Day: July 2, 2024

God Answers Persistent Prayers

Seventy disciples are sent out
two-by-two with instructions to
heal the sick & say: The kingdom
of God is come nigh unto you.
Their enthusiastic return prompts
Jesus to rejoice in praise to God.
But confrontation is gathering.
Some attribute His miracles to
Satan; others clamour for more
miracles and Pharisees attack His
seeming disregard for traditions.
Jesus responds by denouncing the
religious leaders for their hypocrisy
and warns disciples to be watchful.

Lord, we’ll Pray with Perseverence:
Which of you shall have a friend,
and go to him at midnight and say
to him: Friend lend me 3 loaves…
Because of the man’s persistence
he will get up and give him as
much as he needs (Luke 11:5-8).
So I say to you, ask and it will be
given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives,
and he who seeks finds and to him
who knocks it will be opened (9-10)
If you sinful people know how to
give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask him (v13). Amen.

Lord, Your parable on Persistence
implies the key to experiencing You
is to ask persistently and press thru
the negative voices in our minds.
So, we purpose to keep asking and
persist despite lack of clear results.
Help us have great faith that prayer
works so that we can experience
& know You in a deeper way. Amen

Lord, You tell us to be persistent
in prayer: to keep on asking, keep
on seeking and keep on knocking.
Help us Ask with simple faith, like
a child asking father: simply trusting.
Help us Seek with determined
faith, ever so open and observant.
Help us Knock with persistent faith,
wanting to meet the face of God.
Even as we lift up our needs to You,
transform our hearts and let Your
desire becomes ours as well. Amen.

Holy Spirit, we really need Your
manifestation in need and ministry:
Your voice, Your touch & Your Power.
Fill us as we yield to You for more of
the nature of God, the overwhelming
sense of His love and of Your power.
Flow freely O Spirit freely to us, in us
and through us so that there will be fruitfulness & lives be transformed.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

God Gives Authority to Witness

Seventy disciples are sent out
two-by-two with instructions to
heal the sick & say: The kingdom
of God is come nigh unto you.
Their enthusiastic return prompts
Jesus to rejoice in praise to God;
but confrontation is gathering.
Some attribute His miracles to
Satan; others clamour for more
miracles and Pharisees attack His
seeming disregard for traditions.
Jesus responds by denouncing the
religious leaders for their hypocrisy
and warns disciples to be watchful.

Lord, we will be Your Witnesses:
Then Jesus said: The harvest
is so great but the workers are
so few. Pray to the Lord who
is in charge of the harvest, and
ask Him to send out more workers
for His fields. Go now (Lk 10:2-3).
Then the seventy returned with
joy saying: Lord, even the demons
are subject to us in Your name. And
He said: I give you Authority… over
all the power of the enemy & nothing
shall by any means hurt you (v17-19)
A priest… saw the man lying there,
he crossed to the other side of
the road and passed him by… Then
a Samaritan came and saw the man,
he felt compassion for him. Going
over to him, the Samaritan soothed
his wounds… and bandaged them…
Take care of this man. If his bill runs
higher I’ll pay you next time (v31-35)

Lord, raise up and send out
labourers to every people group.
Raise up missionaries, teachers,
doctors and business people
to share the goodness of Christ
and to bring in a harvest of souls.
Help us Lord to see that the
harvest is right before our eyes.
Pour out Your Spirit to enable Your
people as the harvest waits. Amen

Lord, thank You that there is no
need to fear Satan; for You Jesus
had defeated him at the Cross and
blocked his power to induce guilt.
By rising from the dead, You Lord
broke Satan’s power over death.
We claim Your promise to protect
us and help defeat Satan in our life.
No matter what part of our life
we think Satan has power over, we
trust You God will defeat him. Amen

Lord, we affirm Your commandment
to love our neighbours; and we ask
for a heart of compassion realising
it is so easy to justify lack of love.
Help us be sensitive to Yr prompting
for our neighbour is anyone in need.
Help us Lord realise that to love
means acting to meet a need.
Help us be watchful of the needy &
respond to Your call to help. Amen.

The Lord’s Word to Be Responded

Preaching, healing and disciplining
that summarises the daily activities
of the Son of Man. Luke records
the healings with careful attention
to detail as befitting a physician.
And those documented miracles
become the proof of Jesus’ claim
to a doubting John the Baptist and
a faithless & perverse generation.
As He preaches and heals, Jesus
patiently prepares His disciples
to carry on in His absence. The
cost is steep, but the goal of saving
lives eternally makes it worthwhile.

Lord, we will Respond to Your Word:
The seed is the word of God…
The rocky soil represents those
who hear the message with joy.
But their roots Don’t Go Very Deep.
They wilt when testing blow…
But the good soil represents
people who Hear God’s message,
Cling to it and steadily produce
a huge harvest (Luke 8:11-15).
Pay attention to How You Hear.
To those who listen to my teaching,
more will be given. But for those
who are not listening, even what
they think they understand will be
taken away from them (Lk 8:18).
(Jesus) got into the boat with His
disciples and said: Let Us Cross
over to the other side of the lake…
And they awoke Him saying:
Master Master we are perishing…
He rebuked the wind and raging
waves. Then he asked them:
Where Is Your Faith? (v22-25).

Lord, I want to Receive Your Word,
apply it and be obedient to You.
If my heart is hard, soften it with
Your love. If my roots aren’t deep,
enrich the soil. Deliver me Lord
from being consumed with the
cares and pleasures of this world.
And bring forth by Your Spirit
a great harvest in my life. Amen.

Lord, You know how much I want
more understanding of Your will.
If I have neglected Your teaching
in any way, help me turn toward You
and restore my spirit to a position
of understanding and growth.
Open my heart to hear and to
follow everything that You say.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, thank You that inherent
in the storms of life is Your
promise of peace; not peace
that is the absence of trouble but
peace that eclipse circumstances.
Help me to remember Your Words
and Incline my heart to Yours Lord,
that I may experience more of
Your peace in the storm I face.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Adoring God thru Thanks & Praise

The purpose of the gospel of Luke 

is to present an accurate account of 

the life of Christ and to present Him

as the perfect human and Savior.

This week, we see the dependability

of our powerful and loving God & the

importance to Seek & Follow the Lord.

On Monday, we learn from Luke 1

that God Overcomes the Impossible.

On Tuesday, we learn from Luke 2

that Christ the Saviour of the Nations.

On Wednesday, we learn from Luke 5 

that Christ Cares for the Lost & Needy.

On Thursday, we learn from Luke 6

that Christ Jesus Is Our Solid Rock.

On Friday, we learn from Luke 8

that the Lord’s Word to be Responded. 

On Saturday, we learn from Luke 9

that the Lord’s Voice to be Followed.

Let us humble ourselves and pray

and seek His face. Help us O God 

be Christ’s disciples who Adore You:

For You are worthy to be Praised

as You Overcome the Impossible

and that You are our Solid Rock;

For You are Worthy of our Thanks

as You are the Saviour of Nations

and You Care for the Lost & Needy; 

For Your Word is to be Responded 

and Your Voice is to be Followed.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.