The purpose of the Twelve Minor
Prophets is to focus on warnings
of impending judgment, teachings
on righteous living, encouragement
to the faithful and oppressed and
prediction of God’s future plans.
This week we understand God better
thru His revelation of names, mostly
related to His ability to meet needs.
On Monday, we learn from Hosea 2
about God who Cares for You.
On Tuesday, we learn from Hosea 11
about the Holy One who is Faithful.
On Wednesday, we learn from Joel 2
about God who Restores Past Loses.
On Thursday, we learn from Obadiah
about God who Protects His People.
On Friday, we learn from Jonah 3/4
about God who is Compassionate.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.
God calls Jonah to warn Assyrian
city of Nineveh of impending
destruction. However the brutal
Assyrians are Israel’s bitter enemies
and Jonah both fears and despises
them. Instead of heading to Nineveh
Jonah sets sail in the opposite
direction. A storm ensues, Jonah
is tossed overboard & is swallowed
by a great fish. After three days
the fish deposits Jonah on dry land.
Jonah then goes to Nineveh and
preaches as God had instructed.
When the people repent, Jonah’s
resentment grows until God must
teach him a lesson in compassion.
Lord, we will Deliver Your Message:
The Lord spoke to Jonah a 2nd time.
Go to the great city of Nineveh and deliver the message of judgment…
This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command… He shouted to the
crowds:Forty days from now Nineveh
will be destroyed! The people of
Nineveh believed God’s message
and from the greatest to the least,
they decided to go without food and
wear sackcloth in sorrow (Jon 3:1-5)
Then God said: Is it right for u to be angry because the plant died? Yes,
Jonah retorted: even angry enough
to die! Then the Lord said: You feel sorry about the plant, though you
did nothing to put it there… But
Nineveh has more than 120,000
people living in spiritual darkness…
Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such
a great city? (Jonah 4:9-11).
Lord, learnt from passage that
Jonah was to preach only what
You told him: a message of doom.
Those who bring God’s Word
to others should not let fear
of people dictate their words.
For we are called to follow the
Spirit’s leading and preach/share
God’s message and His truth, even
though it may be unpopular. Amen.
Lord, I know there are people all
around who need to hear Your
message of hope and truth –
people whom I might not even
notice, but whom You love deeply.
Reveal them to me so that I can
pray for them and perhaps speak
an encouraging word to them.
Prepare their hearts to receive
word from You through me. Amen.
Dear Lord, we acknowledge Your
Sovereignty & You are In Control.
Help us not run away from doing
Your purpose in the world but
instead to Deliver Your Message.
Help us to Be Compassionate,
including those who are different
from us in race or background.
Help us not be inward looking but be
Your missionaries wherever we are.
Help us to share the Good News for
people truly Need the Lord. Amen.
Obadiah is given the unenviable
task to confront two members of
a feuding family. The Jews in Judah
(descendants of Jacob) and the
Edomites (descendants of Esau)
were blood brothers but with
little visible love between them.
When the enemies of Judah attacked
the capital city of Jerusalem, the
Edomites rushed to help the enemy!
As a result, God sends Obadiah
to predict doom for the nation for
refusing to be its “brother keeper.”
Lord, You’ll Protect Your People:
The Lord says to Edom: I will cut you down to size… You’ve been deceived by your own pride because you make your home high in the mountains. Who can ever reach us way up here? you ask boastfully. But even as you build your nest among the stars, I will bring you crashing down (Obad 2-4)
Now you will be destroyed…
for you deserted your relatives
in Israel during their time of
greatest need. You stood aloof,
refusing to lift a finger to help
when foreign invaders came (v10-11)
The day is near when I the Lord
will judge the godless nations!
As you have done to Israel, so it
will be done to you… But Jerusalem
will become a refuge… And the people of Israel will come back to reclaim their inheritance (Oba 15-20)
Lord, we realise the Bible warns
that pride leads to destruction.
And placing one’s security in any
thing other than God is foolish.
Only God is strong & trustworthy;
only You can supply true security.
