Day: March 7, 2024

God Delivers the Faithful

The rejection of a king after the
 people’s heart (Saul) sets the stage
for the choice of a king after God’s
 own heart (David).A young shepherd
with a disposition more suited to
the pasture than the palace, David
 possesses few claims to fame.
 He is a good marksman with a sling,
 an excellent lyre player and the
youngest of eight sons from an
 insignificant family in Bethlehem.
But his heart attitude is one of
 undivided devotion; a quality readily
visible in the way David dispatches
 the Philistine giant Goliath and
 handles Saul’s jealous attacks.

Lord,we Remember Yr Deliverance:
             Saul said to David: You are not
able to go against this Philistine;
for you are a youth, and he a
man of war from his youth…(But)
David said: The Lord Who Delivered
me from the paw of the bear,
He Will Deliver me from the hand
of this Philistine (1 Sam 17:33-37).
Then David said to the Philistine,
You came to me with a sword,
with a spear and with a javelin.
But I come to You in the name
 of the Lord of hosts, the God of
 Israel whom you have defiled…
So David prevailed over the
 Philistine with a sling and a stone
and… killed him (1 Sam 17:45-50)

Father God, just as You taught
 David to trust You when he killed
the bear and the lion, prepare me
 for the battles I will face one day.
And when I reach those battles,
 remind me I had overcome in other
 situations and that as You were with
 me then, You will be with me again.
Give me the courage of David to
 take up the armour of God, for with
it I can overcome anything. Amen.

Lord, help us remember our past
 deliverance and know that You
will continue to be our Deliverer.
Help us have the same perspective
of David where size of the giant
is irrelevant, for Goliath was puny
 when compared with almighty God.
Help us to be trained in the power
of God, fixing our eyes on You God,
then we’ll not fear the giant. Amen.

Lord, remind us that prayer is
not something that only happens
in the quietness of a moment.
Prompt us to cry out to You whilst
in battle & desperate moments for
deliverance may be a prayer away.
Strengthen our faith in You so that
we’ll not forget or give up praying.
And enable us to stand strong
in prayer, giving thanks for Your
presence and deliverance. Amen.

Spirit of God Empowers Us (Mar 6)

From all outward appearances,
Saul’s selection as the first king
of Israel is an outstanding choice.
His kingly demeanour & imposing
presence make him a promising
candidate fr a human perspective.
But while man looks on the outward
appearance, the Lord looks on the
heart. Saul is anointed by Samuel,
installed as king at Mizpah, proven
in battle against the Ammonites
and confirmed as king at Gilgal.
But the fact remains (as pointed
out by Samuel in his final address
to the nation) that God not Saul
should be king over Israel.

Praise be to the Spirit of God:
Then Samuel took a flask of olive
oil and poured it over Saul’s head.
He kissed Saul on the cheek and
said: I am doing this because
the Lord has appointed you to be
the leader of His people Israel…
When you arrive at Gibeah of God,
where the garrison of Philistines
is located, you will meet a band
of prophets… and they will be
prophesying. At that time the
Spirit of the Lord will come upon
you with power, and you will
prophesy with them. You will be
changed into a different person…
When they came to the hill there,
behold a group of prophets
met Saul; and the Spirit of God
(Ruach Elohim) came upon him
mightily, so that he prophesied
among them (1 Sam 10:1, 5-6, 10)

Lord Ruach Elohim, in You we
put our hope and trust for You
are the Spirit of the living God.
Because of You we can experience
the fullness of God in our lives.
Thank You for imparting the
wisdom of Your Word in our heart
and as You direct our thoughts.
Help us pray with words we don’t
even know we need to pray. Amen

Lord Ruach Elohim, forgive me
for the sins I harbour in my heart.
Forgive me for envy and becoming
ungrateful for all You’ve done for me.
Forgive me Lord when I am jealous,
comparing Your path for me with
the favour You have given to others.
Grant me the strength and help
to keep me from mortal sins in
the future. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord Ruach Elohim, I ask You to be
ever present in my spirit; and may
Your Holy Spirit dominate my own.
I don’t want to wrestle with fear
or doubt. Instead I want the trust
and rest that come from Your
presence to be evident in my life.
I seek You and Your closeness;
for I need Your presence in all I do.
And help me to know You and love
You as I ought to. In Jesus’ name.