Month: July 2020

Keeping to the Lord’s Way (July 24)

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.
Still refusing to admit the possibility
of an innocent man having to suffer,
Eliphaz begins round 3 of dialogue.

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 (v10-12).
Whatever He wants to do, he does.
He’ll Do for me all he has planned.
He Controls my destiny (v13-14).

Lord, You 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 to wait for You.
Lord, when I cannot really sense
Your presence or hear Your voice,
keep on drawing me towards 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 are In Control my destiny
and I fully trust in Your goodness.
So fill my vision with confident
hope, which is the expression
of goodness from Your hand.
You’ve 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.

Ready to Be Counted (July 23)

Esther has been elevated to queen
without her nationality discovered.
And Haman the villain also rises
to the top politically. His hatred for the Jews burns hot when Mordecai fails to pay homage to him. Haman
persuaded King Ahasuerus to issue
an edict for destruction for the Jewish race. Now Queen Esther
is faced with a deadly decision.
Should she risk revealing her nationality in an attempt to dissuade
the king? Or should she protect
her life and silently watch while
her countrymen are slaughtered?

Lord, we will Stand & Be Counted:
Mordecai sent this reply to Esther:
Don’t think for a moment because
you’re in the palace you will escape
when all other Jews are killed. If
you Keep Quiet at a time like this,
deliverance and relief for the Jews
will arise from some other place,
but you and your relatives will die.
Who knows you were made queen
for just such a time like this?…..
Go, gather together all the Jews…
and fast for me. Do not eat or drink
for three days, night or day. I and
my maids Will Fast as you do. When
this is done, I Will Go to the king,
even though it is against the law.
And If I Perish, I Perish (Est 4:13-16)

Lord to witness Esther’s courageous
Identification with You & Your people
causes me to look at my own life.
I must ask of myself if I have been
this bold and committed to being
a part of Your people. Give me the
courage I need to Identify Openly
with You and Your cause. And
give me the extraordinary courage
it takes to be different even if it
means being rejected because of
Identification With You Lord. Amen.

Lord, I pray You will help me to be
a person who has a Heart For You
and Your ways; and one who is
in the right place at the right time.
Enable me Lord as I Fast & Pray to have a powerful effect on the world
around me by standing up for what
is right and following Your leading.
Make my prayers powerful enough
to encourage and enable the lives
of the people and the church for
whom I pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, show me when Your Spirit is
calling me to Put Aside everything
else in order to seek You; and give
me grace to respond to that call.
Give me the discipline I need to be
able to Follow Through and the faith
to know that You are able to deliver
in whatever circumstances I am in.
Make my heart obedient, as Esther
was in Seeking You, if needed above
personal needs and interest; for You
God always keep promises. Amen.

God Put Word In Your Heart (Jul 22)

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 you?
With A Prayer to God of heaven,
(Nehemiah) replied: If it please
Your majesty… send me to Judah
to Rebuild the city (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… And I went out by night… and
Viewed the walls which were broken
& 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 saying the request to king.
And I surrender the church to You
and please manifest in my life with
Your Restoring power. Lord, 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, secure my steps
and lead me Lord 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 for Your name sake. Amen.

Being Stirred by the Spirit (July 21)

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 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 (Nehemiah 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
are 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 trouble,
we tend to fill prayers with plans
that we want You to put into action.
Learning from Nehemiah, we claim
upon Your promises, imploring
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 the mighty name of Jesus, Amen

Implore God thro Fast & 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 & humble
ourselves before our God to Seek
from 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.
It also frees 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 and can change our hearts & minds. Lord,
Grant us grace to fast & pray. Amen

Lord, Help me fast & pray regularly.
Show me how often & 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.
We purpose to forsake the physical
need for food for a season in order
to heighten our spiritual senses.
Amplify Your voice this fasting time,
hear our cries and lead us in the
Right way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Seek God for Assistance (July 19)

Backgrounder on 2 Chron 17-20:
Jehoshaphat institutes a peace
treaty with the king of Israel. And
it causes Judah being entangled
in a war between Israel and Syria.
But his reaction to divine rebuke,
his appointment of judges to rule
for the Lord and his Godward
response to crisis point to the
day-by-day reality of his faith.