Help us O Lord not to rely on self
but instead recognise vulnerability
and find security in U God. Amen.
Lord, Your Word says in Jas 4:17
that if one withheld help from
someone in time of need, this is sin.
So sin includes not only what
we do that is wrong; but also
what we refuse to do that is right.
Help us Lord not to be like the
priest or the Levite who ignore
or refuse help to those in need.
Help us be more compassionate
like the Good Samaritan. Amen.
Lord, You will judge and fiercely
punish all who harm Your people.
We can be confident in Your
final victory; for You are our champion and we can trust
In You for help and justice.
Help us not despair nor give
up hope for You are In Control
and the confidence placed
in You Lord will not be in vain.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
Addressing hearts that have grown
cold to the things of God, Joel
confronts the people of Judah.
He reminds them of the destruction
brought by a plague of locusts and
warns of the castastrophe to come.
Unless the nation repents, it will be
destroyed by an army from the north
The only hope of escape is for
the people to repent. If they do,
then God will divert judgment and
will deliver unparalleled blessing
and the gift of peace to Zion!
Lord, You Restore Past Loses:
I Will Repay you for the years
the locusts have eaten… my
great army that I sent among you.
You shall eat in plenty and be
satisfied, and praise the name
of the Lord your God, who has
dealt wondrously with you…
Then you shall know that…
I am the Lord your God
And there is no other. And My
people shall never be put to shame.
It shall come to pass afterward that
I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh..
Whoever Calls on the name of the
Lord Shall Be Saved (Joel 3:25-32)
Lord, thank You that it is never
too late to turn to You and see
Restoration happens in our life.
Even though there has been time
wasted when we didn’t live fully for U,
pray that You Will Redeem the time
and help us to make up for it.
Restore everything that has been
lost, wasted or ruined so that
we can testify of Your glory. Amen.
Lord, there’s times when we ignore
the still small voice & make mistakes.
Though discipline may come our
way but You promise to give back
the years the locusts had eaten.
Grateful that You Lord not only forgive but Your mercy is great.
Help us learn from our mistakes
and grow even closer to You Lord.
And thank You that You will redeem
our past and guide our future. Amen.
Lord, thank You for Your Word
that everyone who calls on
Your name Will Be Saved. Thank
You for the promise to hear
and answer my cries for help.
Your rescue of me may not end
up looking like what I imagine
but You do promise to deliver.
Grant me the faith to believe this
promise with all my heart. Amen.
After repeated postponement of
Israel’s day of reckoning, the time
to settle accounts has come at last.
Barrenness and bondage will
replace prosperity and peace.
Because of unchecked sin, Israel
will be removed from the land in
a tragic blast of judgment & death.
Destruction, famine and forced
labour will befall God’s people in
these terrible days of recompense.
And yet, though the nation
deserves to be utterly destroyed,
God will keep His promises.
God is holy and just, but He is also
loving and gracious. God must
discipline, but because of His
faithfulness and endless love
He will ultimately save and
restore His wayward people.
Faithful Lord, we adore You:
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called My son…
My people are bent on backsliding
from Me. Though they call to the
Most High, none at all exalt Him.
How can I give you up Ephraim?..
My heart churns within Me;
My sympathy is stirred. I will not
execute the fierceness of My anger…
Ephraim has encircled Me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit;
But Judah still walks with God,
even with the Holy One who
is faithful (Hosea 11:1, 7-9, 12).
Holy Lord, let Your holiness manifest
itself in us; and may it transform
our thoughts, speech and actions.
You have purchased us our purity
at such a great cost; & we don’t
want it to be wasted in our life.
Help us honour You in all we do
& help us focus on Your holiness.
And empower us to live a life
that is set apart to You. Amen.
Lord God The Holy One, do Your
holy work of Sanctification within me.
I want to honour You with my life.
I want to resist sin each day. But
at the same time, I confess some
thing within me is attracted by evil. Keep me blameless. Give me Lord a deep love for You and
the zeal for Your glory that will
surpass any impure passion. Amen.
