Month: August 2023

Christ Turns Lack to Abundance

John, the supplemental gospel
provides a fourth dimension of
Jesus’ life and ministry. Fully 92%
of John’s material is not found in
any other gospel account. John
writes to convince his readers
who Jesus is (the Son of God)
and how new life can be found
in Him. He begins in eternity past,
showing how the Word who was
one with God became flesh to take
His message of life to mankind.

Lord, You are the Game Changer:
The next day there was a wedding
celebration in the village of Cana
in Galilee. The wine supply ran out,
so Jesus’ mother told him: They
have no more wine. Jesus replied:
My time has not come. But His
mother told the servants: Do
whatever he tells you (Jn 2:1-5).
Jesus told the servants: Fill the
jars with water. When the jars
had been filled he said; Now
dip some out and take it
to the master of ceremonies.
So the servants followed
His Instructions (v7-8).
This miraculous sign at Cana
in Galilee was the first time
Jesus revealed his glory. And
His disciples believed in Him (v11).

Lord, we learn that You are very
sensitive to God’s timing to publicly
demonstrate authority and power
by saying: My time has not come.
And Jesus did the miraculous sign
in such a way that met the need
of the situation, revealed the glory
of God and stimulated the faith
of the disciples around him. Amen

Lord, when our lives run dry,
we rest in the hope that You will
replenish us. With patience and
sometimes without it, we plead
that You will provide what we
can never provide for ourselves.
For You Lord are the one who can
bring rest for our weary hearts,
bring peace for our troubled minds,
and bring us joy at experiencing
Your presence. In Your name. Amen

Lord, We trust You to take the
emptiness of the soul and fill us
with the richness of new creation
in You. We submit ourselves to
Your transforming power & make us
into the people You made us to be.
Come and give us what we need
and come to make things complete.
We place our trust in You as we
look expectantly toward the fullness
of the future You bring. Amen.

Word With Us & Reveals Father

John, the supplemental gospel
provides a fourth dimension of
Jesus’ life and ministry. Fully 92%
of John’s material is not found
in any other gospel account.
John writes to convince readers
who Jesus is (the Son of God) and
how new life can be found in Him.
Jesus begins in eternity past,
showing how the Word who was
one with God became flesh to take
His message of life to all mankind.

Lord Jesus, You Reveal the Father:
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God… And the
light shines in the darkness and
the darkness did not comprehend it.
Yet to all who did receive Him,
to those who believed in His name,
He gave the right to become
children of God (John 1:1, 5, 12).
The Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of
the Father, full of grace and truth…
And of His fullness we have received
and grace for grace (v14-16).
No one has ever seen God. But
his only Son, who is Himself God
is near to the Father’s heart;
He has told us about Him (v18).

Lord Jesus, I do believe in You
and I have already accepted
You as my Saviour and Master.
Thank You for revealing Yourself
to me and thank You for saving me.
Because of Your saving grace,
I am not just a forgiven sinner
but also a child of the living God.
Help me live out my true identity
in Your mighty name I pray, Amen.

Lord, You became flesh, lived among
us & giving us fullness of salvation.
Open my eyes and heart to behold
and experience Your immense love.
Make me complete with the fullness
of life & power that comes from You.
Fill me with Yourself and Your truth
so that I will have the wisdom I need.
Be the Word in me so that You don’t
just speak to me but thru me. Amen.

Father God, praise You for revealing
Yourself through Your Son Jesus.
Help me see You more accurately
and love You more each day.
Thank You for Your Word, which
reveals Your love & purpose for me.
Thank You for Jesus, who has
made it possible for me to have
a clearer vision to see You Father.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Trusting God Through His Promises

Over the last eight months, we have
been meditating on the theme:
Trusting God thru His Promises.
We know the importance of prayer
in our lives; and there are so much
to pray about for ourselves and
for others: dreams, hopes & plans.
But often we are held up by doubts:
Does God care about our requests?
How valuable then it is to pray back
to God the very promises found
in His Word. When we speak God’s
very words back to Him, we no
longer wonder if this is something
God cares about, for He brought
it up in the very first place.

