WINDOWS OF HEAVEN

WINDOWS OF HEAVEN (Malachi 3:10)

I am extremely glad to welcome you to the year 2018, a year that will naturally attract God’s blessings to you wherever you are located in Jesus name. The theme for this month in RCCG Mount Zion parish is “WINDOWS OF HEAVEN”.  This demonstrates how the divine source of provision is quite different from others.  The word of God says “bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10). It is highly comforting for God to promise us opening of windows of heaven to the extent that there will not be enough room for us to contain the blessings. In fact, I am fascinated by the various ways the different versions of the Bible have put this. One version (NIV) says God will throw open floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessings that there will be room to store it. The New American Standard Bible says God will pour on us a blessing until it overflows while International Standard Version says God will throw open the windows of heaven for us and pour on us blessings without measure. According to Message version of the Bible, it is blessings beyond our wildest dreams while the Revised Standard Version talks about overflowing blessings. The Complete Jewish Bible caps it all with “a blessing far beyond your needs”. This succinctly captures the real meaning of Windows of Heaven. For it is God’s provisions beyond and above your needs. It is a source of blessings that come directly from God. It connotes God’s conferring honour and ease on you. This is so as God decides to open the windows of heaven by Himself instead asking us to open them. It is also a confirmation of unstoppable blessings because no man can stop God from opening the windows of heaven.

Above all you are sure that the timing of outpouring of God’s blessings through windows of heaven will not be late or fast but appropriate. Strictly connected to this is the realization that God is the only one with sovereign power and discretion to decide the method of pouring the blessing, the quantity at a particular time and the appropriate timing. For example, while we may be looking unto God for a particular physical and material blessings He may decide to, first of all, give us some spiritual blessings that will help us to be able to manage the physical and material blessings when they are released to us. This is one of the reasons why God says His thoughts are not our thoughts while our ways are not His ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Then what happens when the windows of heaven are opened? The almighty God will open unto us his good treasure,  cause the heaven to give the rain unto our land in his season, and to bless all the work of our hand so that we lend unto many nations, and not go a borrowing (Deuteronomy 28:12).

When windows of heaven are opened, God also makes provision in an unusual way as He directed a flesh-eating raven to carry flesh and bread twice on daily basis to Elijah in the wilderness while the same raven never thought of eating the flesh. It is quite important to remind ourselves of the condition for the opening of the windows of heaven, which is the absolute dependence and reliance upon God. Bringing all the tithes to the storehouse symbolizes putting God first in all that pertains to us. Tithes go beyond monetary classification. It includes your time, talents, services, thoughts, actions and dispositions. You could ask yourself, how many percentage of all these are you devoting to God? Also, windows of heaven could be opened to destroy the wicked just as we witnessed in Genesis 7:11-23. Hence we have to desist from every form of unrighteousness and wicked tendencies. As God opens the windows of heavens my prayer is that we will access all God’s provisions beyond all our needs including sufficient grace to keep on obeying Him all the days of our lives. You are in for a great haul of divine blessings this year and beyond in Jesus name. Once more Happy New Year