When Zion travailed, she gave birth

Blind Bartimaeus thought Jesus was going to pass him by, setting out there at the gate, blind beggar, for alms

Trust Maanda
Looking at the unseen
ISAIAH 66:7-8: Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. [8] Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
This Scripture is about Israel, details of which I will not talk about here.
What I want to talk about is the fact that it is described as a woman in travail of birth. Before she travailed, she brought forth a Man Child.
She was a nation to be born at once. She travailed and soon as she did, she brought forth her children. She did it at once.
Her pains were not prolonged. She brought a nation forth at once. She did not have to go through much labour pain, and she gave birth to children. Israel is already a nation. She is established now with her armies, navy, postal system, flag, and all that pertains to nationhood. That is where I draw my lesson from. If Israel travailed and gave birth before too much pain, why should you go through much pain before your breakthrough.
Why should you labour endlessly, and be without tangible fruit of your labours? Why should you sow and not reap, when you have put in a lot of work into it?
You shall sow and reap. You shall labour and eat the fruit of your labours.
It won’t be long before your birth pains produce a man child of a testimony. You shall travail and produce results. You have been working for a long time, but you have nothing to show for it.
You have obtained a good education, but you are not utilising your qualifications. You are a trained engineer, but you work as a guard.
You have been trained as a lawyer, but you work as a clerk in a small company in a small town. You have not realised your full potential.
You are beautiful, but your beauty is not being noticed, and men do not even want to talk to you about marriage. You have sown, but have not reaped.
Let your travail bring forth.
Jonah was thrown overboard in the time of a storm, in the bottom of the sea, in the belly of the whale. It happened to come on his mind that Solomon, in dedicating the temple, said: “Lord, if the people be in trouble anywhere, and they will turn towards this temple and pray, then hear.”
And turning over in the belly of the whale, he managed to get somewhere to his knees, I imagine, with the vomit of the whale all over him. In that desperation with just a few breaths of oxygen left in the whale’s belly. And in the few breaths that he was drawing, he said:
“Lord, I believe I am looking upward towards Your temple.”
He prayed, under those circumstances. God kept him alive for three days and nights, and delivered him at Nineveh to deliver his message. The fish vomited him. Your prayers will cause your trouble to vomit you at your destination.
Hannah, a barren woman wanted a son, and she got to travail in prayer for him. She prayed until even the priest at the temple thought she was drunk. She was in such desperation!
Other women were interested in what type of clothes they were wearing and what was going on at the farm or children’s school. But not Hannah; she stepped right through the whole crowd and went to the altar.
She wanted her reproach taken away. And she got on her knees. And she never noticed the dignity of the temple. She was in such distress till she was crying, in desperation, “O Lord God, give me a son. Give me a son!”
She was not selfish. When God heard her, and answered her prayer and gave her a son, she gave him back to God. And because that she was willing not to be selfish after God had answered her prayer, He gave her a prophet.
Oh, that was an extra blessing. He is just full of them, those little extra things that He gives. Not only a son, but a prophet.
Blind Bartimaeus thought Jesus was going to pass him by, setting out there at the gate, blind beggar, for alms.
Desperation drove him to scream: “O Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy upon me!”. He was desperate and in travail. If Jesus got by, he might never have another opportunity. He screamed out, and Jesus heard him.
Before you travail too much, you will bring forth; before your pain comes, you shall be delivered of a man child. No such a thing has been heard in your life or family, but you shall bring forth in abundance speedily.