Lord, each time when You reveal
something of Your nature, You are
promising us that You will be true
to that nature in any circumstance.
We know by promising and then
performing what U promised, You’ll
awaken in us expectation & desire
and find outlets in prayer of faith.
Praise You that Your promises are
rock solid; and that Your very nature
and character stand behind them.
Grant us faith not only to merely
believe Your Word but also to act
on it. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

We are meditating through the Bible,
which is organised by genres:
Laws, History, Poetry and Prophets…
Before we continue into NT, here’s
the key thots over the last 7 weeks
from 5 major & 12 prophetic books
which encourage as we see God’s
promises being fulfilled in its time.
Jul 9: God Keeps His Promises(Isa7)
J16: God Will Sustain You (Isa 46)
J23: God Fulfils Promises (Isa 55)
J30: God Has Good Plans (Jer 29)
Aug 6: God Brings to Life (Ezek 37)
A13: God Faithfully Loves You(Hos 2)
A20: God Keeps Promises (Hab 2/3)
Navigation: Click PrayerThots.com
Scroll to Calendar, Select mth & day.

God Keeps His Promises

Habakkuk prophesies in Judah
before its overthrow by Babylonia.
Honestly concerned with how God
could chasten Judah by means of
a nation even more sinful than itself,
Habakkuk deals with perplexing
questions: Why is a just God silent?
Why do pleas of the faithful seem
to go unheard? The reply comes in
the statement of a timeless principle
of God’s sovereignty: God will deal
with the wicked in His way and
in His time. Meanwhile righteous
people must continue to trust God.

Lord, we Trust by Waiting on You:
I will stand my watch & set myself
on the watch tower. And watch
to see what He will say to me…
Then the Lord answered me:
The vision is yet for an appointed
time; but at the end it will speak,
and it will not lie. Though it tarries,
Wait for it; because it will surely
come, it will not tarry. Behold the
proud… is not upright; but the just
shall live by his Faith (Hab 2:1-4).
Though the fig trees does not bud,
there are no grapes on the vines
and the olive crop fails… yet I will
rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful
in God my Savior. The Sovereign
Lord is my strength (Hab 3:17-19).

Lord, we praise You for Your
lovingkindness & Your faithfulness.
We thank You Lord for recording
Your Word for us so that through
endurance, the encouragement
of scriptures and of Your Spirit,
we might have confident hope.
Thank You that Your rhema word
will surely come to pass and
grant us the strength to wait
upon You. In Jesus’ mighty name.

Lord, we note that to trust God
fully means to trust Him even
when we do not understand
why events occur as they do.
Help us Lord to live by Faith by
Waiting upon You and trust that You
God will direct all things according
to Your purpose, Your way and
Your time. In Jesus’ mighty name.

Merciful and faithful Lord, I pray
especially over people right now
who are experiencing loss,
who are experiencing suffering,
who are undergoing severe trial,
who are facing health challenge.
God, I pray be able to rejoice in You;
God, I pray for satisfaction in You;
God, I pray for strength from You,
in tough circumstances. Amen.

Trusting God thru His Promises

The 12 Minor Prophets cover a time
span of 400 years (800-400 BC).
Theologically, they focus on warnings on impending judgment,
teachings on righteous living,
encouragement to the faithful and
oppressed, and God’s future plans.
On Monday, we learn from Micah 7
that God Shows Unfailing Love.
On Tuesday, we learn from Hab 2/3
that God Keeps His Promises.
On Wed, we learn from Zeph 3
that God the Mighty One Saves.
On Thursday we learn from Zech 4
that God Moves by His Spirit.
On Friday, we learn from Zech 12/13
that God Is Gracious & Delivers.
On Sat, we learn from Milachi 3
that God Refines and Purifies.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face. Help us O God
be Christ’s disciples who trust You:
for You truly keep Your promises;
for You are almighty and gracious;
for You save, deliver, refine, purify
and exhibit unfailing love. Amen.

