Month: January 2023

Our Gracious & Compassionate God

Whilst Moses receives God’s laws
on the mountain, the Israelites
are busy on the plains below.
Concluding that their leaders has
died in the presence of God, they
fashion their gold jewelry into a
replica of an Egyptian God and
turn the camp into a pagan party.
Moses returns and in righteous
anger shatters the 2 stone tablets,
destroys the golden calf and orders
Levites to purge guilty Israelites.
Though the covenant between
God and His people has been
shattered, repentance and
restoration are only a prayer away.

Lord, we will Seek Your Presence:
As Moses went into the tent, the
pillar of cloud would come down
and hover at the entrance while
the Lord spoke with Moses. Inside
the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would
speak to Moses face to face as
one speaks to a friend (Ex 33:9-11)
Moses said: Show me Your glory.
And the Lord said: I will cause all
My goodness to pass in front of you.
But you cannot see my face, for no
one may see me and live. Then the
Lord said: There is a place near me
where u may stand on a rock(18-21)
Then the Lord came down in the
cloud… and proclaimed His name,
the LORD. And He passed in front
of Moses proclaiming: The Lord, the
Lord, the compassionate & gracious
God, slow to anger, abounding in
love and faithfulness (Ex 34:5-6).

Lord, though we are not Moses,
but because of the new covenant
in Christ Jesus, God has called
those who believe as friends.
Help me Lord to listen to Your voice
as You reveal to me Your guidance.
Thank God that In Christ there’s
no condemnation, there’s liberty
and there’s goodness for You are
good, gracious and loving. Amen.

Lord, it’s when I’m in Your presence
that You reveal Your love for me.
In those moments I can express
Hmy thoughts, fears and longings to
walk with You through joyous times
and even when in the wilderness.
I am so thankful that You Lord
are as close as my heartbeat.
And thank You for the privilege of
being able to meet with You. Amen.

Lord, thanks for revealing to Moses
and to us the essential essence of
Your character. You are a God of
compassion & U deeply feel for us.
You are a God of mercy and grace,
as You don’t give us the punishment
that we deserve for You lavish
love and grant forgiveness to us. 
Lord, help us to be gracious people
in line with Your very nature, Amen.

Holy God Hears Prayer of Needy

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?
At Mount Sinai Moses prepares the
pple to receive the law which they
promise to obey. 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
guide the new nation and set it
apart from its pagan neighbours.
They also receive civil & ceremonial
laws to regulate the life of Israel.

Lord, help us love u by obeying u:
I am the Lord your God, who
Rescued you from the land of Egypt,
the place of your slavery. You must
not have any other God but me.
You must not make for yourself
an idol of any kind…(Exo 20:2-17)
When the people heard the thunder
and saw the flashes of lightning…
they stood at a distance, trembling
with fear… Don’t be afraid, Moses
answered them: for God has come
in this way to test you, and so that
your fear of Him will keep you
from sinning (Exo 20:18-20).
Do not take advantage of
a widow or an orphan. If you
do and they cry out to Me,
I will certainly hear their cry.
My anger will be aroused and
I will kill you (Ex 22:22-24).

Father God, You revealed Your
Law hhto the Israelites at Sinai.
Through the law, they learned
more about what You are like and how You expect Your people to live.
Grant us hunger to feed on Your
Word each day and want to be holy.
Help us love You more and empower
our good intentions, for apart from You we can really do nothing. Amen.

Father God, You are pure & holy;
and You are a consuming fire.
Thanks You Jesus for rescuing
us from slavery to sin and death.
In gratitude we purpose to follow
Your ways and what You want.
Help us show our love to Him by
responding obediently to what
God wants. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Lord, we note when widows
and orphans have no language
but a cry, You God register the cry.
Lord, You are not indifferent to the
prayers of the afflicted when they
plead for deliverance from injustice.
If human tribunals fail to administer
justice, God intervenes to deliver
His own who cry to Him for help
for Your truth stands secure. Amen.

The Lord Covers & Protects

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 & wins its first military battle.

