Category: 2019 Prayers

Victory through Obedience

Joshua employs textbook strategy
for military victory: Divide and
conquer! He attacks the middle
of the country first, dividing the
enemy forces in half, before
mopping Up resistance among
the isolated troops in the south
and north. His stunning victory
shows the importance of following
God’s direction down to the
smallest detail, no matter how
trivial they may seem. The lesson
is painfully reinforced at Ai, where
disobedience leads to defeat
and death. But after disciplining
His overconfident people, God
patiently encourages them
and leads them to victory again.

Lord, we learn from the accounts
of the conquests of the promised
land the importance of following
Your direction. And just as Israel
cleansed the land of idol worship,
we should also be relentless
in dealing with sin in our lives.
Lord, help us to Live Victoriously.
Help us to Trust and Obey You.
Help us to Repent & Turn to You.
Help us to Enquire of You. Amen.

Lord, we will Trust and Obey You:
Now Jericho was securely shutup
because of the children of Israel;
And the Lord said to Joshua:
See I have given Jericho into your
hand. You shall march around the
city for six days, once a day. But
the seventh day you shall match
around the city seven times & the
priests shall blow the trumpets;
all the people shall shout with
a great shout , then the wall of
the city will fall down flat (J6:1-5).
Lord, sometimes You require your
people to simply Trust & Obey U.
We depend on You to overcome
the obstacles in our life. Amen.

Lord, we’ll Repent & Turn to You:
Sanctify yourselves thus says
the Lord: There is an accused
thing in your midst, O Israel;
you cannot stand before your
enemies until you take away
the accused thing (Jos 7:13).
And Achan said: Indeed have
sinned against the Lord (v20).
The Lord said to Joshua: Do not
fear and do not be dismayed…
I have given into your hand the
king of Ai and his land (Jos 8:1).
Lord, reveal to me any sin I am
harbouring, and I will confess it.
I don’t want to give place to
any hindrances to my prayers,
or put up a roadblock to all
You want to do in my life. Amen.

Lord, we will Enquire of You:
When the people of Gibeon heard
what Joshua had done to Jericho
& Ai, they resorted to deception.
Joshua asked: Where do u come
from? They said a very far country.
Then the men of Israel took some
of their provisions; but did not
ask counsel of the Lord. Joshua
made a peace treaty with them.
3 days later they learn these pple
actually lived nearby (J9:3-16).
Lord, help me to not run off on
my own, trying to do what I think
is right instead of inquiring of You.
Help me not forget to consult You
about everything, even the things
I think I can handle on my own.
In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Entering the Promised Land

The people are poised within
view of the land promised to
their ancestors and denied their
unbelieving parents. The task
seems impossible: a swollen
turbulent river and mighty walled
cities to conquer. So God begins
to prepare His people for the days
of warfare ahead. He reminds
Joshua that careful attention to
His Word brings blessing & success
Spies are sent to survey Jericho,
the first obstacle in the land.
The priests bearing the ark
of covenant, lead the people
across the rampaging Jordan.
The stage is set for conquest.

Joshua demonstrated his faith in
God as he took up the challenge
to lead the nation. The Israelites
reaffirmed commitment to God
by obediently setting out across
the Jordan to possess the land.
As we live the Christian life,
we need to cross over from the
old life to the new, put off our
selfish desires and press on to
possess all God has planned for us.
Like Joshua and Israel, we need
courageous faith to live the new life
Lord, Help us Meditate on Yr Word;
Help us Remember Your Deeds &
Help us Be Open to Your Will. Amen

Lord, we’ll Meditate on Your Word:
Do not let this Book of the Law
depart from your mouth; meditate
on it day and night, so that you
may be careful to do everything
in it. Then you will be prosperous
and successful (Joshua 1:8).
Lord, I pray that every time I read
Your Word, You will teach me
all I need to know. Help me to
understand Your truth & speak to
me specifically how each passage
relates to my life & lives of others.
Help me to meditate on Your Word
and take steps of obedience so
that I can live in Your perfect will
and prosper as You promise. Amen

