Month: August 2020

Seek the Lord & Fear Him (Aug 10)

The author of Proverbs clearly
states the purpose of the book:
To know wisdom and instructions
(Prov 1:2-5). God wants His people
to be wise and skilful in making
moral and ethical choices. And
the first nine chapters of Proverbs
take the form of a fatherly address
to a young son – a divine primer
for learning the fear of the Lord.

Lord, we will Seek Your Word:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of knowledge, and fools despise
wisdom and instruction (Prov 1:7)
If you receive My Words & treasure
My commands… making your ear
attentive to wisdom, and apply your
heart and mind to understanding;
Yes, if you cry out for insight…
If you seek wisdom as silver
and search for her as for hidden
treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God (Prov 2:1-5).

Lord, develop in us deep Reverence
of You that will lead to wisdom.
Grant us grace to Fear You rather
than the circumstances in the
present or what-ifs of the future.
Help me Be Open to advice and
be willing to listen from those who
can give valuable insight & counsel.
Open my heart to be teachable
to receive correction willingly.
Help me not let pride stand in the
way to receive godly advice. Amen.

Lord, wisdom comes from You
and Your Word; but You give
wisdom only to earnest Seekers.
Grant us the grace to be fervent
seekers of Your Word & instruction,
to be upright in character and
to be faithful to Your cause.
Open my ears to wisdom & help me recognise wisdom when I hear it.
Pray in all my seeking, I will find it;
for U are the giver of wisdom. Amen

O Gracious and Loving Father,
Open our eyes to Your presence;
open our minds to Your grace;
open our hearts to Your love and
open our lips to Your praises.
Give us Lord the wisdom and
understanding to perceive You,
the diligence to seek You,
the patience to wait for You and
the fulfilment to proclaim You;
through the power of the Spirit
of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Seek the Lord While He Is Near

God instructs Jeremiah to take
a linen girdle (a tight-fitting belt)
and bury it by the Euphrates River.
Later he is told to dig it up again.
The result is predictable: one ruined
girdle, unfit to wear any longer.
And the parallel is painfully clear.
Selected by God for a place of
intimate fellowship (just like the
girdle), Judah would now be cast
away in judgment for her corruption.

There is a time to pray, to repent,
to come to God on our knees.
But there is coming a day when it
will be too late to pray for anyone.
Today we have the freedom to seek
God or to avoid Him,to acknowledge
our need or to sidestep the issue.
So, let’s Seek the Lord while He
may be found. And when we obey
that charge, we will find the reward
as promised waiting for you. Lord,
We Ask for Your Justice;
We Ask for Your Assistance; &
We Ask for Your Sustenance. Amen.

Lord, we Ask for Your Justice:
You are always righteous O Lord,
when I bring a case before You.
Yet I would speak with You about
Your justice: Why does the way
of the wicked prosper? Why do
all the faithless live at ease? But
You O Lord know me; You have
seen me, and You have tested
my heart toward You (Jer 12:1-3).
Lord, You are always good and just
and I don’t question Your ways.
But I confess that sometimes
I wonder why certain people seem
to get away with “murder” while
others, who are Your servants –
and seem to have done nothing
wrong – have so much suffering.
Help me to see these things from
Your perspective so that I might
help others do the same. Amen.

Lord, we Ask for Your Assistance:
The people say: Our wickedness
has caught up with us Lord, but
help us for the sake of Your own
reputation. We have turned away
from You and sinned against You
again and again… We are known
as Your people. Please don’t
abandon us now (Jer 14:7-9).
Lord, we ask for Your help, but not
because we have done anything
to deserve it. We ask for Your help
because we know You love to save.
You are a God who rains down grace
on people who don’t deserve it.
So, send the rains of Your grace
into our lives. Soak us in Your
undeserved favour for Your glory
whose mighty name we pray, Amen.

Lord, we Ask for Your Sustenance:
O Lord… remember me and visit
me… Know that for Your sake
I have suffered rebuke. Your Words
are what sustain me. They bring
me great joy and are my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name
O Lord God Almighty (Jer 15:15-16)
Lord, Thank You for Your holy Word.
Build in me a deeper hunger for
it and reliance on it each day.
Lead me Lord as I consume Your
instructions, promises as well as testimonies. Sustain me thro them and they will be my joy and my heart’s delight. In His name, Amen.

