23/08/2026
SUNDAY SERVICE UPDATE
23 AUGUST 2026
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
ECCLESIASTES 3:1; MATTHEW 6:33
There are seasons in life—seasons to ask, seasons to seek, and seasons to knock. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” We must learn to understand the season we are in, because when we understand our season, we will know what to do.
There are seasons when we must persist in prayer. We must not give up simply because the answer has not come yet. It does not matter how long it takes; what matters is that we continue to trust God, believe His Word and remain faithful.
Daniel understood his season. Daniel 6:10 tells us that Daniel continued to pray three times a day, as he had done before. He did not change his prayer life because of the circumstances around him. When there is something we do not understand, we should not remain silent. We should take it to God in prayer, because God can use the seasons we go through to get our attention and draw us closer to Him.
Some of us are in a season where God is calling us to seek Him. Sometimes the very things we are asking God to remove are the things He is using to draw us into His presence.
When trouble comes, we often focus on the problem. We pray for the job, the healing, the breakthrough, the situation to change. But sometimes, while we are looking at the problem, God is looking at our hearts.
Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
God wants us to seek Him—not only for what He can give us, but for who He is.
We should seek God even when it is difficult. We should seek Him when the answer has not yet come. We should seek Him when we are hurting. We should seek Him because we need His presence, not merely because we need His blessings.
When we seek God only for what we want from Him, we are not building a relationship with Him. If the blessing comes and our relationship with God disappears, then we have missed the purpose of the blessing. But when the blessing finds us already in the presence of God, God is glorified, and our relationship with Him remains.
Our faith must not be built on blessings.
Look at Job. When everything was taken away from him, he still remained connected to God. Job 1:21 says, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return.” Job understood that everything he had came from God. His faith was not based on what was in his hands; his faith was based on the God who gave it.
That is the kind of faith God desires from us.
If the blessings disappear, will we still worship? If the answer takes longer than expected, will we still pray? If the season becomes difficult, will we still seek God?
Our loyalty to God must never depend on our circumstances.
Jesus taught us about persistence through the parable of the widow and the unjust judge. The widow kept going back and refused to give up. Jesus gave this parable so that we would understand “that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” — Luke 18:1
Sometimes the answer does not come immediately, but that does not mean God is not listening.
When we understand our season, we will know that we cannot afford to stop praying.
When you have asked and there is no answer yet—keep asking.
When you have sought and you have not found—keep seeking.
When you have knocked and the door has not opened—keep knocking.
Look at Jericho. When the Israelites stood before the walls, God did not give them the instruction they expected. He gave them a strategy. They marched around the walls according to His instruction, and at the appointed time, the walls fell.
Joshua 6:20 says, “As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat.”
Sometimes we are praying, “Lord, remove this wall,” while God is saying, “Follow Me through the process.”
We should not always focus only on the problem. Sometimes the greater prayer is, “Lord, let Your presence be with me through this season.”
There are moments when we carry God's presence, yet the situation has not changed. That does not mean God has abandoned us. It means we must continue to trust Him.
The disciples prayed for Peter. They did not pray once and stop. They continued praying. The delay did not mean God was deaf. The silence did not mean God was absent. The answer eventually came.
Sometimes we need to press even more in prayer. If we normally pray in the morning, let us also pray at night. If we normally pray for a short time, let us spend more time in God's presence. There are seasons when we must separate ourselves, fast, pray and seek God with everything within us.
We see this in the life of Hannah.
Hannah went to Shiloh year after year to worship, but her situation did not change immediately. Yet she continued seeking God. There came a moment when she separated herself and poured out her heart before the Lord. She made a vow before God, and God heard her prayer.
When God gave Hannah Samuel, she remembered her promise. She brought the child to Eli and dedicated him to the Lord. God later blessed her with more children.
Hannah teaches us that when we are praying for a blessing, we must also ask ourselves what we will do with that blessing when it comes.
What will happen to your relationship with God when you receive what you have been praying for?
Will you still seek Him?
Will you still worship Him?
Will you still pray?
Will you still serve Him?
Whatever season we are in, we must direct our prayers in the right way. Perhaps what we are calling a difficult season is actually a season in which God is calling us deeper into His presence.
When we ask, let us keep asking.
When we seek, let us keep seeking.
When we knock, let us keep knocking.
Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Jesus is knocking. We must open the door.
Let us develop the habit of going to God—not only when we need something, but because we need Him.
God is not difficult to approach. He is our Father. He hears us. He cares for us. He wants a relationship with us.
Many people only become serious with God when they are in trouble. When everything is going well, they forget to pray. But our relationship with God should not be built around emergencies.
We must study His Word. We must pray. We must worship. We must seek Him—not only because life is difficult, but because without Him, we are nothing.
Sometimes our worship does not break the walls of our Jericho because we are worshipping God only for the victory, the healing or the blessing. But God wants us to worship Him because He is God.
Let us worship Him in truth and in spirit. Let us surrender completely. Let us worship Him even before the walls fall.
Because when our hearts are focused on God, the season cannot steal our faith.
When our season comes, let us not lose focus.
When trouble comes, let us not run away from God—let us run towards Him.
When the answer delays, let us pray.
When the door seems closed, let us knock.
When we do not understand, let us seek.
When we are weak, let us depend on Him.
Every season has a purpose. Some seasons teach us patience. Some teach us persistence. Some teach us humility. Some teach us dependence. But every season can bring us closer to God if we allow it.
Nothing comes easy, especially for the children of God. The enemy knows that our victory will bring glory to God. But God is calling us deeper.
Do not allow your season to make you lose God. Allow your season to make you seek Him more.
God is expecting us to come to Him.
So keep praying.
Keep seeking.
Keep asking.
Keep knocking.
And above everything else, seek His presence.
Because when we have God, we have everything we need to walk through every season of life.
May every season draw us closer to God. May our faith remain strong, our prayer life remain alive, and our hearts remain fixed on His presence. And when the answer finally comes, may we still be found worshipping the One who gave it. 🙏🏽🔥
