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<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER">“<b>TWO
ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>Jim
& Marie Watt</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>Tel:
253-517-9195 - Email: <a href="mailto:jmbetter@gmail.com">jmbetter@gmail.com</a></b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>Web:
<a href="http://www.2rbetter.org/">www.2rbetter.org</a></b></p><p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER">January 30, 2012</p>
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</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>(“TWO
ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>Jim
& Marie Watt – Beth Chesed, Tacoma</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER">–
<font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>Federal Way WA 98093-2116</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>Web:
</b></font><font color="#0000ff"><u><a href="http://www.2rbetter.org/"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>www.2rbetter.org</b></font></a></u></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>
– Email: </b></font><font color="#0000ff"><u><a href="mailto:jmbetter@gmail.com"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>jmbetter@gmail.com</b></font></a></u></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>November
28, 2006)</b></font></p>
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<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><u>“<font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>HANNAH:
THE RETURN OF GOD’S GLORY” – Bakht Singh</b></font></u><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"></font></p>
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<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>INTRODUCTION:
Our last Mailing was from Bakht Singh’s “The Return of God’s
Glory”, Chapter 2, Introduction. After Israel lost God’s Glory in
the days of the Judges and finally under Eli, our author sees 4 basic
principles that resonate with the heart of God, and with His
approval, initiates the Return of His Glory! Bakht Singh found these
4 principles associated with 4 people in the 6 books from the first
book of Samuel through to the end of second Chronicles. This mailing
introduces the first of these 4. Jim Watt</b></font></p>
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<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">The
first is Hannah; the second is Samuel, the third is David, and the
fourth is Solomon. In the six books we find that these four
characters play a very big part in bringing back the departed glory.
As we go along we shall see how these four names speak of four divine
principles. In fulfilling these principles we shall find God’s
departed glory coming into our hearts, into our assemblies, and into
our work.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> Let
us see how these four principles can help us individually and
collectively, as God’s servants, that God’s glory may return.
First of all turn to 1 Samuel 1:2. The name Hannah means, grace. Even
though this woman had a very good name, she was in great sorrow; she
was being constantly provoked by Peninnah. In verses 4-7 we find
Hannah in sorrow, in pain, and being constantly hurt. Peninnah kept
sarcastically saying to her, in order to hurt her: “You are barren
– it is God’s curse upon you!”</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> We
are told, that as Hannah was being so sorely provoked she went and
fasted and prayed, yet it seemed that God did not hear her prayer. So
she continued weeping, and went on praying with faith.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> Now
Hannah was a godly woman – a far better woman that the other. Then
why did God remain silent to her prayer? It was surely for a purpose.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> In
the beginning Hannah was praying only for her own need: “Lord I am
barren, meet </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>my </i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">need,
take away </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>my
</i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">barrenness. Lord,
look upon </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>me</i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">
and </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>my</i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">
affliction and </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>my
</i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">barrenness and </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>my
</i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">condition and </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>my
</i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">sorrow, and save </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>me</i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">
from the reproach of </font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>my
</i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">neighbors.” All her
tears were for HER NEED. She did not know that God could also have
some NEED! Then her prayer changed; “Lord, now I forsake my own
selfish need and promise that if you give me a man-child, he will be
lent back to You.”</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> Somehow,
when she discovered God’s need, God answered her prayer and gave
her a son.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> Many
of us pray like Hannah did: “Lord we are barren; take away our
barrenness. Lord, we are empty, please fill us. Lord, we see no fruit
for our labors; Send a revival!”</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> Many
prayers are being offered throughout the world for revival, some
praying for a whole night, others for a whole week, others still,
praying with fasting, but still no answer. Why? Our prayers are
selfish; we go by our own conception of how God must work. God must
work in this, or that way we think. “Lord, you must work in this
plan and meet our need in this way,” we pray.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> We
ask: “Lord take away our barrenness; give us more fruit; let us see
Your power in our midst, more and more!” But God does not answer
our prayers! Why? Because we have not yet discovered God’s need.
