PRAYING INTO THE 21ST WEEK OF THE YEAR (MAY 21 – 27)

A. PROLOGUE

Each year, a new week begins on the day the year began. If the year started on a Saturday, every Saturday in that year would be the beginning of a new week. May 21 is the beginning of the 21st week in every clear year.

Here are sone 9 things from the 21st book and of the Bible that we can bring before the Lord God concerning this 21st week: 

1. It is a time to fulfill promises, realize dreams and receive long awaited expectations.

Genesis 21:1-2 says, “And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him”. The birth of Isaac (the 21st from Adam) is recorded in Genesis 21. The tribe of Levi received their inheritance in Joshua 21. In the same chapter, (verses 43-45}, it is recorded that God fulfilled to Israel the promise of land He made to their fathers. Joshua 21:43-45 says, “So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. [44] The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. [45] Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass”.

Psalm 21 is about a king whose desires the Lord had granted. Psalm 21:1-4,6-7 says, “The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! [2] You have given him his heart’s desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah [3] For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. [4] He asked life from You, and You gave it to him- Length of days forever and ever. [6] For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence. [7] For the king trusts in the LORD, And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved”.

Revelation 21 records the fulfillment of the promise of a new heaven and a new earth, the manifestation of the tabernacle of God on earth, and the wiping away of tears. This is also applicable to the 21st century. The 21st century is a century of dreams coming true. May this week be,, for God’s people in the nations, a season of receiving promises and realizing dreams.

2. It is a season for the Kings of kings to tame proud and arrogant kings with the rod of judgment.

In First Kings 21, Elijah stepped in to confront and curse Ahab and his house – over the murder of Naboth. In Second Kings 21, judgment came upon Manasseh and Judah because of the sins and wickedness of Manasseh. In First Chronicles 21, Israel came under a plague for David’s wrong step in numbering Israel. In Second Chronicles 21, Jehoram, king of Judah was judged and cursed for killing his six brothers and other prince’s of Judah to secure his throne. The 21st chapters of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel are judgments decreed on nations. Heaven reacts against human pride and arrogance in the 21st season.

Psalm 21:8-13 says, “Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. [9] You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; The LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath, And the fire shall devour them. [10] Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, And their descendants from among the sons of men. [11] For they intended evil against You; They devised a plot which they are not able to perform. [12] Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces. [13] Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.”

3. It is a season to confront and bring down giant enemies . It is a season to triumph over strong resistance.

Israel began to possess the land of her enemies, in Numbers 21, by defeating Og, Sihon, and the King of Arad. Those three kings denied them access on their way to Canaan. David’s men slew four giants in 2 Samuel 21: 15-22). This week, may the Lord give you victory over giants and strong enemies.  This week, may the Lord grant you access to things, places, and people you desire. May the places the enemy had sealed be opened for you.

4. This is a season of wells of water and refreshing.

Water in a bottle cannot suffice in this season. In Genesis 21, God opened the eyes of Hagar to a well of water from which she and her thirsty and dehydrating son drank when they ran out of water. In the same chapter, Abraham rebuked Abimelech for the wells his servants seized. This is the time to recover the wells the world has seized. In Numbers 21, Israel came to “…Beer, which is the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! All of you sing to it- The well the leaders sank, Dug by the nation’s nobles, By the lawgiver, with their staves” (Numbers 21:16-18).

4. This is a season of recovery and restoration,

It is a time of recovery and rehabilitation. In Judges 21, Israel came together at Shiloh to solve the problem of finding wives for the men of Benjamin. That step saved the tribe of Benjamin. In First Chronicles 21, David recovered, from Araunah (Ornan), a holy ground (Moriah) that had become a threshing floor. In Matthew 21, Jesus cleansed and restored the temple. The Lord of the Vineyard also recovered his vineyard from wicked tenants and vine dressers. This week, may the Lord grant you recoveries and cause rehabilitation.

