Month: January 2023

Immanuel God With Us (Jan 31)

Matthew begins his gospel with
the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Whilst Genesis traces the creation
of the universe and man, Matthew
now shows that the advent of
Jesus inaugurates a new creation.
From the call of Abraham, God
has been moving to accomplish
His great redemption plan. Jesus
the prophesied Messiah, fulfills
the OT promises in every facet of
His life: birth, boyhood and baptism.

Lord, You are With Us Always:
An angel of the Lord appeared
to (Joseph) in a dream, saying…
Do not be afraid to take Mary your
wife, for that which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Spirit.
She will bring forth a Son and
you shall call His name Jesus,
for He will save His people
from their sins (Matt 1:20-21).
So all this was done that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken by
the Lord thro the prophet saying:
Behold the virgin shall be with
child and bear a Son and they shall
call His name Immanuel, which is
translated: God With Us (v22-23).
(Jesus’ said): Go therefore and
make disciples… teaching them
to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am
With you Always (Matt 28:19-20).

Lord, You’ve come to bring peace,
to be love, to be nearer to us.
You have come, to bring life,
to be light, to shine brighter in us.
Oh Emmanuel God with us.
Our Deliverer, You are Savior;
In Your presence we find
our strength over everything.
Our redemption God with us,
You are God With Us. Amen.

Lord, help me see what is already
true: that You are a constant
companion throughout the day.
Remind me You are not far away
but that You are nearby with me.
Grant me holy imagination that
Father is looking into my heart
with love; that Jesus is sitting
beside with a smile and that the
Spirit is hovering over me. Amen.

Lord Jesus, You clearly promised
Your disciples in Matthew 28:20
that You will be with them always.
Although busyness and activities
often disconnect me from others,
it will never separate me from You.
Your promise is reliable in a world
where most promises are not.
Thank You Lord for the permanent
nature of Your promise. Amen.

Trusting God Through His Promises

Over the last one month, we have
been meditating on the theme:
Trusting God thru His Promises.
We know the importance of prayer
in our lives; and there are so much
to pray about for ourselves and
for others: dreams, hopes & plans.
But often we are held up by doubts:
Does God care about our requests?
How valuable then it is to pray back
to God the very promises found
in His Word. When we speak God’s
very words back to Him, we no
longer wonder if this is something
God cares about, for He brought
it up in the very first place.

Lord, each time when You reveal
something of Your nature, You are
promising us that You will be true
to that nature in any circumstance.
We know by promising and then
performing what U promised, You’ll
awaken in us expectation & desire
and find outlets in prayer of faith.
Praise You that Your promises are
rock solid; and that Your very nature
and character stand behind them.
Grant us faith not only to merely
believe Your Word but also to act
on it. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

We are meditating through the Bible,
which is organised by genres:
Laws, History, Poetry and Prophets…
Before we continue into History,
for variety sake we will have
the first Gospel interlude in Mark.
But here’s the key thots from Laws;
which encourage us as we see
promises being fulfilled in its time.
J8: God Can Do Anything(Gen 17/18)
J15: God Gives Strength (Ex 14/15)
J22: God Cares for Weary (Num 11)
J29: God Restores His Pple (Dt 30)
Navigation: Click PrayerThots.com
Scroll to Calendar, Select mth & day.

God Restores His People

Moses has come to the climax
in his address to the nation –
the time for a recommitment
of the people to the covenant.
He reminds the new generation
that the potential for God’s richest
blessing awaits them as well as
potential for judgment. It depends
on their submissive response to
the demands of the covenant.
Dramatically Moses delivers the
challenge: I have set before you
life and death… choose life.

Return to the Lord your God
and Obey His voice (Deut 30:2).
God Will Restore everything u lost;
He will have compassion on you;
He will come back and Pick Up
the pieces from all the places
where you were scattered.
No matter how far away u end up,
God, your God, will get you out of
there & bring you back to the land
your ancestors once possessed.
It will be Yours Again (Deut 30:3-5).
And the Lord your God
will circumcise your heart…
to love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with
all your soul that you may live (v6).

Lord, thank you that even if I were
to fall off the path You have for me
to walk, You will always be there
to Lift Me Up when I repent of sins.
Thank You that even if I sink into
darkness, You will be my light.
Thank You Gracious Lord for
Your compassion for You not only
forgive but you will also Restore.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, thank You that it is never
too late to turn to You and see
Restoration happen in our life.
Even though there has been time
wasted when we didn’t live fully
for U, pray that U Will Redeem the
time and help us to make up for it.
Restore everything that has been
lost, wasted or ruined so that
we can give You the glory. Amen.

