Month: August 2024

God Reveals Deep Things

The first 3 chapters of the book
describe the spiritual integrity
of Daniel and his three friends.
Selected for government service,
they resist the pressure to conform
to their pagan environment and
instead take a stand for God.
Whether in diet, truthfulness or
spiritual discipline, the four young
men live out their convictions.

Lord, grant us Your Revelation:
During the Night the mystery
was revealed to Daniel in a vision.
Then Daniel said: Praise be the
name of God… For wisdom and
might are His (Daniel 2:19-20).
He Reveals deep and mysterious
things and knows what lies Hidden
in darkness… I thank and praise You
for You have given me Wisdom and
strength. You have told me what
we Asked of You and Revealed to us
what the king demanded (v22-23).
The king answered Daniel and said:
Truly your God is the God of gods,
the Lord of kings and a Revealer
of secrets, since you could reveal
this secret. Then the king promoted
Daniel… gave him many great gifts;
and he made him ruler over the
whole province of Babylon (v47-48).

Lord, it seems that in the middle of
the night problems appear larger.
At those times I am reminded that
You never sleep and I can come
to You and cling to Your presence.
I pray that at those times You will
give me the treasures of darkness,
as You have spoken in Your Word.
I pray You will fill my darkness with
Your light and give me peace. Amen.

Lord, I praise Your mighty name
for You are the God who has
all wisdom and power, the One
who guides even world events.
You give wisdom to the wise
and You know what is hidden
in darkness and all mysteries.
Grant me O Lord Your wisdom
and strength to handle the tricky
issues that come my way. Amen.

Lord, we purpose not to lean on
our own understanding; but instead
to look to You the All Knowing One
for understanding and wisdom.
There are things we can’t know by
seeing or hearing are known by God
& You’re willing to reveal them to us.
For Your Spirit searches all things &
shows secrets to those who love U.
Reveal to us O Lord those things
which help us be effective. Amen.

God Moves Us in the Spirit

Ezekiel’s emphasis shifts from
the failures of Judah’s past to
the Promises of Judah’s future.
Jerusalem has fallen, and the
prophet’s tongue silenced for three
years is loosened at last to declare
that a new Shepherd is coming.
He will tenderly care for the flock
of Israel, rescue His people from
their scattered homes of exile and
restore them to their covenant land.

Lord, we’ll Move in the Spirit:
I will sanctify My great name…
which you have profaned (among
the nations) and (they) shall know
that I am the Lord… when I am
hallowed in you before their eyes.
For I will take you from among
the nations… and bring you into
your own land (Ezek 36:23-24).
I will give you a new heart and
I will put a new spirit within you;
I will take the heart of stone out
and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put My Spirit in you and
Move You to follow my decrees
and be careful to keep my laws…
(And) I will deliver you from
all your uncleanness (v26-29).
And I will multiply the fruit of
your trees… so that you need
never again bear the reproach
of famine among the nations (v30).

Lord, take away everything in my
heart that is not right before You.
Help me to get rid of bad attitudes
and wrong thinking. Show me
anything that has taken root in
my heart that should not be there
so that I can free myself of it.
Help me clear the slate and
begin again with a right spirit.
Fill me with Your desires and
everything that pleases You. Amen

Father God, Thank You that You
have put Your Holy Spirit within
me to Guide me in all things.
Lead me Lord by the power of
Your Spirit so that I will obey
Your Word and Follow Your laws.
Give me Lord the discipline
I need to do what I must do.
Help me to Follow Your leading
and not run ahead or behind
chasing after my own ways. Amen.

Lord, sometimes our Christian
life can be a struggle when
we go through bad times.
But thanks that You God is
in the business of making life
better for us on the inside.
Thank You for the promise
to help us clean up our act.
Help us get to where You want us
to be & help us be fruitful. Amen.

Adoring God thru Thanks & Praise

Born as a priest, Ezekiel ministers
as a prophet during the last days
of the decline and fall of Judah.
Ezekiel also adds a blessed note
of hope – God’s promise of a
restored nation in the future.
Emphasizing the glory of the
sovereign God, Ezekiel portrays
God’s purpose through both
judgment and blessing “that all
might know that I am the LORD.”

