Month: April 2022

Doing God’s Will In God’s Way

With the death of Ish-Bosheth,
the people of Israel transfer their
allegiance to David as their rightful
king. As his first official act, David
conquers the strategic Jebusite
stronghold of Jerusalem and makes
it the new capital of the nation.
But something more than political
and military reform is necessary.
The worship of God must be
returned to its place of primacy.
Knowing this, David makes plans
to bring the ark of the covenant
to Jerusalem and build a fitting
place for it. In the process, he learns
some hard lessons about doing God’s
Will in God’s Way and in God’s Timing.

Lord, we’ll Follow Your Direction:
Then all the tribes of Israel went
to David at Hebron and told him:
The Lord told you: You will be the
shepherd of my people Israel… So
there at Hebron, King David made
a covenant before the Lord with all
the elders of Israel. And they anointed
him king of Israel (2 Samuel 5:1-3).
David inquired of the Lord: Shall
I go up against the Philistines?
And the Lord said: Go up for I’ll
doubtless deliver the Philistines
into your hand. So David went to
Baal Perazim and defeated them…
Then the Philistines went up once
again and deployed themselves
in the valley of Rephaim. So David
inquired of the Lord and He said:
You shall Not Go Up; circle around
Behind them. And David Did As
the Lord commanded him and he
drove back the Philistines (v19-25)

Lord, even as we pray for grace
to grow in submission to You
King Jesus, realize that we have
the tendency towards autonomy.
Forgive us for believing the lie that
Your rule in our lives will somehow
diminish our lives and freedom
rather than give us life and freedom.
Grant us the grace of submission and
the joy of having You as King. Amen.

Lord, praise You for Your faithfulness
and we are inspired by David on
his dependence on You for success.
Help us Follow Your Instructions
and not stray from Your will.
Help us Accept Your answer
to our prayers even when the
answers are not what we expect,
for You know what is best for us.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, You don’t want us to make 
decisions without Your leading.
For You care about the details
of our lives and want to guide
us in the way we should go.
When we step off the path of Your
blessing, redirect us back to it.
Help us not stray from Your perfect
will; which is good for us, Amen.

Prayer for Direction (April 4)

The books of 1 and 2 Samuel are
actually a single continuous story.
In 1 Samuel, the mood is despair;
in 2 Samuel, a ray of hope shines.
In 1 Sam, Saul’s dynasty is destroyed;
in 2Sam,David’s dynasty is established
But transition of power is not simple:
Proper mourning for departed king,
the inauguration of the new leader,
the purging of rebellious elements,
all these things must be done
before David can rule in peace.

Lord, we Seek Yr Direction & Timing:
A man arrived fr Saul’s army camp…
Our entire army fled from the battle.
Many of the men are dead and Saul
and his son Jonathan are also dead…
David and his men tore their clothes
in sorrow when they heard the news.
They mourned and wept and fasted
all day for Saul… his son Jonathan
& for the Lord’s army (2S1:1-4, 11-12)
David inquired of the Lord: Shall
I go to any of the cities of Judah?
The Lord said:Go up. David asked
Where? And He said: To Hebron.
So David went up there. Then
the men of Judah anointed David
king of Judah. And they told David:
The men of Jabesh Gilead were the
ones who buried Saul. So David sent
messengers to Jabesh Gilead & said:
l’ll repay this kindness (2Sam 2:1-6).
The war bet the house of Saul and
the house of David lasted a long time.
David grew stronger and stronger,
while the house of Saul grew
weaker and weaker (2 Sam 3:1).

Lord, praise You for Your faithfulness
and we are inspired by David on
his dependence on You for success.
Prompt us Lord to Inquire of Your
will for guidance in the way to go.
When we don’t quite understand
why You move so slowly at times,
grant us sufficient signs to trust
that Your promises will be fulfilled.
Help us focus on Your purpose and 
help us wait on Your timing. Amen.