Lord, thanks for the compassionate
Love towards us and for promising
You Restore everything that’s lost.
I look to You, Lord Your love that
never ends RESTORES me again!
So I lift my eyes to you Lord
In your strength will I break
through Lord; Touch me now,
let your love fall down on me
I know your love dispels all my fears
Thro the storm I will hold on Lord
And by faith I will walk on Lord
And I’ll see beyond my calvary 1 day
And I will be Complete in You. Amen.

Trusting God thru His Promises

The purpose of Deuteronomy is
to remind the people of what God
had done and encourage them
to rededicate their lives to Him.
On Monday, we learn from Deut 2
to Trust God for His Provision.
On Tuesday, we learn from
Deut 7 to Trust the Faithful God.
On Wednesday, we learn fr Deut 8
that God is the Source of Well Being.
On Thursday, we learn from Deut 26
that God Answers & Blesses Us.
On Friday, we learn from Deut 30
that God Restores His People.
On Sat, we learn from Deut 31/33
that God Leads & Shield His People.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face. Help us O God
be Christ’s disciples who purpose
to trust our almighty and caring
God for our provision, guidance,
protection and restoration for He is
faithful & blesses His people. Amen.

God Leads & Shields Us (Jan 28)

With the covenant reestablished
and the nation poised at the
Jordan River, Moses completes
his duties as leader of God’s people.
He commissions Joshua as his
successor with a sober warning
of Israel’s future rebellion. In order
for the people to remember his
message of life, Moses records
his final words as a song & teaches
the melody and message to the
nation. After pronouncing blesssings
on each of the 12 tribes, Moses
climbs Mount Nebo for a final
glimpse of the Promised Land.

Lord, You Go Before & Shield Us:
Then Moses called Joshua and
said to him in the sight of all Israel:
Be strong and of good courage,
for you must go with this people
to the land which the Lord has
sworn to their fathers to give
them and you shall cause them
to inherit it. The Lord himself goes
before you and will be with you;
He will never leave you nor forsake
you. Do not be afraid; do not
be discouraged (Deut 31:7-8).
The eternal God is your refuge,
and… (your) everlasting arms…
Then Israel shall dwell in safety…
Blessed are you, O Israel; Who is
like you, a people saved by the
Lord (Jehovah) Who is the Shield
(Magen) of your help and the sword
of your majesty! Your enemies shall
submit to you (Deut 33:27-29).

Lord, we may think a work, church
or home situation is impossible.
But You tell us not to be afraid
or discouraged because You go
before us. Thank You Lord for
that promise that You will help us
to succeed. As You went before
Joshua to handle the huge task
of conquering the land, so You
will go before me this day. Help me
Lord to sense Your presence, and
free me from fear and worry. Amen.

Lord Jehovah Magen, blessed
is Your name, and Your ability
to shield Your people and to save.
You bring help when it is requested
& bring protection when it’s needed.
Thank You Lord for the goodness
of Your protecting power and for
the greatness of Your strength.
Thank You Lord for offering Yourself
as the shield of my life. Amen.

Lord, shield me from the attacks of
the enemy, who seeks to remove me
from Your will, and lure me into sin.
Restore to me a spirit of faith so that
I will look to Your shield in every way.
For I am a child of the majestic
King and an heir to Your kingdom. 
Shield me Lord from anything that
tries to get me believe differently;
for You’re the one I can trust. Amen

God Restores His People

Moses has come to the climax
in his address to the nation –
the time for a recommitment
of the people to the covenant.
He reminds the new generation
that the potential for God’s richest
blessing awaits them as well as
potential for judgment. It depends
on their submissive response to
the demands of the covenant.
Dramatically Moses delivers the
challenge: I have set before you
life and death… choose life.

Return to the Lord your God
and Obey His voice (Deut 30:2).
God Will Restore everything u lost;
He will have compassion on you;
He will come back and Pick Up
the pieces from all the places
where you were scattered.
No matter how far away u end up,
God, your God, will get you out of
there & bring you back to the land
your ancestors once possessed.
It will be Yours Again (Deut 30:3-5).
And the Lord your God
will circumcise your heart…
to love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with
all your soul that you may live (v6).

