Month: August 2020

Speak the Lord’s Words (Aug 31)

While Jeremiah is preaching about
the judgment of God on Judah,
his contemporary Ezekiel in Babylon
is interpreting God’s judgment to those Jews already in captivity. However, Ezekiel’s preaching
also contains large doses of hope.
The 70 year exile will teach God’s
people “that I am the Lord”, thus
preparing them for restoration.

Lord, You Speak thro Your Word:
The voice said to (Ezekiel): Eat what
I am giving you – eat this scroll!
Then go and give its message to
the people… So I opened my mouth…
And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet
as honey in my mouth (Ezek 3:1-3).
Then He added: Let all My words
sink deep into your own heart first.
Listen to them carefully for yourself.
Then go to your people in exile
and say to them: This is what the
Sovereign LORD says (v10-11).
I have appointed you as a watch
-man for Israel. Whenever you
receive a message from Me,
warn people immediately (v17).

Lord, following Your voice is hard
for Your Words are difficult to obey.
Put Your truth in me, and let me
consume Your message in my
mouth so that it tasted like honey.
And help me embody Your voice
and Your message in my being
and in my life. And let me speak
to others the words that comes
straight from Your heart. Amen.

Lord, thank You for the invitation
to embody Your Word of truth.
I want to understand You Lord,
Your thoughts and feelings as well
as Your work and Your ways. For
I love You and I want to experience
the benefits of Your love for me.
Whatever blessings there may be,
I want to become one with You,
in principle and also in experience.
And I want to embody who You
are in Word and in Spirit. Amen.

Lord, thank You for the message
that You have given me as well as
the indicative target audience.
Sovereign Lord, I ask for Your will
to be indeed my will and desire.
And that include about whom You
want me to serve and what You
You want me to say to them.
May revelation of these specifics
make me more passionate about
Your assignment for me. Amen.

Hold On to God’s Plan

Jeremiah’s messages of judgment
arouse opposition in the palace.
During Jehoiakim’s reign, Jeremiah
is threatened with a death sentence.
While Zedekiah rules, Jeremiah dons
a wooden yoke to portray Jerusalem
surrendering to Babylon. In midst of
turmoil, Jeremiah sends the exiles
in Babylon an encouraging letter.

Lord, You have Good Plans For Us:
After 70 years are completed at
Babylon, I will visit you & perform
My Good Word toward you and
cause you to return to this place.
For I know the Plans I have for
you, declares the Lord, Plans to
prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope & a future.
Then you Will Call upon me and
come and Pray to me, and I will
listen to you. And you Will Seek Me
and Find Me, when u Search for Me
with all your heart (Jer 29:10-13).

Lord, we note despite the depth
of Judah’s faithlessness, so great
is Your love that You Promised
to bring Your people home again.
Thank You Lord for Your Plans,
though I may not fully understand.
Thank You for the promise to listen when I pray. Help me persevere
in seeking You; for in seeking You,
I know that I will find You. Amen.

Lord, thank you that Your plans
for me are for good to prosper me
and give me a Future and a Hope.
Lord, I realise that Your good plan
requires our participative prayer.
I seek You about my future and Ask
You to help me to hear Your voice
leading me each step of the way.
Help me Obey You and not do any
thing that hinder Your plan. Amen.

Lord, thank You for planning
a future and a hope for my life.
Because of Your Power and Your
Faithfulness, I know that nothing
in my life is outside Your Control.
Help me to willingly submit to Your
will for my future. Draw me to look
for You and to pray wholeheartedly.
And grant that my hope be grounded
in your Unchanging Character. Amen

God Restores His People (Aug 30)

Few passages of Scripture present
such a complete picture of God.
Here you can find the God who
hates sin and judges it (30:12-15);
yet loves and forgives the sinner
(v18-22). You see the God of wrath (v23-24) & the God of love (31:1-9).
Above all you find portrayed the saving God who regathers His scattered flock (v10-22) and establishes with them a new covenant (v23-34); a promise
that rests on the guarantee of His
sovereign power (v35-37; 33:19-22)

God pledges to reestablish
the nation after it has been
purified by the discipline of exile.
As a sign, He orders Jeremiah to
buy a field that would soon belong
to the conquering Babylonians.
As surely as day follows night,
that land will one day become part
of the restored nation to be ruled
by David’s messianic descendant.
Lord, we appreciate Your loving
kindness and restoring Your people;
Thankful for Your Unfailing Love;
Praise You for Your Mighty Power &
Grateful for Your Accessibility. Amen

Lord, we thank Your Unfailing Love:
I have loved you My people, with
an everlasting love. With unfailing
love, I have drawn you to Myself…
I will put My instructions deep
within them, and I will write them
on their hearts. I’ll be their God, and
they will be My people (Jer 31:3,33)
Lord, Your Word reveals You
deeply desire us as Your people.
And so I can confidently come
to You because You want me to.
Forgive me for sometimes resisting
Your love and being blind to
Your faithful working in my life.
Father, lead me in Your ways,
and teach me Your commands.
I want Your love to be my anchor,
and I am willing to say yes to
whatever Your plan is. Amen.