Lord, we see David’s loyalty to
Your purpose as he mourned for
Saul who was the Lord’s anointed.
And because David trusted You God,
he would not rejoice in Saul’s death.
Give us Lord greater passion
for Your will and purpose rather
than our ambition and interest.
In Jesus ‘ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we note that when Saul died,
David did not rush to make himself
the king of Israel. Help us Lord
not to assume that we know
what is best but seek wisdom
in Your Word and Your Spirit.
Help us Lord to inquire of You,
follow Your direction, and wait
patiently for Your promises to be
fulfilled for we trust in You. Amen.

Prayer with Heart for God

Only two years into his reign,
Saul is faced with a critical test.
Confronted by a Philistine onslaught,
Saul enters the priest’s office at
Gigal & offers sacrifices which only
a Levite is permitted to offer, thus
blatantly disregarding God’s law.
Samuel’s announcement that God
will take the kingdom from him
only spurs Saul on to greater
efforts at doing God’s work
but not in God’s way. By ignoring
Samuel’s specific command from
God to annihilate the Amalekites,
Saul seals the fate of his kingship.

Lord, we aspire having Heart for You:
Saul waited seven days according
to the times set by Samuel. But
Samuel did not come to Gilgal… So
Saul… offered the burnt offering…
As soon as he had (presented) the
burnt offering that Samuel came…
And Samuel said to Saul: You have
done foolishly. You have not kept
the command of the Lord your God.
Now your kingdom will not continue.
The Lord has sought for Himself a
man after His own heart (13:8-14)
Now the men of Israel were worn out
that day because Saul had made
them take an oath: Let a curse
fall on anyone who eats before
I have full revenge on my enemies…
And Saul built an altar to the Lord,
the first one he had ever built…
Saul asked counsel of the God:
Shall I go down after the Philistines?
Will You deliver them into the hand
of Israel? But He did Not answer
him that day (1 Sam 14:24-35, 37)

Dear Lord, Thank You for lessons
in scripture from the story of Saul.
Forgive us for the times when we
are disobedient to Your word and
when You speak but we don’t listen.
Forgive us for the times when doing
Your work that we choose to go
our way rather than follow Yours.
Help us to Aspire for Your Heart.
Help us Wait for Your Timing. Amen.

Lord, we purpose not to make
up our own solution when You
God require us to wait and you
didn’t answer by the expected time.
Remind us Lord not to allow
impatience to drive us to disobey
Your instruction. Help us walk
daily to prepare us to cope well
when the pressure is on. Amen.

Lord, pray that I will have a heart
for You and Your sovereign ways.
For I don’t want to be a person who
shows love for You with only words.
Help me to show it with actions,
obedience to Your laws and
the way I live. And Thank You
for still loving me even when
I don’t do things right. Amen.

Seeking God thru Biblical Prayers

The purpose of 1 Samuel is to record the life of Samuel, Israel’s last judge;
the reign & decline of Saul, the first
king; and the choice & preparation
of David, Israel’s greatest king.
This week we see God urging us
to have Heart for Him & Seek Him.
On Mon, we learn fr 1 Sam 13/14
on Prayer with Heart for God.
On Tue, we learn from 1 Sam 15
on Prayer with a Grieving Heart.
On Wed, we learn from 1 Sam 16
on Prayer as a Still Small Voice.
On Thu, we learn from 1 Sam 17
on Prayer as a Way to Courage.
On Fri, we learn from 1 Sam 20/22
about God Cares for the Faithful.
On Sat, we learn from 1Sam 30
about Prayer for Strength.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.

Prayer for Strength (April 2)

After months of running for his life,
David concludes that leaving
Israel entirely is the only way to
escape Saul’s relentless pursuit.
By convincing the Philistines he is
a defector, David is given the city
of Ziklag as his base of operations.
But instead of aiding the enemy,
David and his army methodically
destroy Philistine strongholds.
Meanwhile, Saul’s desperate
attempts to counter the Philistine
threat lead him to consult a medium.
And instead of promise of victory,
Saul heard frightening prediction
of defeat and death, forecasts which
came true the very next day as he
& his sons die on the field of battle.

