The 11th Hour

As we come to the end of year, I found what I’m about to write prudent. Memes are flying around of how disappointed most of our 2022 goals are with us. And though it’s funny, it hurts deeper than many could ever know. For some of us, it was never about the personal goals we made. It’s about what God promised would happen this year.

This is for the Sarahs and Abrahams God promised a son. I’m imagining He told you ‘this year…such and such a thing must happen.’ And even if it has become a trend, or business as usual for many to get used to nothing ever happening and simply giving up, I’m here to challenge us to ‘wrestle with God’ these last few days before 2023 … to get a little crazy and put up a stand … until each of those promises shows up.

In Matthew 20:1-16, we see a parable of the kingdom, where a man who represents God hires people to work in His field at the beginning of day, at the third hour, the sixth, the ninth and the 11th hour. The first lot agreed to being paid a denarius a day. Shockingly everyone was paid the same. Even those that worked for an hour (assuming work ended at the 12th). Those that came before the break of day complained, but the employer said ‘didn’t we agree that you’d be paid a denarius?’ …

Below are the lessons I learnt from this passage;

1. The denarius is the unit of payment. It’s an allegory of the faith currency. Whether one has worked for 12 hours or 3. Whether they’ve believed for 12 months or 1, they’ll be paid according to their faith!

The first batch agreed that they’d be paid a specific measure after the end of 12 hours (months). These are those who received a promise in January, and expect its fulfilment (or PAY) at the end of December! Image-wise, if you believe God needs 12 months to work, you’ll receive as your faith states. If you believe that one month is enough for Him, that’s what you’ll get.

2. Those who came in at the 11th hour believed they too would be paid after the one hour of work. It wasn’t disclosed what they’d receive in payment. The employer only said ‘what is right I’ll give you.’ He didn’t agree to a denarius as to the first lot. These are those who show up to work as obedience to the employer even without hearing the terms.

The common denominator here is ‘WORK.’ And the work God expects of us is to BELIEVE in Him who He sent (which is Jesus); That we have faith in what He has accomplished. Question here is, can you believe God even without Him promising recompense? Can you praise Him for who He is, without Him first doing anything for you?

3. Originally, the exegesis of this story favors the New Testament creature, that they too will have the same reward as he that was under the old testament but with less ‘work’ unlike the latter who always labored and offered sin sacrifices in order to be blameless before God — which is why the 11th hour employee doesn’t sweat as much as the 1st hour worker; No sweat at all as ‘it was finished’.

4. Perhaps you’re Sarah, like I earlier said. 24 years have passed. You’ve been ‘working’ since hour one, and another December is here! God hasn’t forgotten His promise … but I hope you’re indeed working effectively by believing and not just showing up at work and doing nothing. The Bible says by faith Sarah received power to conceive seed for she considered God — who promised — faithful.

In my understanding, and according to the parable, Sarah’s ‘pay’ was delayed until she saw God in the light that He’d actually PAY her with an Isaac. Remember the first time she was told about it she laughed! And mayhaps she thought God was joking! Could it be that your miracle isn’t passing because you think God is a man that He lied!

Once that mindset changes in you, then perhaps your Isaac you too will receive! If you were one of these men who got hired that day in the parable, understand that this is not any random man who has employed you. It’s the maker of the entire universe, and whatever you dare to ask as salary He can PAY!

Isaac received his twins late in life, and Jacob too received Joseph and Benjamin when he had already passed his 90th anniversary! Keep the faith. Delayal indeed isn’t denial. And this is my point number 5. We traverse the lateness aspect, just like the workers that were hired late;

Toree had done her course for a year and only paid 10% of her tuition. She now had a balance of 2.6 million and it was the second last week of school. Without completing that tuition, she would not graduate. She believed God! She said it was too late, but she put up a praise! She thanked God by faith that it had all been paid. And then suddenly, someone called her and handed her all the money she needed and she graduated!

Eva too had only paid 55% of the same. Saturday was graduation and on Thursday morning, she called me. As she whimpered, I remembered Toree’s testimony. Faith arose! I was convinced that God would flip this situation even if only an hour He had. I told Eva to pray in the spirit for an hour. “There is nothing too hard for Him.”

After two hours, Eva had received the entire balance of 1.3 million and cleared it!

What makes these miracles different is the lateness aspect as I already mentioned. The deadlines had come so close that believing for a miracle seemed useless! And yet God wants us to believe even at such times — even after the deadline has passed.

Hezekiah stands out; He prayed for a change after he’d just received a death sentence which had been officiated by God Himself. His prayer however lifted that judgement for a whole 15 years…

What’s that that you’d been believing God for this year but you stopped! I dare you to pull it out of the drawers and place a demand for it again.

God can come through even on the 31st of December!

He has no limits! You only need to BELIEVE! I received a word last December, that starting this year, I’d receive foreign currencies abundantly, specifically euros, pounds, dollars and yen. Of all these, I’ve only received 50 euros this year! In my closet, I remind myself that the others were also promised, and that I’d see them come into my hand be it 11pm of the last day of 2022!

God’s not a man that He should lie!

6. The other thing that resounded to me in this passage is the fact that it is God who went out to hire the workers. It’s God who’ll stir us up to ‘believe’. He’ll remind us of what He promised, causing our hearts to burn again. He went to Zacharias in his old age too and told him that he’d have a son.

This wasn’t going to be any child. This would be Jesus’ cousin! And He’d proclaim his coming. He’d be the third bearer of the Spirit of Elijah!

God visits you tonight and tells you unexpected things to expect — too hard to believe that even if they were told you, you’d find them so hard to believe! (Hab 1:5) O may you believe them. He’s an employer able to pay exceedingly abundantly above the wages He promises.

7. Finally, the story mentions the number of times ‘God’ goes out to hire workers. The first, the third, the sixth, ninth and eleventh! Those are five times! And five stands for GRACE! You the 11th hour hired, were hired in the fifth round! God is subtly saying that there’s grace for you to approach His throne with boldness and ask for that need or pay. There’s grace for you to STAND in the promise given. There’s grace for you to BELIEVE crazily like never before in these few days left to the end of the year!

There’s grace to avail what you’re believing for! So give thanks! He’s done it!

In these next minutes, take off sometime and pray fervently with thanksgiving, for that or those things that you’d pushed into 2023. Pull them back to today, and believe that God can still do them in these 3 remaining weeks. He’s never late.

With that, I pray that in the order of Esther, you obtain favor in the eyes of things! I pray that in the order of David, you pursue once again, overtake, and recover all. I pray that in the order of Elizabeth, you receive long awaited answers; that in the order of Naomi, you receive a son in law AGAIN! That in the order of faith, you believe again! For all things are possible to them that believe!

You’ll testify! Of it, I am persuaded … Surely!

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John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

Jeremiah 32:17 ‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.

Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.