Month: February 2023

God Is Our Mighty Helper

When faith in God wavers, faith
in man-made objects increases.
The people of Israel carry the
ark of the covenant into battle,
confident that its presence will
ensure victory over the Philistines.
Instead they suffer a shattering
defeat in which 30,000 lives were
lost the ark of covenant captured.
Upon hearing the news prophet
Eli falls back and breaks his neck.
It remains for Samuel to assume
the reins of leadership and guide
the people back to repentance.

Lord, we Call on You for Help:
And Samuel said: Gather all Israel
to Mizpah and I will pray to the
Lord for you… And they fasted
that day and said: We have sinned
against the Lord (1Sam 7:5-6).
(Samuel) pleaded with the Lord
to help Israel & the Lord answered.
Just as Samuel was sacrificing
the burnt offering, the Philistines
arrived for battle. But the Lord
spoke with a mighty voice of
thunder… and the Philistines were
thrown into confusion that the
Israelites defeated them (v9-10).
Then Samuel took a stone… set it
up and called its name Ebenezer,
saying: Thus far the Lord has helped
us. So the Philistines were subdued,
and they did not come anymore
into the territory of Israel (v12-13).

Lord, we realized You are more
ready to hear the prayers of Your
people when they are repentant.
You listened to Your servants’
intercession for divine favour.
We note Samuel’s good practice
of erecting Ebenezer memorial as
Thanksgiving, which reminds us
of Your goodness and power that
we can call on You for help. Amen.

Lord, I praise You because You
are a God who hears and answers.
Just as You answered and moved
on behalf of Israel as they battled
their enemies, You move and work
these days on behalf of Your people.
Thank You for calling all of Your
people – young and old, to pray
and seek Your help these days.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Lord, Thou fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing Thy grace.
Streams of mercy never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wondering from the fold of God.
He, to rescue me from danger,
interposed His precious blood…
Lord, I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by Thy help I come.
Let Thy goodness like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander Lord I feel it;
prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above. Amen.

God Cares About Our Concerns

Backgrounder on 1 Samuel 1-3:
The period of the judges is nearly
at an end. One last judge remains:
Samuel, a man of godly character
and integrity who will guide the
nation from judgeship to kinship.
Samuel is the offspring of barren
woman and the answer to fervent
prayer. And he is consecrated
to the Lord’s service from birth.

Lord, we cast our cares for You Care:
Hannah was in bitterness of soul,
and prayed to the Lord and wept
in anguish. Then she made a vow:
O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed…
give Your maidservant a male child,
then I will give him to the Lord all
the days of his life (1Sam 1:10-11).
As she continued praying… Hannah
spoke in her heart; only her lips
moved but her voice was not heard.
… So Eli thought she was drunk.
But Hannah answered: No my lord,
I am a woman of sorrowful spirit.
I’ve poured my soul before the Lord..
Then Eli answered: Go in peace
and the God of Israel grant your
petition which you’ve asked of Him…
So the woman went her way, ate,
and was no longer sad (v12-18).
I asked the Lord to give me this boy
and He has granted my request.
Now I am giving him to the Lord,
and he will belong to the Lord
his whole life (1 Sam 1:27-28).

We see Hannah struggling with
heartbreak of infertility and taunting
of her husband’s other wife,
poured out her heart to God.
After she did, she ate something,
and her face was no longer sad.
Now here’s a woman who knew
how to give her worries to God.
Help us Lord learn from Hannah
to cast our worries over to You;
for after all You care for us. Amen.

Lord, Your Word says in 1Pet 4:7
to Cast all our anxieties on You
God because You care for us. Yet
sometimes we take back the 
worries we claim to give to You.
Help us Lord learn from Hannah;
help us to rest the full weight of
our worry in Your capable hands.
Help us know You care for us and
thanks for the peace You give. Amen

Lord, although we are not in the
position to barter with Almighty God,
You may choose to answer a prayer
that has an attached promise to it.
You God keep Your promises and
will expect us also to keep ours.
Help us Lord to be earnest by
asking ourselves whether we will
follow thru on the promise we make
if God grants our request. Amen.

God’s Presence Gives Courage

Moses has died and Joshua is
appointed by God to take the reins
of leadership. The people are
poised within view of the land
promised to their ancestors and
denied their unbelieving parents.
The time has come to cross pover,
conquer and possess the land.
The task seems impossible: a
turbulent river and mighty walled
cities. So God begins to prepare
His people for the warfare ahead.
He reminds Joshua that attention
to His word brings success.

