Category: 2021 Prayers

El Kanna The Jealous God (Jan 21)

For the first time in four centuries,
the Israelites are free to worship
and walk with their holy God.
But how do they approach God?
What are His righteous demands?
At Mount Sinai Moses prepares the
pple to receive the Commandments ,
a body of law which they promise
to obey – even before it is delivered!
After two days of purification,
the nation witnesses an awesome
display of God’s majesty as He
descends in a thick cloud to deliver
the Ten Commandments, the broad
moral principles which will guide
the new nation and set it apart
from its pagan neighbours.

All Praise be to El Kanna:
I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of bondage. You shall
have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself
a carved image. You shall not bow
down to them nor worship them.
For I the Lord your God, am a
jealous God El Kanna (Exo 20:2-5)

El Kanna, You don’t want us
to worship idol, because
You are the only one true God.
You deserve to be a jealous God
as everything comes from You.
Thank You for restraining each time
we place something higher than You.
Thank You for being a jealous God
for it indicates how much You care.
For if You didn’t love us deeply
You would not be jealous. Amen.

El Kanna, You know how many
times I have gone to someone
before seeking Your presence
or wisdom in a given situation.
Lord, You have protected me
and granted me success and yet
I feel pride in what I misconstrue
to be my own doing. Forgive me El
Kanna for provoking Your jealousy.
Forgive my insensitivity & sin. Amen

El Kanna, we ask You to teach us
the ways to honour You in our lives;
in our thoughts, words and deeds.
Let our desires reflect Yr yearnings
and let our lips bring You delight.
We ask Lord for Your favour that
we might have a life that truly
respects You and bless others.
And enable us to give You the
praise that is truly due You. Amen.

Lord My Banner Jehovah Nissi

When Israel left Egypt, there were
two things the people could do well:
make bricks and complain. And
as supplies decrease, complains
increase. When their resources
run out, God supplies manna,
quail and water in abundance to
demonstrate that He is now their
reliable source of supply. And Israel
fights and wins its first military battle.

All Praise be to Jehovah Nissi:
Joshua fought with Amalek
while Moses, Aaron and Hur
went up to the top of the hill.
And so it was, when Moses held
up his hand that Israel prevailed
and when he let down his hand,
Amalek prevailed. But Moses’
hands became heavy. Aaron and
Hur supported his hands and his
hands were steady. So Joshua
defeated Amelek. And Moses
built an altar and called its
name: The LORD Is My Banner
Jehovah Nissi (Exodus 17:10-15)

Jehovah Nissi, I worship You for
being the banner over my life.
When I face trials and troubles,
I can look to You to cover me.
You have said that in the world
I will face tribulation but that
You have overcome the world!
Thank You for being my banner
and for helping me to move forward and let the past be the past. Amen.

Jehovah Nissi, I’ve wasted much
time fearing for things that I should
have looked to You to handle.
Lord, forgive me for the times
I have doubted by turning to my
fears rather than turning to You.
You promised in Your Word that
I will find You if I will seek You.
So I seek You Jehovah Nissi as
my banner and my victory. Amen.

Jehovah Nissi, You are my banner.
And without You the storms of life
come upon me and overwhelm me.
You are good and You are strong;
and I ask You to help translate
that knowledge into my emotions.
Then I will feel secure and at peace
in the midst of life’s storms even as
I look to You Jehovah Nissi as my
banner and my strong arm. Amen.

Lord our Healer Jehovah Rapha

Delivering the people from Egyptian
bondage is only the first step in
God’s plan to bring the Israelites
to the Promised Land of Canaan.
Many obstacles lie ahead. Pharaoh
whose heart is again hardened,
sends his armies in pursuit of Moses
and the people. Trapped between
the Red Sea and the rapidly
approaching chariots of Egypt,
the people cry out in desperation –
and God answers in a miracle.