5. It is the season of the Bride 

Wives (women) are great movers in the 21st season. God needs them in place at this time. The enemy fights to harm them, get them out, or capture their minds in this season. About one-third of the 21st chapters of the Bible draw attention to wives or women. This has implications in both the natural and spiritual realms. In Genesis 21, Sarah bore a son to Abraham. Sarah also initiated the move to send Hagar and Ishmael away. A wife was found for Ishmael in this chapter also. Exodus 21 talks about the slave-wife. Leviticus 21 discusses the wife of the priest. Deuteronomy 21 talks about the unloved first wife. In Judges 21, Israel sought wives for the men of Benjamin. In Second Samuel 21, Rizpah the wife of Saul (mother of the sons of Saul murdered to appease the Gibeonites) is mentioned. In First Kings 21, Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, got him the vineyard he desired at the expense of Naboth. Proverbs 21 talks about the angry wife (woman). The 21st book of the Bible, Ecclesiastes, says a man should enjoy life with the wife of his youth. Revelation 21 is about the wife of the Lamb. The 21st President of the United States, Chester Arthur, lost his wife, Nell, the year before he was inaugurated Vice President and later President in 1881 His sister, Mary McElroy, became White House hostess and unofficial First Lady. In the 21st seven years of the United States (1916-1923), when Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President, suffered a stroke (1919), his wife, Edith, whom he married in 1915 following the death of his first wife (Ellen) in 1914, managed the President’s office and played a prominent role in Woodrow’s presidency.

6. It is a season of redirection – from returning to the familiar place we used to be, to move on to new grounds we’ve never been to.

In John 21, Peter and the other disciples wanted to return to fishing but Jesus redirected Peter to shepherding. In Acts 21, Paul returned to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. The Jews wanted to kill him; but God delivered him and began to make way to take him to Rome.

7. It is a season of finding answers to pressing problems 

In the 21st book of the Bible (Ecclesiastes), the Preacher sought answers to tough questions concerning life and existence. In Numbers 21, God gave Moses the answer to the fiery serpents killing Israelites. In Second Samuel 21, David found the solution to three-year famine that devastated Israel. In First Chronicles 21, Prophet Gad showed David how to end the plague that followed his ill-advised census. This week, let us trust God to find answers to things bothering our world – The Lord will show His people the answer to plagues of death in the death of Christ – as in Numbers 21 and Second Chronicles 21; answer to the refreshing needs of men as He did to Hagar and Ishmael; answers to environmental and climatic problems – as in Second Samuel 21; answers to the endless thirst and hunger of man’s heart as in the book of Ecclesiastes.

8. It is a season of laughter and “no more pain or crying”

In Genesis 21, Sarah said God had made her laugh; and in Revelation 21, God said “there shall be no more crying or pain”. The 21st book and chapters indicate that the spirit of death moves about in the 21st season; but Revelation 21:4 invites us to declare that “…God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” The deaths we are witnessing in the 21st century had been foreshadowed by the 21st book and chapters of the Bible; and they are to drive us to the Fountain of Life to press for the answer that will lead to the defeat of the last enemy. Gods people are to proclaim “no more death” by the force of truth.

9. This is a Psalm 141 – 147 week. Week 21 consists of 141st – 147th days of the year. The 21st seven psalms begin with desperate cries to God for protection and deliverance from enemies and the wicked; and they are guiding light for Days 141-147 in the year. They provide a pattern for prayers in this week.

B. PRAYERS POINTS

1. Pray for refreshing news and encounters this week. Ask the Lord to open our eyes to wells of refreshing water instead of “water in a bottle” in our communities, nations, and in our walk with him.

2. Pray that God’s interests on earth be recovered from unfaithful caretakers as in Matthew 21. Pray for the recovery of the holy grounds of faith and wells of living water lost to the world as in Genesis 21 and First Chronicles 21. Pray for the recovery and restoration of the temple and house of God as in Matthew 21

3. Pray that your heart is sensitive to know when to move from the unproductive comfort zones. Pray that the church in our nation will hear the Voice of God concerning where we should be and where we should move from. 

4. Pray that the Lord will deliver His people from troubles, pain, and tears, this week. Pray against situations that cause (large scale) mourning. Help us, O Lord, against those who hate us and persecute us.  Frustrate the counsel and schemes of the wicked against your people as promised in Psalm 21:  8-13

5. Pray that doors will keep opening in for the gospel in places and nations where access to truth is barred or restricted.

6. Pray that this week will end with songs and praises in the mouths of God’s people.

7. Pray for the protection of wives and mothers in families from satanic attack and manipulation. Pray for strength and wisdom to occupy their places in their families and communities. Pray the same for the Bride of Christ in the nations.

C. PROMISE:
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away'”  (Revelation 21:4 NKJV)

Happy 21st week!

To learn more about the 21st week, see also https://nkemokemiri.com/the-mystery-of-the-21st-season/