Lord, we’ll Be Open to Do Your Will:
Joshua secretly sent out two spies..
He instructed them: Scout out
the land on the other side of the
Jordan River esp around Jericho.
So the 2 men set out & came to the
house of a prostitute named Rahab.
(And) Rahab went to the roof to
talk with them: I know the Lord
had given you this land… We heard
how the Lord dried up the Red Sea
and what you did to the two kings
of the Amorites (Joshua 2:1-10).
Lord, You directed the spies to
Rahab’s house because You knew
her heart was open to You and
that she would be instrumental in
the Israelite victory over Jericho.
You God often uses people with
simple faith to accomplish Your
great purposes no matter what
kind of past they have or how
insignificant they seem to be.
Help us be Open to Your Will. Amen

Lord, we’ll Remember Your Deeds:
Joshua said to the Israelites: In
future your children will ask, What
do these stones mean? Then you
can tell them: the Lord your God
dried up the river right before your
eyes and He kept it dry until you
were all across, just as he did at
the Red Sea… He did this so all the
nations of the earth might know
that the Lord’s hand is powerful
and so you might fear the Lord
your God forever (Josh 4:21-24)
Lord, U are calling us to remember
because looking at what You had
done in the past builds our faith
for the present and the future.
You are promising that the same
power You had demonstrated in
the past is available in the present.
So, we will remember Your deeds
of grace and lovingkindness. Amen

Preview on Joshua (June 8)

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 on Deliverance from Egypt;
Leviticus on the way of Holy Living;
Numbers on training in Obedience;
and Deut on Holiness & Obedience.
And for the last 3 weekends, we
meditated on Mark gospel where
we see Jesus as Perfect Servant
who came to seek and serve and
gave his life as a ransom for many.

Continuing on the first book of OT
history, Joshua succeeds Moses
as Commander-in-chief of Israel
and leads the people across the
Jordan into the Promised Land.
This is a book of war and peace,
detailing Israel’s conquering of
Canaan & marking their beginning
as a settled nation. The first half
of the book recounts three military
campaigns spanning seven years
in which Joshua meets & defeats
more than 30 enemy armies.
The second half relates to the
settlement of Canaan,the fulfillment
of God’s promise to Abraham.

The theme of Joshua is Israel’s
possession of the Promised Land
and enjoyment of God’s blessing
thro obedient faith in His Promises.
We’ll cover the book of Joshua over
2 weekends in following 4 divisions:
J1-5: Entering the Promised Land
J6-12: Conquering Promised Land
J13-21: Dividing the Promised Land
J22-24: Joshua’s Final Challenge
Let’s meditate thro Joshua and
be encouraged to be Obedient &
be strengthened in Faith. Amen.

The Call for Commitment to God

Moses has come to a solemn and
climatic moment in his 3rd & final
address to the nation – the time for
a recommitment to the covenant.
He reminds the new wilderness
generation that the potential for
God’s richest blessing awaits them
in the land, as well as the potential
for his severest judgment. It all
depends on their submissive
response to the demands of the
covenant. Dramatically, Moses
delivers the challenge: I have set
before you life & death…choose life.

Lord, we will Return and Obey:
If you listen to these commands
of the Lord your God and carefully
obey them, the Lord will make you
the head and not the tail (D28:13)
Return to the Lord… and the Lord
your God will circumcise your heart
to love the Lord your God with all
your heart… I have set before you
life and death, blessings & cursing;
(so) choose life that you…may live;
that u may love the Lord your God,
that you may obey His voice and
that you may cling to Him, for
He is your life (Deut 30:2-6, 19-20)

God, I know You have a good plan
and forged a path for me to follow.
But there’s an enemy who desires
I lose my way and seeks to destroy
the destiny U have planned for me.
Today, I purpose to love & obey you
and look forward to Your blessings.
And Thank You for the promise to
make me the head & not the tail.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

God, U challenged Israel to show
their love for Him by choosing
to obey Him & thereby continue
to experience His blessings.
Lord, you promise to change
our heart when we return to You.
Transform us into people who obey
You out of gratitude rather than
imposed demand. And help us to
choose to obey You in each life
situation again and again. Amen.