Faithful Lord, I believe my deepest
longings will ultimately be fulfilled.
I have brought them to You to do as
You please. Use them to accomplish
Your purposes; and I’m believing that
You will get me where I need to go.
I am available Lord to work
out the calling You have for me.
I know Lord that You are faithful
and that You will do it. Amen.
To Israel, a land steeped in idolatry,
God sends the prophet Hosea,
whose name means salvation. Just
as God foretold, Gomer deserts her
husband for other lovers -a graphic
depiction of Israel’s faithlessness
in response to God’s loyal love.
When Gomer sinks to the level of a
slave, Hosea is commanded to buy
her back, for she is still his wife.
In the same way the God pledges
His continuing love for His people,
even though their spiritual adultery
will result in captivity & enslavement
at the hands of the Assyrians
Lord,thanks for Hedge of Protection:
I Will Fence her in with thornbushes.
I Will Block the road to make her
lose her way. When she runs
after her lovers, she won’t be
able to catch up with them.
She will search for them but
not find them. Then she will say:
I will go and Return to my first
husband for then it was better
for me than now (Hos 2:6-7).
I Will Win her back once again…
I Will Be Faithful to you and
make you Mine (v14, 20). Amen.
Lord, I ask You to build a Hedge
of thorns to separate my friends
and loved ones from any
influence not ordained by You.
I pray that those who are a bad influence will lose interest and
flee and that my loved one would
lose interest in them as well.
And may that Hedge of thorns
defend against any contact with
those who are out of Your will. Amen.
Lord, You are holy and want us
to walk straight and narrow paths.
Put a hedge around us who can’t
see the destructive path or the
discipline to keep away from it.
Teach us Lord to pray with faith
and perseverance, knowing that
nothing is impossible to You Lord.
Help us to wait trusting You and
expect for breakthrough. Amen.
Lord, Thank You for Your nature
to Love Your people relentlessly.
Thank You for Your Care through
Your people, the caring community.
Thank You for showing Your love
through object lessons, as well as
those who provide practical help,
expertise, prayers and presence.
Thank You Lord for showing so
clearly Your love and that it’s indeed
great to be in Your family. Amen.
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… wisdom are His (Dan 2:19-20)
He Reveals deep and mysterious
things and knows what lies Hidden
in darkness… I thank and praise U
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 (Daniel 2:47).
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 Lord Your wisdom and
strength to handle the tricky
situations each day. In Jesus’ name.
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
& U are willing to reveal them to us.
For no eye has seen,no ear has heard
& no mind has imagined what God
has prepared for those who love Him.
For Your Spirit searches out all things
and shows us God’s deep secrets.
So Lord, Reveal to us those things
which only You are custodian. Amen.
Backgrounder: Walk Worthy of
your calling..You are rich in Christ,
so live that way! But it takes
a lifetime to live out the reality.
The Christian’s conduct should
be consistent with his calling.
He is indescribably rich in Christ,
endowed with spiritual blessings.
But he must learn to walk in the
light of that wealth. A spiritual
war rages, and only those who
learn to appropriate and use the
full armour of God will be able to
stand against Satan’s wily attacks.
Gracious Lord, Thank You for giving
to us every spiritual blessings.
Grant us grace to walk in light of that
wealth and be worthy of our calling.
As part of Christ’s body, help
us live in vital union with Him;
so that our conduct be consistent
with this living relationship and
fulfill our role in the living church.
Help us Speak Words of Grace;
help us Live Wisely on earth and
help us Put On Your Armour. Amen.
Lord, we’ll Speak Words of Grace:
Let no corrupt word proceed out
of your mouth, but what is good
for necessary edification, that
it may Impart Grace to the hearers..
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,
clamour and evil speaking be
put away from you, with all malice.
And be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God in Christ
forgave you (Eph 4:29-32).
Lord, may my heart and words
be full of encouragement and
may they Give Grace to others.