On Mon, we learn from Ezek 3
that God Gives You A Message.
On Tues, we learn from Ezek 11
that God Gives You A New Heart.
On Wed, we learn from Ezek 18-20
that God Gives Hope & Restoration.
On Thurs, we learn from Ezek 36
that God Moves Us in the Spirit.
On Friday, we learn from Ezek 37
that God Brings Dead Things Alive.
On Saturday, we learn from Ezek 48
that Jehovah Shammah Is There!

Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face. Help us O God
be Christ’s disciples who Adore You:
For Giving us Revelation and
Message as well as Your Loving-kindness Giving us a New Heart;
For You are Worthy of our Praise
as You God move us in the Spirit
and You Bring Dead Things Alive;
For You are worthy of our Thanks
as You Give us Hope & Restoration
as well as Provides Presence. Amen.

Lord Jehovah Shammah Is There

Ezekiel closes his prophecy with
the conclusion of the temple vision.
In it he outlines new orders for
worship; including procedures
for priests, sacrifices, offerings
and feasts. Finally, Ezekiel describes
the boundaries of the renewed
nation, with divisions for tribes,
priests and the people of Jerusalem.
As a reminder of all that has taken
place, the new city will be
named: “The Lord Is There.”

Praise be Jehovah Shammah:
This is the land which you shall
divide by lot as an inheritance
among the tribes of Israel,
and these are their portions,
says the Lord (Ezek 48:29).
These are the exits of the city…
the gates of the city shall be named
after the tribes of Israel (v30-31).
The city shall be 18,000 cubits
round about; and the name of
the city from that day shall be
The Lord Is There (Jehovah
Shammah) – Ezekiel 48:35.

Jehovah Shammah, my finite
mind cannot comprehend You
in all Your majesty seated there
in the new Jerusalem – the
place of Your dwelling. You are
my closest friend, and I praise
You for all of Your greatness.
And thank You for preparing
a place where I will dwell
with You for eternity. Amen.

Lord, cause my heart to fully feel
the godly sorrow I should feel
when I offend you. You’re Jehovah
Shammah, there in the place
of my eternal home, and yet
I can dismiss You easily in my
daily life here. Forgive me for
feeling You aren’t close enough
to give me the love I need as I
navigate through this world. Amen

Jehovah Shammah, I ask You
to help us know that everything
is going to be okay as I go
thru it in this season of time.
The challenges I face are at
times too much for me to bear.
You have given us the Holy Spirit,
You have gone before us and we
will one day be in Your presence.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

God Brings Dead Things to Life

In a vision told with vivid details,
that you can see the bones moving,
Ezekiel announces Israel’s rebirth.
Reassembled with God’s breath
of life, the bones become the new
Israel, more powerful than before.
Then in a 2nd vision, Ezekiel sees
the revived nation destroy its last foe
(Magog) after which God is agreed
by all nations as undisputed Victor.

Lord, You Can Revive All Things:
Prophesy to these (dry) bones…
This is what the Sovereign Lord
says: I will make breath enter you,
& you will come to life (Ezek 37:4-5)
Indeed as I looked, the sinews
and the flesh came upon them…
So I prophesied as He commanded
me, and breath came into them…
and stood upon their feet, an
exceedingly great army (v8-10).
Thus says the Lord God:
Behold, O My people, I will… cause
you to come up from your graves,
and bring you into the land
of Israel. Then you shall know
that I am the Lord (v12-13). Amen.

Father, there are areas of my life
that seem to be dead; and they
need a new infusion of Your life.
There are dreams that seem as if to
have died for it has been a long time
and still they have not been realised.
I know if You can make dry bones
into a vast army, then You can also
bring life to anything worth praying,
no matter how dead it seems. Amen.

Gracious God of all compassion,
Your breath alone can bring life
to dry bones and weary souls.
Pour out Your Spirit upon us, that
we may face despair with hope of
resurrection and faith thru Christ.
Forgive our faults as we confess &
restore us the joy of Your salvation.
Call us out of the valley of dry bones
into Your Kingdom of hope. Amen.

