Category: 2019 Prayers

Trust God Knows What’s Best

Instead of answering Job’s
questions directly, God asks Job
a series of questions that no human
can possibly answer. Job responds
by recognising God’s ways are best
In response, Job humbles himself.
God rebukes the three friends for
adding to Job’s suffering by their
false assumptions and criticisms.
Job’s material possessions and
family are restored & he receives
even greater blessings than before.

Lord,we’ll Not Question Yr Wisdom:
Then the Lord answered Job
from the whirlwind: Who is
this that questions my wisdom
with such ignorant words?…
I have some questions for you…
Where does the dew come from?
Can you ensure the proper
sequence of the seasons?
Do you know… how God rules
the earth? (Job 38: 1-3, 27-33).

Lord, just as we don’t understand
common working of God’s creation
under His control, it’s challenging
to understand God’s purposes.
And bitterness over suffering can
also limit understanding of Yr ways.
Help us to trust You regardless
of whether You allow blessing
or suffering to come to our life.
For it is not our job to question
You the sovereign and good God,
but to simply worship You. Amen.

Lord, thank You that You are a
personal God and I can pour out
my heart, hurts & frustrations to U.
But help me learn to question
Your works without criticising
Your wisdom. Anchor me in the
knowledge that You’re always good,
no matter how things may appear.
Your goodness may be obscured
due to my limited perspective.
So, also help me see & hear the
truth behind the scenes. Amen.

Lord, Hide me now Under Yr wings
Cover me Within your mighty hand.
When oceans rise & thunders roar
I will soar with U above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God.
Find rest my soul In Christ alone
Know his power In quietness & trust.
When oceans rise & thunders roar
I will soar with U above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I’ll be still & know U are God. Amen.

Coming Forth As Gold !!

As Job agonises over his situation,
his three friends explain that he
must be suffering because of
some terrible sin he committed.
They try to persuade Job to repent
of his sin. When Job argues that he
hasn’t sinned enough to deserve
such suffering his friends respond
with even harsher accusations.

Lord, we will Keep to Your Way:
Then Job answered and said:
Even today my complaint is bitter…
Oh that I knew where I might
find Him… I would present my
case before Him (Job 23:1-4).
But He knows the way that I take;
when He has tested me, I shall
Come Forth As Gold… I have
Kept His Way… I have treasured
the words of His mouth (J23:10-12)
Whatever He wants to do, he does.
He’ll Do for me all he has planned.
He Controls my destiny (v13-14).

Lord, You love to speak to Your
people; but sometimes, like in Job,
You maintain long silences and let
us search for You; and that can be
uncomfortable. For You are tuning
our ears to Your voice & teaching
us the fine art of waiting upon You.
Lord, when I cannot really sense
Your presence or hear Your voice,
keep me drawing me toward You.
Give me the patience & persistence
to keep seeking Your face. Amen.

Lord, praise U for your faithfulness
& for knowing the way that I take.
Thank You that when I have been
tested, I will Come Forth As Gold.
Lord, it’s painful not to hear Your
voice; and to wonder why I’m here
and where You’ve gone. Until You
lead again, my eyes are fixed on U.
Let me not waste the pain Lord;
instead use it to draw me deeper.
And show me treasures of Your
ways and Your kingdom. Amen.

Lord, You control my destiny
and I fully trust in Your goodness.
So fill my vision with hope, which
is the expression of goodness
from Your hand. You have given
promises, both general and
specific; and offered hope even
when I can’t see all the way ahead.
Help me walk in the good purposes
You have planned for me. Amen.

God Put His Word In Your Heart

In ancient times, a city was only
as secure as its walls. In the case
of Jerusalem, the temple stands
in glistening splendour but the
walls lie in ruin. Enter Nehemiah,
cupbearer to the king of Persia
and God’s choice to rebuild the
city defenses. Armed with a burden
and a blueprint, Nehemiah shares
his request with the king & receives
even more than he asked for!