All Praise be to Jehovah Rapha:
Moses cried to the Lord for help
& the Lord showed him a branch.
Moses took the branch and threw
it into the water. This made the
water good to drink. It was there
at Marah that the Lord test their
faithfulness to him: if you will obey
His commands, then I’ll not make
you suffer the diseases I sent
on the Egyptians, for I am the
Lord Who Heals (Jehovah Rapha)
you (Exodus 15:25-26). Amen.

Jehovah Rapha, You can remove
sickness, reverse disease and
bring about healing in our bodies.
We may look to physicians and
medicine to heal us but You have
the final say. We praise You for
Your power & willingness to heal.
And grateful that when we cry to
You in time of trouble, You will save
us from distress by sending forth
Your word and healing us. Amen.

Jehovah Rapha, forgive us for
harming our body by not resting
enough, exercising consistently
or not eating well. Forgive us for
not treasuring our body treating
it with value that it deserves as
your creation and temple. Forgive
us for not trusting in your healing
power and worrying what might
be wrong in our or relative’s body.

Jehovah Rapha, heal our heart
where bitterness has taken hold.
Heal our body where sickness
has crept in. Heal our soul where
doubt plagues us; and heal our
hopes when we have given up.
Heal our thoughts so that we will
think that which is lovely and Heal
our words so we speak kindness.
And remind us to care for our body
that You’ve given to enjoy life. Amen

Eternal All-Sufficient God Ehyeh

With his long period of desert exile
drawing to a close, Moses becomes
God’s choice to lead the people
out of bondage. When confronted
by God in the burning bush, Moses
is far from convinced he is the
right man for the job! But once his
objections have been answered,
Moses confronts Pharaoh, armed
with supernatural signs. True to
God’s prediction, Pharaoh not only
refuses to let the people go, but
increases their labours as well.
As the people react with anger,
God responds with assurance that
His nation will indeed be redeemed.

Praise be to Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh:
Then Moses said to God:
Indeed, when I come to the
children of Israel and say to them:
The God of your fathers has sent
me to you and they say to me:
What is His name? what shall I say
to them? And God said to Moses:
I AM WHO I AM (Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh)
And He said: Thus you shall say
to the children of Israel: I AM has
sent me to you (Exodus 3:13-14).

Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, all praise to U for
there’s so much power in Your name
for You are the All-Sufficient One.
By Your name, You control the
outcome of nations; and You led
the Israelites into freedom assuring
them that You are All-Sufficient.
And Your sufficiency makes me
whole for I am after all Your child.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, whilst You
hold the world in Your hands,
we confess our insufficiency in
the light of Your all-sufficiency.
Pardon the impatience we feel
when something goes wrong at
home, at work, or in a relationship.
Forgive any bitterness and doubts
that You Lord are totally good,
mighty and fair; and that You are
completely sufficient for us. Amen.

Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, You are the
great I AM and beyond my capacity
of thinking and understanding.
But I trust You and pray that Your
Spirit will graciously pray into my
life the things that You want me
to accomplish and experience.
Empower me to cooperate with
You as You manifest Your kingdom.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Getting Priorities Right (Jan 17)

Consider your ways & Finish what
you have begun are the resounding
calls of prophet Haggai as he tries
to awaken the people spiritually.
They have just returned from exile
in Babylonia and are discouraged
by the destruction in the city.
But Haggai’s message brings
encouragement, particularly to the
governor, Zerubbabel, who must
inspire the people. I am with you,
declares the Lord as the people are
called to rebuild and fight against
future oppression. There is hope and
future blessing for their obedience!

God had given the Jews assignment
to finish the temple in Jerusalem
when they returned from captivity.
After 15 years, they still had not
completed it. They were more
concerned about building their own
homes than finishing God’s work.
Prophet Haggai told them to get
their priorities straight. Dear Lord
it’s easy to make other priorities more
important than doing God’s work.
But God wants us to follow through
and build up the kingdom of God.
Help us not to make excuses but
to set our hearts on what is right.
Help us to Get our Priorities Right.
Help us to Be Strong & Courageous.
Help us to Put our Trust In You. For
You’re Way Maker & Promise Keeper.

