Text: Luke 19:41-44
Memory verse:
“Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited.”
Jeremiah 17:5-6 NKJV
Opportunity can be defined as a period of time in which conditions are right for a particular course of action. It is a critical or a decisive point in time. Similar words used for it include season, chance, and time. As it is for seasons, you need to recognize opportunities when it comes, or else you will miss it.
Our text today gives one of the three accounts in the Bible that brought out tears from our Lord Jesus. “He saw the city and wept over it” (Luke 19:41). He was on His last trip to Jerusalem before His crucifixion. And as He approached the city and thought of its oncoming doom, He was moved to tears. He reasoned that this could have been avoided if the people had recognized their hour of visitation and had embraced the things that made for their peace. “They will crush you into the ground and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place because you did not recognize it when God visited you.” (Luke 19:44 NLT). It was reported that, less than 40 years later, in AD 70, more than 1,000,000 residents of Jerusalem died in one of the most gruesome sieges in recorded history.
The people had a rare opportunity to embrace peace, but they didn’t see it. The opportunity came knocking at their door, but they shut the door against it.
Likewise, when a person misses his or her divine opportunity or time of visitation, the unimaginable happens, including misfortune, stagnation, and frustration. “For everything, there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” (Ecc 3:1 NLT).
Sometimes, opportunities may not be so obvious but shielded by things that make it so unlikely. For example, danger can hide a great opportunity, just as it presented it to David before Goliath. Goliath was a tested warrior from his youth, and everyone, including King Saul, saw danger in David, challenging him in battle except David himself. He saw an opportunity in the midst of the danger (1 Sam 17:33). Sir Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
You need to do a search and think about the possibilities in every challenge. Also, pray for light so that you can discern God-sent opportunities because some are death traps, like the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness (Matt 4:8-9). Trusting God helps you to discern well, according to our memory text.
Friends, may the Lord give you discernment to know when good comes, in Jesus’ name.
Prayer points
1. Father, please, help me to always be discerning so I don’t miss opportunities and my hour of visitation in Jesus’ name.
2. Father, please help me to see opportunities even in the midst of challenges in Jesus’ name.
Today’s declarations
1. I don’t turn away from challenges, but I find God-sent opportunities in them.
2. I pray for discernment daily because I know that not all opportunities are God-sent.
Contact: pastor@thf.org.ng