Lord, we Open our Heart to You:
The king asked: How can I help u?
With A Prayer to God of heaven,
(Nehemiah) replied: If it please
your majesty… send me to Judah
to rebuild the city where my
ancestors are buried (Neh 2:4-5).
So I came to Jerusalem and was
there three days…. I told no one
what my God Had Put In My Heart
to do at Jerusalem… And I went
out by night… and viewed the walls
which were broken down and the
gates which were burned (v11-13).
Then I said to (the Jewish leaders):
Come let us build the wall of
Jerusalem… And I told them of
the hand of God… and also of
the king’s words… So they said:
Let us rise up and build (v17-18).

Lord, we note Nehemiah covered
the whole process of rebuilding
Jerusalem In Prayer; praying for
his people for four months; and
breathing a brief prayer to You God
before staying he request to king.
And I surrender the church to You.
Please come into my life with
Your restoring power. And hear
my prayers as You did Nehemiah’s.
As You God prove Yourself mighty,
may You receive much glory. Amen.

Lord, help me sort out the burdens
in my heart whether they all Yours;
and which ones should I follow?
Lead me to fulfil the purposes
You have placed within my heart.
Clarify my vision and secure my
steps. And lead me through open
doors to accomplish Your Kingdom
mission wherever You lead and
wherever I can. In His name, Amen.

Lord, thank You for Nehemiah’s
example on how to respond to bad
news. After initial grief, he prayed,
pouring his heart out to You God.
Then he got all the accurate info
he needed to assess the situation.
Only After Careful Planning would
Nehemiah Share his mission.
Help us Lord to confront challenges
with Trust in God and constructive
action. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Being Stirred By The Spirit

In ancient times, a city was only
as secure as its walls. In the case
of Jerusalem, the temple stands
in glistening splendour but the
walls lie in ruin. Enter Nehemiah,
cupbearer to the king of Persia
and God’s choice to rebuild the
city defenses. Armed with a burden
and a blueprint, Nehemiah shares
his request with the king & receives
even more than he asked for!

Lord, we are Open to Your Spirit:
I asked about the Jews who had
returned from captivity and about
how things were point in Jerusalem.
They said: Things are not well.
They’re in great trouble & disgrace.
The walls of Jerusalem has been
torn down and the gates have been
destroyed by fire. When I heard
this, I sat down and wept. In fact
for days I mourned, fasted & prayed
I said: O Lord… Look down and
see me praying night and day
for Your people… I confess that
we have sinned against You. Yes
even I have sinned (Neh 1:1-6).

Lord, You had spoken clearly about
a matter years before & confirmed
it many times with signs of promise
Like Nehemiah, who believed
in God’s plan for Jerusalem yet
heard the city still lay in ruins, I am
distraught for God-given dreams
had been reduced to rubble. But
learning from Nehemiah, I don’t
have to understand what You
God is doing in order to trust You.
And I don’t have to hear details
to know I have heard You. Amen.

Lord, we realise that when we or
our loved ones are in great trouble,
we tend to fill prayers with plans
that we want You to put into action.
Learning from Nehemiah, we claim
upon Your promises, calling on
You to do what You have pledged
to do in caring for Your very own.
And thank You that the basis for
deliverance is purely Your grace
and undeserved favour. Amen.

Lord, sometimes my heart is
gripped by the things that grip
Your heart for Your purposes and
for Your people. Make me sensitive
to the Stirring of Your Spirit and
the sound of Your voice. And
when I have sought Your Will
and direction, make me joyfully
eager to participate in Your plan.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Power of Fasting & Prayer

The first six chapters chronicle
the ministry of Zerubbabel in
rebuilding the temple; now c7-10
introduces a priest named Ezra
whom God uses to rebuild the
spiritual condition of the people.
The people have a house for God
but not a heart of God. Ezra
realises revival must begin a
national return to the statutes of
God as contained in the Mosaic law.