Work Your gentleness & patience
in me so that I won’t be so quick
to respond in ways that don’t
honour You. May the words of
my mouth and the thoughts of
my heart be pleasing to You,
O Lord, my rock & redeemer. Amen
Lord, we purpose to Live Wisely:
Be careful how you live. Don’t
live like fools, but like those who
are Wise, redeeming the time,
because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be unwise,
but understand what the will
of God is (Eph 5:15-17). Amen.
Lord, we purpose to Live Wisely
and make good use of our time.
Help us to sense Your presence
& purpose in every circumstance.
Help us see what You are doing
and what You want to do thro us.
Help us reflect each day to sense
what You are doing in our life and
where You are leading us. Amen.
Lord, we will Put On Your Armour:
Put On the full Armour of God
so that you can take your stand
against the devil’s schemes…
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions
with all kinds of prayers & requests
With this in mind, be alert and
always keep on praying for
all the saints (Eph 6:11, 18).
Lord, I recognise because I have
aligned myself with You, the
enemy will wage war against me.
Help me Put On the full spiritual
Armour that You have provided.
Help me Lord to fully understand
the depth of truth, righteousness,
faith, a solid walk with Christ,
salvation, powerful prayer & the
sword of the Spirit Your Word.
Teach me how to use the armour
& perseverance practising it. Amen
The Ephesians had unlimited
spiritual wealth at their disposal,
yet they lived as spiritual paupers.
So Paul wrote to encourage them
to claim their heavenly resources.
Only then could they draw on them for their earthly walk. And In Christ,
Christians are endowed with every
spiritual blessing as well as adoptn,
redemption, inheritance and power.
Lord, thanks for giving wonderful
spiritual blessings to Your body.
Praise U for being not just creator
and sustainer but also head of
the church. Because You Christ is
central to everything, help us Lord
place priorities under Your control.
Help us to Seek Your Ways;
Help us to Be Your Workmen;
Help us to Adore Your Love.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Lord, we will Seek Your Ways:
(I pray) that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened in order that
you may know the hope to which
He has called you, the riches of His
glorious inheritance in the saints,
and His incomparably great power
for us who believe (Eph 1:18-19)
Lord, I pray that the eyes of my
heart will be opened to see the
Hope to which You have called me.
Help me to understand my true
Inheritance; and enable me to
comprehend the magnitude of
Your Power for I believe in You.
I seek more of Your presence
and Your power so that I can see
them manifested in my life. Amen.
Lord, we will Be Your Workmen:
For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God…
For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God Prepared
beforehand that we should
Walk in them (Eph 2:8-10).
Father, thank You for giving me
an enriching life that will never end.
Thanks for capacity to change and
help me grow to be more like Jesus
Give me spiritual gifts to serve
others. Work in me & through me.
Help me lead a purposeful life,
be a blessing to others and
thereby glorify Your name. Amen.
Lord, we will Adore Your Love:
May your roots go down deep into
the soil of God’s marvellous love.
And may you have the power to
understand, as all God’s people
should, how wide, how long,
how high and how deep His love
really is. May you experience
the love of Christ, though it is
so great you will never fully
understand it (Eph 3:17-19).
Lord, I want to understand and
experience Your Love in a deeper
way than I ever have before.
May Your love be my anchor
as Your Spirit causes my roots
to sink deeper in You. Grant me
the power to really understand
the limitless extent of Your love.
Reveal Yourself to me each day
and be the center of my life. Amen.
The purpose of Daniel is to give
a historical account of the faithful
Jews who lived in captivity and
to show how God is in control,
directing the destiny of nations
and the care of His people.
This week we understand God better
thru His revelation of names, mostly
related to His ability to meet needs.
On Monday, we learn from Dan 2
about God of Wisdom & Revelation.
On Tuesday, we learn from
Dan 3 about the Most High God.
On Wed, we learn from Dan 4
about God Rules over all kingdoms.
On Thursday, we learn from Dan 7
about Our God: The Ancient of Days.
On Friday, we learn from Dan 9
about Lord of Holiness & Mercy.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.