Lord, thank you that even if I were
to fall off the path You have for me
to walk, You will always be there
to Lift Me Up when I repent of sins.
Thank You that even if I sink into
darkness, You will be my light.
Thank You Gracious Lord for
Your compassion for You not only
forgive but you will also Restore.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, thank You that it is never
too late to turn to You and see
Restoration happen in our life.
Even though there has been time
wasted when we didn’t live fully
for U, pray that U Will Redeem the
time and help us to make up for it.
Restore everything that has been
lost, wasted or ruined so that
we can give You the glory. Amen.

Lord, thanks for the compassionate
Love towards us and for promising
You Restore everything that’s lost.
I look to You, Lord Your love that
never ends RESTORES me again!
So I lift my eyes to you Lord
In your strength will I break
through Lord; Touch me now,
let your love fall down on me
I know your love dispels all my fears
Thro the storm I will hold on Lord
And by faith I will walk on Lord
And I’ll see beyond my calvary 1 day
And I will be Complete in You. Amen.

God Answers & Blesses His People

Moses urges obeying God’s laws
which bring blessings and warns
disobedience bringing misfortune.
The 10 Commandments and all of
God’s laws point out to us where
we fall short and show us How
we should Live as God’s people.
To ensure orderly mgt of God’s
holy people in the Holy Land,
God provides societal regulations
and Genesis 25 & 26 focuses
on holiness in human relations.

Lord, we’re thankful for Your Grace:
The Egyptians mistreated us…
and laid hard bondage in us.
Then we cried out to Lord God
and the Lord heard our voice
and looked on our affliction…
So the Lord brought us out
of Egypt with a mighty hand…
So you shall rejoice in every good
the Lord has given you (Dt 26:6-11)
I have obeyed the voice of the Lord
my God & have done according to
all that You have commanded me.
Look down from… heaven
and bless Your people (v14-15).
You have declared… the Lord is
your God. And you have promised
to walk in His ways, and to obey
His commands… Also the Lord has
proclaimed you to be His special
people, just as He promised you,
that You should keep all
His commandments (v17-18).

Father, thank You for Moses’
Second Address which gives us
the principles for godly living.
Help us not operate out of fear
but remember Your mighty acts.
Help us to be always thankful
for all that You’ve done for us.
Help us not be rebellious but
instead Obey Your Commands.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we have transgressed Your
commandments & forgotten them,
and have not obeyed your voice.
Forgive our sins, and bring about
a spiritual awakening among us
that we may walk in Your ways,
keep Your commandments
and obey Your voice with all
our heart and all our soul. Amen.

Lord, thanks for lavishing Your love
& bringing me out of slavery to sin.
I declare You are the Lord my God;
& I have no other gods before You.
Help me obey Your commands
relating to frustrating areas of
brokenness and shortcomings.
Grant me enough love, obedience,
reverence and faithfulness to
fulfill Your mission for me. Amen.

Trust The Faithful God

Moses’ second sermon begins in
chapter 5 and extends thru chap 26.
He opens with a reputation of the
Ten Commandments (hence the
name Deuteronomy – second law)
and exhorts the people to obey
the Lord from a heart of love,
to teach their children obedience
and to be careful not to forget
the Lord in times of prosperity.
Victory over pagan occupants of
Canaan is assured as long as the
people obey God’s commands.
They will prevail, not because
of their strength, but because of
their Faithful all-conquering God.

All Praise be to El Emunah:
The Lord your God has chosen
you to be a people for Himself…
The Lord did not… choose you
because you were more in number
than any other people, for you
were the least of all peoples…
It was because the Lord loved you
and kept the oath He swore to
your forefathers that He brought
you out with a mighty hand and
redeemed you from the land of
slavery, from the power of Pharaoh
king of Egypt. Know therefore
that the Lord your God is God;
He is the faithful God El Emunah
who keeps covenant (Deut 7:6-9)

Lord El Emunah, we adore You
for the faithfulness You show to us
even when we are unfaithful to You.
We praise You for Your covenant
of loving kindness and faithfulness.
We thank You Lord for recording
Your Word for us so that through
endurance, the encouragement
of scriptures and of Your Spirit,
we might have hope. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, Your faithfulness reminds me
that I’m not always faithful to You.
Although I have a heart to be faithful
to You, situations arise that evoke
fears and doubt, tempting me to
make choices of self-preservation
and selfishness. And so I confess
that I’m not fully faithful to You
Lord and to those around me.
Help me Lord to do better. Amen.

