Month: January 2019

Thk God for Being My Hiding Place

Psalms 31-36 show how a proper
perspective can help you face
any circumstance; and can bring
you from gloom to glory (P31);
from failure to deliverance (P32);
fr false security to secured trust(33
from affliction to adoration (34);
from persecution to praise (35);
and from darkness to light (36).

Lord, You Will Watch Over Us:
When I kept silent, my bones grew
old through my groaning all the
day long… For this cause everyone
who is godly shall pray to You…
You are My Hiding Place; You
protect me fr trouble & surround
me with songs of Deliverance…
The Lord says: I Will Guide you
along the best pathway for yr life.
I will Watch over you… (And) he
Who Trusts in the Lord, mercy
shall surround him (Psa 32:3-10).
Continue reading “Thanksgiving in Psalm 32 (Jan 31)”

Thank God for Being My Shepherd

Backgrounder on Psalms 19-24:
The Lord can be seen in many
different roles in these six psalms.
He is the Creator (P19), Helper
(P20), King (P21), Crucified One
(P22), Shepherd (P23) & Glorious
One (P24). For each role, there
is a corresponding responsibility
for the people who would follow
Him as their God, King & Shepherd.

Lord, U Provide, Guide & Protect:
The Lord is My Shepherd, I Lack
Nothing & have everything I need.
He Leads me besides peaceful
streams. He Guides me along right
paths… Even when I walk thro the
darkest valley, I will not be afraid
for You are close beside me.
Your rod and staff Protect and
comfort me (Ps 23:1-4). Amen.
Continue reading “Thanksgiving in Psalm 23 (Jan 30)”

Thank God In Whom I Can Trust

Backgrounder on Psalms 13-18:
Many blessings accrue to those
who serve God wholeheartedly:
joy (P13), fellowship with God (P15)
satisfaction (P16), preservation (17)
& confidence in facing future (P18)
Psalm 18 was written by David
on the day that the Lord delivered
him from the hand of his enemies &
fr the hand of Saul (2Sam 22:1-4)

Lord, You are the One I Can Trust:
I will love You O Lord my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my
fortress and my Deliverer; My God
my strength In Who I Will Trust.
My shield and the strength of
my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the Lord, who is
worthy to be praised; for he saves
me from my enemies (Ps 18:1-3)
In my distress I called upon the
Lord, and cried out to my God;
He heard my voice (Ps 18:6).
Blessed be my Rock! Let the God
of my salvation be exalted (v46).
Continue reading “Thanksgiving in Psalm 18 (Jan 29)”

Thk God for Promising Fruitfulness

The psalms written mostly by
David, over a period of 6 centuries
and used as the temple hymnbook,
capture the essence of what it
means to walk daily with God.
The first six psalms form a fitting
introduction to the entire Psalter.
In them you learn the importance
of meditating on God’s Word (P1),
acknowledging the Lord as King (2)
and constantly being devoted to
prayer in good times & bad (P3-6).

Lord, we’ll Delight in Your Word:
Blessed is the man who walks
not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stands in the path of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law
of the Lord, and in His law
he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by
the rivers of water, that brings forth
its Fruit in its season, whose leaf
also shall not wither; and whatever
he does shall prosper (Psa 1:1-3).
Continue reading “Thanksgiving in Psalm 1 (Jan 28)”

Keeping Faith & Not Giving Up

The third patriarchal character
Jacob truly lives up to his name,
stealing the family blessing meant
for his twin brother Esau. But it is
through Jacob that God’s promises
are fulfilled in a greater degree.
During a 20-year stay in Haran,
Jacob the schemer becomes
Jacob the servant of God.
After leaving his uncle Laban, he
reconciles to God, wrestling with
the angel of Jehovah that leaves
him with a new name Israel & limp.

Dear Lord, thanks for Yr goodness
and redemption plan for mankind.
Help us to Trust You like Abraham
though not having all the answers;
Submit to Your Will like Isaac and
not demanding one own’s way;
and Have Persevering Faith like
Jacob who Didn’t Give Up easily.
Lord, we see in the story of Jacob
that You transform people in the
course of fulfilling Your promises.
Help us to have the tenacity of
Jacob who Didn’t Give Up easily:
Choosing Long-term Significance,
Willing to work hard Patiently and
Persevering On God’s promises.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen!
Continue reading “Praying thro Gen 25-36 (Jan 27)”

Submitting to the Lord’s Will

Abraham’s faith is tested again
as God calls upon him to sacrifice
treasured son Isaac upon the altar.
Abraham obeys; and able-bodied
Isaac too submitting to Lord’s will.
For their faithfulness, God rewards
them with assurances of blessings.
In the closing years of Abraham’s
life, a time saddened by Sarah’s
death, there remains one important
detail: finding a suitable bride
for Isaac, who again shows his
submission to the Lord’s will.

