Seasons, Numbers & Time
Now Think On This
Steve Martin
“Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will
serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter." And Laban said,
"It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to
another man. Stay with me." So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and
they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.” (Genesis
29:18-20 NKJV)
In an earlier message I wrote on numbers, and shared
how the Lord pays close attention to numbers. He is exact in His attempt to
teach us His ways. He uses numbers in every aspect of our life, beginning with
the date we are born, the length of years we live; even with the sunrise and
sunset, as the heavens daily declare His glory and presence all around us.
He is the God of all, who delights in order and organized
systems. As is quite the opposite of our enemy, our God has set plans, purposes
and alignments. He is not chaotic, disorderly, or confused. He knows Who He is,
what He is, and how He reveals Himself to us. I AM is His Name, high above all.
So how do seasons and numbers come into play? All throughout
Scripture, from Genesis 1:1 to the end of the Book at the Revelation of Jesus 22:21,
we can see how orderly the Living God of Israel operates. That is the way He
is. The seasons He gives to us on this earth, and the times which are numbered and
also laid out for us, can draw us closer to Him, when we realize just how
interested and concerned He is, with seasons, numbers and time.
When I looked up just the number seven in the
concordance, I was amazed at the quantity of Scriptures which that number alone
is found in. One such verse, which I included in the beginning of this message,
as stated in the Torah, is written, “Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and
they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.” (Genesis
29:20 NKJV – and then Jacob had to work yet another seven years after that –
Gen. 29:30!)
Do you think the Lord knew that one set of seven years,
and then another, were in store for Jacob? Do you think God the Father just let it happen
to His servant, one of the three main Patriarchs of the Jews, while He attended
to other concerns in the vast universe? I don’t think so. As in my life, I believe
the Lord knows exactly our times and seasons, and wants us to seek Him to know
them too. He wants to further reveal Himself to us, day in and day out.
“…and He made from one man every nation of mankind
to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times
and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps
they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of
us; for in Him we live and move and exist…” (Acts 17:26-28 NASU)
Speaking of the number seven, I know it is an
important one in the Lord’s counting system. Seven represents completeness and perfection.
If you do a Bible study on that specific number, you will see what, where and
how the Lord has used it.
In my own life, I have looked back at the increments
of seven years in my life, and how those years have brought a completion of one
season and the start of another. Often a major family move occurred. I can definitely
see the hand of the Lord in it all.
Just going back to 1973 – my high school graduation year
– was a clear end of one segment of my life, and the start of another. Then in August
of 1980, our family moved from Illinois to Michigan, to begin a new life with a
church in East Lansing (Shiloh Fellowship, later New Covenant Christian
Church). It also meant a new job, new house, and new friends.
In 1987, seven years later to the exact month
(August) we moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as I started my new position
with Derek Prince Ministries, assisting Mahesh Chavda Ministries in my extra
time.
Seven years later, in 1994, again in the summer, we
moved with Mahesh Chavda Ministries to Charlotte, NC. See how cleverly I
planned all this out???!! No. It was the Lord Who did it!
In 2001, yet another seven year segment later, I was back at Derek Prince Ministries, who had also moved to Charlotte from Florida, in the mid 1990’s.
So what happened in 2008? I was in the exact middle
of five years of service as the USA Director of Vision For Israel (Barry &
Batya Segal). Little did I know, I was in preparation for our own ministry,
that of Love For His People, which wasn’t even in my mind at that time. But it
was in the heart of my Father. And He had been preparing me for it all those 24
years serving other ministries.
For me, 2017 will complete yet another seven years -
from the time Love For His People was founded in April of 2010. I am believing
another major marker in my life history will be laid down, and the start of a
new season in the Lord.
What about you? Have you ever gone back and looked
at your life, noting certain years and what natural and spiritual events occurred,
as the Lord was directing your steps? Take time and do it. I think you will be
amazed, and give glory to God for His hand on your head, as He directed your
feet, whether you realized it or not.
We serve a great God, the Maker of the Universe. The
heavenlies, immense star systems, thousands of galaxies and beyond, all speak
of Him and His divine order. And yet, with all that, He has ordained our specific
times and seasons.
Let Him show you just how He has also done so in
your life. I think you will be very grateful, and give thanks for His love.
Now think on this, in the love
of Jesus,
Steve Martin
Love For His People, Inc.
P.S. I would be
most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and
friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below.
Thanks! Steve
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Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 01.07.15 -
#230 –“Season, Numbers & Time” – Thursday at 6:00 pm
All previous editions of Now Think On This can
be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This
Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this
encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social
media icons below. Thanks! Steve
LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE FEATURED BOOK
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Buy here: The Promise - by Steve Martin
Throughout our lives, God keeps His hand on our shoulders and nudges us on to more than what we could ever realize. I am excited to share how He did it this with me, and am confident mine will be a story you’ll be able to relate to.
As I unveil my story, think back to those times when you knew there was some¬thing more but you just couldn’t put your finger on it. You knew deep down that life wasn’t what the TV sitcoms portrayed it to be. In our souls there is the hope, the cry for more, that someday questions will be answered and promises fulfilled if we just kept plugging away at what we know to do.
In The Promise I share my 40 year journey with you, and show you that dreams do come true. Though Peter Pan isn’t real, the Lord, the One Who created us, certainly is, and He has a plan in place for each one of us. When you are done reading this story, my prayer is that you too will know more of that good plan and His purpose for you.
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People
Paperback $5.95 Kindle $1.99
Buy here: The Promise - by Steve Martin
Well, that is my perspective from the chair I sit in today. I did not always know or experience these principles, as I grew up in a rather unsafe home with verbal abuse occurring almost every day. We each have a personal pilgrimage – and for a moment I would like to invite you into a window of mine. Jesus I loved without reservation, but the premise that God the Father was a "good God" unfortunately was a foreign concept to me. (Photo of Spiritual Fathers via James Goll)
I always want to be a Word-based disciple. If I had no relational mentors, I would still have my Bible. I would still have the heroes of the faith inscribed in this Holy Book. They are the fathers and mothers I look to the most. They always have been, and frankly, always will be. (Photo of Don Finto with James Goll)
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