Lord, by a roadway in the
wilderness, You will lead me;
and rivers in the desert will I see.
Heaven and Earth will fade
but Your Word will still remain;
And You’ll do something new today.
Oh, God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way.
You work in ways we cannot see
You will make a way for me
You will make a way… Amen.

God Moves Us in the Spirit

Ezekiel’s emphasis shifts from
the failures of Judah’s past to
the Promises of Judah’s future.
Jerusalem has fallen, and the
prophet’s tongue silenced for three
years is loosened at last to declare
that a new Shepherd is coming.
He will tenderly care for the flock
of Israel, rescue His people from
their scattered homes of exile and
restore them to their covenant land.

Lord, we’ll Move in the Spirit:
I will sanctify My great name…
which you have profaned (among
the nations) and (they) shall know
that I am the Lord… when I am
hallowed in you before their eyes.
For I will take you from among
the nations… and bring you into
your own land (Ezek 36:23-24).
I will give you a new heart and
I will put a new spirit within you;
I will take the heart of stone out
and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put My Spirit in you and
Move You to follow my decrees
and be careful to keep my laws…
(And) I will deliver you from
all your uncleanness (v26-29).
And I will multiply the fruit of
your trees… so that you need
never again bear the reproach
of famine among the nations (v30).

Lord, take away everything in my
heart that is not right before You.
Help me to get rid of bad attitudes
and wrong thinking. Show me
anything that has taken root in
my heart that should not be there
so that I can free myself of it.
Help me clear the slate and
begin again with a right spirit.
Fill me with Your desires and
everything that pleases You. Amen

Father God, Thank You that You
have put Your Holy Spirit within
me to Guide me in all things.
Lead me Lord by the power of
Your Spirit so that I will obey
Your Word and Follow Your laws.
Give me Lord the discipline
I need to do what I must do.
Help me to Follow Your leading
and not run ahead or behind
chasing after my own ways. Amen.

Lord, sometimes our Christian
life can be a struggle when
we go through bad times.
But thanks that You God is
in the business of making life
better for us on the inside.
Thank You for the promise
to help us clean up our act.
Help us get to where You want us
to be & help us be fruitful. Amen.

Holy God Gives Hope & Restores

Backgrounder: While Jeremiah
was prophesying in Jerusalem
that the city would soon fall to
the Babylonians, Ezekiel was giving
the same message to the captives
who were already in Babylon.
Like those in Jerusalem, the
captives stubbornly believed that
Jerusalem would not fall. Ezekiel
warned them that punishment was
certain because of their sins and
that God was purifying his people.
He also brings a message of hope;
for a remnant will survive and
return to the Land of Promise.

Lord, You Promise Fresh Start:
Rid yourselves of all the offences
you have committed, and get
a new heart and a new spirit.
Why will you die, O house of Israel?
For I have no pleasure in the death
of one who dies, says the Lord God.
So turn and live (Ezek 18:31-32).
Profane My holy name no more…
For on My holy mountain… there all
the house of Israel… shall serve Me;
there I’ll accept them (Ez20:39-40)
I gather you out of the countries
where you have been scattered…
Then you shall know that I am the
Lord.. There u will remember your
conduct and all the actions by
which you have defiled yourselves.
Then you shall know that I am
the Lord (who) dealt with you for
My name’s sake, not according to
your wicked ways (Ezek 20:41-44)

Lord, take away everything in my
heart that is not right before You.
And help me Lord to get rid of
bad attitudes and wrong thinking.
Show me anything that has taken
root in my heart that should not be
there so that I can free myself of it
before there’s a serious price to pay.
Help me Lord to clear the slate and
begin again with a new heart and
a right spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, praise be Your holy name;
and forgive me for the times when
I profane it carelessly or willfully.
Fill me with Your love and help me
to keep my heart from wandering
away from You. Make my heart
to be undivided and take away
any hardheartedness within me.
Take charge of my mind and
emotions; and help me to give
complete control to You. Amen.

Lord, I don’t want to look back
over my life and feel bad because
of the things I have done wrong.
Help me Lord to quickly recognise,
confess the sin and to repent of it.
Enable me to live in such a way
that I don’t have regret over
my words, thoughts or actions.
Help me to fully repent so that
I will reflect You appropriately. Amen