Day: December 6, 2020

Seek the Will of God

Paul has many pleasant memories
of the days he spent with the infant
Thessalonian church. Their Faith,
hope, love and perseverance
in the face of persecution are
exemplary and Paul’s labours
as a spiritual parent to the fledging
church have been richly rewarded.
He encourages the Thessalonians
to excel in their Faith, increase in
their love, and rejoice always even
as God Promises to Sanctify them.

Lord, we Seek to Do Your Will:
Rejoice always, pray without
ceasing, in everything give thanks;
for this is the Will Of God in Christ
Jesus for you (1 Thess 5:16-18).
Now may the God of peace Himself
Sanctify You completely; and may
your whole spirit, soul and body
be preserved blameless at the
coming of our Lord Jesus (v23).
He who calls you Is Faithful,
who also Will Do it (v24). Amen.

Lord, it is always Your Will for me
to be joyful and pray often & give
thanks to You in all circumstances.
Help me to remember to do Your
Will in this regard, even when
I don’t see yet answers to prayers
as I would like it to be. No matter
what is happening now in my life,
I know that Your Will is good and
that You are fully in control. Amen.

Lord God of peace, do Your holy
work of Sanctification within me.
I want to honour You with my life
and I want to resist sin each day.
But at same time, I confess some
thing within me is attracted by evil.
Keep me blameless; give me
Lord a deep love for You and
the zeal for Your glory that will
surpass any impure passion. Amen.

Lord, I sincerely feel that deepest
longings simply must be fulfilled.
I bring them to You to do as You please, Use them to accomplish
Your purposes; and I’m believing
You will get me where I need to go.
I am now fully available to work
out the calling You have for me.
I know Lord that You are faithful
and that You will do it. Amen.

Ready to Be Counted (Dec 6)

Esther has been elevated to queen
without her nationality discovered.
And Haman the villain also rises
to the top politically. His hatred for
the Jews burns hot when Mordecai
fails to pay homage to him. Haman
persuaded King Ahasuerus to issue
an edict for destruction for the
Jewish race. Now Queen Esther
is faced with a deadly decision.
Should she risk revealing her
nationality in an attempt to dissuade
the king? Or should she protect
her life and silently watch while
her countrymen are slaughtered?

Lord, we will Stand & Be Counted:
Haman approached King Xerxes
and said: There’s a certain people
scattered through all the provinces
of your empire who keep themselves
separate from everyone else.
Their laws are different… and they
refuse to obey the laws of the king.
So it is not in the king’s interest
to let them live (Esther 3:8-9).
Mordecai sent this reply to Esther:
Don’t think for a moment because
you’re in the palace you will escape
when all other Jews are killed. If you
Keep Quiet.. deliverance and relief
for the Jews will arise from some
other place, but you & your relatives
will die. Who knows you were made
queen for just such a time like this?
Then Esther… replied to Mordecai:
Go, gather together all the Jews…
and fast for me for three days. I and
my maids Will Fast as you do. When
this is done, I Will Go to the king,
even though it is against the law.
And If I Perish, I Perish (Est 4:13-16)

Lord, the path of righteousness may
require courageous identification
of being a part of Your people.
Give me courage I need to Identify Openly with You and Your cause.
Give me the extraordinary courage
it takes to be different even if it
means being rejected because
of Identification With You Lord.
Help me to trust You just as much
even when life is confusing. Amen.

Lord, show me when Your Spirit is
calling me to Put Aside everything
else in order to seek You; and give
me grace to respond to that call.
Give me the discipline I need to be
able to Follow Through and the faith
to know that You are able to deliver
in whatever circumstances I am in.
Make my heart obedient, as Esther
was in Seeking You, if needed above
personal needs and interest; for You
God always keep promises. Amen.

Lord, I pray You will help me to be
a person who has a Heart For You
and Your ways; and one who is
in the right place at the right time.
Enable me Lord as I Fast & Pray to
have a powerful effect on the world
around me by standing up for what
is right and following Your leading.
Make my prayers powerful enough
to encourage and enable the lives
of the people and the church. Amen

Trusting in God’s Sovereignty

Esther is more than a story about
heroism. It is the story of how God
controls the destinies of people
and nations in spite of harrowing
circumstances and opposition.
Esther reads like today’s news:
national intrigue, political unrest,
attempted assassination. And over
it all, the sovereign hand of God
is at work in the lives of His people,
placing Esther in the palace and
Mordecai’s name in the Persian
chronicles “for such a time as this.

With God in charge, we can take
courage; for He can guide us
through the circumstances we face
in our lives. We should expect God
to display His power in carrying
out His will. As we unite our life’s
purposes to God’s purposes, we
benefit from His sovereign care.
Lord, we Trust In Your Wisdom.
Lord, we Trust In Your Power; and
Lord, we Trust In Your Timing. Amen

Lord, we Trust In Your Wisdom:
On the seventh day of the feast,
when King Xerxes was in high spirit
because of the wine, he told the
eunuchs to bring Queen Vashti…
He wanted the nobles… to gaze on
her beauty…But when they conveyed
the king’s order…she refused to
come. This made the king furious…
He consulted his advisers … What
must be done to Queen Vashti?..
Memucan answered the king: Queen
Vashti has wronged not only the king
but also every noble and citizen…
So… we suggest that you issue a
written decree… that cannot be
revoked. Order that Queen Vashti
be banished… and that the king
should choose another queen
more worthy than she (Esth 1:10-19)
Lord, help us not to make rush
decisions based purely on feelings
for poor decisions are then made.
Help us made decisions through
careful thinking not at the spur of
the moment & after consulting
Your advice for You are all knowing.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we Trust In Your Power:
As a result of the king’s decree,
Esther along with many other young
women was brought to the king’s
harem… Hegai was very impressed
with Esther and treated her kindly.
He quickly ordered a special menu
for her and provided her with beauty
treatments… Esther had not told
anyone of her nationality and family
background, because Mordecai
had directed her not to do so…
Esther was taken to King Xerxes
at the royal palace… And the king
loved Esther more than any of the
other young women. He was so
delighted with her that he set
the royal crown on her head and
declared her queen (Esth 2:8-17).
Lord, we may not be able to see
God’s purpose in our situation.
But we know God is in control and
He goes ahead preparing the way.
In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

Lord, we Trust In Your Timing:
To celebrate the occasion, King
Xerxes gave a great banquet in
Esther’s honour for all his nobles
and officials, declaring a public
holiday for the provinces and
giving generous gifts to everyone.
Even after all the young women
had been transferred to the second
harem and Mordecai had become
a place official, Esther continued
to keep her family background and
nationality a secret. She was still
following Mordecai’s directions,
just as she did when she lived
in his home (Esther 2:16-20).
Lord, we learn from Esther that it
is our responsibility to identify as
God’s people. But we also realise
the need to win the right to be heard
and ensure the timing is right before
we speak. When God gives us the
opportunity, help us Lord to carefully
and lovingly share what we believe.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.