Lord, we’ll Get Priorities Right:
Consider your ways! Go up to the
mountains and bring wood and
build the temple, that I may take
pleasure in it and be glorified,
says the Lord. You expected much,
but see, it turned out to be little.
What u brought home, I brew away.
Why? declares the Lord Almighty.
Because of my house, which
remains a ruin, while each of you is
busy with his own house (Hag1:8-9)
Lord, help me to not be concerned
with outward appearance and
selfish pursuits, but rather to be
concerned with spiritual growth,
unselfish service, the condition
of our hearts and the things that
touch the hearts of You God.
Help me to have my priorities
in order so that my walk with
You continues to grow closer
and deeper over time. Amen.

Lord, we’ll be Strong & Courageous:
Yet now be strong Zerubbabel,
says the Lord; and be strong
Joshua the high priest; and be
strong all you people of the land,
says the Lord, and work; for I am
with you, says the Lord of hosts.
My Spirit remains among you,
just as I promised when you
came out of Egypt. So do
not be afraid (Haggai 2:4-5).
Lord, sometimes You God gives
us challenging tasks to do. And
they may seem completely out
of our reach; and we may feel
like just give up, thinking the job
is impossible. But Lord, no job
is impossible when You God
tells us it’s part of Your plan
and You say it’s time to do it.
Empower us Lord with Your
wisdom & perseverance. Amen.

Lord, we Trust You Keep Promises:
It is… the day in which the people
finished working on the foundation
of the Temple of the Lord…
from now on I will bless you!
Then the Lord spoke His word
a second time to Haggai… He said:
I will… talked away the power
of the kingdoms of the nations…
On that day I will take you,
Zerubbabel… my servant says the
Lord, and I will make you important…
because I have chosen you!
says the Lord (Haggai 2:18-23).
Lord, we note that as the stones
of the temple have obediently
been laid, You God declares
Yourself as the one who blesses.
And we praise You for we know
in Christ, You God is for us and
want to bless us abundant life.
We also note You promise that
Zerubbabel will rise to prominence.
And the birth of Christ proves You
are a faithful promise keeper. Amen.

Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (Jan17)

As the Bible is arranged by genre,
to enhance understanding context
we’re meditating by time sequence.
OT1A: Genesis
OT1B: Poetry Book of Job
OT1C: Life of Moses (Exo to Deut)
OT2A: History to David (Josh-1Chr)
OT2B: Five Books of Psalms
OT2C: 1 Kings & Wisdom Poetry
OT3A: 2 Kings & Prophets
OT3B: 2 Chronicles & Prophets
OT3C: Post Exilic Period & Prophets

In the final part of Phase Three,
we had earlier covered the history
of the post-exilic period under
Esther, Ezra and Nehemiah.
Continuing into the prophets, we
start with Haggai, written 520 BC
with purpose to call the people to
complete the rebuilding the temple.
Zechariah; written around 519 BC
for chap 1-8 & 480BC for chap 9-14,
with purpose to give hope to God’s
people by revealing God’s future
deliverance through the Messiah.
Malachi, written 430BC, to confront
the people with their sins and to
restore their relationship with God.

Haggai: “Consider your ways and
finish what you have begun” are
the resounding calls of the prophet
Haggai as he tries to awaken the
people spiritually. They have just
returned from exile in Babylonia
and are discouraged by the
destruction in the city. But Haggai’s
message brings encouragement,
particularly to the governor,
Zerubbabel who must inspire the
people. “I am with you,” declares
the Lord as the people are called
to rebuild and fight against future
oppression. There is hope and
future blessing for their obedience!

Zechariah: Using colourful visions
and consoling sermons to portray
God’s glorious future plans for
His covenant people, Zechariah
encourages the workers engaged
in rebuilding the temple. Although
earlier enthusiasm has waned,
the task is an important one, for
the temple will be the focal point
of the ministry of Israel’s coming
Messiah. God will keep His promises
to His people, and fasting will turn
to feasting when Messiah arrives.
So put away sin, finish the temple &
await the Messiah with encitement.