Lord, You are Bigger Than Anything:
I’m the Lord, the God of all mankind
Is anything too hard for me?
Therefore thus says the Lord:
Behold I will give this city into
the hand of the Chaldeans, into
the hand of Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon, and he shall
take it (Jeremiah 32:27-28).
Lord, grateful that nothing in my life
is beyond Your reach and nothing is
too difficult for Your powerful hand.
Help me know You display Your
power best in impossible situations.
And Give me greater understanding
of who You are so that my trust
in You Lord will be complete. Amen.

Lord, You Give Us Direct Access:
This is what the Lord says:
The Lord who made the earth,
who formed it and established it,
whose name is the LORD:
Ask me & I will tell you remarkable
secrets you do not know about
things to come (Jer 33:2-3).
Lord, I want to hear from You; and
speak in a way I can understand.
I may make mistakes and mishear You sometimes, but I trust You to gently correct me and teach me.
I need to know Your voice & to be honest, I am not the best listener.
For I often go in so many directions
and do all the talking and don’t
wait to hear what You have to say.
Teach me to hear Your voice; and grant me faith to trust & obey. Amen

Submit to the Lord (Aug 29)

Jeremiah’s messages of judgment
arouse strong opposition, especially
in the palace. During Jehoiakim’s
reign, Jeremiah is threatened with
a death sentence. While Zedekiah
rules, Jeremiah dons a wooden
yoke to portray the importance of
Jerusalem surrendering to the yoke
of Babylon; and thereby arouses
the denunciation of the false
prophet Hananiah. In the midst
of this turmoil, Jeremiah sends
the exiled in Babylon a letter of encouragement, urging them to
settle down for an extended and
predicted period of captivity.

Jeremiah’s wooden yoke represents
the harsh domination of Babylon.
Jesus’ yoke symbolises His loving relationship with His disciples.
Both yokes stand for submission:
one to a foreign conqueror, while
the other to the Saviour’s love.
Jeremiah spoke to a rebellious
nation about the need to yield
to the enemy in order to survive.
Jesus also spoke of yielding,
not to an enemy but to a Friend –
One who provides all that is truly necessary for life and godliness.
Help us to Be Yoked with Christ.
Help us to Be Honest with Truth.
Help us to Be Submissive to You.
Help us to Be Truly Seeking U. Amen

Lord, we will Be Honest with Truth:
As soon as Jeremiah finished…
(they) seized him and said: You
must die! Why do you prophesy…
this city will be desolate & deserted?
… Then Jeremiah said… Obey the Lord… Then the Lord will relent…
Then the officials… said… This man
should not be sentenced to death!
He has spoken to us in the name
of the Lord… Some of the elders…
said… Micah… prophesied in the
days of Hezekiah… Zion will be
ploughed like a field, Jerusalem will
become a heap of rubble… Ahikam
…supported Jeremiah and so he
was not handled over to the people
to be put to death (Jer 26:7-24).
Lord, we recognise the tendency
to dismiss anything that’s negative.
And we must resist the people’s desire to be given only good news.
Help us Lord to make a stand when challenging to tell the truth and when
especially it’s Your heartbeat. Amen.

Lord, we will Submit to Your Will:
By My great power I have made the
earth & all its people… I give these things of mine to anyone I choose.
Now I will give your countries to
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,
who is My servant…U must submit
to Babylon’s king and serve him;
put your neck under Babylon’s yoke!
I will punish any nation that refuses
to be his slave… I’ll send war, famine
and disease upon that nation until Babylon has conquered it(Jer27:5-8)
Then I repeated this same message
to King Zedekiah of Judah… Do not
listen to the false prophets who keep
telling you: The king of Babylon will
not conquer you. They’re liars(12-14)
Lord, You are in control of all events
and You use whomever You choose.
Help us accept Your decision even
if it comes from unexpected source.
Help us listen to Your painful truths
rather than to comforting lies. For You are the Creator in charge. Amen

Lord, we purpose to Seek You:
After 70 years at Babylon, I will
cause you to return to this place.
For I know the plans I have for you,
says the Lord. They are plans
for good and not for disaster;
to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon me and I will
listen to you. And you will seek Me
and find me, when you search for
me with all your heart (Jer 29:10-13)
Lord, grateful You have planned
a future and a hope for my life.
Because of Your power and Your
faithfulness, I know that nothing
in my life is outside Your control.
May my hope be firmly grounded
in Your unchanging character.
Help me to fully and willingly
submit to Your will for my future.
And draw me to seek You earnestly
and to pray wholeheartedly. Amen

