“The Lord replied: “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it,” (Habakkuk 1:5 NLT).
Habakkuk, as a burden bearer, agonised in prayer about the violence, injustice, strife, plundering, and wickedness that was prevalent in his day. God’s response to his unceasing prayers was: “look around to the nations….” God’s eventual decision to raise a heathen nation like Babylon to chastise Israel was shocking to Habakkuk, who expected something better. Why would God allow a heathen nation like the Chaldeans to judge Israel, a more righteous nation? But disappointed as Habakkuk may have felt, he forgot that God reserves the sovereign right to answer our prayers the way He deems fit. There is no guarantee God will answer our prayers the way we expect Him to. As Habakkuk prayed, God acted differently according to His will and purpose.
God’s word to Habakkuk to look at the nations applies to us today. God has promised to do amazing work among the nations; hence He wants us to observe what is happening in the nations. In one sense, God is saying that, the events unfolding in the nations should interest us, as intercessors, as much as they interest Him.
As we look at the nations, what do we see? Unfortunately, we see disturbing events of wars, famine, violence, human trafficking, injustice, wickedness, population explosion and death from deadly diseases including cancer. All these events seem to suggest that Satan is at work and has an upper hand in what happens in the world. But, as we look closely at the happenings in the world, we also see encouraging signs of people being saved; we see the fire of revival spreading here and there. We hear stories of people turning to God. We see the fight against injustice, we see economies expanding, and we see advances in the fields of science and medicine, among others. All these should encourage us to pray more intensely for the Kingdom of God to manifest on the earth as it is in heaven.
God is interested in the nations because Jesus gave his life for the salvation of the nations. God works among the nations because he plans that each nation should be represented in heaven as a fulfillment of Revelation 5:9-10. Jesus died so that men would be redeemed out of every tribe, tongue and nation. Jesus deserves the due reward for the ultimate price He paid in dying for the nations of the world. (Isaiah 53:10-11).
Intercessors must not despair at what they see as they look at the nations. Intercessors must fix their gaze on God and His word; they should always be interested in what God is doing, what His Spirit is saying and what the word of God says. In the war of destiny over who controls the nations, victory ultimately belongs to our God and not the devil.
“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’ And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord, God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned,” (Revelation 11:15-17 NKJV).
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