The other night I settled down to spend time with the Lord and began to give thanks. I have a list of Names of Veneration that I sometimes use when I want to get serious about regaling the Lord, so I pulled it out.
A word jumped out at me and lingered on my tongue. The word was 'Olurapada.' From the Yoruba language, it is spoken in Western Nigeria, Togo, and parts of Brazil where many Yoruba descendants still speak it.
'Olurapada' translates to Redeemer and/or Restorer. However, this does not convey the true depth of the term. 'Olu' is a Yoruba word for King and is also used for the titles 'Lord' and 'God'. The rest of the word, 'ra pada,' requires a little explanation. It essentially means the one who buys back. So, technically speaking, 'Olurapada' means the King who buys back.
This was the understanding of the word that I focused on. As I meditated on it, I bowed in worship. I was amazed that the God of the universe considered me worthy to be restored to Him. And not only that, but He deemed me of so much value that He paid for me with the blood of His Son.
The more I thought about this, the more I marveled. I confess, I cried. (This happens more as I get older and I've leaned into this softer version of who I'm becoming.) The tears flowed as I considered who I was before God grabbed me out of a dangerous situation. I had a lot going on and desperately needed a savior. Somehow, He agreed to be that and much more.
God is my Olurapada, the One who bought me with a blood price. The One who restored me to Himself as a child redeemed (Psalm 107:2). He cleansed me and placed me in royal garments that reveal my heritage as a member of His Kingdom. The One who saves saved me and continues to save me. What a blessing!
My prayer is that you have experienced God the Redeemer, Rescuer, and Restorer. I hope you can attest to His stepping up to surround you with His wings (Psalm 91:4). If that is not the case, I pray you will come to know God in this way. I pray you will patiently wait for Him to reveal Himself to you and allow Him to be your Olurapada, no matter the circumstances, IJN, Amen.
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CLOSING PRAYER
Father, thank You once again for bringing us together. Thank You for giving Your children cause to rejoice and worship You. Thank You for helping us to put our desires and desperate needs to the side while we prayed for others.
God, remember us for honoring You this way. May our offerings of worship, praise and thanksgiving, plus our intercession rise as a sweet-smelling incense to You.
To You be all the honor and adoration for You alone are God. IJMN, Amen.
I flourish like a palm tree
you know, you know
Planted in your house Lord
Where I wanna grow
Doesn't matter how far
If you go, I know You won't let me go
I flourish, I, I flourish
I flourish, I, I flourish
Ooh ahh flourish, I, I flourish
I flourish, I, I flourish ooh
Psalm 92:12-13 - The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.
LAST 10 MINUTES
Praise God for being the Restorer. But before you do, think about your testimonies. Think about the Jericho Moments He brought you through.
Think about how you were before you met Jesus. Paul reminded the Church in Corinth that they were once sinners in 1 Corinthians 6:11. Then he pointed out "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11b).
The same thing happened to those of us who gave our lives to Christ and are walking with the Holy Spirit of the Lord (even if we stumble at times). We have been made something new, redeemed to God for His pleasure.
Now, that's something to give God praise for.
So why not praise God the Redeemer and Restorer for how He redeems and restores in your life and the lives of your prayer subjects? And if you are yet to experience this aspect of the Lord, pray to encounter God the Redeemer and Restorer.
Lord, thank You for being Olurapada. Thank You for being the God who rescues and saves. The One who paid a steep price to set people free from sin and the clutches of death.
Your word teaches me to ask that I may receive. To seek in order to find. And that when I knock, You will open doors (Matthew 7:7).
As such, I come before Your throne of grace boldly to ask that Your people come to know You as the Restorer and Redeemer. I pray that any who are yet to experience these aspects of Your personality will be overwhelmed with Your love and the knowledge that You are their God and will always work things out for the good of those called to Your purpose as they love You.
The Word teaches me that You are the Retriever - You will go into the darkest and deepest places to pull out Your own. May those who are weary, who are saddled with troubles whereby all they see is darkness, lift their eyes to see Your saving light.