Experiencing God thro Obedience

The book of Jeremiah was written
to urge God’s people to turn
from their sins and back to God.
This week we learn to position rightly
by Calling, Following & Trusting God
in order to experience His Blessing.
On Monday, we learn from
Jer 6 to follow the Lord’s Way.
On Tuesday, we learn from
Jeremiah 17 to Trust in the Lord.
On Wed, we learn from Jer 18
to Be Moulded to the Lord’s Way.
On Thursday, we learn from
Jer 29 to Hold On to God’s Plan.
On Friday, we learn from
Jeremiah 33 to Call on the Lord.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.

Call on the Lord (Aug 28)

God pledges to reestablish Judah
after it has been purified by the
discipline of exile. As a sign of His
promise, He orders Jeremiah to
buy a field that would soon belong
to the conquering Babylonians.
That land would one day become
part of the restored nation to be
ruled by the Righteous Branch,
David’s Messianic descendant.

Lord, we want to Hear from You:
The word of the Lord came to
Jeremiah while he was still shut
up in the court of the prison saying:
Thus says the Lord: the Lord who
made the earth and established it…
Call to Me, and I will answer you,
and show you great and mighty
things which you do not know
(Jeremiah 33:1-3). Amen.

Lord, we may find it challenging
to listen to those we interact with.
But we can consult You God and
hear your voice because You are
not a cruel task master and want
to share great and mighty things.
Lord, I confess not being a good
listener and may not wait to hear
what You have to say. Teach me
to hear Your voice and grant me
the faith to trust and obey. Amen.

Lord, I want to hear from You,
and I want to hear from You with
a reasonable level of certainty.
I am asking You to speak in a way
that I can understand You clearly.
I know I may make mistakes and mishear You sometimes but
I trust You to gently correct me.
I realise to hear You consistently
will require faith and patience. So,
Help me ask with expectation and
wait patiently for Your voice. Amen

Lord, we love to hear secret truths
that the world doesn’t know about.
It may be some verse in the Bible
which You enable us to understand in a way we have never grasped.
Or it may be seeing deep into
a friend’s heart in a way we have
never seen that person before.
Or it may be revelation over the
reason things happen to us and
we have never yet come to terms.
Lord, enable me with such insights
which will enhance my love and
understanding of You God. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spZAjPlPxKI

Hold On to God’s Plan (Aug 27)

Jeremiah’s messages of judgment
arouse opposition in the palace.
During Jehoiakim’s reign, Jeremiah
is threatened with a death sentence.
While Zedekiah rules, Jeremiah dons
a wooden yoke to portray Jerusalem
surrendering to Babylon. In midst of
turmoil, Jeremiah sends the exiles
in Babylon an encouraging letter.

Lord, You have Good Plans For Us:
After 70 years are completed at
Babylon, I will visit you & perform
My Good Word toward you and
cause you to return to this place.
For I know the Plans I have for
you, declares the Lord, Plans to
prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope & a future.
Then you Will Call upon me and
come and Pray to me, and I will
listen to you. And you Will Seek Me
and Find Me, when u Search for Me
with all your heart (Jer 29:10-13).

Lord, we note despite the depth
of Judah’s faithlessness, so great
is Your love that You Promised
to bring Your people home again.
Thank You Lord for Your Plans,
though I may not fully understand.
Thank You for the promise to listen when I pray. Help me persevere
in seeking You; for in seeking You,
I know that I will find You. Amen.

Lord, thank you that Your plans
for me are for good to prosper me
and give me a Future and a Hope.
Lord, I realise that Your good plan
requires our participative prayer.
I seek You about my future and Ask
You to help me to hear Your voice
leading me each step of the way.
Help me Obey You and not do any
thing that hinder Your plan. Amen.

Lord, thank You for planning
a future and a hope for my life.
Because of Your Power and Your
Faithfulness, I know that nothing
in my life is outside Your Control.
Help me to willingly submit to Your
will for my future. Draw me to look
for You and to pray wholeheartedly.
And grant that my hope be grounded
in your Unchanging Character. Amen

Molded to the Lord’s Way (Aug 26)

Jeremiah himself becomes an
object lesson to his nation, for
his very life models the reality
of what is soon to befall Judah.
The prophet is commanded to
remain celibate & avoid feast days
– a reminder to his countrymen
that they will soon experience involuntarily what Jeremiah is
called to experience voluntarily.

