know that God’s word is not comedy. Psalm 51 shows what the humble sinner should do in the 51st season. The sinner should repent and cry out for mercy. Psalm 51:1-14 says, “Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. [2] Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. [3] For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. [4] Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. [5] Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. [6] Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. [7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. [8] Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. [9] Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. [10] Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. [11] Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. [12] Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. [13] Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. [14] Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness”.
3. IT IS A SEASON FOR THE RIGHTEOUS TO STAY FOCUSED AND TRUST GOD
Before vengeance comes, the righteous might be distracted by the seeming well-being of the wicked. Isaiah 51 speaks comfort and gives hope to the righteous in a season of vengeance. Isaiah 51:12-13 says, “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass? [13] And you forget the LORD your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens And laid the foundations of the earth; You have feared continually every day Because of the fury of the oppressor, When he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor?” Isaiah 51:22-23 says, “Thus says your Lord, The LORD and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: “See, I have taken out of your hand The cup of trembling, The dregs of the cup of My fury; You shall no longer drink it. [23] But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, Who have said to you, ‘Lie down, that we may walk over you.’ And you have laid your body like the ground, And as the street, for those who walk over.”
The righteous need to be focused, trusting God, living right, and not lose faith but have hope that God will avenge at the right time. The 51st book of the Bible, Colossians, calls believers to focus on Jesus Christ and live out their faith; not minding those who seek to draw them away from the faith. Colossians 1:9-18 says, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; [10] that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. [13] He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, [14] in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. [15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [16] For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. [17] And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. [18] And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence”.
D. PRAYER-POINTS FOR THE 51ST WEEK
1. Pray that the Lord will stretch His hand against wickedness in the land and cause wickedness and the wicked to cease. As you pray reenact the prophetic action of Jeremiah against Babylon (Jeremiah 51: 60-64).
2. Pray that the wicked will humble themselves, turn from wickedness and seek God’s mercy. Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. [7] Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon”.
3. Pray that the Lord will have mercy on the humble in this week of vengeance as the Psalmist desired in Psalm 51. Pray that God will show mercy to humble as He did to Nineveh in Jonah 3: 5-10.
4. Pray that the Lord will comfort and strengthen and uphold His people who trust and hope in Him and are asking “How long?” Psalm 119:49 says, “Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope”.
SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK:
Jeremiah 51:20-23: “You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms; [21] With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider; With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider; [22] With you also I will break in pieces man and woman; With you I will break in pieces old and young; With you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden; [23] With you also I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen; And with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers.
“Finally, brethren, pray for us, THAT THE WORD OF THE LORD MAY RUN SWIFTLY AND BE GLORIFIED, just as it is with you, [2] and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 NKJV)
Happy 51st week of the year!!!