Lord, we Seek Your Assistance:
Jehoshaphat set himself to seek
the Lord and proclaimed a fast…
Are You not our God, who drove
out the inhabitants of this land
and gave it to the descendants
of Abraham Your Friend forever?
And here are the people of Ammon,
Moab & Mt Seir…O our God, won’t
You stop them? For we have no
power against this great multitude
that is coming against us nor do
we know what to do, but our eyes
are upon You (2Chron 20:3-12).
Do not be afraid nor dismayed…for
the battle is not yours but God’s…
You’ll not need to fight in this battle.
Position yourselves. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who
is with You… Believe in the Lord and
you shall be established (v15-20).

Lord sometimes I feel so over-
whelmed, all I can say is “Help”.
When I don’t know what to do,
but I am looking to You for help,
please help me to fully trust You.
instead of focusing on the situation.
When trouble comes, help me
to keep my eyes solely on You.
For the battle belongs to the Lord.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Father God, when at our wits end,
we come seeking You for assistance.
We call on You for we know Your almighty power & promises to us.
We look to You for we don’t know
what to do but our eyes are on You.
We depend and rest on You Lord,
trusting we will see Your salvation.
And we believe in You Lord and
trust we will be established. Amen.

Lord, give me the boldness to take
steps of faith. Help me be discerning
without over analysing. And also to
trust Your ability to lead more than
my ability to miss Your leading.
And Lord, make clear what You are
saying to me through Your people.
If I err in understanding, then may it
be on the side of belief rather than
skepticism. And show me the path
to success in Your purposes. Amen.

Return to the Lord (July 19)

A plague of locusts hits Judah
with the fury of an invading army, destroying vegetation and turning
the countryside into a lifeless desert.
Fields of grain disappear and grape
vines are stripped bare, fruit trees
and gardens are wiped clean. The prophet Joel seizes the occasion
to preach God’s message to Judah:
The present calamity is only warning.
An even greater devastation awaits
those who continue to live in sin
and rebellion. The day of judgment
is coming, and only those who
sincerely repent and return to God
will be sheltered from the terrible
force of His righteous wrath.

Father God, You are in control, with
justice & restoration in Your hands.
Thank You Lord for Your gracious
patience and that You prefer to
bless us rather than discipline us.
Lord, we Seek Your Forgiveness;
Lord, we Seek Your Restoration;
Lord, we Seek Your Blessings
as we purpose to align to Your ways.
Grant us grace as we place our lives
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ mighty name we pray.

Lord, we Seek Your Forgiveness:
Wake up, you drunkards & weep!
All the grapes are ruined and all
you new wine is gone! A vast army
of locusts has invaded my land…
The grapevines and the fig trees
have all withered.The pomegranate
trees, palm trees and apple trees
– all the fruit trees have all dried up.
All joy has dried up with them.
Dress yourselves in sackcloth…
Wail, you who serve before the altar!
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
ministers of God (Joel 1:5-6, 12-13)
Lord, Thank You for being gracious
and merciful, not easily angered
but filled with lovingkindness
and deep longing for Your people.
Grant us the gift of repentance
so that we can return to you with
all our hearts. Thank You for hearing
our cries for help and bringing restoration to our life. Amen.

Lord, we Seek Your Restoration:
Return to the Lord your God for
He is gracious and merciful…
He is filled with kindness and is
eager not to punish you…Perhaps
even sending u a blessing instead…
So I will Restore to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten.
You shall eat in plenty and be
satisfied… And My people shall
never be put to shame. Then you
shall know… I am the Lord your God
and there is no other… I will pour
out My Spirit on all flesh… And
whoever calls on the name of the
Lord shall be saved (Joel 2:13-32)
Lord, Thank You that it’s not
too late to turn to You and see
restoration happen in my life.
Even though there has been time
wasted when I didn’t live fully for U,
pray that You will redeem the time
and help me to make up for it.
Restore anything that has been
lost, wasted or ruined so that
I can give You the glory. Amen.

Lord, we Seek Your Blessings
and we Align ourselves to You:
Then you will know that I the Lord
your God live in Zion… Jerusalem
will be holy forever and foreign
armies will never conquer her again
In that day the mountains will drip
with sweet wine and the hills will
flow with milk. Water will fill the
dry streambeds of Judah and
a fountain will burst forth from
the Lord’s Temple, watering the
arid valley of acacias (Joel 3:17-19)
Lord, we note from scripture that
blessings come from God and
those who attach themselves to
Him will be fruitful. But all evil in
the world will one day be destroyed
Glad we are aligned to You and glad
that You are on our side. Amen.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FSAFk2N4H9E

God Protects His People (July 18)

Obadiah is given the unenviable
task of confronting 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
Jerusalem, the Edomites rushed
in to help the enemy! As a result,
God sends Obadiah to predict
doom for the nation for refusing
to be its “brother keeper.”

