God made time for man and designed it for the execution of His purposes on earth (Mark 2:27-28). His plan was for time to serve man in the will God rather than control him. He intended that man would use time to do His will. Jesus is the Lord of time and He wants us to be the same. Perhaps, Joshua understood this when he called the sun and the moon to stand still until he had done the will of God. From our exalted place in Christ, we are to call time to submit to Gods will. So, we shall be praying and speaking into this 35th week of the year to cooperate and align with God’s purposes in the nations. By prayer, prophetic decrees and right action, let us redeeGod’sm the week from the clutches of evil.
Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth – this week – as it is in Heaven!
A. BIBLICAL PATTERNS FOR THE WEEK
- The seventh day of creation narrative (Genesis 2: 1-3). This is a seventh day of creation week. It is the week ending the fifth 7 weeks of the year (July 16 – September 2)
- Deuteronomy 31-34 (the seventh and last prophetic division of the fifth book of the Bible is applicable to the last week in the fifth 7 weeks).
- The 35th book of the Bible (Habakkuk). This is a book of Habakkuk week.
- The 35th chapters of the Bible. The 35th week is a 35th chapters of the Bible week.
- The last 9 books of the New Testament (Hebrews – Revelation). The 7th and last prophetic division of the Bible is applicable to the seventh and last week in the fifth seven weeks of the year.
B. BIBLE READING SUGGESTIONS FOR THE WEEK
Going through the 35th week of the year is like taking a journey through the 35th book of the Bible (Habakkuk). It is also like walking through the 35th chapters of the Bible. So, the Book of Habakkuk and the 35th chapters of the Bible are great guiding lights for the week. Habakkuk is the 3-chapter book following the book of Nahum.
You may want to read the suggested passages as follows but be at liberty to follow the leading of the Spirit of God:
August 26: Habakkuk 1; Genesis 35;
August 27: Habakkuk 2; Exodus 35.
August 28: Habakkuk 3; Numbers 35
August 29: 2 Chronicles 35; Job 35
August 30: Psalm 35. Isaiah 35.
August 31: Jeremiah 35;
September 1: Ezekiel 35
C. THOUGHTS AND PRAYER POINTS FOR THE WEEK
Here are five things about the 35th season that can guide us as we pray into this week:
- This is a week of rest. The 35th week is the seventh and last week in the fifth 7 weeks of the year. It is a Sabbath week. A seventh week should be a season of rest from toil, labor, trouble, and struggles. The Lord Jesus used the Sabbath to call the distressed into rest from their struggles and pains. When God speaks rest, the evil one speaks distress.
PRAYER: Pray that this week would be a time of ending yokes and burdens rather a week of unrest and troubles. Let us lean on the finished work and command rest for God’s people in this week
- This is a week of everlasting joy but the evil one hijacks this season to make it a season of sorrow. Isaiah 35:10 says,
“And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away”.
The evil one makes the 35th season a time of abrupt endings. He cuts short lives and purposes in this season. Genesis 35 bears witness to this. Isaac died there. Deborah (Rebekah’s nurse) died there. Rachel died there after giving birth to Benjamin (Genesis 35: 8, 19, 29). Jacob’s active life ended in this chapter also. Genesis 36 is about Esau. The rest of the book is about the sons of Jacob especially Joseph and Judah. The death of King Josiah is recorded in Second Chronicles 35. He died at the age of 39. His life ended abruptly in a battle field.
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated within the 35th seven years of America from 1620. King George VI died at the close of the 35th seven years of the United Kingdom. The 35th President of the United States, John F, Kennedy, was assassinated. In the 35th seven years of America (from 1776), Donald Trump escaped two impeachment attempts. Within the same 35th seven years, the spirit of death working through COVID-19, swept through the land and ended many lives.
This is a significant week of endings and new beginnings in Nigeria’s history. This week in 1985 (August 27), the regime of Muhammad Buhari ended abruptly in Nigeria following Ibrahim Babangida’s coup. This week in 1991 (August 27), Ibrahim Babangida created 9 new states in Nigeria increasing the number of states from 21 to 30. This week in 1993 (August 27) Ibrahim Babangida yielded to pressure, stepped down as Head of State, and handed over to an Interim National Government.
PRAYER: Pray against abrupt endings for God’s people this 35th week of the year. Pray against operations of the spirit of death in this week. Decree abrupt ends for things that should not be – in families, in the church and in the nations.
- This is a week of judgment against wickedness. Psalm 35:1-3 says, “Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me. [2] Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help. [3] Also draw out the spear, And stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” The 35th season is a season when the wicked do wickedly. It is a book of Habakkuk week. In the book of Habakkuk, the prophet complained to the Lord about His seeming indifference to his cry against violence and breakdown of justice in the land. God promised He would tame the land with a wicked nation. The prophet protested; wondering how God would use a wicked and ungodly nation to punish His people. In a 35th week, God may seem silent or absent but He is in His temple and will act in due time. Reuben defiled his father’s bed in Genesis 35. The Abacha government accused, arrested, and jailed Obasanjo in 1995 (Nigeria’s 35th year). The Ogoni 8 (including Ken Saro-Wiwa were executed the same year. It was a year of impunity and great human rights abuse in Nigeria – leading to tough UN sanctions.
PRAYER: Pray that God will rise against wickedness, violence, and injustice in the nations this week. Pray in line with Psalm 35 that God will deliver His people from wicked hands and hearts in this week.
- This is a week of revival. This is a time to return to Bethel. The 35th season is a time to go back to Bethel – the place of encounter with God. In Genesis 35, God told Jacob to return to Bethel. He got his family and household to do away with all idols in their possession. In Second Chronicles 35, Josiah led Israel to keep a landmark Passover as part of his reforms. Josiah and all Judah returned to the Lord and observed a ground-shaking Passover; such as had never happened since the days of Samuel. That was the last revival before Babylonian captivity. The 35th season is a time for revival of faith. Josiah’s celebration of the Passover was like a return to the beginning. The Passover was the beginning of Israel’s independence and separation from Egypt. In Jeremiah 35, God commended the sons of Rechab for refusing to depart from their roots and from the instructions of their father.
Though God wants a return to Bethel in the 35th season, the devil wants to lead people farther away from God in this season. State sponsored prayer and Bible reading was banned in US public schools in the season of America’s 35th President. The SCOTUS ruled in favour of same-sex marriage within the 35th seven years of the United States (July 4, 2015 – July 3, 2021).
PRAYER: Pray for revival in the nations. The Spirit of God is calling us this week to go back to Bethel. Pray that the God’s people will hear this call. Pray against the spirit of rebellion and against temptations to shun the path to Bethel in this week.
- The 35th season is a season of blessings for the godly. In Genesis 35, God spoke comfort and blessing to Jacob. He announced his change of name for the last time in this chapter. In Jeremiah 35, God blessed the sons of Rechab. Jeremiah 35:19 says, “…Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever.”
PRAYER: Pray that this is a week of divine encounters for God’s people in the nations. Let it be a week of removing the garment of old identity and a week of walking in the blessings our new identity in Christ. Speak blessings over people and families. Speak blessings over ministries. Speak blessings over God’s people in the nations.
BIBLE VERSES FOR THE WEEK:
Isaiah 35:5-6, 10: Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. [10] And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Amen!!!
Happy 35th week of the year.
