The Dansoman Area Head of The Church of Pentecost, Prophet Ebenezer Appiah, has urged Christians to continuously trust and hope in the Lord for divine intervention in the face of COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him, hoping in God is more assuring and certain than rising of the sun in the morning because God is always behind His word to perform and see to its fulfilment.
Prophet Appiah was speaking on PENT TV on Sunday morning [April 26, 2020] during a Twi Service to culminate the 3-day All Christians National Fasting and Prayer in Ghana. The event, which was intended to seek the face of God against COVID-19, was under the theme, “O God, Heal Our Land” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14).
In his sermon titled, “Hoping In God’s Waiting Room” with Lamentation 3:21-26 and Psalm 130:5-6 as his scripture references, the Area Head explained that just as many facilities have waiting rooms where people are made to wait till it gets to their turn to be served, so it is with God.
He noted that waiting period is unpleasant as those waiting become so nervous as to what will be the outcome of their waiting. However, he said, it is heartening to be in God’s waiting room because He is always good to those who wait and hope in Him.
“For someone’s word to be taken seriously or not, it depends on the calibre of the person who made the assertion. The one behind these words I am sharing with you is the Almighty God; the creator of heavens and earth is behind His word and I want us to fully put our trust in Him,” he stressed.
Explaining the texts, Prophet Appiah noted that it was a period of weeping and wailing for Jeremiah as the Babylonians raided Jerusalem and captured all the people. He said many were killed with scores of buildings and other properties destroyed, leaving behind only the poor and the vulnerable.
He, however, observed that hope returned when Jeremiah remembered God’s loving-kindness. He said that God put something into Jeremiah’s heart for him to know that He was still with them, despite the plague that had befallen them. “May God put something in your heart and lift up your hope for you to know that He is still alive,” he prayed.
“Albeit, things are very bad in Ghana as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, they are not worse because of the mercies of God; and since they are not worse, we hope that better things are coming and better times are ahead of us.
“The Church of God has been through a lot and this can be likened to Moses’ experience in the wilderness when he saw that a bush was on fire but was not consumed. Many things tried to consume the Church but they could not because the builder of this Church is Jesus Christ, who cannot be consumed by fire. I don’t know what you are going through but by the mercies of God we will not be consumed,” he assured.
Another thing God put into Jeremiah’s heart, according to Prophet Appiah, is His unfailing compassion. He noted that God may be angry with humanity, but His compassion towards His people will not cease. “Even, in anger, He doesn’t shut up His compassion for us; He visits us with them every morning,” he stressed.
Inferring from the text, the Dansoman Area Head noted that waiting on the Lord is not just about prayer; it goes further than praying, stressing that “waiting on the Lord demands time, faith, strength and hope. So God has not forsaken us; His faithfulness still endures and He is still behind His words and at the appointed time He will glorify Himself so that the whole world will see that we have God in Ghana, who is attentive and responsive to the cry of His children.”
“The world and everything in it will pass away. We know the harm COVID-19 has caused; many have lost their parents, friends, loved ones, jobs to this deadly virus, however, if the Lord is our portion, He can restore whatever we have lost,” he said.
Drawing some lessons from the exemplary lives of Abraham, Joseph, and Jairus, Prophet Appiah encouraged Christians to have absolute faith in God and hope in His word of promises.
He further reminded Christians that they would sometimes experience some dark rooms in their lives but that should not kill their hope in the Lord because the Lord will surely shine for them.
Touching on how to find hope in God’s waiting room, Prophet Appiah urged Christians to be prayerful, feed on God’s faithfulness, relax in the Lord and sing praises to God.
“I want to tell the whole world to put their trust in Jesus Christ because He has blown the final whistle. He blew the whistle to bring to a close the games of our lives on the cross when He said it was finished to indicate that He has overcome the world for us. Jesus Christ has forgiven us of all our sins; healed all our diseases, delivered us from the pit of death and above all crowned us with love and mercy.
“Jesus alone has been exalted above all things; every rule, all authority, power and dominion rest under His feet. Bible says He did all this for His Church in which we find ourselves. The world belongs to Him and not for Coronavirus. We will not worship Coronavirus; we will rather worship the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He reigns; He still reigns and when He speaks He has the final word,” he concluded.
Report by Emmanuel Nana Nsiah.