Dear Lord, we realise knowing Your
Word is Not Enough for we need
to make Commitment to Obey You.
Help us to keep covenant with you
by obeying Yr Word for we love U.
Help us to Commit to Obey to
Avoid Curses but Gain Blessings.
Help us Return to U when we fail
so that we can be transformed.
Grant us the grace as we express
our love by obeying You. Amen.

Be Reminded of God’s Word

Moses’ second sermon opens with
a Repetition of Ten Commandments
(hence the name Deuteronomy
– second law). It exhorts the
people to obey the Lord from
a heart of love, to teach their
children obedience and to be
careful Not to Forget the Lord in
times of prosperity. Victory over
the pagan occupants of Canaan
is assured as long as the people
faithfully obey God’s commands.

Lord, we’ll Follow Your Instructions:
You must be careful to obey all
the commands of the Lord your
God, following His instructions
in every detail… that it may be               well with you (Deut 5:32-33).
You must love the Lord your God
with all your heart, all your soul
and all your strength. And you must
commit yourselves Wholeheartedly
to these commands that I am giving
you today. Repeat them Again and
Again to your children (Deut 6:5-7).

Lord, forgive me for treating Your
words casually for they’re absolute
truth, and our anchor in this world.
Help me follow You from my heart.
And I resolve to persevere and
not lose heart, no matter what
obstacles stand in the way or
what fears to hold me back. And
please reward me clearly enough
and often enough to keep me
coming to Your throne boldly. Amen

Lord, help me to love You with
all my heart, soul and strength. For
I have not yet been wholeheartedly
committed to Your commands or
made them a consistent part of
my life. Lord, loosen my tongue
to speak about my need for      Your grace and the confidence   that You’ll supply both to me.               In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, I want to love You with
my whole heart; for this is Your
greatest desire for me and that
it’s the reason I was made. But
You know how easily I can be
distracted by lesser things, how
forgetful I can be and how weak
my love can be. Remind me of
Your great love; and help my
heart respond to You and love
You more passionately. Amen.

Accepting & Trusting God’s Voice

God has led his people out of
Egypt and across the great desert.
Now they stand ready to enter
the promised land. But before the
Israelites go into the land, Moses
has impt advice to them which he
delivers in 3 parts. In the 1st part,
Moses reviews the history of
Israel with the crucial lesson: that
obedience brings blessing while
disobedience results in judgment.

Lord, we’ll Pray to Draw Close to U:
Observe the laws carefully, for this
will show yr wisdom to the nations,
who will say: “Surely this great
nation is a wise and understanding
people.” What other nation is so
great as to have their god near
them the way the Lord is Near us
whenever we Pray to Him (D4:6-7)
The Lord Spoke to you from the
heart of the fire. You Heard the
sound of his words but Didn’t See
his form; there was Only A Voice.
So He declared to you His covenant
which He commanded u to perform
the Ten Commandments (v12-13).

Lord, we thank You for being Close
to us when we pray. Thank You
that You hear and will answer us.
Thank You that in Your presence
there is transformation for my soul
and my life. I Draw Close to U and
ask for an increasing sense of Your
presence. I ask that You will help
me to pray more and more every
day; and give me increasing faith
to believe for the answers. Amen.

Lord, I realise in our relationship
with You, there will be a constant
interplay between the hidden and
the revealed. You don’t compel
our faith; and we always have to
choose to see what U are revealing.
So Lord, even as I hear Your voice
but don’t see Your form, please
enable me to accept as much as
I can of what You reveal. Help me
accept Your revelation & Trust what
-ever I don’t see beyond it. Amen.

Dear Lord, You want Your people
to place holiness as a way of life &
be obedient to You in every action.
Help us always Hallow Your laws
& help us Pray Draw Close to You.
Help us to purpose in our heart
Not be Afraid but Trust You God
by remembering Your mighty acts.
Help us Accept Your revelation
and Trust what see don’t see yet.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Guidance for Life Challenges

The time has come for the final
journey to Canaan. After a special
celebration of the Passover, the
people watch as the pillar of cloud
begins to move. It’s time to march!
But the thrill of expectation soon
gives way to tedium of travel. And
Moses is faced with numerous
problems: complaints about travel
conditions and food, longings
for the good old days in Egypt,
and jealousy by Miriam and Aaron
toward his position of leadership.

