From chapter 4 (“Prospering in the Day of Famine”) from John Eckhardt’s new book, You Shall Recover All
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
—PSALM 37:19
This psalm is very close to my heart. God will satisfy you. “Fret not thyself because of evildoers…For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land….the meek shall inherit the land” (Ps. 37:13, 11).
Regardless of what’s going on—whether it’s viruses, violence, or death—the earth is the Lord’s. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” It all belongs to God. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him. God is committed to this planet. He is committed to preserving it, keeping it, guarding and protecting it. We will not be destroyed.
Despite the sicknesses and diseases, economic collapse, and social and political unrest that came, because of God’s people and because of prayer and the spiritual power and authority that has been given to us in the name of Jesus, we were not consumed. You are still standing. You are still here.
The Bible says, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” In other words, God has given us the responsibility to govern, to dominate, to have dominion, and to exercise authority over the earth. We are the ones who exercise dominion and ruling power on the earth. And that’s what many of us did. At the height of the pandemic and the season of social and political unrest, we took authority over every demon of fear, death, premature death, destruction, sickness, disease, murder, hatred, violence, indifference, prejudice, and racism, and we bound them. Every demonic spirit operating behind the scenes, every demon causing people to be afraid to panic, hide, and run, we bound and rebuked them in the name of Jesus.
In the heat of the struggle, it’s hard to believe what the Scripture says about what God will do for us during these dark times—that He will satisfy us in famine. But I’m going to keep challenging you to grab this word and make it your confession. As a matter of fact, we’re going to take it even further. You are going to be so faith-filled and strong that you will laugh at the famine. That’s right. Job 5:22 says, “At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh.”
Instead of famine being something so dreadful and fearsome causing you to fall, faint, bend, or bow before it in defeat, you will laugh. Instead of being afraid of famine, you will laugh at it. Famine will not be something that will take you out of here. It will not be the thing to cause you to die before your time. Despite the famine, you will live and not die.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). So, if the scripture says, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD” (Ps. 118:17), this is what will come out of my mouth. There was a point near the beginning of the pandemic that it looked like the enemy was trying to attack my body. I said, “I will not die. I will live.” This is the confession that came out of my mouth, and I encourage you to declare it now too.
Draw From the Strength of God
There are many ways we can die, just as there are many types of famine. God will sustain and satisfy you through them all. “I once was young, but now am old,” the psalmist said, “yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
Yes, you may have to nurse yourself back to full health after whatever blow you’ve sustained, but God will give you wisdom on how to make a full recovery just as He gave my wife and me. I’ve never been close to dying and I wasn’t at that point when I got ill. Still during that time, I took care of myself and my wife nursed me back to health. I stood in faith. I believed God. I came back feeling stronger than ever. God will renew you—whatever type of famine you are facing—physical, mental, spiritual, financial, or relational. He will cause you to come back stronger than ever.
The Scripture says, “Bless the Lord…Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Ps. 103:5, NKJV). Then Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (NKJV).
Believe the Lord is the strength of your life, that He is going to renew your strength. Believe for more strength than you’ve ever had before in spite of anything that has come against you. Believe that the Lord will give me the strength you had as a youth.
Building faith and expectancy for God’s promises to manifest in your life begins with your mouth. It begins with the words. It begins with the weak saying, “I am strong.” (See Joel 3:10.) If you feel weak, say, “I’m strong.” Declare, “The Lord is the strength of my life. The Lord is my light and my salvation. The Lord gives me strength. My strength is from God. The Lord gives me power. The spirit of might, power, and strength is my portion.”
I want you to speak and believe that during the days of famine, you will be satisfied. You will not lack during this season, and you will not be ashamed. God is not going to allow you to be put to shame. He will provide for you and take care of you.
Just as the height of the pandemic came and went in the United States, this season you are in will pass too. What you are going through will come to an end. New glory, power, and strength is going to come upon you. Things cannot remain the same, but God will sustain you and give you strength.
The Scripture says, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small” (Prov. 24:10). You cannot faint during the time of adversity. You need to draw from the strength of God. By the power of the Holy Ghost and the anointing of God, I speak life to you. I speak healing. I speak restoration. I speak strength. I speak favor. I speak grace. I speak divine protection over your life in this season.
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