Malachi: Years after the restoration
from exile, the spiritual condition
of God’s people has deteriorated.
Again they have lapsed into the
same sins that brought about
captivity. They tithe sporadically,
ignore the Sabbath and intermarry
with unbelievers.Their hearts have
grown hard and their love for God
has grown cold, yet Malachi comes
to remind the people of God’s love
for them. Malachi’s final warning
about the purifying Day of the Lord
marks the close of Old Testament
period which is followed by 400
years of silence in biblical record.

Defending Purity in the Lord(Jan16)

With the walls in place and the
spiritual condition of the nation
revived, Nehemiah now sets about
the task of organising the populace.
One-tenth of the people are chosen
to relocate within the city walls
while the rest remains in suburbs.
The walls are formally dedicated
and temple officers commissioned
to oversee the function of national
worship. Nehemiah then returns
from Babylon to find Tabiah living
in a temple storeroom; and the
people displaying a shocking
disregard for God’s laws concerning
marriage and the Sabbath. Assuming
again the role of reformer, Nehemiah
labours to restore national purity.

Lord, the book of Nehemiah is about
rebuilding the wall of a great city,
but it is also about spiritual renewal,
rebuilding a people’s dependence
on God. And Nehemiah’s life story
also provides many principles of
effective leadership that still valid:
Have a clear purpose and keep
evaluating in light of God’s will;
Live above reproach; and be in
constant prayer, deriving wisdom
and power from contact with God.
Lord, help us don’t lose sight of
doing what’s important to be a
spiritual leader; to focus on being
God’s person & doing what He wants.
Help us Keep Out Compromise;
Help us Be Distinctly Your People;
Help us to Lead by Example. Amen.

Lord, we will Keep Out Compromise:
I was not in Jerusalem at that time,
for I had returned to King Artaxerxes
of Babylon in the 32nd year of
his reign, though I later asked his
permission to return. When I arrived
in Jerusalem, I learnt about Eliashib’s
evil deed in providing Tobiah with
a room in the courtyards of the
Temple of God. I became very upset
and threw all of Tobiah’s belongings
out of the room (Nehemiah 13:6-8).
Lord, You know our heart for our
children to walk in Your ways.
You have heard our prayers and
You have witnessed our work.
But our children are ultimately
Your children. And they need
much more than godly parents.
For they need You to keep them
from compromises. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, we’ll be Distinctly Your People:
I gave orders to purify the rooms,
and then I put back into them the
equipment of the house of God,
with the grain offerings and the
incense. I also learned that the
portions assigned to the Levites
had not been given to them, and
that all the Levites… had gone back
to their fields. So I asked… Why is
the house of God neglected? Then
I called them… and stationed them
at their posts (Nehemiah 13:9-11).
Lord, we note Nehemiah to do what
is right and holy. All along he was
personally seeking to please God
and wants to ensure God’s people
remain distinctive fr their neighbours.
Help us Lord the desire to be holy
and to stand up for what us true
in Your eyes. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, we will Lead by Example:
In those days I saw men of Judah
treading out their wine press on the
Sabbath. They were also bringing
in grain loading it on donkeys and
bringing… all sorts of produce to
Jerusalem to sell on the Sabbath…
So I confronted the nobles of Judah.
Why are you profaning the Sabbath
in this evil way? I asked. Wasn’t it
just this sort of thing that your
ancestors did that caused our God
to bring all this trouble upon us?
Now you are bringing even more
wrath upon Israel by permitting
the Sabbath to be desecrated
in this way (Nehemiah 13:15-18).
Lord, we learn that Nehemiah is
a leader by example. He leads the
Israelites in rebuilding the city walls
& establishes policies for residents.
He also helps renew the covenant
& keeps Israelites on track with God.
Help us Lord learn from Nehemiah
what good leaders should do. And
grant us the wisdom and strength
to lead by example. In Jesus’ name.

