Numbers are very important to God!

Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying  “Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families,” (Numbers 1:1-2a)

What has God been saying to you through numbers?

The Bible is the greatest love letter ever written. And in the Bible, so much detail is paid to dates and numbers. An entire long book of the Bible is even called “Numbers.” While the name is derived from the census God took of the nation of Israel on two separate occasions, God is definitely a God of order. He has recurring patterns to reveal Himself. From my extensive journaling and Bible reading, I can tell you thousands of stories about how numbers matter to God.

This week I’ve been sharing a sequence of progressive miracles over the past few years to open eyes of understanding to the spiritual significance of this 07-07-07 year to wake up the church in America.

In yesterday’s devotional, I shared the miracle of Doug Barclay and how he began working for Operation Mobilization on 03-03-03. Today I’ll share about what God did on 04-04-04 and 05-05-05. Tomorrow, I’ll share what the Holy Spirit told me He wants to happen on 07-07-07.

Julia (my wife) and I first met in August 1977 in a Probability (math) class in the very first class of the first day the new Fall semester at the University of Virginia (UVA). Julia had just transferred into UVA and this was her very first class there. What’s the Probability of that? We got married on June 21, 1981, the longest day of the year as far as daylight is concerned in the Northern hemisphere. Our 25th anniversary was June 21, 2006, and God told me I’m to celebrate His 25 years of favor for an entire year. Proverbs 18:22 says “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.”

While God blessed me with a wife much better than I deserved and abundant finances as a physician, I didn’t have a firm Biblical understanding of my role in marriage. In 1991, I separated my wife’s budget from the family budget because of my frustration with unresolved conflicts over spending and saving. Now I understand this was a violation of God’s intentions for two people to “become one flesh” (share everything) when they get married.

On April 1, 2004, Pastor Matt Gregory took a leap of faith in obedience to the Holy Spirit and left Open Door Baptist Church after serving there more than ten years as a youth pastor to begin a new church plant. On 04-04-04, Julia and I reviewed our family budget together for the first time in 13 years and agreed to support Matt financially even though we didn’t plan to go to that church when it eventually got started.

But God knows how to direct the hearts of men. Jesus said “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Being in unity with my wife to give generously to Soul Purpose Church (SPC) captured both of our hearts. We eventually became part of the core team for SPC. Then on November 21, 2004, Julia, Robbie (my son), Issi (Julia’s identical twin sister), and Angelika (Issi’s daughter) were baptized together in the very first baptism ceremony for SPC before the church’s official worship service. In Biblical numerology, the number “4″ represents creation.

In October 2004, while preparing a PowerPoint presentation for upcoming meetings with leaders of the Christian Medical and Dental Association [www.cmda.org] and the American Family Association [www.afa.net], the LORD revealed to me that he was going to do something incredible in Culpeper on 05-05-05, the day of the annual National Day of Prayer. In Biblical numerology, the number “5” represents grace.

On 05-05-05, Dr. Niel Stegmann and Johan Dupreez came from South Africa to Culpeper to meet with me, Michael Stay, Matt Gregory, and Mark Jarvis for strategic planning sessions regarding Infocare, something with the potential to transform healthcare systems and communities around the world.

Before he left, Niel gave me Jack Serra’s book “Marketplace, Marriage, and Revival.” This book and Jack’s teaching had more of a lasting favorable impact on my marriage than any other marriage teaching. To be a catalyst to bring unity to the body of Christ in Virginia, God had to change my heart to bring my wife and I into better unity.  Also as a result of Niel and Johan’s visit, Rick Heeren came to Culpeper in late June 2005. His visit birthed Pray Culpeper and established a beachhead for prayer evangelism in Culpeper and Virginia.

The only message the Holy Spirit gave me for 06-06-06 was to pray against spiritual forces of wickedness. In Biblical numerology, the number “6″ represents man. The number “666″ is often used for the devil.

Prayer Power
My sight is dim, my heart is down, my mind is darkened by iniquity. I lost the way and I cannot see. Find me LORD, lift the veil. Shine Your face on me. Remove the veil that my eyes may see. Remove the veil that hides You from me. Remove the veil that my eyes may see Your beauty and glory, my LORD.

(This prayer comes from the opening lyrics of a beautiful song titled “Remove the Veil” on CD#2 of the CD set titled “Songs of Zion.”)

Link of the Day
Biblical Numerology [http://www.carm.org/questions/numbers.htm]

Blessing to have God remove the veil that keeps you from seeing His beauty and glory!