Category: 2017 Prayers

God’s Sovereign Control

Backgrounder: Genesis 48-50
concludes the book by recording
the final acts of Jacob & Joseph.
As his final earthly act, Jacob
blesses each of his 12 sons, giving
a divinely guided pronouncement
of their future history. Meanwhile,
Joseph gave a great affirmation
of faith. His body remains in Egypt
until the release of the newly
born nation of Israel.

Lord, we heed Yr sovereign control:
Joseph told them: Don’t be afraid
of me. Am I God to judge and
punish you? As far as I am
concerned, God turned into good
what you meant for evil. He brought
me to the high position I have today
so I could save the lives of many
people… Soon I will die, Joseph
told his brothers: He will bring you
back to the land he vowed to give
to the descendants of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob (Gen 50:19-24).
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Nov 17)”

God Is Able to Do Anything

Backgrounder on Genesis 15-18:
God’s promises to Abraham are
given in great detail, confirmed
with a unilateral treaty, repeated
and established by the sign of
circumcision. But as the years
pass with no evidence of fulfilment,
Abraham acts in foolish impatience.
The result is a son Ishmael, who
will forever cause the heartbreak
of his father, constantly reminding
Abraham of the price of his
unbelief. And we have the visit of
the three men of God (enroute to
Sodom) with a special message
for Abraham and Sarah.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Nov 16)”

Obeying & Following God’s Calling

Backgrounder: Genesis 12-14
describe God’s call of Abram
to leave his home in Ur (near
the Persian Gulf) and travel to
a distant but unspecified new land.
Abram faces many distractions
along the way including the death
of his father and a severe famine.
But God is looking for a person
of faith who will trust Him
completely to keep His Promises.
For Abram those promises include
becoming a great nation and
experiencing great blessing in
the face of overwhelming odds.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Nov 15)”

Walking With God

Backgrounder on Genesis 3-5:
The perfect environment into
which man was placed is now
shattered by the entrance of sin.
Disobedience follows as the first
family eats from the forbidden
tree and is expelled from the
garden. The results of their sin
spread quickly as humankind
and the whole creation fall
under the penalty of death.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Nov 14)”

Dear Friends,
We have ended our third series
of weekday topical devotion
on Praising God thro Hymns
following two earlier series on
Adoring God thro Thanksgiving
& Knowing God thro His Names.
Praising God is the key reason for
our existence for we were made
to worship Him! And hymns with
their meaningful lyrics are great
means to give due glory to God!!
Hope that the backgrounder and
the scripture inspiring the hymns
have enhanced your emotional
understanding of the hymns;
and together with the application
prayers help raise your worship to
God to a higher level than before.
Continue reading “Imploring God thro His Promises (Nov 13)”

A Wedding Song of Love
(Prayer Walk thro Song of S 1-8)

Backgrounder: Song of Songs
is a wedding song honouring
marriage. The most explicit
statements on sex in the Bible
can be found in this book.
It has been often criticised thro
the centuries because of its
sensuous language. The purity &
sacredness of love represented
here are greatly needed in our
day where distorted attitudes
about love and marriage abound.
God created sex and intimacy,
and they are holy and good
when enjoyed within the bounds
of marriage. A husband and wife
honor God when they love
and enjoy each other.
Continue reading “Praying thro Song of Songs (Nov12)”

All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name

Backgrounder: Edward Perronet
(1726-1792) was not an easy
person to get along with. After
being a minister in the Anglican
Church for some time, he became
fed up with what he felt was the
church’s “Nonsense” and joined
with the Wesleys. As a Methodist
he faced persecution. Perronet
soon broke with the Wesleys over
the issue of who could administer
the sacraments. He joined a group
called the Connexion but later
broke with then as well. It was
as this majestic hymn. Whether
Perronet intended or not,
the hymn points to the time all
believers in Christ- irregardless
of petty disagreements will join
together in a celestial chorus.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Nov 10)”

Victory in Jesus
Backgrounder: Eugene Bartlett
was born in December 1885 in
Missouri and grew up in Arkansas.
He was educated as a music
teacher at Hall-Moody Institute
in Tennessee and William Jewell
College in Missouri. In 1918,
he established Hartford Music
Company. Over his career, Bartlett
wrote more than 800 songs.
In 1939, Bartlett had a stroke
that left him partially paralyzed.
After the stroke he was bed ridden.
Bartlett continued to study his Bible
during this difficult time. Although
he dealt with the physical strains,
he also looked towards the eternal
victory he knew was approaching.
During this difficult time after his
stroke, Bartlett wrote the words
to Victory in Jesus, which was the
final song he wrote. The hymn is
an optimistic reminder of the hope
of heaven. In the second stanza,
there are references to the
healing ministry of Christ.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Nov 9)”

We Shall Overcome

Backgrounder: We Shall Overcome
is synonymous with the African
American Civil Rights Movement
(1955-1968). And is frequently
sung today after hate tragedies.
Most ascribe the origin to a gospel
hymn by Methodist preacher
Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1953),
who penned 50 hymns while
ministering in Philadelphia; and
credit the lyrical origins of “We
Shall Overcome” to the refrain of
Tindley’s “I’ll Overcome Some Day.
Guy Carawan (b.1927), a white
folk musician introduced the song
to the Civil Rights Movement
by teaching it to the Student
Nonviolent Coordinating Comm
in North Carolina, in 1960.
The song was then picked up
by folk singers such as Joan Baez
in the early 1960s and sung at
folksong concerts & protest rallies
where it became adapted for the
Civil Rights Movt with new stanzas.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Nov 8)”