God Refines and Purifies

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 the OT period
which is followed by 400 years
of silence in the biblical record.

Lord, Purify My Heart:
Who can endure the day of
His coming? And who can
stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner’s fire…
He will sit as a refiner and a purifier
of silver; He will purify the sons
of Levi, and purge them as gold
and silver, That they may offer
to the Lord an offering in
righteousness (Malachi 3:2-3).
And I will come near you for judgment… because they do not
fear Me, says the Lord of hosts (v5)
For I am the Lord, I do not change…
You have gone away from My
ordinances and have not kept them.
Return to Me and I will return to you,
says the Lord of hosts (v6-7).

Lord, Your holy fire burns within
and purges every secret sin.
Your life in me ignites the fire
that fulfils my heart’s desire.
The Spirit’s work, my life made new
transformed within, ablaze with You;
a heart like Yours, my one desire.
Do Your work, Refiner’s Fire
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, help me to remember
that I can rest in the truth
that You control all things.
You Lord never changes; for
You are in essence the same
yesterday, today and forever.
When my life is like in a whirlwind,
and I begin to lose my bearing,
give me Lord the needed wisdom
so that I can anchor myself to
Your unchanging character. Amen.

Lord, Purify my heart
Let me be as gold & precious silver.
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold, pure gold.
Refiner’s fire
My heart’s one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You, Lord.
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You, my Master
Ready to do Your will. Amen.

God Is Gracious & Delivers Us

Though horrible judgment would
fall on Israel’s neighbours, Israel
would be preserved for the long-
awaited day of her Messiah’s arrival.
The King of Zion would come
riding upon the colt of a donkey
to defend His people and defeat
His enemies just as He promised.
Zechariah closes his prophecy
with a breathtaking panorama of
events in store for Israel in that day.

Lord, help us to Be Gracious:
Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion
Behold your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly & riding on a donkey(Zech9:9)
In that day the Lord will defend
the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
the one who is feeble among them
in that day shall be like David…
And I will pour on the house of David
the Spirit of Grace (Zech 12:8-10).
In that day a fountain shall be
opened for the house of David…
for sin and uncleanness. I Will refine them as silver & test them as gold…
They will call on My name, and
I will answer them (Zech 13:1,9).

Lord Jesus, You came so gently
and humbly to us Your people;
and the world senselessly crucified
You instead of bowing to You.
In Your grace and mercy forgive
us Lord and grant our eyes the
vision to see You are a good King.
In Your power, help us overcome
resistance & rebellion; and lead
us under Your loving rule. Amen.

Lord Jesus, we look forward to the
day when You reign as King on earth
Meanwhile, our hearts are burdened
over those who yet to know You.
Spirit, help us to bring them, out
of unbelief, out of hardness, out of
rebellion to the cleansing fountain.
This we desire for we know You are
not willing any should perish but
all will come to repentance. Amen.

Lord Jesus, thank You so much
for Your sacrifice on the cross;
for without the shedding of blood
there can be no remission of sin.
Thank You that because of Your
great act of love, we have our sins
washed away & receive restoration
of relationship with Father God.
Spirit of Christ, we ask Your enabling
for apart from U we can do nothing.
And in gratitude we declare Your
redeeming love thru our lives. Amen

God Moves by His Spirit

The opening six verses of Zechariah
 give the reader valuable insight
 into how the visions that Zechariah
relates should be interpreted.
God is calling His people back
to a fresh commitment to Him – 
a commitment demonstrated in
rearranged priorities & rekindled
 worship. God desires to cleanse
 and use His nation. Like a candle-
stick and lamps, Israel can bear
light to a darkened world “not
 by might, nor by power, but by
 my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

Lord, we’ll Move by Your Spirit:
 Now the angel who talked with
me came back and wakened me…
And he said… What do you see?
So I said: there is a lampstand
of solid gold…and two olive
trees are by it (Zech 4:1-3).
And (the angel) said to me:
This is the word of the LORD
 to Zerubbabel: Not by might
 nor by power, but by My Spirit,
 says the Lord of hosts.
Who are you O great mountain? 
Before Zerubbabel you shall
 become a plain (Zech 4:6-7).