All Praise be to Jehovah Nissi:
Now Amalek came and fought with
Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said
to Joshua: Choose some men and…
fight with Amalek…I will stand on top
of the hill with rod of God(Ex17:8-9)
So, 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 (Ex 17:10–12)
So Joshua defeated Amelek…
Then the Lord said: Write this for
a memorial… And Moses built an
altar and called its name: The LORD
Is My Banner Jehovah Nissi (v13-15)

Lord, at Rephidim we witness
the power of prayer amid the
fluctuations of the battle field.
Moses the intercessor on the
mountain came to experience
that the weaponless hand of prayer
was more powerful than the armies.
Help us Lord even as we fight
the good fight in the marketplace
that we not neglect to lift our
hands to You for help. Amen.

Lord 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, 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.

God Heals & Gives Strength

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 lies
ahead. Trapped between the
Red Sea & the rapidly approaching
chariots of Egypt, the people cry
out in desperation & God answers
in miraculous fashion. And as
they proceed on arid land and as
resources run out, God supplies.

Lord, You Heal & Give Strength:
Then Moses stretched out his hand
over the sea; and the Lord caused
the sea to go back… and the
waters were divided (Exo 14:21)
Then Moses and the children of
Israel sang this song: The Lord is
my strength and He has become
my salvation; He is my God,
and I will praise Him (Ex 15:1-2)
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 u 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 (Exo 15:25-26) Amen.

Lord, You give everyone Strength
for their life, including Moses in
the deliverance of Your people.
Grateful You not only allow trials
in line with Your purpose but also
give promise and strength so that
we can persevere through the trial.
Apostle Paul exhorts in Phil 4:13
we can do all things through Christ
who Strengthens us. Grant us Lord
timely recall of Your power so that
we’ll persevere doing Yr Will. Amen

Lord, In any difficult circumstance,
I shall not be dismayed, for You are
my God. You will Strengthen me,
You will help me, You will uphold
me with Your righteous right hand.
I pray in agreement with King David
in Ps 28: The Lord is my Strength
and shield; my heart trusts in Him.
And I pray in agreement with Moses
The LORD indeed is my Strength
and I will praise Him for He will
become my salvation. Amen.

Lord, You can remove sickness,
reverse disease & bring healing.
We may look to physicians and
medicine to heal us but You have
the final say. We praise You for
Your willingness & power to heal.
Lord, heal our heart of doubt
or bitterness and heal our body
where sickness has crept in.
Remind us to care for our body
that You’ve given us to enjoy life.
We praise You for being our Healer!
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

God Who Provides Our Needs

With his long period of desert
exile drawing to a close, Moses
becomes God’s choice to lead His
people out of bondage in Egypt.
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 & knowing
the Almighty All Sufficient God
can meet all his needs, Moses
goes forward to confront Pharaoh.

Lord, You’re the All Sufficient One:
God called (Moses) from the bush…
I have seen the misery of my people
in Egypt. I have heard their cries for
deliverance…Now go for I’m Sending
you to Pharaoh. You Will Lead my
people… out of Egypt (Exo 3:7-10).
But Moses said… Who am I that
I should go to Pharaoh and that
I should bring the children of Israel
out of Egypt? So He said: I will
certainly be with you… (v11-12).
Then Moses said: when I come to
the children of Israel & 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. Thus you shall
say to the children of Israel: I AM
has sent me to you (Exo 3:13-14).

Lord, let us learn from Exodus 3
where we see a remarkable
exchange between Moses & You.
When we pour our hearts to You,
help us Lord to listen for Your reply.
Perhaps as with Moses, it may be
a word we are unwilling to hear,
or a word we may argue about.
Help us to conclude our two-way
talk with You saying: Speak Lord
for Your servant heareth. Amen.

Lord, You’re the all-sufficient one,
holding the world in Your hands.
Your sufficiency is comforting for
I am after all one of Your children.
And I can see my insufficiency
in the light of Your all-sufficiency.
Pardon me the impatience I feel
when something goes wrong.
Forgive any doubts that You are
mighty and good; for You can
and will meet my needs. Amen.