Yes, we have a need indeed, but what about God? Unless we find God’s
need, we cannot expect God to work!</font></p>
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</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> We
take a lot for granted. We say, India is poor, and we must keep
asking for money for India. Are you sure about that? That is not
God’s way of working! We must not take for granted that because
people are in poverty, they must be given money. Sometimes tragedies
and floods are His judgments. We have no right to interfere in God’s
work. Even though we should spend the whole of the world’s wealth,
we can never remove poverty and sickness from the earth!</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> We
as God’s servants must find out what God’s need is today. What is
God’s need in India, -- north India, or south India? What is God’s
need in Africa, in Europe, or in America? We must find this out by
prayer. Don’t go by the assumption that because God worked in a
certain place so many years ago, that He must do the same there again
today! This is only our own idea! That is why our prayers are left
unanswered.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> I
believe we learn in Hannah how to pray. Even though Hannah prayed
with fasting, and tears, and with faith; even though she was a
sincere, godly woman; nevertheless, God did not hear her prayer. He
waited till she understood His need! You, too, may be thinking: “Why
is God so silent? He knows the value of man’s life. Why does He
allow this or that to happen and go on for years?”</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> God
has His own way of working. He wanted a man, for He cannot work
without a man. He wanted a man who was given to Him willingly, and
for that He waited.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> A
similar case we see in Elijah, in 1 Kings 19:1-4. He was very sure
that because God had sent fire, as recorded in 1 Kings 13:38, surely
now He must again send fire. Is not Jezebel a wicked queen? And does
she not deserve to be punished? So the prophet was very positive that
God would punish this woman, for she deserved it; she had threatened
to take the life of God’s servant. But nothing happened! Elijah
began to despair when he saw that God was taking no action. He said
in effect: “Now Lord, I resign my office as a prophet, and give You
an hour’s notice. From today I refuse to be Your prophet. What is
the use of serving You? This wicked woman wants to kill me and YOU
ARE ASLEEP!”</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> But
God was so gracious. He was not sleeping, but He was not going to
punish Jezebel in the wisdom of Elijah! He had already planned that
He would use Jehu to punish her, and not Elijah.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> That
was God’s way. Now my point is, that we have no right to dictate to
God; He has ways that are higher than our ways, and we can safely
wait for Him.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> What
about God’s purpose in the matter of Hannah? God was waiting very
patiently, and He was pleased to choose Hannah to be His partner. He
permitted that barrenness in the life of Hannah to make her a true
partner of God. What an honor to be given to Hannah! She had been
praying: “Lord, take away my reproach.” God was saying, “Hannah,
what about My need? My name is also being reproached.”</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> That
is why we also fail; because we are more concerned about our mission,
our name, our reputation, and our depression even, than we are for
God’s Name. Many of our prayers are for ourselves only! “Lord, do
a new work in our midst, in our group,” we pray. God does not work
in that way. We must learn how to pray in order to find God’s need
or what He is after. If we want God’s glory to come down, we must
first of all learn how to pray thus; for we find that before every
true revival, there has been first of all a great burden for prayer.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> Go
to Ireland, Wales, Assam or to any other part of the world where
there has been revival, and you will find that it was a prayer
revival, first of all. They began to cry everywhere for revival,
praying day and night; not only for themselves, but also for the
whole world. They were praying that God would have His way, for the
first principle is to pray according to God’s will; seeking to find
His mind and His need.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> Please
do not assume that you are the only person responsible to take the
Gospel to the whole world! Are you sure that God has given this job
to you? Read Matt. 28:19-20, and you will see that this commandment
is given to all believers. God has not given the monopoly to any one
nation or people. We may be wealthy and educated; but we cannot say
that because we have more money, or more education that it is our
special privilege to evangelize the whole world. Unless we make every
believer a strong witness for the Lord and preach the whole church’s
responsibility to evangelize, the job is impossible. IT WON’T
HAPPEN! </font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> Why
did God not allow the Jews to evangelize the world? They were a more
gifted people; they had their apostles; and yet you see that God
passed by the Jews, and He came to Antioch. (Acts 13:2) You would
think that the Great Commission would have been given to the apostles
at Jerusalem. They are the first people who should be sent out to
other parts of Europe to evangelize. But not so. God in His own
sovereign way chose Antioch as His center. The center shifts from
Jerusalem to Antioch. What about today’s command? Can we very
truthfully say that we spend hours in prayer till we know God’s
mind? Or are we taking it for granted that this must be God’s plan?