Lord, we’ll Follow Your Guidance:
On the day the Tabernacle was
set up, the cloud covered it.
But from evening until morning
the cloud over the Tabernacle
looked like a pillar of fire…
Whenever the cloud lifted from
the Tent, the Israelites set out;
wherever the cloud settled, the
Israelites encamped… At the
Lord’s command they encamped,
and at the Lord’s command they
set out. They obeyed the Lord’s
order, in accordance with his
command thro Moses (N9:15-23).

Lord, sometime I wish Your leading
as recognisable as a pillar of fire.
As we make our way through the
wilderness in this world, we do not
take Your presence for granted.
We want to move forward when
you move and stay where we are
when you stop. Thank you for
Your Holy Spirit who lives in us
and illumines Your Word, helping
us to know and understand yr will.
Thank you for renewing our minds
so we’ll know the good & perfect
will of God for our lives. Amen.

Lord, guide us in our journey
thro life. Help us understand and
recognise Your leading in every
decision we make. Give clear
direction so that we can stay on
the path You have for us. We know
following You doesn’t mean every
thing will be easy. Help us not lose
faith when the road gets rough.
For we want to always arrive at
the place You want us to be. Amen.

Dear Heavenly Father, You are a
Faithful God with good plan for us.
But like Israelites going through life
journey,we can still face challenges.
Help us Recognise Your Leading &
Follow Your Guidance in our life.
Help us to be Grateful & Thankful
for your provision and protection.
Help us Seek Help from You rather
than Murmuring and Complaining.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Obedience to the Father’s Will

The time has come for Jesus
to demonstrate the full extent of
His servanthood. For the Passover
Lamb of God, the king-awaited
hour has arrived. Conspired against
by His enemies, betrayed by one
close follower & denied by another,
tried and finally executed, Jesus’
life of service seems to be finished.
But in the greatest of all miracles,
Easter dawn reveals an empty
tomb setting the stage for Jesus
to commission His followers to
bear the glad tidings worldwide.

Lord, having thoroughly prepared
the disciples, your actions in the
Final Day on earth shows you are
Fully Obedient to the Father’s Will
to Give Yr Live as ransom (M10:45)
At the Last Supper, U said one of
u who eats with me will betray me
(M14:18) & yet U did not stop him.
You greatly desire to get out of
the intense suffering and yet You
went to Gethsemane to pray: Not
what I will but what You will (v36).
You Lord chose to surrender to the
Father’s will in obedience. Amen.

Lord, at trial b4 political authority,
when Pilate asked: Are you King
of the Jews? You said: It is as you
say. And yet when Pilate asked
about priests’ false accusations,
You answered nothing (M15:1-5).
In all your previous encounters
where religious leaders accused
You of wrong doings You had
no problem defending yet this
time You chose not to do so?!
And You cried: My God, My God,
why have You forsaken me ?
So when the centurion saw that
You cried out like this & breathed
Your last, he said: Truly this Man
was the Son of God! (M15:34-39).
Thank U Lord for Yr love enduring
all the suffering on our behalf. We
love You in deep gratitude! Amen.

Lord, we purpose to Trust Yr word:
We note U appeared to the eleven
and rebuked them for their lack
of faith and their stubborn refusal
to believe those who had seen him
after he had risen. Then You said:
Go into all the world and preach
the good news. Whoever believes
and it is baptised will be saved,
but whoever does not believe
will be condemned (M16:14-20).
Lord, with Your resurrection,
we have the assurance that we
will one day be resurrected and
also the good news to proclaim in
obedience to Yr commission. Amen

Lord, You have good plans for us
and You fulfil promises. We learnt
from last three chapters of Mark,
You are fully obedient to Father’s
will. Whilst Your sacrificial love
is really lofty, we are challenged
to be more obedient to God
and His mysterious ways. Holy
Spirit, grant us grace to take up
our cross, trust U without doubt
and carry out our assigned tasks
out of love and gratitude of You.
Whilst there may be challenges,
we know the almighty, all loving
& all faithful God is our side. Amen

Faith that Believes, Loves & Acts

The final week of Jesus’ earthly
life occupies more space in gospel
than other stages of Jesus’ ministry
His arrival in Jerusalem coincides
with the preparations for the Feast
of Passover. Though events move
quickly, Jesus is never hurried.
There is time to clean the temple,
watch widow contributes her mites
& give final instructions to disciples