Warning on Worthless Worship

Idolatry & hypocrisy have permeated
every fiber of Judah’s national life.
People and priests alike practice worthless worship in haughty indifference. But through Jeremiah, God delivers a ringing indictment.
Their nation with all its outward splendour will be reduced to a heap
of ruins because of the people’s
arrogance & idolatry. At the thought
of Judah’s imminent divine surgery, Jeremiah weeps unashamedly
for his hardhearted countrymen.

Judah was threatened by powerful
Babylonians. However, Jeremiah’s
message was that the greatest
threat came not from outside
enemies but from their own sin
and rebellion against their God.
Unless they were willing to change
their ways, disaster awaited them.
Lord, we acknowledge Your holiness
and warning of worthless worship.
Lord, we Repent Our Mistakes;
we want to Know You More; and
we Praise Your Greatness. Amen.

Lord, we Repent Our Mistakes:
Why does this people go backward
and just keep on going backward!
They stubbornly hold on to their
illusions, refuse to change direction.
I listened carefully but heard not
so much as a whisper. No one
expressed one word of regret.
Not a single “I’m sorry” did I hear.
They just kept at it, blindly and
stupidly banging their heads
against a brick wall (Jer 8:5-6).
Lord, I am so sorry that I have
continued to bang my head against
a brick wall, blindly and stupidly.
Save me Lord, O save me from the
self hate I feel for my past regrets
and change my trajectory. Amen.

Lord, we want to Know You More:
This is what the Lord says:
Let not the wise man boast of
his wisdom… or the rich man
boast of his riches, but let him
who boasts boast about this: that
he knows the Lord, who exercises
kindness, justice & righteousness
for in these I delight (Jer 9:23-24)
Lord, I confess that all the good
things have come from You.
Help me to never even appear
to boast about anything other
than the fact that I know You.
And the reason I’ve the potential
to do something good is because
the Holy Spirit dwells in me. Amen.

Lord, we Praise Your Greatness:
No one is like You O Lord; You are
great and Your name is mighty in
power. Who should not revere You,
O King of nations? This is Your due…
You O Lord are the True God; You are
the living God and everlasting King…
God, You made the earth by
Your power… When You thunder,
the waters in the heavens roar…
You send lightning with the rain
and bring out the wind from Your
storehouses (Jeremiah 10:6-13).
Lord, You are great and greatly
to be praised. Great is Your power.
You have stirred our hearts so that
we take pleasure in praising You.
You have created us and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.
Lord, we affirm Your power over
the circumstances of our life. And since You are powerful & wise, we’ll
give You all praise and glory. Amen.

Experiencing God thro Obedience

This week we learn the importance
of Fearing God and various ways to
reflect it, thus positioning ourselves
rightly to encounter His presence.
On Monday, we learn from Prov 2
to Seek the Lord and Fear Him.
On Tuesday, we learn from Prov 3
to Trust In the Lord for Direction.
On Wednesday, we learn from
Prov 15 to Humble Before the Lord.
On Thurs, we learn from Eccles 3
to Wait Patiently for God’s Timing.
On Friday, we learn from Eccles 12
to Fear God & Make the Most of Life.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.
Click PrayerThots.com to see full.

Fear God & Make the Most of Life

Thus far the preacher has been
concentrating mainly on problems
of life without seeking explanation.
But the deeper he probes life’s
patterns and perplexities, the more
conclusive becomes the evidence
that points him to the solution:
and that is Fear God. When wisdom
turns to vanity, fear God (Eccl 7:18).
When God’s ways seem uncertain,
fear God (8:12-13). When all is
said and done, fear God (12:13),
for this is the whole duty of man.

Lord, we’ll Make the Most of Life:
Whatever your hand finds to do,
do it with Your might; for there is
no work… in the grave where you
are going… The race is not to the
swift nor the battle to the strong…
but time and chance happens
to them all (Ecclesiastes 9:10-11).
Let us hear the conclusion of the
whole matter: Fear God and keep
His commandments, for this is
man’s all. For God will bring every
work into judgment, including
every secret thing, whether good
or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14).

Lord, we realise that the race of
faith is not a short sprint but rather
a long race that requires endurance.
And Ecclesiastes 9:11 wisely points
out the race is not to the swift, nor
the battle to the strong. So Lord,
help me to press on and lay aside
every weight to finish well the race.
And grant me strength so that I can run the race with endurance. Amen.

Lord, we don’t want to learn
all kinds of principles for living
well in the world so that we can
appear to be moral and successful
on the world’s terms, but fail to see
our need for You. We purpose that
we will above all things Fear You
Lord, keep Your commands, further
the gospel truths and living in the
light of it. In Jesus’ name we pray.