Lord, we learn from Isaac that
he did not demand his own way.
He did not resist when he was
about to be sacrificed; he gladly
accepted a wife chosen for him
by others and he obediently
follow the instruction of the Lord.
Like Isaac, we must learn to put
God’s will ahead of our own.
Lord, help us to Fully Trust in You;
help us to Submit to Your Will and
help us Follow Your Leading. Amen
Continue reading “Praying thro Gen 22-26 (Jan 26)”

Thank God for Fighting Our Battle

King Jehoshaphat knows that
the key to spiritual revival in the
nation is a renewed interest in and
commitment to the law of the Lord.
He institutes a nationwide Scripture
study program which God richly
blesses with peace and prosperity.
In contrast to his predecessors,
Jehoshaphat manages to make
peace with the king of Israel.
But a friendly visit nearly costs
his life as he becomes entangled
in a war between Israel and Syria.

Lord, praise U for Yr Mighty Power:
Then some pple told Jehoshaphat:
A great multitude is coming against
you from Syria… And Jehoshaphat
feared, proclaimed a fast and stood
in the assembly of Judah in the
house of the Lord and said: O God,
are You Not God of heaven & do
You Not Rule over all the nations so
that No One is able to Withstand U?
Are You Not our God, who drove
out the inhabitants of this land
and gave it to the descendants
of Abraham forever?…We will stand
before this temple and cry out to
You in our affliction, and You will
hear and save… For we have no
power against this great multitude
that is coming against us; nor do
we know what to do; but our eyes
are Upon You (2Chr 20:2-12) Amen.
Continue reading “Thanksgiving in 2Chr 20 (Jan 25)”

Thank God for Watching Over Us

King of Judah Asa removes all
traces of foreign religion from
the land and commands the
people to return to the careful
observance of God’s statutes.
But towards the end of his reign,
Asa faces a threat from Baasha
(king of Israel) and seeks alliance
of protection with the king of Syria.
Even on his deathbed he puts
his trust in earthly physicians alone
rather than in the Great Physician.

Lord, we look up to You for help:
At that time Hanani the seer came
to Asa king of Judah and said
to him: Because you have relied
on the king of Syria and have
not relied on the Lord your God,
therefore the army of the king of
Syria has escaped from your hand.
Were the Ethiopians…not a huge
army? Yet because U relied on the
Lord, He delivered them into your
hand. For the eyes of the Lord
run to & fro throughout the whole
earth, to show Himself strong
on behalf of those whose heart
is loyal to Him (2Chr 16:7-9) Amen
Continue reading “Thanksgiving in 2Chr 16 (Jan 24)”

Thank God for What He Has Done

The ark of the covenant features
prominently in Chronicles being
mentioned more than 40 times.
And the events surrounding the
journey of the ark to Jerusalem
consumes 1Chr 13-15 & 3 months
elapse before the journey can be
completed. But when the ark is at
last installed in Jerusalem, David
leads the pple in national celebratn.

Lord, thanks for what U have done:
So they brought the ark of God
and set it in the midst of the
tabernacle that David had erected
for it. Then they offered burnt
offerings & peace offerings before
God… On that day David first
delivered this psalm to thank the
Lord: Oh give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name; make known
His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him!
Talk of all His wondrous works!…
Remember His marvellous works
which He has done (1Chr 16:1-12)
Continue reading “Thanksgiving in 1 Chr 16 (Jan 23)”

Thank God for Answering Prayers

The epitaph over the tomb of King
Hezekiah might well have read:
Hezekiah, “Best King of Judah.”
Taking the throne at a young age
of 25, he soon establishes himself
as a great reformer by destroying
all traces of heathen worship.
Choosing to put his trust in God
rather than in armies, Hezekiah
often found himself on his knees.
In response to the king’s prayers,
God strikes 185,000 Assyrian dead
& extends Hezekiah’s life by 15 yrs.

Lord, Thank U for Hearing Prayer:
Hezekiah received the letter from
(Assyrian) messengers and…went
up to the house of the Lord, and
spread it before the Lord. Then
Hezekiah prayed: O Lord God
of Israel… You are God, You alone
… have made heaven and earth.
Incline Your ear O Lord and hear;
open Your eyes O Lord and see;
and hear the words of Sennacherib
which… reproach the living God…
Therefore O Lord our God save us
from his hand that all the kingdoms
of the earth may know that You are
the Lord God, You alone (Amen).
Then Isaiah sent to Hezekiah
saying: Because you have prayed
to Me against Sennacherib king of
Assyria, I’ve heard (2Kgs 19:14-20)
Continue reading “Thanksgiving in 2Kgs 19-20(Jan22)”