Month: August 2020

Seek the Lord’s Deliverance(Jul 30)

Psalms 31-36 show how Proper
Perspective can help you face
any circumstance. It 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 Deliver When We Seek:
I Sought the Lord & He heard me
& Delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were
Radiant, and their faces were not
ashamed…The angels of the Lord
encamps all around those who
fear Him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord
is good, Blessed is the man
who Trusts in Him… Fear the Lord…
Those who Seek the Lord shall not
lack any good thing (Psa 34:4-10).
The eyes of the Lord are on the
righteous and His ears are open to
their cry… The righteous cry out,
and the Lord Hears and Delivers
them out of their troubles (v15-17).

Lord, we give You all our anxieties over finances, work, health or relationships & look to You for help.
Do a deep work in my heart on
those things that strike fear in me.
I lay these burdens and worries before You Lord and ask You
to exchange my fear for faith.
Thank You Lord for Your promise
to answer me when I call on You,
to free me from fear & shame and
to make me radiant with joy. Amen.

Lord, help us to look to You and
to fully Trust In You each day.
There is great joy to be found
in living with Eyes Fixed on You.
Help me to do that so that my
life will be radiant with Your joy.
May others be drawn to You Lord
because of the joy You have put
in my heart. O Jesus, more of
the joys of Trusting In You. Amen.

Lord, it’s such a comfort to know
that Your eyes watch over me and
that Your ears hear my cries for help.
Thank You Lord for hearing my cries,
for rescuing me when I am crushed
in spirit. You Lord are close to
the broken-hearted and to those
who are in dire straits. Praise You
for the hope and courage Your
promises give me when I am facing
with difficult circumstances. Amen.

Keep Trusting & Waiting on God

Looking around Judah, Habakkuk observes injustice. What he sees causes him to cry out to God
with his perplexing questions:
Why are the wicked prospering?
Why are the righteous beaten down?
Why don’t You right the wrongs ?
God’s reply is shocking: I’ll use a
nation more corrupt than Judah –
Chaldeans, to cleanse My people
of their wicked ways. In stunned
disbelief, Habakkuk responds:
How in the name of holiness can
You do that God? And when God
answers the prophet’s question,
Hab responds in prayer of faith.

Dear Lord, Thank You for the book
of Habakkuk that shows You God
is still In Control of this world in
spite of apparent triumph of evil.
During difficult circumstances,
You God wants us to come to You
with our struggles & even doubts.
And You will sustain us by revealing
Yourself for our hope comes from U.
Help us Lord to Keep On Praying;
Help us to Trust by Waiting on You;
Help us Find Strength in You alone.
We pray these in Jesus’ mighty name

Lord, we will Keep On Praying:
How long O Lord must I call
for help? But You do not listen!
Violence I cry, but You do not come
to save. Must I forever see this
sin and misery all around me?
Wherever I look, I see destruction
and violence… The wicked far
outnumber the righteous and
justice is perverted (Hab 1:2-4).
Lord, grant me the understanding
and the faith I need to keep praying
and not give up even if my prayers
are not answered straight away.
Help me not become discouraged
in the time of waiting for Your help.
But rather to continue praying
until I see Your will done in the
things You put on my heart. Amen

Lord, we’ll Trust by Waiting on You:
I will stand my watch & set myself
on the watch tower. And watch
to see what He will say to me…
Then the Lord answered me:
The vision is yet for an appointed
time; but at the end it will speak,
and it will not lie. Though it tarries,
Wait for it; because it will surely
come, it will not tarry. Behold the
proud… is not upright; but the just
shall Live By his Faith (Hab 2:1-4).
Lord, we note that to trust God
fully means to trust Him even
when we do not understand
why events occur as they do.
Help us to Live By Faith by Waiting
upon You and trust that You God
will direct all things according to
Your way and Your time. Amen.

Lord, we’ll Hold On thro hard times,
and will Rejoice in Your Strength:
Lord, I have heard of Your fame;
I stand in awe of Your deeds
O Lord. Renew them in our day,
in our time make them known…
Though the fig trees does not bud,
there are no grapes on the vines
and the olive crop fails… yet I will
Rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful
in God my Savior. The Sovereign
Lord is my strength (Hab 3:2,17-19)
Lord, I have heard all about You
and I am filled with awe by the
amazing things You have done.
In our time of need, begin again
to help us as You did years ago
and show us Your power to save.
Lord, no matter what happens,
whether I see prayers answered,
I purpose to hold on In Faith.
And may my heart Rejoice In You,
for You Are My Strength. Amen.

Preparing for Day of the Lord

Zephaniah’s pen records only 53 verses but in the process sets forth some of the strongest statements
of judgment in the Old Testament.
Looking out over the nation of
Judah in particular and the world
in general, Zephaniah fashions
his fiery verbal assault. The day
of the Lord will come with fury,
ferocity and finality, and God will
have the last word. But Retribution
and judgment will give way to
Restoration and joy “in that day.”

Lord, Thank You for lessons from
the ministry of Zephaniah to shake
pple of Judah out of complacency
and urge them to return to You.
The people knew that God would
eventually bless them. But the Lord
made it clear that there would be
judgment first (for punishment of
sin & part of process of purification
of Your people) then the blessing.
Help us learn from this prophecy:
that we will Not Be Complacent;
that we will Humble Before You;
that we will Love You fully. And
We praise You for Restoration
for You are Mighty to Save. Amen.

