Prayers for You
Fear of the Lord
(Prayer Walk thro Prov 1-4)
Backgrounder: The purpose
of Proverbs is to teach people
how to attain wisdom, discipline
and a prudent life, and how to
do what is right, just and fair.
In short, to apply wisdom to daily
life & to provide moral instruction.
The theme is: The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom
and knowledge (Prov 1:7).
Continue reading “Praying Thro Proverbs (Oct 21)”
Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
Backgrounder: Karen Lafferty:
I was raised in a Christian home,
but like many young people
I wanted to discover life and did
some drifting. I was working as
a nightclub entertainer in New
Orleans when a friend visited me
& got me back on the right track.
After that I began to write Christian
songs. It was back in 1971. I had
quit my entertainment job and
was trying to support myself with
teaching guitar lessons to three
students! When my savings were
all gone and I had no money to
make my car payments, I became
very discouraged and confused.
One evening I went to a Bible study
and we talked about Matthew 6:33.
I was tremendously encouraged
and challenged by the words.
So I went home, wrote the tune,
recorded it on a tape recorder.
I taught the song at church the next
week and it caught on right away.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Oct 20)”
Jesus Calls Us
Backgrounder: Cecil Alexander
(1818-1895) was the wife of a
parish minister in an impoverished
rural area of Northern Ireland.
She loved the people. From
one house to another she went,
wrote one historian. She especially
loved children and most of her
hymns were written for them.
Jesus Calls Us was one of the
few hymns she wrote for adults,
and it illustrates her ability to
apply scripture devotionally.
She wrote the hymn at her
husband’s request to accompany
a sermon he was preaching about
the calling of Peter and Andrew
by Jesus on the shores of Galilee.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Oct 19)”
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Backgrounder: The author of the
original German text is Joachim
Neander (1650-1680), who studied
theology in Bremen. Neander’s
life was tragic – a life of great
potential cut short by tuberculosis.
However, he wrote 60 hymns.
“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”
is based on Psa 103 & 150. It was
also inspired by the beauty of
the hills and rivers that Neander
experienced on his walks
through the German countryside.
We owe a debt of gratitude
to Catherine Winkworth, who
translated this and other German
hymns during the 19th century.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Oct 18)”
Here I Am Lord
Backgrounder: When The United
Methodist Hymnal was published
in 1989, one of the most popular
hymns was Here I Am, Lord (1981)
by Daniel Schutte (b. 1947). Many
Protestants are unaware that this
hymn represents Roman Catholic
renewal music resulting from the
2nd Vatican Council (1962-1965).
Schutte is a native of Wisconsin.
He received his master of divinity
degree in 1979 at the Jesuit
School of Theology, Berkeley.
Following graduation, Mr. Schutte
served as the director of liturgy
at Marquette Univ (1982-1986)
and then entered parish ministry
in two Milwaukee parishes.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Oct 17)”
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Backgrounder: Robert Robinson
(1735-1790) had always been
prone to wander. Apprenticed to
a barber at 14, he spent more time
playing with frnds than cutting hair.
Then as a wild youth that came to
repentance listening to a George
Whitefield sermon. He became a
pastor and wrote a couple of hymns
Come Thou Fount was written in
1757, inspired possibly by 1Sam 7.
Later in life he wandered from the
Lord and felt he could not return.
But he met a lady in a coach who
shared the hymn Come Thou Fount
to him. He replied: I’m the unhappy
man who wrote the hymn years ago
and I would give a thousand worlds
to enjoy the feelings I had then.”
She responded by telling him:
“Sir, the ‘streams of mercy’ are
still flowing.” And he repented.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Oct 16)”
Hezekiah’s Reforms & Judah’s End
(Prayer Walk thro 2 Chron 29-36)
Backgrounder: Assyrian dispersion
of Israel has a profound Impact on
Judah. Inheriting a disorganised
country & a heavy tribute burden
to Assyria, Hezekiah in the very
first month of his administration
he repairs the Temple & restores
worship. But the final century of
Judah’s history is a bad dream.
After Manasseh’s 55-year reign
of terror and apostasy, even godly
reformer like Josiah is powerless
to prick the hearts of the people.
After his death the nation swiftly
returns to its abominable ways.
Eventually overthrown by the
Babylonians and city levelled, the
survivors are dragged to Babylon,
there to ponder their fate for 70
long years. But in the midst of
doom, King Cyrus of Persia issues
a decree: The house of the Lord
must be rebuilt in Jerusalem.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Oct 15)”
Judah’s Kings & Ahaz’s Corruption
(Prayer Walk thro 2 Chron 21-28)
Backgrounder: Raised by a godly
father and grandfather, Jehoram
marries the wicked daughter of
Ahab and Jezebel, embraces her
pagan deities & leads the nation
into idol worship once again…
In rapid succession, his son, wife
and grandson come to the throne
Then Joash and Amaziah both
become long-reigning Kings
with half-hearted commitments.
King Uzziah does mighty things
for Judah both militarily and
architecturally; but spiritually
his life resembles a roller coaster
and dies a leper’s death for his
half-hearted devotion to God.
By contrast, his grandson Ahaz
is wholehearted in his zeal for
false gods and pagan practices.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Oct 14)”
Yesterday Today Forever
Backgrounder: Albert Simpson
was born on Prince Edward
Island, Canada. In 1864,he began
a successful pastoral ministry
at Knox Presbyterian Church,
in Hamilton, Ontario. He was
an eloquent preacher and able
leader, and during his eight years
there, God used him to add 750
new members to the church.
Albert Simpson’s keen interest in
world missions, led him to found
the Christian & Missionary Alliance
denomination. And although he
had no formal musical training,
Ps Simpson had a keen sense of
melody and wrote many hymns,
including Yesterday Today Forever,
which was inspired by Hebrews 13.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Oct 13)”
Standing on the Promises
Backgrounder: Russell Carter (1849
-1928) of Baltimore, attended the
Methodist Holiness movt which had
a profound impact on his life and he
was ordained into ministry in 1887.
Carter held a number of teaching
posts at the Pennsylvania Military
Academy including professor of
chemistry, civil engineering and
mathematics. Carter also edited
hymnals, and assisted in the
compilation of a hymnal for the
Christian and Missionary Alliance
Church, a collection that contained
68 of his tunes and 52 of his texts.
“Standing on the Promises” was
composed in 1886 while Carter
was teaching at the military
academy. And his military
experience was reflected in the
martial musical style of the hymn. Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Oct 12)”