Lord, we will Be Courageous:
Be Strong and Courageous,
because You will lead them
people to Inherit the land
I Swore to their forefathers
to give to them (Joshua 1:6).
Be Strong and Very Courageous.
Be Careful To Obey all the law
my servant Moses gave you;
do not turn to the right
or to the left, that you may be
successful wherever you go (v7).
Have I not commanded you?
Be Strong and Courageous.
Do not be terrified; do not be
discouraged, for the Lord your God
Will Be With You wherever you go.
(Joshua 1:9). Amen and amen.

Father God, I will be strong and
courageous, I shall not be afraid
for the LORD my God goes with me.
In fact You have Promised in Your Word an Inheritance; and You will surely not fail nor forsake me.
And since You promised that It is
the Lord who goes before me; You nwill be with me & will not leave me.
Therefore I shall not be afraid what-
ever the challenge before me. Amen

Lord, I pray that every time
when I read Your Word, You will
teach me all that I need to know.
Help me Lord to understand Your
truth and speak to me specifically
about how each passage relate8
to my life and the lives of others.
Help me to meditate on Your Word
and take Steps of Obedience so that
I can live in Your perfect will & be
sussessful as You promised. Amen.

Lord, I can feel overwhelmed,
but I know a glimpse of You can
radically change my perspective.
Thanks for Your promise of being
With Me no matter what happens.
Lord please overshadow my fears
and worries with Your strength.
Help me be strong and courageous
in every challenge that I may face.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Trusting God thru His Promises

The purpose of the book of Joshua
is to give the history of Israel’s
conquest of the promised land.
On Monday, we learn from Josh 1
that God’s Presence Gives Courage.
On Tuesday, we learn from Josh 2/3
that the Living God Is In Control.
On Wednesday, we learn fr Josh 4
that God’s Deeds Builds Faith.
On Thursday, we learn from Josh 6
that Obedience Brings Success.
On Friday, we learn from Josh 13/21
that our God Keeps Promises.
On Saturday, we learn from Josh 24
that our God Backs His People.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face. Help us O God
be Christ’s disciples who are ever
ready to carry out Your assignment.
Help us trust You more and more
for giving us courage and success,
for You are in control & enable us,
for You keep promises to Yr people.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

God who Backs His People

After being commended for their
faithful service in conquering the
land of Canaan, the warriors of the
tribes east of Jordan are sent home.
They recognise the Jordan River
(which forms a natural barrier
between the tribes) may one day
form a spiritual barrier as well.
To prevent this, a memorial altar
is built on the riverbank. The book
closes with Joshua’s farewell
address where he gives the people
an ultimatum. Choose You this day
whom you will serve… as for me and
my house, we will serve the Lord.

Lord, we’ll choose to Serve You:
And Joshua said to all the people:
Thus says the Lord God of Israel:
…I took your father Abraham
from the other side of the River,
led him thru Canaan & multiplied
his descendants (Joshua 24:2-3).
And I brought you into the land of
the Amorites on the other side of
Jordan, and they fought with you.
But I gave them into your hands, that
you might possessed their land (v8).
(Joshua said): So honour the Lord
and serve Him wholeheartedly.
Put away forever the idols
your ancestors worshipped…
Serve the Lord alone. But if you
are unwilling to serve the Lord,
then choose today whom you
will serve…But As For Me and
my family, we will serve the Lord.
The people replied: We would
never forsake the Lord & worship
other gods (Joshua 24:14-16).

Lord, we remember the times that
You guided, helped and backed us.
Just as Joshua pointed the way
to You God, each of us also has
the same opportunity to do so.
Thank You Lord for allowing us
to join You at work at various
ministries, including small groups.
Pray that those who look to us
for leadership will be drawn to You.
Lead them to choose to serve You
Lord only and no other. Amen.

Holy Lord, thank You for allowing
us into Your presence thru Christ.
You dwell in holy place, yet You
also dwell with those who are
contrite and of a humble heart.
Make my heart like Yours even as
I strive to be more reflective of You.
Speak to me before I think of wrong
thoughts or make wrong choices.
Enable me Lord to live humbly
and purpose to serve You. Amen.

Lord, let me not be useless, but
purpose to be Your faithful servant.
I hand over to Your care Lord my
prayers & yet to be fulfilled hopes.
I give my mind for You to think in me;
& I give my eyes to see as You see.
I give my tongue to speak Yr words;
& I give my hands to do Your work.
Above all I give You my heart that
You Lord will love thru me. Amen.

God who Keeps His Promises

Israel under Joshua leadership
has already conquered Canaan by
destroying key cities & their kings;
yet there remain much land to be
possessed. To complete the task,
Joshua assigns territories to each
individual tribe with instructions
to clear out the remaining pagan
influence and possess the land
completely. And God helped
them to do so as promised.