Lord Jesus, You had all the power
of the Almighty God; raising the
dead, giving sight to the blind
and calming stormy seas. But
with all this power, You came to
mankind as a servant. Help us
Lord to use Your life as a pattern
& inspiration for how to live today.
Help us to have Faith & Not Doubt.
Help us to Love Wholeheartedly.
Help us Prepare for Yr Return.Amen

Lord, we’ll have Faith & Not Doubt:
Jesus said: Have faith in God.
For assuredly I say to you,
whoever says to this mountain,
be removed and be cast into
the sea and does not doubt,
but believes that those things
he says will be done, he will have
whatever he says. So, You can pray
for anything, and if you believe,
you will have it (Mk 11:22-24).
Lord, I have faith in You, the
Almighty, all loving faithful God.
And I believe that You reward
those who diligently seek You.
Lord, I place this issue before
You in faith and without doubt
and seeking Your face and will.
Your Word says if I ask anything
according to Your will, you hear
me and I can have what I ask of U.
Into your hand I surrender. Amen.

Lord, we’ll Love U Wholeheartedly:
(A teacher of religious law asked
Jesus): Of all the commandments
which is the most important?
Jesus replied: You must love
the Lord your God with all
your heart, all your soul, all
your mind and all your strength.
The second is equally important:
Love your neighbour as yourself.
No other commandment is greater
than these (Mark 12:28-31).
Lord, I am often too busy and
distracted to remember the most
important thing of all: Your love.
Help me to lay aside all else and
order my day around my love
for You. Teach me how to love
You and how to love people as
Christ loves them. As You fill me
with Your love, lead me to those
who need to know Your love. Amen

Lord, we’ll Prepare for Your Return:
Everyone will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds with great
power and glory. And He will send
out his angels to gather his chosen
ones from all over the world.
(Mk13:26-27). Since u don’t know
when (these things) will happen,
stay alert & keep watch. Don’t
let him find you sleeping when he
arrives without warning (v33-36)
Lord Jesus, U promised to come
back for your church. Help me
to be diligent while I anticipate
that day. For I need to share the
Good News with loved ones and
others who don’t know You yet.
Prepare their hearts to receive
that message. Help me not to
lose sight of what You have called
me to do while I am here on earth
and to wait for Your return with
hope and expectation. Amen.

Follow God’s Direction Patiently

The book of Exodus closes with
the record of how the tabernacle
& priestly garments are completed
exactly as God had instructed.
The people donated the materials,
the chosen artisans do the work,
Moses inspects finished product
and Aaron & his sons are anointed
for service. Finally, God declares
His satisfaction by filling the tent
with His glory. For the next 480 yrs
the tabernacle will remain the
focal point of the nation’s worship.

Lord, we purpose to Follow You:
Moses proceeded to do everything
as the Lord had commanded(40:16)
Then the cloud covered Tabernacle
and the glory of the Lord filled
the Tabernacle… Whenever the
cloud lifted from the Tabernacle,
the people of Israel would set
out on their journey, following it.
But if the cloud did not rise,
they remained where they were
until it lifted (Exo 40:34-37).

Lord, tell me everything that
I need to know so that I can
get to your eternal perspective
about my recovery & life’s work.
Reveal destructive tendencies to
enable informed decision making.
Reveal life assignments so that
I can plan engagement strategy.
I am eager to capture the facts
and ensuing wisdom that will
help me honour You with my life.

Lord, we note when the Israelites
were following God in wilderness,
they waited until the cloud rose
and led them; sometimes long
beyond their own comfort level.
That isn’t easy to do, but it’s an
exercise of faith and listening.
God want us to ask and wait; and
wait some more until we’ve heard.
No time is wasted in this process
when we follow the cloud of
direction into His will. Amen.

Lord, I turn attention to Your
subtle leading and invite You to
direct me however You choose.
Sometimes You led my paths
more methodically than I want.
Grant me a very patient spirit,
undo all my assumptions and
help me not rush to judgment.
And when I have heard from You,
help me act with confidence. Amen