Lord, we’ll Seek thro Fast & Prayer:
By the Ahava Canal, I (Ezra) gave
orders for all of us to Fast and
Humble ourselves before our God
to Seek fr Him the Right Way for us.
For I was ashamed to ask the king
for soldiers… to protect us from
enemies along the way. After all,
we had told the king: Our God’s
hand of protection is on all who
worship Him… So we Fasted and
earnestly Prayed that our God
would take care of us, and He
heard our prayer (Ezra 8:21-23).

Lord, we note Ezra and the people
Humbled themselves by Fasting
and praying. Fasting humbled the
people because going without food
was a reminder of their complete
dependence on God. Fasting also
free up time to think about God
and to pray to Him earnestly.
And serious prayer puts us in
touch with God’s will for our lives
& can change our hearts & minds.
Grant us grace to fast & pray. Amen

Lord, Help me fast & pray regularly.
Show me how often and how long
and give me the strength to get
through each fast successfully.
With every fast, help me to pray
about the issues of my situation
and direction in my life. For I need
to deny my flesh so that I can
hear from You clearly and exalt
You above everything else. Amen.

Lord, we know the need to fast to
focus attention & dependence on U
It’s a statement that Your presence
and direction are more important
to us than the food we need; and
our priorities to hear Your voice.
I’ll purpose to forsake my physical
need for food for a time in order
to heighten my spiritual senses. So
Amplify Your voice during this time,
hear my cries and lead me in the
Right way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Being Stuck in Virtuous Cycles?

The Israelites began series of
cycles of sinning, worshipping idols
being punished, crying for help,
being rescued by a judge, obeying
God for a while, then falling back
into idolatry. They were conquered
by Syria, Moab, Canaan, Midian,
Ammon and Philistia.

Lord, we learnt from the early part
of Judges that the Israelites had
compromised Your commands;
repeatedly sinning & God allowing
suffering to come upon them and
delivering them when they repent.
Rather than living in an endless
cycle, help us seek to live a
consistent life of Faithfulness.
Thanks be to God that In Christ
we can have the freedom & victory!
Help us Lord even as we purpose
to repent quickly & Seek Your Help;
to be Courageous to Obey You &
to offer our Helping Hands. Amen.

Lord, we will Seek for Your Help:
The anger of the Lord burned agst
Israel and He handed them to king
Aram for 8 years. But when they
cried out to the Lord, he raised
up a deliverer, Otheniel, Caleb’s
younger brother, who saved them.
Once again the Israelites did evil
and the Lord gave Moab control
over Israel for 18 years. Again the
Israelites cried out to the Lord,
and he gave them a deliverer –
Ehud, a Benjamite (Jdgs 3:9,15).
Lord, thank you whenever we cried
out to You, You will deliver us from
misery. Too often we try to control
our own lives without God’s help.
Remind us that You God should
be the first place we turn to for
help when we’re facing struggles
and not as a last resort. Amen.

Lord, we’ll be Courageous to Obey:
Ehud was dead, the children of
Israel again did evil. So the Lord
sold them into the hand of Jabin
king of Canaan. And the children
cried out to the Lord, for 20 years
Jabin harshly oppressed them.
Deborah, the prophetess sent for
Batak and said: Take 10,000 men
and I will deliver Sisera, commander
of Jabin’s army into your hand.
And Batak said: If u will go with me,
then I will go; but if u will not go
with me, I will not go! So she said:
I will go with you; but there will be
no glory for u…And the Lord routed
Sisera and his army (Jdgs 4:1-15).
Lord, grant us be courageous like
Deborah who has great faith to
do God’s will and concerned over
the welfare of the people. Amen.

Lord, we will Offer Helping Hands:
Then Deborah and Barack…
sang on that day saying:
When leaders lead in Israel,
when the people willingly offer
themselves, bless the Lord!…
I even I will sing to the Lord; I will
sing praise to the Lord (Jdgs 5:1-3)
Lord, we offer our grateful thanks
and praise for the volunteers that
faithfully offer their services for
the wellbeing & support of others.
We ask Your special blessing Lord
on each worker for they are often
taken for granted by those they
serve. Provide for the needs
of each one, guide them and
protect them from evil. Amen.