Dear Lord God Almighty, we praise and Thank You for being in control,
that You are always on our side
and You will Protect Your People.
Help us Lord Not to Be Proud,
help us to Help Others in need;
and Protect us from harm. Amen.

Lord, help us Not to Be Proud:
The Lord says to Edom: I will
cut you down to size among the
nations; u will be greatly despised.
You have been deceived by your
own pride because you live in
a rock fortress and make your
home high in the mountains. Who
can ever reach us way up here?
you ask boastfully. But even as
if you soar as high as eagles and
build your nest among the stars,
I will bring you crashing down,
says the Lord… (Obadiah 2-4).
Lord, we realise Your Word warns
that pride leads to destruction.
And placing one’s security in
anything other than God is foolish.
Only God is strong & trustworthy.
Only He can supply true security.
Help us O Lord not to rely on self
but instead recognise vulnerability
and find security in You God. Amen

Lord, we will Help Those In Need:
Because of the violence you did
to your close relatives in Israel.
Now u will be destroyed completely
and filled with shame forever.
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 carried
off their wealth and cast lots
to divide Jerusalem. You acted
as though you were one of
Israel’s enemies (Obadiah 10-11).
Lord, Your Word in James 4:17
says that if one withheld help from
someone in time of need, this is sin.
So sin includes not only what we
do but also what we refuse to do.
Help us Lord not to ignore or
refuse help to those in need. Amen

Lord, You Protect Your People:
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. All your evil
deeds will fall back in your heads.
Just as you swallowed up my
people, so you & the surrounding
nations will swallow the punishment
I pour out on you…But Jerusalem
will become a refuge for those
who escape…And the people of
Israel will come back to reclaim
their inheritance (Obadiah 15-20)
Lord, You will judge and fiercely
punish all who harm His people.
We can be confident in Your
final victory. You’re 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 & the confidence
placed in You will not be in vain.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Seeking God for Help (July 18)

This week we learn the importance
of Seeking God to position ourselves
in order to encounter His presence.
On Monday, we learn from Solomon
in 2Chr7 to Seek God for Recovery.
On Tuesday, we learn from King Asa
in 2Chr16 to Seek God for Strength.
On Wed, we learn from Jehoshaphat
in 2Chr18 to Seek God for Protection
On Thu, we learn from Jehoshaphat
in 3Ch20 to Seek God for Assistance
On Friday, we learn from Hezekiah
in 2Chr32 to Seek God for Support. Let us humble ourselves and pray;  and seek His face… In Jesus’ name.

Seek God for Support (July 17)

Backgrounder on 2 Chron 29-32:
In the very first month of his reign
Hezekiah repairs the house of the
Lord, restores the long-neglected
Temple worship and declares war
on idol worship & pagan practices.
When the Assyrian King besieges
Jerusalem, Hezekiah prays for
deliverance and God answers.

Lord, we focus on You for Support:
When Hezekiah saw Sennacherib
had come to make war, he consulted
with his leaders and commanders…
he strengthened himself, built up
all the walls… Then hee gathered the
pple & gave them encouragement.
Be strong and courageous. Do not
be afraid or discouraged because
of the king of Assyria and the vast
army with him, for there is a greater
power with us than with him.
With him is only the arm of flesh,
but with us is the Lord our God
to help us and to fight our battles.
And the people gained confidence
from what Hezekiah the king of
Judah said (2Chronicles 32:2-8).

Lord, we learnt from the passage
when King Hezekiah faced a strong
enemy, he told his people the truth
that You God is in fact greater.
Help us when we sometimes feel
overwhelmed at how little strength
in the midst of the challenges.
Help us not to worry but instead
pray, remembering that the one
who is in us is Greater than the
one who is in the world. Amen.

Lord, when we face overwhelming
circumstances, we seems small
and the enemy wants us to be trapped in that perspective.
But Your Word urges us to be
strong and courageous and to
let our eyes come to rest on God.
Praise be to Lord God Almighty
for we’re never in the battle alone
for our battle is the Lord’s. Amen.

Lord, thank You that You are
with me in everything of my life.
No matter what comes against me,
You are with me in all that I face.
And in faith, I am leaving You to
take charge of all my situations.
I praise You and Your greatness
in the midst of all that seems large
and looming in my life. For the
battle belongs to the Lord. Amen.