All Sufficient Lord, You are beyond
our capacity of full understanding.
But we trust Your Spirit will grant
the things U want us to experience.
Empower us to cooperate with You
even as You manifest Your kingdom.
And thanks for Your lovingkindness
& praise You for being our All in All
and for supplying all that we need.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zC617kE1maUp

Almighty God Can Do Anything

Backgrounder on Genesis 15-18:
God’s promises to Abraham are
given in great detail, confirmed
with a unilateral treaty, repeated
and established by the sign of
circumcision. But as the years
pass with no evidence of fulfilment,
Abraham acts in foolish impatience.
The result is a son Ishmael, who
will forever cause the heartbreak
of his father, constantly reminding
Abraham of the price of unbelief.
And we have the visit of the three
men of God (enroute Sodom) with
a message for Abraham and Sarah.

Lord, we will Trust Your Promise:
When Abram was 99 years old,
the LORD appeared to him & said
I am God Almighty (El Shaddai);
walk before me faithfully and
be blameless. Then I will… greatly
increase your numbers. Abram fell
facedown and God said… this is my
covenant with you. You will be the
father of many nations (Gen 17:1-4).
Then one of the three men said:
About this time next year I will return
and your wife Sarah will have a son…
And since Abraham and Sarah were
both very old, and Sarah was long
past the age of having children,
she laughed silently to herself…
Then the Lord said: Why did Sarah
laugh? Why did she say: Can an
old woman like me have a baby?
Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord?
About a year from now, just as
I told you, I will return and Sarah
will have a son (Genesis 18:10-14).
The Lord kept His Word and did for
Sarah exactly what He had promised
She became pregnant and she gave
birth to a son… This happened at
just The Time God said (Gen 21:1-2)

Lord El Shaddai, You are great
and You are mighty in power.
Your wisdom knows no limits;
and Your might knows no bounds.
As the heavens are higher than the
earth,so Yr ways higher than ours.
Help us to not cause delays in
our destiny but rather to walk
upright in faith. Help us to stay
committed to You, and we look
forward to Your blessing. Amen.

Lord, Thanks for the promise that
there’s nothing too difficult for You.
We praise You that You are the
God of miracles and all Powerful.
And we call upon Your awesome
might when we are in trouble;
for it honours Your name when
we ask for God-sized things.
We submit to Your sovereignty;
grant us Your sustaining strength
to endure the challenge and
bless us with Your miracle. Amen.

Lord, sometimes the change we
want to see seem impossible, even
laughable. Grant us the faith to keep
believing that what is impossible in
human terms is not too hard for You.
For our hopes are grounded in the
reality that U still do the impossible.
You create life out of death, which
is not dependent upon human effort.
Nothing is too hard for You; and
You do things in Your Time. Amen.

Trusting God thru His Promises

The purpose of Genesis is to
record God’s creation of the world
and note His desire to have a
people set apart to worship Him.
On Mon, we learn fr Ps 145:13 the
Lord is faithful to all His promises.
On Tuesday, we learn from Gen 5
that God Desires Our Fellowship.
On Wed, we learn from Gen 12 to
Follow God’s Call & Trust His Word.
On Thurs, we learn from Gen 17/18
that Almighty God Can Do Anything.
On Friday, we learn from Gen 22
to Trust the Lord Will Provide.
On Sat, we learn from Gen 37/41
that God Fulfils Promised Vision.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face. Help us O God
be Christ’s disciples who purpose
to have close fellowship with You,
trust Your Word & Follow Your call;
for You’re almighty, can do all things
and fulfil all Your promises. Amen.

God Fulfils Promised Vision

Backgrounder to Genesis 37-41:
Though the favourite son of his
father Jacob, Joseph alienates
himself from his brothers by his
forthrightness of his two dreams.
Envy grows into hatred until finally
the brothers sell him into slavery.
Taken to Egypt, Joseph suffers
injustice at the hands of Potiphar’s
wife and later from forgetful butler.
Through it all, God has a good plan
for both Joseph as well as Israel.
A difficult dream sent by God to
Pharaoh jars the memory of the
chief butler; and Joseph is promoted
from prisoner to prime minister
because of his God-given insight.