Lord God, do what only You can do. My Salvation. My Acquitter. My Defender. My King. My God. My Judge. The Only One I serve. I look to You and say this prayer, IJMN, Amen.
From JIR - God, I pray for those who are sick in the hospital right now to recover from their ailments. Please bless them with the strength, love, comfort and hope to keep on holding on. Please bless those who are able to reach out to You and seek You to call upon Your name and keep praying, steadfast. Please bless those sick in the hospital with Your healing powers Lord. IJMN. Amen.
From JIR - I pray for all expectant mothers to have smooth and healthy pregnancies. I pray for You Lord to protect and watch over their wombs and the babies within their wombs. I pray that You provide the babies with the nutrients they need to strive in their mother’s womb and that the babies remain safe and sound for their entire term. I pray for the mothers to have safe and healthy deliveries when it is their time to give birth and they deliver healthy baby boys and baby girls. IJMN. Amen.
Father, You are the Lord Most High! I praise You, Almighty Redeemer.
Your word states in John 8:36 - So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Satan, the accuser of souls, want to keep people bound and separate from that which is their inheritance. However, You are the Beginning and the End and there is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against You (Proverbs 21:30).
As such, I call on You, Lord of lords, to please remember that Christ paid a steep price for the souls of Your creations. I silence the accuser and decree that by the blood of Jesus, the children of God are indeed free. Hallelujah. IJMN, Amen.
My God, You said we should ask so we receive in Matthew 7:7. We come before You as Your royal children, whose Father's ear is attuned to their petitions for others.
We lift up the poor and needy, Lord.
Your word promises in Psalm 140:12 - I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.
Father, we place Your word before You, Mighty God. Sovereign Lord, You who cannot lie, move on behalf of the poor and those in need of Your grace. Indeed, You did not create the problems they face, but Father, You are the solution and we come to You. We bow before You, in the breach, pleading for Your hand to move on their behalf. You who will never sweep the innocent away with the wicked. Lord, hear and act, to Your glory and by Your grace, IJMN, Amen.
PRAYER TIME
Jesu ni adun aiye mi (Jesus is the sweetness in my life)
Jehovah, we thank You. The God who never lets us down. The Lord who makes a way in the wilderness. The One who lifts us higher. Who sets a table before us in the presence of our enemies. He who knows how to set the enemy's camp in confusion and disarray because He cannot deny Himself. Our Protector. Our Defender. The Ajagun Segun Himself. Our El Gibbor! And as @Mimzy22 once called Him, Greatest Master Strategist of all time!
God, I praise Your wondrous name!!!
From JIR - “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up, Above mine enemies round about me: Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.”
Psalm 27:4-6 KJV
Almighty God. Sovereign Lord. You are exceptional in all Your ways.
I want to publicly express my gratitude to You for taking a look at me and determining that I would do as an addition to Your holy household. Thank You for considering me one whom You would invite into Your army. Thank You for being the God who equips and trains the unqualified.
1 Corinthians 1:27 - But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
Hallelujah!
Under Your shadow (hide me, hide me)
(Hide me, hide me) yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm under Your wing (hide me, hide me)
(Hide me, hide me) yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Great defender (hide me, hide me)
(Hide me, hide me) You're my everything
(hide me, hide me) (Hide me, hide me)
From JIR - Almighty God, thank You for reassuring me that I am Your daughter. Like Gideon, I am one who needs reassurance. Thank You Lord for comforting me and being my source of strength. You give me a new meaning to life. You give me purpose and reason to keep enduring. I don’t care about money, cars, houses or material things. Lord You can take it all as long as I have You. I leave everything behind to follow You. Your love is all I need. My main focus is pleasing You Lord. I thank You for all that You have done and are still doing. You are who I look to. Take all of me. I am Yours. IJMN. Amen.
Great and mighty God. I want to thank You for some of the things I've had the blessed opportunity to do with those You've sent me to. Amazing God, I thank You for those You've brought into my life for Your purpose and the blessings that have flowed as a result.
