The Beauty of God-Belonging to the Right Time or Season - Nancy MaHarrey

The Beauty of God-Belonging to The Right Time or Season

Acts 3:1-7

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said look on us.  And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.  Then Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength.

There is beauty in all of us even if we don't feel so beautiful.  Today, I want to talk to you about a beauty that exceeds any natural beauty-- God's beauty!

In the story above we find  a lame man who is carried daily to the Temple to the gate Beautiful to beg for alms. There this man lay in his own despair, want , and need-- having to be dependant on others. Probably feeling useless and thinking he had no purpose or value.  This is definately not a picture of beauty, not according to the natural eye.  However, this description depicts so many today.  We go to church but yet we are crippled by our own despair, want and need.  We live in lack and have no spiritual strength because we are bound by our past, low self-esteem, and feelings of having no purpose or value.  Because our circumstances seem impossible we have become as the beggar, we watch others go by walking in the fulness of their ministries, jobs, walking in prosperity, joy, and peace.  We see others being promoted in life and  we sit helplessly by wondering, "Why?".  We sit in the ugliness of our situation wondering, "How?".

But the word for you today is don't give up! Don't give in to your circumstances!  God has beauty he wants to bring forth in your life.   Just as the lame man lay by the gate Beautiful day after day and year after year, even though people thought things would never change for him, even though, his situation seemed impossible, God had a different plan.  And God has a different agenda for you!

The word Beautiful means to belong to the right time or season; to flourish.  In other words, whether the lame man's friends knew it or not, by placing him by the gate Beautiful they were proclaiming daily that the lame man belonged to the right time and season!  That he would flourish!  And he did flourish!  At his appointed time, Peter and John came by and fastened their eyes on the beggar (seeing the man in his destiny and not his situation) told the lame man in the name of Jesus to rise up and walk.  And at their word the lame man stood up out of the ugliness of his situation into the beauty of God's Glory.   

Their are some of you today that are like that lame man, you are in a season of waiting. You are waiting for your appointed time or season.  God's word for you is don't give up! Just as the lame man was at the gate daily, you must continue to to carry the word God has placed in your spirit.  You must hold on to the promise He has given you.   Do not abort the word in you and miss your appointed time. Even though everyone may tell you there is no use, God is saying at your appointed time, at the right season He is going to give you beauty for your ashes. Ashes are the residue of something burnt. Some of you have been consumed by your situation leaving you with nothing but the residue of shame, heartache and an emotional roller coaster .  You're holding on to the hurt, disappointments, and insults of the fire you've been through.  But God is about to cause beauty to arise out of your past, your hurt, and your despair.  God is about change your mourning into dancing. That thing in your life that you have been going through that feels like death, He's going to give you an oil of joy for a spirit of heaviness.  Somebody is at their appointed time today,just as the lame man was, and God is about to cause you to rise up out of depression into joy, to rise up out of debt into financial blessing, to rise up out of confusion into understanding , to rise up out of turmoil into peace , to rise up out of sickness into health, to rise up out of no purpose into a divine agenda, to rise up out of closed doors into opened doors!!!  Know today that God is about to bring beauty forth out of your situation !!!!  Don't give UP!!!

Lord, help us to realize your beauty comes in time. Strengthen us to endure until our appointed season, when we become as that tree that's planted by the water that  brings forth her fruit in due season!  Amen!