The Opportunities We Miss

Call To Prayer

Title: The Opportunities We Miss

By: Daniel Peter

Date: 02.01.2023

because a wide door for effective service has opened to me [in Ephesus, a very promising opportunity], and there are many adversaries

1 Cor. 16:9 AMP.

Some time ago, we met to pray for the nations. One of the prayer points that was raised was that God should give us opportunities to preach the Gospel. After the session, The Lord led me to read Acts. 16:16-40, which was about Paul and Silas being thrown into prison. Then I discerned His voice telling me that “prison is an opportunity to preach the Gospel”.

Many times, opportunities come disguising in discomforting situations. If we are not discerning, we may miss out on them. When Joseph was thrown into prison, it was an embarrassing situation because he was falsely accused of rape. However, God was presenting him an opportunity to gain access to the palace. If he were not in prison, he wouldn’t meet the person who connected him to Pharaoh. Another discomforting situation that is an opportunity is affliction/sickness. When Apostle Paul was afflicted, he approached God in prayer for the sickness to be removed. God’s response to him was “… My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9a)“.  Apostle Paul understood that His pain was an opportunity to manifest God’s power. Then, he went on to say “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me (2 Cor. 12:9b)“. Like Paul, when we boast about our weaknesses, God’s power will rest on us. So those weaknesses we complain about are opportunities to gain power.

When Jesus Christ was speaking about love, he inferred that when we love our enemies, and do good to those that despitefully use us, then we are children of our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:43-48). Therefore, offences are opportunities for us to demonstrate that we are children of God. A natural man may not forgive when offended, but as Christians, we have been instructed to forgive and love our enemies. In doing this, people will be able to recognise that we are children of God indeed.

Challenging situations are there to reveal the greatness in us. When Goliath was taunting Israel, people were scared of him. However, it was an opportunity given to David to reveal the greatness in him. Before David killed Goliath, he was seen as a Shepard boy over a few sheep and a player of strings. But after he killed Goliath, He was recognised by all of Israel as a great warrior. So what posed as a challenge (a giant), was actually an opportunity for David to manifest greatness.

So when the scriptures say “in everything give thanks… (1 Thes. 5:18…)“, it’s because whatever God allows is good for us, despite it may be discomforting. Opportunities may present themselves as discomforting situations.

Prayer Point:

Let’s thank God for His word today. Let’s ask Him to help us recognize opportunities and He should give us the grace to utilise them.