I want to thank You for the instant answer to prayers. Thank You for how we are watching You move in the lives of our prayer subjects. Thank You for how You are quick to fulfill Your word when we lift it up to You. Thank You for being faithful. Thank You for being caring and kind.
All glory belongs to You forever, Lord.
From JIR -
Deuteronomy 32:3-4 - I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
Yes, I proclaim You my God. I proclaim You my Rock. I proclaim You my Just, Upright and Righteous God.
Glory be to Your Holy Name.
From JIR - Thank You Lord for protecting me and being with me at all times. You are who I live for and seek. Thank You for letting me know how valuable I am to You and always defending me. Thank You for Your compassion and kindness. At times I feel like You are all I have in this world so I turn to You Lord and place myself under Your wings. You are my refuge, You are my fortress. I thank You Lord for being my Rock. I bow at Your feet and thank You Almighty King. IJMN. Amen.
PRAISE TIME
His joy is coming in the morning.
I am blessed
I am blessed
I am
I am
From CD - God's Morning Peppers!!!
No matter with it looks like, keep your eyes on the Lord, especially when the enemy is trying to drown you in what the Lord, our Olu has called us to walk on, tread on, and what He split and allowed us safe passage through!!!
God is a great God and worthy to be praised!!
From M22 - Thank you Father for a wonderful fellowship day! We thank you for being our Deliverer, Redeemer and Restorer. You are our shepherd and so therefore we lack nothing. We give you all the glory. I pray Abba Father that you continue to prune, transform and renew us every single day. IJMN Amen.
Thank you for today's word sis @FFJ. Today's word is so coincidental for me because it aligned exactly with what the minister preached in my workplace youth fellowship. God loves us so much that if we try to comprehend the depth of his love, we might disintegrate. He's so merciful despite our shortcomings. Even when don't call on him, he's there. Sis @FFJ when I saw the part you wrote about being emotional, it compounded my emotions too. God is too good and I pray we continue to experience him in unimaginable ways. IJMN Amen
From EC - Amen and good morning ladies!
From JIR - Thank You Lord for breathing life into us this morning. Without You we are nothing. Thank You for the new mercies You show us every morning. Thank You Lord for loving us the way You do and for Your grace. You didn’t have to guide us in here this morning but You did. Thank You for being intentional. We love You and praise You! IJMN. Amen.
Thanks for today’s message sis @FFJ. This is so wonderful! You are so blessed and the fact that the Lord revealed this to You confirms it. There is nothing more precious on this earth (from money to the most valued jewels) than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray to experience this one day. Last week He revealed to me that He was pleased with me and I just started crying as well. It really keeps me going. His love is undeniable and I pray that we all get to experience the confirmation from Him that we are also members of His Kingdom some day. Thank you so much for sharing this sis! It gives me hope and something to look forward to. Stay blessed! IJMN. Amen.
From AW - Amen and good morning Peppers!
There are a few Yoruba songs about God as Olurapada. This, however, is my favorite.
It is a song that purely exalts the Lord, applying the Yoruba tradition of eulogizing - offering high praise. Parents eulogize their children to express affection and prophesy into their lives. Spouses do it for the same reasons and to sometimes soften a big ask. A royal announcer eulogizes the kings of the Yoruba kingdom as they walk into their court.
I hope this gives some context to the song. It is a deep and heavily cultural song created to praise the Lord. I also see it as a battle song and treat it as such. After all, Jehoshaphat and his army marched to battle and their battle cry was nothing but praises to the Lord God Almighty (2 Chronicles 20).
What praises do you use to 'march' into battle? What Names of Veneration do you use to exalt the Lord? Or is there a song? Share yours and bless the rest of us.
ALTAR CALL
Do you understand what I mean when I say God bought me back?
Please watch the video below. It will give some insights into what I'm talking about in today's post. The video also explains why and how to submit to Jesus Christ and become part of God's royal family.
If you watched the video to the end and say that prayer, then welcome to being a child of God! Send me a message and I'll answer questions and send you more material, okay?
God bless you.