Compromises Result In Failure

By faithfully obeying the Lord,
Joshua led the Israelites to military
victory. After his death, the tribes
failed to clear the inhabitants from
the land, so the Lord withdrew his
promise to help drive people out
and bless the Israelites in battle.
The new generation abandoned
God and worshiped idols.

Lord, we learnt from the early part
of Judges that the Israelites had
compromised Your command to
drive out the inhabitants of the land
And incomplete removal of evil
often means disaster in the end.
We learnt that we must beware
compromising with wickedness.
Help us Lord even as we purpose
Not Compromise in Trusting You;
Not Compromise in Knowing You &
Not Compromise in Obeying You.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we will Trust & Obey You:
The Lord was with Judah and they
took possession of the hill country.
But they failed to drive out the
people living in the plains because
the people there had iron chariots.
Hebron was given to Caleb and he
drove out the people living there,
who were descendants of Anak.
But the tribe of Benjamin failed
to drive out the Jebusites living
in Jerusalem. The tribe of Ephraim
also failed to drive out Canaanites
living in Gezer (Jdgs 1:19-29).
Lord, we note Judah failed to drive
out the people in the plain because
their courage and faith failed when
they saw the iron chariots. Help
us fully trust and obey you; not
to compromise but instead follow
thro to complete the job. Amen.

Lord, we will Get to Know You:
Now Joshua, the servant of the
Lord died. Another generation
arise who did not know the Lord
nor the work which He had done
for Israel. Then the children of
Israel did evil & served the Baals.
And the Lord delivered them to
plunderers…Nevertheless the Lord
raised up judges who delivered
them. But when the judge is
dead, they reverted and behaved
more corruptly (Jdgs 2:8-19).
Lord, we don’t want to fall away
in laziness, temptation and sin.
Help us not to neglect spending
regular time with You each day.
Help us to Know You better and
become more & more like You.
And let us experience You. Amen.

Lord, we’ll Obey Your Commands:
These people were left to test the
Israelites – to see whether they
would obey the commands the
Lord had given… So Israel lived
among the Canaanites, Hittites,
Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and
Jebusites, and they intermarried
with them…. And the Israelites
worshiped their gods (Jdgs3:4-6)
Lord, You allowed pagans in the
land to test your people whether
they will obey your commands.
We will not bond with heathens
and we will advise our children to
heed Your warning that marriage
between believers & unbelievers
create countless problems. Amen.

Preview on Judges (June 22)

Whilst the Bible is arranged by
types of writings, we meditate it
chronologically to get better flow.
We start with Genesis on God’s
Plan for creation, then meditated
Job on the Sovereignty of God;
Exodus, Leviticus, Num-Deut on
Deliverance, Holiness & Obedience
before Mark on Jesus the Servant
who serve and gave His life for us.
And for the last two weekends,
we meditated on Joshua with the
theme of enjoying God’s blessing
thro obedient faith in His Promises.

In Joshua, an obedient people
conquered the land thro trust in
God’s power. By contrast in Judges
a disobedient and idolatrous people
are often defeated because of their
rebellion against God. In seven
cycles of sin, Judges show how the
nation sets aside God’s laws and
replaces them with “that which
was right in their own eyes”(21:25).
Time after time God disciplines
the nation with foreign oppression.
But national repentance leads
to deliverance as God raises up
Deborah, Gideon, Samson & others
to overthrow their oppressors.

We’ll cover the book of Judges over
3 weekends in following 6 divisions:
J1-2: Military & Spiritual Failure
J3-5: Rescue by 5 Early Judges
J6-8: Gideon and Midianites
J9-12: Seven Judges & Civil War
J13-16: Samson & the Philistines
J17-21: Idolatry and Immorality
Let’s meditate thro Judges and
be warned against compromise,
have a heart open to repentance
and be obedient to the Lord. Amen.

