Day: May 16, 2021

God Who Is Near

Time is running out for Judah.
Already a growing sense of doom
grips the nation. But even that
cannot deter Jeremiah from
his appointed task: declaring to
leaders and lay persons alike God’s
displeasure with their conduct.
Jeremiah singles out three kings
for judgment before turning his
attention to the Messiah who will
restore righteousness on the earth.
The nation will lie desolate for 70
years when the wrath of God is finally
poured out upon His wayward flock.
God pledges to reestablish the
nation after it has been purified
by the discipline of exile.

Praise be to God Who Is Near:
If they had stood in My counsel
and had caused My people to hear
My words, then they would have
turned them from their evil way.
Am I a God who is near (Elohei
Mikkarov) declares the Lord,
and not a God far off?Can anyone
hide in secret places so that I
cannot see him? (Jer is 23:22-24).
Call to Me and I will answer you,
and show you great & mighty things
which you do not know (Jer 33:3)

Lord, I am not to be dismayed
because You, Elohei Mikkarov
are always near me wherever I am.
I don’t have to be anxious about
the things I need because You are
close and You know what I need.
You are a God who is close to me
and I give You gratitude for never
abandoning or leaving me. Amen.

Lord, when I feel distant from You,
the fact is that You are not the one
who has wandered; for You are near.
Forgive me for being so far away
in my thoughts and in my heart.
Forgive me for not seeing You
when I am so blinded by my
own desires or my own pain.
Make me know Your presence and
experience You in all that I do. Amen

Lord, we want to live our lives
in the full awareness of You as
Elohei Mikkarov God who is near:
and for the full and abundant life
is found only in You. Show us
Your hand, Your heart & Your love.
And give us Lord signs of Your
abiding closeness in our lives.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Enabled as Gospel Minister

 Backgrounder: Paul defended
his ministry by showing how
individuals can be reconciled to a
loving God. And he pleads with the
Corinthian church to be reconciled
to him as their spiritual father.
In his final words, Paul draws upon
his authority as an apostle to exhort
the rebellious to repent so that
his approaching visit can be a time
of rejoicing rather than rebuke.

Lord, thanks for Paul’s letter
which teaches us how to be more
effective in Christian ministry.
Help us to be blameless, sincere,
confident, caring, and willing
to suffer for the sake of Christ.
Lord, as we may face challenges
in life including spiritual battles,
physical ailment & difficult people;
help us Use Your mighty weapons;
help us Be Enabled by You; and
help us Place Faith in You. Amen.

Lord, we’ll use Yr mighty weapons:
We are humans but we don’t wage
war with human plans & methods.
We use God’s mighty weapons, not
mere worldly weapons, to knock
down the Devil’s strongholds.
With these weapons we break
down every proud argument that
keeps people from knowing God.
With these weapons we conquer
their rebellious ideas and we teach
them to obey Christ (2Cor 10:3-6)
Lord, Thank You for Your weapons
of warfare, which are mighty and
supernatural. Teach me to wield
them as I stand against the enemy.
Strengthen me as I intercede
for others. I pray that You
will demolish the devil’s dark
strongholds and establish Your
kingdom of Light and truth. Amen.

Lord, we will be Enabled by You:
Three different times I begged
the Lord to take (my thorn in the
flesh) away. Each time He said:
My grace is all you need.
My power works best in weakness.
So now I am glad to boast about
my weaknesses, so that the power
of Christ can work through me.
That’s why I take pleasure in
my weaknesses, hardships and
troubles that I suffer for Christ.
For when I am weak, then
I am strong (2 Cor 12:8-10).
Lord, You know all my frailties
that keep me feeling insufficient.
But You are my sufficiency and
my strength; and I depend on You.
And I surrender my frailties to You.
Teach me the art of looking to
You instead of at my problems.
Give me eyes of faith that I might
press on when I feel overwhelmed.
And please step into my weakness
with Yourself and Your help. Amen

Lord, we’ll place our Faith in You:
Now we pray to God that You will
not do anything wrong. Not that
people will see that we have
stood the test but that You will do
what is right even though we may
seem to have failed. For we can’t
do anything against the truth,
but only for the truth. We are glad
whenever we are weak but You
are strong; and our prayers is for
your perfection (2Cor 13:7-9).
Lord, when I see the failure of
any servant of Yours, I pray it
will not shake my faith in the least.
Help me to do the right thing
and remains strong in You no
matter what I see others doing.
Give me faith that is not dependent
on the rise or fall of others. I know
You won’t fail, even though others
do,and that’s all that matters. Amen