Lord, remind us again and again
of Your faithfulness so that we
will grow to be more like You.
Strengthen our resolve to believe
You are indeed El Emunah for You’re
faithful; for You can’t make promises
that You can’t keep for You can’t lie.
So we will wait patiently upon Your
word for delay is not denial. And
we trust Your promises will come to
pass at the appointed time. Amen.

Trust God for His Provision

In the first of 3 sermons to the
nation, Moses begins with review
of the past, including His Provision.
God had promised His people
a new homeland, but Israel failed
to possess it because of unbelief.
For 40 years they had wandered
and died. Now with the passing
of that unbelieving generation,
God has led the nation in victories
over Sihon & Og, bringing them to
the threshold of the land again.

Lord, we ask for Your Provision:
The LORD your God has blessed
you in all that you have done;
He has known your wanderings
through this great wilderness.
These forty years the LORD your
God has been with you; you have
not lacked a thing (Deut 2:7) Amen

Lord, You will provide for our needs
just as You provided for the needs
of Your people Israel in their
journey to the promised land.
For we look up to You Father God
with open hands as Your children,
and ask that You will supply all
our needs according to Your riches
in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19)
Thanks for taking care of us. Amen

Lord, You are the All-Sufficient One
You are Johovah Jireh the Provider
who will provide all that we need.
You are my source of Wisdom.
If I lack wisdom, I can ask God,
who gives generously to me.
You are my Guide when I’m
unsure of what to do, You will
instruct me in the way I should go .
You are my Healer for You are the
one who heals all my diseases.
And You are my Strength and
power when I am weak. Amen.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for
the gift of Provision of needs
that carries us through 2022.
As we start the first full week of
the new lunar year, we approach 
with some concerns, and we lift
up our hands to You & surrender
them into Your Hands, trusting
in Your Goodness, Power and
Faithfulness to Your people. Amen

God Cares for the Weary

The time has come for the final
journey to Canaan. After a special
celebration of the Passover, the
people watch as the pillar of cloud
begins to move. It’s time to march!
But the thrill of expectation soon
gives way to tedium of travel. And
Moses is faced with numerous
problems: complaints about travel
conditions and food, longings for
the good old days in Egypt, greedy
hoarding of the quail God supplies
and jealousy by Miriam and Aaron
toward his position of leadership.
In spite of the difficulties, the
people finally arrive at Kadesh-
Barnea, on the doorstep of Canaan!

Lord, we need Your Encouragement:
The foreigners who were travelling
with the Israelites began to crave
the good things of Egypt. And the
Israelites also began to complain:
Oh for some meat! We remember
the fish we used to eat in Egypt. And
we had all the cucumbers, melons,
leeks, onions and garlic we wanted.
But now our appetites are gone.
All we… see is manna(Num 11:4-9).
Moses heard the people weeping…
So Moses said to the Lord: Why
have You afflicted Your servant?
And why have… You have laid the
burden of all these people on me?
I’m not able to bear all these people
alone because the burden is too
heavy for me. If You treat me like
this, plse kill me here & now (v10-15)
So the Lord said: Gather 70 elders…
They will help you carry the burden
of the people so that you will not
have to carry it alone (v16-17).

Father God, help us not to grumble
by directing our attention on the
right things. Help us to be careful
not to let dissatisfaction reigns
when our attention shifts fr what
we have to what we don’t have.
We purpose to Be Thankful for
what God has given us & not allow
our unfulfilled desires to cause
us to forget Your gifts. Amen.

Father, like Moses our feelings
can give way, when unreasonable
murmuring get the better of us.
Like Moses we can be burdened
and glad that You God knew it
and graciously provided relief.
Relieved that though Moses prayed
amiss, You gracefully responded to
the prayer of a discouraged heart.
Help us Father learn how to rest in
the Lord; who is our All in all. Amen.

Father, I lift to You the areas of
my life that are overwhelming.
I’ve not come to You to complain,
but rather to seek Your help.
Where I have tried to handle
everything in my own strength
instead of depending on You,
I sincerely ask Your forgiveness.
I pray You Lord to enable me to
rise above the challenges. Amen.