Lord, thanks for Keeping Promises:
When Joshua was an old man,
the Lord said to him: Much land
remains to be conquered…
All the regions of the Philistines
and the Geshurites. Northward
includes the territory of the
five Philistine rulers of Gaza…
all the land of the Canaanites…
and the Lebanon area to the east.
I myself will drive these people
out of the land… So be sure
to give this land to Israel as a
special possession (Jos 13:1-6).
The Lord gave to Israel all the land
of which He had promised to give
to their fathers, and they took
possession of it… And not a man
of all their enemies stood against
them; the Lord delivered all
their enemies into their hand.
Not a word failed of any good thing
which the Lord had spoken to
the house of Israel. All came
to pass (Josh 21:43-45). Amen.

Lord, just as the Israelites, we
still face the trials and fight the
battles of unconquered land.
Reveal the promised land You
have given us to conquer which
can include undone good works,
unmet needs as well as
unused talents and resources.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Lord, I realise I could clung to Your
promise for years and then made
a momentary decision that could
forfeit everything like Moses did.
Help me be like Joshua believing
God does not withdraw promises.
For You mean what you say and
will do all that You have promised.
Give me Lord the faith to believe
You will fulfill everything that You
have ever spoken to me. Amen.

Lord, our hearts tend to become
so fixated with the here and now.
Lift our eyes to our promised
land and promised inheritance.
Fill our hearts with anticipation
of all we stand to inherit when
we enter into your Holy Land.
And Lord, we long to be there
together as a family, every one
of us, enjoying your rest. Amen.

Obedience to God Brings Success

Joshua employs a textbook
strategy for military victory:
Divide and conquer. He attacks
the middle of the country first,
dividing the enemy forces in half,
before mopping up resistance
among the isolated troops in the
south and north. His stunning
victory at Jericho shows the
importance of following God’s
direction down to the smallest
detail, no matter how trivial
they seem to be, proving
Obedience Brings Victory.

Lord, we’ll Obey Your Instructions:
The Lord said to Joshua:
I have given You Jericho, its
king and all its strong warriors.
Your entire army is to march around
the city once a day for six days.
Seven priests will walk ahead of
the Ark each carrying a ram’s horn.
On the seventh day you are to
march around the city seven times,
with the priests blowing the horns.
When you hear the priests give
one long blast on the horns, have
all the people give a mighty shout.
Then the walls of the city will
collapse & the people can charge
straight into the city (Josh 6:2-5).
When the people heard the sound
of the trumpet, and the people
shouted with a great shout, that
the wall fell down flat. Then the
people went up into the city…
and they took the city (v20).

Lord, when You told Joshua:
“I Have Given You Jericho”; it
indicated that it was a done deal.
It’s Finished work; just waiting for
the people’s obedience to bring
that promise to their experience.
The author of Hebrews writes: It
was by faith that the people of Israel
marched around Jericho for 7 days,
and the walls came crashing down.
Lord grant us the faith to obey Your
instructions to match around our
Jericho to see the walls fall. Amen.

Lord, according to scripture, when
Your promise comes into contact
with our faith-filled obedience,
walls fall and obstacles disappear.
The only way our Jericho will
stand is if we believe our limited
perception instead of God’s Word.
Grant us the grace to simply trust
God’s Word & not miss opportunity
to see Your power in action. Amen.

Lord,Help us to remember when
You God calls us to battle, You
have already won the victory.
Teach us O Lord to walk by faith
and not by sight. We choose to
believe You rather than our own
perceptions and interpretations.
And we receive by faith Your
given victory in our situation.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Recalling God’s Deeds Build Faith

Joshua is appointed by God to take
the reins of leadership. The people
are poised within view of the land
promised to their ancestors and
denied their unbelieving parents.
The task seems impossible: a
turbulent river and mighty walled
cities. So God prepares His people
by reminding Joshua that attention
to His word brings success.
Spies are sent to survey Jericho,
the first obstacle in the land.
The priests,bearing the ark of the
covenant, lead the people across
the rampaging Jordan without
even getting their sandals wet!
The stage is set for conquest.

Lord, we Remember Your Deeds:
Joshua said to the Israelites:
In the future your children will ask
What do these stones mean?
Then you can tell them: This is
where the Israelites crossed
the Jordan on dry ground.
For the Lord your God dried up the
river right before your eyes, and He
kept it dry until you were all across,
just as he did at the Red Sea…
He did this so all the nations of the
earth might know the Lord’s hand
is powerful and so you might fear
the Lord your God (Josh 4:21-24).