Lord, Have Thine Own Way:
I found the potter working at his
wheel. But the jar he was making
did not turn out as he had hoped,
So he crushed it into a lump of
clay again and started over. Then
the Lord gave me this message:
O Israel, can I not do to you as
this potter has done to his clay?
As the clay is in the potter hand,
so are you in my hand (Jer 18:3-6).

O Lord and Sovereign God, we
acknowledge Your will is good.
Like a potter at the wheel You shape
us to the people You want us to be.
You want to reshape us into a
beautiful creation, when we allow
ourselves to become mis-shapen
by the acts of our own self will.
Holy Spirit help us to be soft
and receptive to Your hand on us.
As we yield to You God to shape us,
we ask for mercy and grace. Amen.

Lord, like clay in the potter’s hand,
we are imperfect but You can mold
us into something beautiful & useful.
Draw us, guide us and teach us Lord
to live all of our lives thro Your eyes.
We may be pressured; but You say:
Fear not, for I am with you. I will help
you, strengthen you and uphold you.
So, take us, mould us, fill us, lead us
and walk beside us as we give our
lives to U, the master potter. Amen.

Have Thine own way, Lord!
Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and made me after Thy will
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have Thine own way Lord!
Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only always living in me! Amen

Trust in the Lord (Aug 25)

Jeremiah himself becomes object
lesson for what’s soon to befall
Judah. The prophet is commanded
to remain celibate and avoids feast
days; a reminder to his countrymen
that they will soon experience
involuntarily what Jeremiah is
called to experience voluntarily.
For loss of comfort and joy await
God’s rebellious people. But then
God’s discipline is still redemptive.

Lord, we will Trust & Cling to You:
Blessed is the one who Trusts in the
Lord, whose confidence is in Him.
They will be like a tree planted
by the water that sends out its
roots by the stream. It does not
fear when heat comes; its leaves
are always green. It has no worries
in a year of drought and never
fails to Bear Fruit (Jer 17:7-8).
Heal me O Lord & I will be Healed,
Save me and I shall be saved, for
You are the one I praise (v14) Amen

Lord, I put my complete Trust in You
for You are my hope & confidence.
Help me to never turn from You;
instead let my roots go deep into
You as I feed in Your Word each day.
Thank You Lord for Your promise
to bring forth fruit in my life.
And make my soul prosperous
even in the long dry spells.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, You are good & I trust in You
for You are my hope & confidence.
Draw me ever closer to You and
give me a passion to seek You.
Help me to Be Fruitful even during
life’s dry season and into old age.
Help me to put my roots deep
into You and Your Word that I be
able to endure hard times and wait
for Your sure deliverance. Amen.

Lord, how grateful I am that U came
as our Healer besides our Saviour.
In Your mercy, I ask for Your healing
touch upon my friends who need it.
As I had experienced Your healing
a few times before, I know when
You heal, I can be healed fully. At
the same time, I ask for guidance
and the discipline to take proper
care of my physical body. Amen.

Follow the Lord’s Way (Aug 24)

Jeremiah 4-6 paints a word picture
of the coming Babylonian invasion.
You can almost hear the hoofbeats
of the horses, the war cries of the
invading Chaldeans, the screams
of anguish from God’s people
as they experience the deadly
consequences of their rebellion.
But the cure is no worse than the
disease, for Judah has not even
forgotten how to blush in her zeal
to pursue every kind of loathsome
activity and proud indulgence.

Lord, we’ll Follow the Good Path:
To whom shall I give warning?
Behold the word of the Lord is
a reproach to them; they have
no delight in it. So I am full of
the fury of the Lord (Jer 6:10-11).
This is what the Lord says: Stand
at the crossroads and look; ask
for the Ancient Paths, ask where
the Good Way is, Walk in it, and
you will Find Rest for your souls.
But you said: We will not walk in it…
(So), I’m bringing disaster on this
people because they have not
listened to My words (v16-19).

Lord, let us experience Your
heartbeat regarding the issues
that matters greatly to You.
Fill us with Your Feelings,
regardless of what they are.
Help us love what You love,
hate what You hate,
rejoice over Your joys, and
be angry at what angers You.
Shape our heart and let our
prayers and actions flow from
what You have put within us. Amen.

Lord, thank You for Your Word
and I ask You to show me clearly
Your ancient yet Proven Good way.
Forgive me for periodically foolishly
thinking that I can ignore Your
truth and find blessing & peace.
There is no true rest for my soul
unless and until I submit to Your
Will and Your Plan for my life.
So, grant me the grace and the
courage to do just that. Amen.

Lord, we come before You and
confess the sins of the nations.
Even though there are people
who believe in You, far too many
have refused to walk in Your way.
As Christians, we stand in the gap
at the crossroads and pray for
many more to join us in walking
according to Your instructions
so that disaster be averted. Amen.