Lord, You are God of My Strength:
It happened when David and his men
came to Ziglag, on the third day that
the Amalekites invaded the South…
burned it… and had taken captives…
Then David and the people who
were with him… wept until they
had no more power to weep Now
David was greatly distressed for
the people spoke of stoning him…
But David Strengthen himself
in the Lord his God (1Sam 30:1-6).
(And) David inquired of the Lord:
Shall I pursue this troop?…
And He answered him: Pursue,
for you shall surely overtake them
and without fail Recover all (v8).
God is my strong fortress; and
He makes me as surefooted as a
deer, leading me safely along the
mountain heights(2Sam 22:33-34)

Lord, we learnt from David that
we can strengthen ourselves in You.
For You are our strong fortress and
You are the God of my strength.
In You Lord are power and might;
and in You we find all that we need
when we are weary or go out of gas.
Forgive us for doubting Yr strength
and failing to access it in our life.
As Your children we claim access
to Your strength, rather than walking
in our own limited power. Amen.

Lord, I need You for my strength is
limited but Your strength is endless.
Gird me with Your great strength
for I am weak but You are strong.
Strengthen my heart and resolve
when life seems so challenging.
Strengthen my mind to think
big because I serve a big God.
Strengthen my hands to do all
that You have called me to do.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Lord, some of the challenges
that we face in life can make us
feel insecure and doubtful.
Our fears tell us that if we take
wrong step, we will fall into danger.
We learn from David to inquire
of You Lord; and remember of
Your assurance to provide us
strength as the feet of a deer.
Thank You for direction & strength
to do what we are called to do.
Lord as we claim the assurance,
put a spring in our steps as we follow
where You lead. In Jesus’ name.

God Cares for the Faithful (Apr 1)

David the king-elect of Israel –
anointed, approved in battle and
awaiting the inauguration of his
reign – is fleeing for his life from
the deranged Saul, the king rejected.
Saul’s pursuit drives David to
desperate measures such as eating
the forbidden shewbread at Nob
and feigning insanity at Gath.
But Scripture records that David’s
confidence in God never slackens,
as his frequent petitions to God for
direction & protection clearly testify.

Lord, we aspire to Be Faithful:
If he is angry and wants u killed,
may the Lord kill me if I don’t
warn you so u can escape & live.
May the Lord be with you as he
used to be with my father. And
may you treat me with the faithful
love of the Lord as long as I live…
So Jonathan made a covenant
with David saying: May the Lord
destroy all your enemies! And
Jonathan made David reaffirm
his vow of friendship again, for
Jonathan loved David as much as
he loved himself (1 Sam 20:13-17)
David therefore departed from there
and escaped to the cave of Adullam.
So when his brothers and all his
father’s house heard it, they went
down there to him. And everyone
who was in distress, everyone who
was in debt and everyone who was
discontented gathered to him.
So he became captain over them.
And there were about four hundred
men with him (1 Sam 22:1-2).

Dear Lord, from the experience
of David on the run from king Saul,
we learn when treated unjustly that
we should not take matters into our
own hands. For God is just & faithful
and You care for the downtrodden.
Help us Lord to be faithful friends;
& help us avail ourselves for service.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we are inspired Jonathan
and David based their friendship
as well as their commitment to You.
Inspire us to be like Jonathan who
displays loving commitment and
let nothing comes between friends.
Help us be people of integrity
by keeping promises even though
it may involve sacrifice. Amen

Lord, we note that David with Your
help managed to mould the 400
men into a strong fighting men and
did great exploits for the kingdom.
Help our leaders to manage people
from a range of backgrounds and to
be humble in accepting their failings.
Help our leaders to be both strong
and humble for church leadership
can be pretty tough work. Amen.