</font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i>Hannah teaches us the
principle of prayer. </i></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">She
learned how to pray, in order to know God’s will.</font></p>
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</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>CONCLUSION:
</b></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">Like Hannah, I once
believed I knew God’s pattern for my life, and what He would have
me do. But suddenly a man I highly regarded approached me and asked
if I would consider taking his place as pastor of a certain church. </font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> This
church had fallen on evil days. Sin had entered in. Unscriptural
divorces and remarriages had taken place. Other sexual sins occurred.
Debts had taken hold in the city, all to the reproach of God’s
Name.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> I
considered this challenge, but knew that if I accepted it, and my
name became associated with it, many doors would immediately close to
my ministry. I had held meetings in some 70 churches in a 5-state
area prior to this time over a 2 years period.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> So
I told God – “God, if I take this church, it will tarnish my name
by association, and shut most doors to my ministry.”</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> “Yes,”
the Lord responded, “But consider this. MY NAME is already
associated with this church, and has been tarnished in the sight of
many. You give YOUR name to lift My Name, and I promise you – that
in the long run, your name will not suffer.”</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> “For
Your sake and Your Name’s sake,” I replied, “but for no other
first priority reason, I submit.”</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> When
I attended ministerial meetings soon after, I would hear
whisperings,” There’s that new pastor of that church with all
those problems and aberrations.” Of course I felt badly. But I
remembered God’s long range promise.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> Then
two months following my accession as pastor of this church, a pastor
friend of mine asked if I would like to have Nicholas Bhengu of
Africa speak at our church. Because I had been praying for him daily
for 10 years, I immediately said, “Yes! Any day that is open!”
One last Wednesday night was open on August 20</font><sup><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">th</font></sup><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">
before he returned to Africa.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> I
picked him up at lunch time and plagued him with questions until
service time that night. What an arsenal of wisdom, experience, faith
and grace!</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> That
night I led in a time of praise and worship. I would glance at him
beside me on the platform, and wonder how could God use him? He
seemed so passive and dead – almost like Aaron’s rod before it
budded.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> When
he got up he announced he would speak on “Bones!” “Bones,” I
thought – “What could be more deadly?”</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> But
before he preached he said – “Whenever I come to a new city, I
ask God what this city means to Him? I have been in this city for a
month, but until tonight He has not spoken to me. But tonight on this
platform He said, “I am going to visit this city in the not too
distant future, and I am going to use this Church to spearhead My
Visitation!</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> I
lived on that word and stood on it for 7 years; and then God visited
our city for two successive years in such a Visitation and Glory that
we called it City I and City II after Vatican I and Vatican II.
50,000 people attended Round Robin meetings in our Metroplex in one
week, with 100’s or perhaps 1000’s saved, healed, delivered,
restored and rejuvenated!</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> Everything
God promised me took place 7 years later, because like Hannah, I
regarded His Name and His interests first.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> And
Nicholas Bhengu that night in August preached on Ephesians 5 – We
are BONE of HIS BONE” – a message I will never forget as long as
I live.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"> And
like Hannah – our church joined Marie and myself in fasting and
prayer during those 7 years. We paid the price and met the conditions
to see the Glory of the Lord return!</font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">Jim
Watt</font></p>
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