Lord, we will Not Be Complacent:
I will search with lanterns in
Jerusalem’s darkest corners to
punish those who sit Complacent
in their sins. They think the Lord
will do nothing to them(Zep1:12-13)
I will bring distress upon men for
they have sinned against the Lord.
Neither their silver nor their gold
shall be able to deliver them(17-18)
Lord, we confess often relying
on money for a sense of security.
But wealth doesn’t buy salvation
nor can it even influence Your will.
Help us to not to be Complacent
but instead use what we have for
Your glory. And Help us not to focus
on accumulating wealth but work
on cultivating holiness. Amen.

Lord, we will Humble Before You:
Gather together & pray while there’s
still time before judgment begins
and your opportunity is blown away.
Act now before the fierce fury
of the Lord falls and the terrible
day of the Lord’s anger begins.
Beg the Lord to save you – all who
are Humble, who uphold justice.
Walk Humbly and do what is right.
Perhaps even yet the Lord will
protect you from His anger on
that day of destruction (Zep 2:1-3)
Lord, we Humble before U. Forgive
us for pushing U out of our lives &
fill them with meaningless pursuits.
Forgive us for allowing evil to
penetrate our hearts and minds.
Open our eyes to our desperate
need for you. Thank You for giving
us not what we deserve but what
we need to get back to You. Amen.

Lord, we Love You for Saving us:
Sing O daughter of Zion! The Lord
has taken away your judgments.
You shall see disaster no more.
Do not fear; let not your hands be
weak. The Lord your God is with
you, He Is Mighty To Save. He will
take great Delight in you, He will
quiet u with His Love (Zep 3:14-17)
Lord, I have joy in knowing You are always with me and have the Power to Save from the plans of the enemy.
Help me remember at all times, even
when going thro difficult situations that my foundation is really in You.
And that my security is sustained
by Your great love for me. Draw me
into the depths of your heart and
let me love You completely. Praise
You for being Mighty to Save. Amen

Minor Prophets to Judah (Aug 1)

As the Bible is arranged by genre,
to enhance understanding context
we’re meditating by time sequence.
Old Testament Expository Phases:
OT1A: Genesis
OT1B: Poetry Book of Job
OT1C: Life of Moses (Exo to Deut)
OT2A: History to David (1Chron)
OT2B: Five Books of Psalms
OT2C: 1 Kings & Wisdom Poetry
OT3A: 2 Kings & Prophets
OT3B: 2 Chronicles & Prophets
OT3C: Return From Exile & Prophets

2 Chronicles spans four centuries of
Judah’s history from glory days of Solomon to end of Babylonian Exile.
Moving to prophets, Isaiah’s ministry
spans reigns of four kings of Judah
(722-681BC) stressing holiness and
justice of God as well as the Messiah
who comes to comfort His people.
Next, we will mediate on five minor prophets to Judah over 3 weekends
including Obadiah (840BC) and
Joel (830) as well as Micah (735-10)
Zephaniah (630) & Habakkuk (607).

Obadiah: One of the worst things
that can happen is to have your
enemies line up to destroy you.
However, defeat takes on a different
meaning when close friends and
brothers also join the opposition.
When Judah called out to her
Edomite cousins for help against
the advancing Babylonians troops,
Edom stood aloof & behaved like Judah’s foes. God’s displeasure
with Edom as it comes through the prophet Obadiah is clear: Edom be destroyed and Judah live in peace.

Joel: Addressing hearts that have
grown cold to the things of God,
Joel confronts the people of Judah.
He reminds them of the recent
destruction brought by a plague
of locusts. Yet that disaster, a
judgment in itself, will seem pale
beside the catastrophe still to come.
Unless the nation repents, it will be destroyed by an army from the north.
The only hope of escape is for the
people to repent. If they do, then
God will divert judgment and will
deliver an unparalleled blessing;
judgment on Judah’s enemies and
the matchless gift of peace to Zion.

Micah: Sin had infiltrated every
segment of society. False prophets
preached for money, immoral
princes oppressed poor, corrupt
judges allowed injustice to rule the land. Such were the days of Micah, country preacher turned prophet of God. Micah pleads with his country
men to turn away from sin & back to
God. But the message falls on deaf ears, that will soon instead hear
the glamour of invading armies. But within the hardness lies hope. When
justice is achieved, God will restore
His people to their covenant land.

Zephaniah: Writing at one of the
lowest points in the spiritual life
of Judah, Zephaniah’s primary
concern is the impending Day of
the Lord. That day signifies the final
judgment of God on earth and the ensuing time of blessing & peace.
But Zephaniah knows that when judgment is over, God will once
again look with favour on His people,
restore their fortunes, rejoice over
them & dwell among them (3:14-18)

Habakkuk: Looking around his native
Judah, Habakkuk observes injustice.
What he sees causes him to cry out
to God with perplexing questions:
Why are the wicked prospering
in Your nation Lord? Why are
the righteous beaten down?
Why don’t You do something
to right the wrongs of society?
God’s reply is even more shocking
than the conditions in Judah:
I am about to use a nation even
more corrupt than Judah to cleanse
My people of their wicked ways.
In a stunned disbelief, Habakkuk
responds: How in the name of
holiness can You do that God?
And when God patiently answers
the prophet’s question, Habakkuk
responds in praise with faith.