The Almighty Shadday (Jan 15)

Gen 48-50 conclude the book of
beginnings by recording the final
acts of Jacob and Joseph, along
with their deaths and burials.
Jacob’s blessing upon Joseph’s
two sons, announcing that the
younger would be more honoured
than the older, is in keeping with
the pattern established in Genesis
(Isaac instead of Ismael, Jacob
instead of Esau, Joseph instead
of Reuben). As his final earthly act,
Jacob blesses each of his 12 sons,
giving a divinely guided pronounce
-ment of their future history.
Jacob’s body is embalmed and
taken back to Canaan for burial,
while Joseph’s body remains
in Egypt until the release of
the newly born nation of Israel.

All Praise to the Almighty:
Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful
vine near a spring..His bow remained
in strength, and the arms of his
hands were made strong by the
hands of the Mighty God of Jacob…
By the God of your father who will
help you, and the Almighty who
will bless you, with blessings of
heaven above (Gen 49:22-25).

Dear The Amighty, throughout
history, You have chosen Israel
and its people as Your very own.
Through Israel, You’ve also delivered
to all humanity the gift of salvation
thru one of their own Jesus Christ.
In gratitude, we give You praise
and thanksgiving for Your plan of
salvation and for delivering Israel
throughout the years so that
Jesus Christ could enter the world.
And we look forward to His return
for gathering of His sheep including
those from the nation of Israel. Amen

The Almighty God, forgive me for
failing to pray for Your people as
You have instructed in Your Word.
Forgive me for the times I have
turned an uncaring heart to the
destruction of Israel as a nation.
And pardon the nations who have
not used their capabilities to help
protect Your chosen ones. Amen.

The Almighty God, we ask You to
grant peace to the land of Israel.
We lift up to You the government
and the military to protect & defend
innocent people from militants.
Pray that Your kingdom agenda
will steadily manifest in Israel; and
let more Israeli come to know Christ.
We bless Israel in Your name and
ask You to bless them as well. And
help us to share Your heart for Israel.
In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

God of House of God El Bethel

In Gen 32-36, Jacob the schemer
becomes Jacob the servant of God.
After leaving his uncle Laban, Jacob
fears the inevitable reunion with
his entranged brother Esau. But
before he can be reconciled to Esau,
he must first be reconciled to God.
At the Jabbok River he wrestles
with the Angel of Jehovah, insisting
on a blessing before he will release
him. The angel assures him of God’s
continued presence and leaves him
with a new name (Israel, God strives)
and a permanent limb. After an
emotional reunion with Esau, Jacob
returns to Canaan, where God
confirms His promises to Abraham
and Isaac – promises of a larger
posterity and a new homeland.

All Praise be to El Bethel:
Then God said to Jacob: Go up
to Bethel and dwell there; and
make an altar there to God, who
appeared to you when you fled
from the face of Esau your brother…
And they journeyed and the terror
of God was upon the cities that
we’re all around them; and they
did not pursue the sins of Jacob…
And he built an altar there and
called the place El Bethel, because
there God appeared to him when he
fled from… his brother (Gen 35:1-7)

El Bethel, You’ve revealed Yourself
to all of us in countless ways and
we give You praise for who You are.
For since the creation of the world,
Your eternal power & divine nature
have been clearly seen, being under
-stood thru what has been made.
Thank You for taking up residence
in me & making my spirit Your house.
My body is the temple of the living God & my life is bethel where U live.
May my life bring glory to You. Amen

El Bethel, I don’t always see You
when You reveal Yourself to me.
And I confess that I fail to marvel
at the depth of Your wisdom.
Forgive me when U have revealed
Yourself to me and yet I chose
to view You with earthly eyes
rather than spiritual discernment.
Let my love abound more & more in
knowledge and depth of insight so
that I may discern what’s best. Amen

El Bethel, abide in me; and set up
Your home in the depths of my soul.
Let Your words dwell in me that
I may know and live by them for You.
Show me how to honour You through
this temple U have set up within me.
Guide me in my eating habits and
my entertainment choices so that
as Your house (bethel) I may glorify
You in all I do. And grant me the
discernment to reflect U well. Amen