Lord, Thank You for Ecclesiastes
that gives advice on living a full life.
For we want to ensure that all we
have ever worked for, lived for and
hoped for hasn’t been a big mistake.
Solomon’s conclusion is that every
-one’s duty is to Fear & obey God.
For one day we’ve to give account
of how we had lived; and we can’t
give excuses to justify our failures.
Grant us grace Lord to keep Your
values and priorities in line and keep
God first place in our lives. Amen.

Waiting for God’s Timing (Aug 13)

Making sense out of life is not easy.
And this is the problem facing the
preacher as he thinks through what
he has seen and experienced in life.
Every thing he has undertaken
from acquiring wisdom to amassing
wealth has ended in emptiness.
In a sudden burst of emotion the preacher realises God does indeed appoint the Times & purposes of life.

Lord, we will Wait for Your Timing:
For everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under
heaven (Eccl 3:1)… A time to keep
silence and a time to speak (v7).
He has made everything beautiful
in its time. He has also set eternity
in the hearts of men; yet they can’t fathom what God has done from beginning to end… There is nothing better for men than to be happy
and do good while they live.
That everyone may eat and drink
and find satisfaction in all his toil – this is the gift of God (Eccl 3:11-13)

Lord, You’re sovereign & do things
at Your time to achieve Your plan,
including moulding our character.
Pray for grace not to extend the gruelling waiting time. Enable me
be honest to recognise inner flaws.
And in Your mercy, remove defects
that keep me trapped in self will.
Grant me a character makeover so
that I can represent You well. Amen.

Lord, as human beings, we have a
keen sense of having the right time
in sharing advice or exciting news.
But when it comes to talking to God,
we tend to expect You to answer our
prayers or reveal Yr Will right away.
Waiting is hard and we don’t always
know how to interpret the rhythm of
our conversations. Give us patience
to wait & watch for Your words. Amen

Lord, I realise Your Timing is not
the same as mine. I want all the
answers to my prayers right now;
but You want me to be patient
and wait on You. So I lay down
my concerns before You Lord and
leave the outcome in Your hands.
Help me to rest in the knowledge
that Your timing is really perfect,
just as everything You do is perfect.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Humble Before the Lord (Aug 12)

Nowhere is wisdom more essential
than in community relationships.
A heart attitude controlled by
the fear of the Lord is the key to
proper response towards others.
To promote peace, justice and
prosperity with others, commit to
godliness, in thots & motives as well
as tongue & temper (Prov 14-17).

Lord, we will Humble Ourselves:
The Lord is far from the wicked but
He Hears prayer of the Righteous…
The ear that Hears the Rebutes
of life will abide among the wise.
He who disdains instruction
despises his own soul, but he who
hears rebuke gets understanding.
The fear of the Lord is the
instruction of wisdom, and before
honour is Humility (Prov 15:29-33).

Father, I am grateful that You see
me as righteous just because
of my relationship with Jesus.
But I know You also want me to
choose to live righteously as well.
Grant that my thoughts, words
and actions will always be pleasing
in Your sight so that my prayers
will be pleasing to Your ears.
Enable me Lord each day to do
what’s right in Your sight. Amen.

Lord, help us adopt the posture
of a child who is humble, open to rebuke and open to instruction.
For You promise that those who
are humble will be the greatest
in Your kingdom. Help us to be
gentle & lowly in heart as You are
And we pray that our humble faith
and service will accomplish great things for Your kingdom. Amen.

Lord, in our Weakness & Humility,
grant us Your grace and vision
to see what we can achieve,
to reach out beyond ourselves,
to share our lives with others,
to increase our sense of purpose,
to be aware of where we can help,
to be sensitive to Your presence
to stretch our capabilities and
to give heed to Your call. Amen.

Trust In the Lord (Aug 11)

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 & fair.
In short, to apply wisdom to daily
life & to provide moral instruction.
God wants His people to be skilful
in making moral & ethical choices.
And the first 9 chapters of Proverbs
take the form of a fatherly address
to a young son – a divine primer
for learning the fear of the Lord.

Lord, You Direct as we Trust You:
TRUST in the Lord with all your
heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall
Direct Your Paths (Prov 3:5-6).
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord & depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
and Strength to your bones (v7-8)
Honour the Lord with your wealth,
then your Barns Will Be Filled
to overflowing (v9-10). Amen.