God Speaks Through Prophets

King Jehoshaphat knows that
the key to spiritual revival in the
nation is a renewed interest in and
commitment to the law of the Lord.
He institutes a nationwide Scripture
study program which God richly
blesses with peace and prosperity.
In contrast to his predecessors,
Jehoshaphat manages to make
peace with the king of Israel.
But a friendly visit nearly costs
his life as he becomes entangled
in a war between Israel and Syria.

Lord, You do Speak thro Prophets:
Jehoshaphat said: we have no
power against this great multitude..
nor do we know what to do; but our
eyes are Upon You (2 Chron 20:12)
Then the Spirit of the Lord came
upon Jahaziel a Levite. And he said:
Listen, all u of Judah…and you King
Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord:
Do not be afraid… for the battle
is Not Yours, but God’s… Position
yourself, stand still and see the
salvation of the Lord! (v14-17).
And Jehoshaphat said: Believe in
the Lord your God & you shall be
established; believe His prophets,
and you shall prosper (v20). Amen

Lord, praise You for mighty power
and You have everything in control.
And You are mighty to secure me
against any threat to my security.
Even as You assisted Jehoshaphat
in a mighty victory, surely You
are absolutely able and willing to
sustain and keep me from falling.
And I ascribe to You all majesty &
glory, all power and authority. Amen

Lord, make clear what You are
saying thro Your prophets & people
And if I err in understanding You,
may it be on the side of belief
rather than on mere skepticism.
Give me the boldness to take
steps of faith. Help me to be
discerning without overanalysing.
Help me trust Your ability to lead.
And Show me the path to success
in all Your purposes so that I can
proceed with confidence. Amen.

In heavenly armour
we’ll enter the land
The battle belongs to the Lord.
No weapon that’s fashioned
against us shall stand
The battle belongs to the Lord.
We sing glory and honor
Power & strength to the Lord (x2)
When your enemy presses
in hard do not fear
The battle belongs to the Lord.
Take courage my friend,
your redemption is near
The battle belongs to the Lord.
We sing glory and honor
Power & strength to the Lord. Amen

Inquiring & Hearing Before Doing

The ark of covenant is prominent
in Chronicles being mentioned
more than 40 times. So the events
surrounding the journey of the ark
to Jerusalem consume three full
chapters in 13-15. The lesson
is clear: The right action must
be done with the right motives
and carried out in the right way.
When the ark is at last installed
in Jerusalem, David leads the
people in national celebration.

Lord, we’ll Inquire & Hear from You:
The Philistines had arrived in the
valley of Rephaim and raided it.
So David ASKED God: Should I go
out to fight the Philistines? Will You
hand them over to me? The Lord
replied: Yes, go ahead. I will give
you the victory… But after a while,
the Philistines returned and raided
the valley again. And once again
David ASKED God what to do.
Do not attack them straight on,
God replied. Instead, circle around
behind them and attack them near
the balsam trees (1 Chron 14:9-14).

Lord, I ask You concerning my
situation that I am facing. I don’t
want to run ahead of Your plan.
I want to follow David’s example
and seek Your wisdom first in the
matter. Only then can I be sure
that I will be following Your plan.
And guide my actions O Lord
by Your wisdom and truth. Amen.

Lord, You are the one who knows
everything whilst I do not at all.
Questions of what, how and when.
And I need to learn to Seek Your
advice in life’s decision and lead
me down the path to recovery and
into a life of integrity and purpose.
Rescue me from inner turmoil and
Teach me Lord to ask U questions
that begin with: Should l…? Amen.

Lord, I pray that I will always inquire
of You first before I take action.
I don’t want to assume that just
because You had instructed me
in a certain fashion before, that
U will instruct me in the same way
each time I am faced with a similar
situation. I don’t want to mistakenly
think I have all the answers when
only You have all the answers
for my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.