Lord, we’ll Wait for Your Promise:
(Joseph) dreamed another dream.
This time the sun, the moon and 11
stars bowed down to me (Gen 37:9)
Pharaoh said to Joseph: “I had
a dream last night and no one here
can tell me what it means. But I’ve
heard that when you hear about
a dream you can interpret it.”
It is beyond my power to do this,
Joseph replied. But God can tell
you what it means (Gen 41:15-16).
The dreams of Pharaoh are one;
God has shown Pharaoh what He
is about to do… And the dream
was repeated to Pharaoh because
God will shortly bring it to pass….
Pharaoh said since God has revealed
the meaning of the dreams to you,
clearly no one is as wise as you are.
You will be in charge of my court
and all my people will take orders
from you (Gen 41:25-32 & 39-40).

Heavenly Father, thank You
for Your good plan for mankind.
Help us Persevere by Waiting for
fulfilment of promise like Joseph.
Help us Trust You for challenges
even as we give our scars to You;
for You intended for good. And
Lord help us to see life problems
thru Your eyes and for Your glory.
Thanks be to You God who is able
to keep us from stumbling. Amen!

Lord, You have a solution for
every problem in the world and
every problem that we may face.
Share Your ideas Lord with us,
and we will avail to act on them
so that we can be a blessing to
others and further Your kingdom.
Put us in divine appointments,
and help us Lord to see life through
Your eyes & for Your glory. Amen.

Lord, grant Be Thou Our Vision
just as the life of Joseph points to
Your presence and providence.
We learn You don’t just speak into
individual lives or immediate future
for Your agenda is much broader.
When we listen for Your voice,
help us Lord listen with Your grand purpose & long-term frame of mind.
Raise our vision beyond self needs
into Yr purpose & assignment. Amen

Trust The Lord Will Provide

The climax of more than 20 faith-
stretching years for Abraham and
Sarah comes in the birth of Isaac,
their miracle son and heir. But soon
Abraham’s faith is tested again
as God calls upon him to sacrifice
that treasured son upon an altar.
Abraham obeys, showing that
the experiences of the past two
decades have not been in vain.
For his faithfulness to the point
of death, God rewards Abraham
with further assurance of blessing.

Lord, You are Jehovah Jireh:
Sometime later God tested
Abraham. He said to him: Abraham!
‘Here I am, he replied. Then God said:Take your son, your only son,
Isaac, whom you love and go
to Moriah. Sacrifice Him there
as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I’ll tell you (Gen 22:1-3).
Abraham took the knife to slay
his son. But the Angel of the Lord
called: Do not lay your hand on
the lad for now I know that you
fear God since you have not
withhold your son, your only son
from Me. Then Abraham lifted his eyes and there was a ram caught
in a thicket by its horns. So,
Abraham took the ram & offered
it up for a burnt offering instead
of his son. And Abraham called
the name of the place: The Lord
Will Provide (Gen 22:10-14).

Lord, how my life will change
when I say “Here I am” I can’t know
for sure. It might require laying down
of a dream that I long held tightly.
But Lord You are my Provider
and You work things for good.
You are the one I can put my trust
since it is also well within Your will.
So I present myself to You, to be
activated by Your voice. Here I am
while I am yielded and still. Amen.

Lord, realise that Abraham saw
Your willingness and ability to keep
promises even if it took a miracle.
Know that You wanted Abraham
to sacrifice Isaac in his heart so that
he learn to trust God completely.
Lord, obeying You may often be
quite a struggle for it may mean
giving up something we truly want.
Help us Lord when tested that we
will not complain but trust You.Amen

Lord Jehovah Jireh, my provider,
at this juncture, I appeal to this
name perhaps more than any other.
In Your lovingkindness, let me know
You in the truest form of this name.
In Your mercy, let me see You on
the mountain-top of my struggles.
Come through for me as You Lord
did in providing Abraham’s sacrifice.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.