Lord, help me to trust You and
Your ways with all my heart.
Guard me from depending on my
limited understanding of things.
Help me instead to rely totally on
You and help me to acknowledge
You Lord in every area of my life.
Thank You for promising that You
will direct my paths as I depend
on Your higher understanding and
seek Your will in all I do. Amen.

Lord, Thank You for the word of
warning that whenever I’m feeling
afraid or discouraged, these
may be symptoms that there
are places in my life where I am
depending on my own strength.
Right now I purpose to trust You
more and choose to lean on You.
And I choose to lean my weakness
on Your Strength each day. Amen.

Lord, Thank You for pledging to
meet the needs of Your children.
Keep us from being stingy with
our time, talents or treasure.
Deepen our conviction Lord that
we can give ourselves freely;
for You our Jehovah Jireh
will Be Faithful To Provide all
that we need out of Your glorious
riches in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Seek the Lord & Fear Him (Aug 10)

The author of Proverbs clearly
states the purpose of the book:
To know wisdom and instructions
(Prov 1:2-5). God wants His people
to be wise and skilful in making
moral and ethical choices. And
the first nine chapters of Proverbs
take the form of a fatherly address
to a young son – a divine primer
for learning the fear of the Lord.

Lord, we will Seek Your Word:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of knowledge, and fools despise
wisdom and instruction (Prov 1:7)
If you receive My Words & treasure
My commands… making your ear
attentive to wisdom, and apply your
heart and mind to understanding;
Yes, if you cry out for insight…
If you seek wisdom as silver
and search for her as for hidden
treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God (Prov 2:1-5).

Lord, develop in us deep Reverence
of You that will lead to wisdom.
Grant us grace to Fear You rather
than the circumstances in the
present or what-ifs of the future.
Help me Be Open to advice and
be willing to listen from those who
can give valuable insight & counsel.
Open my heart to be teachable
to receive correction willingly.
Help me not let pride stand in the
way to receive godly advice. Amen.

Lord, wisdom comes from You
and Your Word; but You give
wisdom only to earnest Seekers.
Grant us the grace to be fervent
seekers of Your Word & instruction,
to be upright in character and
to be faithful to Your cause.
Open my ears to wisdom & help me recognise wisdom when I hear it.
Pray in all my seeking, I will find it;
for U are the giver of wisdom. Amen

O Gracious and Loving Father,
Open our eyes to Your presence;
open our minds to Your grace;
open our hearts to Your love and
open our lips to Your praises.
Give us Lord the wisdom and
understanding to perceive You,
the diligence to seek You,
the patience to wait for You and
the fulfilment to proclaim You;
through the power of the Spirit
of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Seek the Lord & Fear Him (Aug 10)

The author of Proverbs clearly
states the purpose of the book:
To know wisdom and instructions
(Prov 1:2-5). God wants His people
to be wise and skilful in making
moral and ethical choices. And
the first nine chapters of Proverbs
take the form of a fatherly address
to a young son – a divine primer
for learning the fear of the Lord.

Lord, we will Seek Your Word:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of knowledge, and fools despise
wisdom and instruction (Prov 1:7)
If you receive My Words & treasure
My commands… making your ear
attentive to wisdom, and apply your
heart and mind to understanding;
Yes, if you cry out for insight…
If you seek wisdom as silver
and search for her as for hidden
treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God (Prov 2:1-5).

Lord, develop in us deep Reverence
of You that will lead to wisdom.
Grant us grace to Fear You rather
than the circumstances in the
present or what-ifs of the future.
Help me Be Open to advice and
be willing to listen from those who
can give valuable insight & counsel.
Open my heart to be teachable
to receive correction willingly.
Help me not let pride stand in the
way to receive godly advice. Amen.

Lord, wisdom comes from You
and Your Word; but You give
wisdom only to earnest Seekers.
Grant us the grace to be fervent
seekers of Your Word & instruction,
to be upright in character and
to be faithful to Your cause.
Open my ears to wisdom & help me recognise wisdom when I hear it.
Pray in all my seeking, I will find it;
for U are the giver of wisdom. Amen

O Gracious and Loving Father,
Open our eyes to Your presence;
open our minds to Your grace;
open our hearts to Your love and
open our lips to Your praises.
Give us Lord the wisdom and
understanding to perceive You,
the diligence to seek You,
the patience to wait for You and
the fulfilment to proclaim You;
through the power of the Spirit
of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.