Lord, Your Word is full of reminders
to Your pple of Your mighty deeds.
In today’s verses, Joshua tells the
Israelites to build an altar which they
could return to when they needed
a reminder of what God had done.
Thanks for showing us Your mighty
power thru healing and deliverance.
Thanks Jesus for the saving work
on the cross & the reminder of the
Lord’s Supper of Your love. Amen.

Lord, You’re calling us to remember
because looking at what You had
done in the past builds our faith
for the present and the future.
You are promising that the same
power You had demonstrated in
the past is available in the present.
So, we will remember Your deeds
of grace and lovingkindness. Amen.

Lord, Help us build altar of memory
stones for they will create in us an
alertness to Your hand in our lives.
Gear us to be always be on the
lookout for signs of God’s hand
in the circumstances of our lives.
Grant our lives Lord to be an altar
as well as a tangible expression
of Your power and provision.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

The Living God Is In Control

The Jews are poised within view of
the land promised to their ancestors
& denied their unbelieving parents.
The task seems impossible:
a turbulent river; rough terrain to
cross and walled cities to conquer.
So God begins to prepare His people
for the days of warfare just ahead.
He reminds Joshua that careful
attention to His Word brings
blessing and success. Spies are
sent to survey Jericho, the first
obstacle in the land. The priests
bearing the ark of covenant lead the
pple across the rampaging Jordan.

Praise be Supreme God In Control:
Rahab: We have heard how the
Lord made a dry path for you
through the Red Sea. And we
know what you did to the two
Amorite kings east of the Jordan
River, whose people you completely
destroyed… For the Lord your God is
supreme God in heaven(Jos 2:10-11)
So Joshua said to the children of
Israel: This is how you will know
that the Living God… is among you
and that He will certainly drive out
the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites…
Amorites and the Jebusites.
Behold, the ark of the covenant
of the Lord is crossing before
you into the Jordan (Jos 3:10-11).
As soon as the priests who carry
the ark of the Lord, the Lord of
All The Earth set foot in the Jordan,
its waters flowing downstream
will be cut off and stand up
in a heap (Joshua 3:13).

Lord God Almighty, You sit
in the throne in heaven above.
You are truly ruler over all; and
Power and might are in Your hand.
You alone can go before us to
open doors we could not open
on our own, and lead in a path we
could not have created on our own.
Be gracious Lord towards us as we
lift up our eyes & look to You. Amen

O Living God, we praise You
for Your powerful life-giving name.
Thank You for being active and
engaged in our everyday life.
You are not a God who is distant
and not keen in what happens to us.
Just as You helped the Israelites,
You Lord are alive and moving in
the situations of our lives as well.
Grateful for Your loving care. Amen

Lord of All The Earth, we praise
& exalt You Lord for Your ability to
subdue all that’s in Your creation.
You are the great and awesome
God who still does mighty
acts on behalf of Your people.
It is so comforting to know that
nothing is too difficult for You or
removed from Your control. And
in You we can find peace. Amen.

God’s Presence Gives Courage

Moses has died and Joshua is
appointed by God to take the reins
of leadership. The people are
poised within view of the land
promised to their ancestors and
denied their unbelieving parents.
The time has come to cross pover,
conquer and possess the land.
The task seems impossible: a
turbulent river and mighty walled
cities. So God begins to prepare
His people for the warfare ahead.
He reminds Joshua that attention
to His word brings success.

Lord, we will Be Courageous:
Be Strong and Courageous,
because You will lead them
people to Inherit the land
I Swore to their forefathers
to give to them (Joshua 1:6).
Be Strong and Very Courageous.
Be Careful To Obey all the law
my servant Moses gave you;
do not turn to the right
or to the left, that you may be
successful wherever you go (v7).
Have I not commanded you?
Be Strong and Courageous.
Do not be terrified; do not be
discouraged, for the Lord your God
Will Be With You wherever you go.
(Joshua 1:9). Amen and amen.

Father God, I will be strong and
courageous, I shall not be afraid
for the LORD my God goes with me.
In fact You have Promised in Your
Word an Inheritance; and You
will surely not fail nor forsake me.
And since You promised that It is
the Lord who goes before me; You
will be with me & will not leave me.
Therefore I shall not be afraid what-
ever the challenge before me. Amen

Lord, I pray that every time
when I read Your Word, You will
teach me all that I need to know.
Help me Lord to understand Your
truth and speak to me specifically
about how each passage relates
to my life and the lives of others.
Help me to meditate on Your Word
and take Steps of Obedience so that
I can live in Your perfect will and be
successful as You promise. Amen.

Lord, I can feel overwhelmed,
but I know a glimpse of You can
radically change my perspective.
Thanks for Your promise of being
With Me no matter what happens.
Lord please overshadow my fears
and worries with Your strength.
Help me be strong and courageous
in every challenge that I may face.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.