Almighty God, I acknowledge
that I cannot do all You have
 called me to do, except that
 Your Spirit enables me to do it.
 I depend on You Lord to help
me get where I need to go.
 I worship You as the light of
 my life who illuminates my path
 and guides every step of the way.
 I praise You as the all-powerful
 God for whom nothing is too hard.
 In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Lord of heavenly hosts,
quieten my soul so that I can
 hear the truth that the Spirit
 would like to reveal to me.
 I realise addictive behaviours can
interfere with God’s call on my life.
Thank You Lord for loving me,
 even when I struggle with yielding,
or even refuse to surrender what
Your Spirit has revealed to me.
 Bear with me I pray. In Jesus’ name.

Father God, forgive me for the
 times when I try to do Your work
ing my way and by my power.
 Realising I can only accomplish
 Your work by trusting in Your Spirit, 
I now yield myself to You
 Lord. Fill me with Your Spirit;
and do immeasurably more 
than all that I ask or imagine.
 In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

God the Mighty One who Saves

Writing at perhaps the lowest
 point in the spiritual life of Judah,
 Zephaniah’s primary concern is
the impending Day of the Lord.
That day would signify the final 
judgment of God on earth and the
 ensuing time of blessing & peace.
 Zephaniah knows when judgment
is finally over, God will once again
look with favour on His people; 
Restore their fortunes, Rejoice
 over them and dwell among them.

Lord, You are Mighty to Save:
I will restore to the peoples…
that they all may call on the
name of the Lord… (Zep 3:9).
I will leave in your midst a meek
and humble people, and they shall
trust in the name of the Lord (v12). 
In that day… do not fear; Zion,
 let Not your hands be weak.
The Lord your God is With you,
 He is Mighty To Save.
 He will Take Great Delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
 He will Rejoice over u with singing…
Behold at that time,
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save & gather those driven out..
I will bring you back…
I will give you fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth…
says the LORD (Zep 3:16-20) Amen.

Lord, I have peace and joy in
 knowing You are always With me
 and have the Power To Save me
 from harm, plans of the enemy
 and You can move the mountain!
 Help me to remember at all times,
 even when going through difficult
 situations that my foundation is
 in You and my security is sustained
 by Your Great Love for me. Amen.

Lord, we may struggle with fear 
that You don’t like us due to
our stubborn commitment to sin.
 We may even feel that You God
 has deserted us in our difficulties.
Thanks for Your promise in Zep 3
 that helps us put such fears to rest.
The reality is that You take great
 delight in us with gladness.
 In fact Your promise is not only 
to rescue and restore us but also
to rejoice over us with songs. Amen

Lord, I’m blessed You Delight in me,
 even after rebuking me for wrongs.
Thank You Sovereign God for being
 indeed a loving Heavenly Father
 rather than a stern disciplinarian.
 Thank You that You much prefer
 to rejoice with us than to rebuke us.
Thank You for loving me so much
 that You would sing over me.
 In adoration and thanksgiving,
 I offer You my heart unreservedly &
 say how much I appreciate U. Amen.

God Keeps His Promises (Aug 15)

Habakkuk prophesies in Judah 
before its overthrow by Babylonia.
Honestly concerned with how God
could chasten Judah by means of
 a nation even more sinful than itself, 
Habakkuk deals with perplexing
 questions: Why is a just God silent?
Why do pleas of the faithful seem 
to go unheard? The reply comes in
the statement of a timeless principle
 of God’s sovereignty: God will deal
with the wicked in His way and
in His time. Meanwhile righteous
 people must continue to trust God.

Lord, we Trust by Waiting on You:
I will stand my watch & set myself
 on the watch tower. And watch 
to see what He will say to me…
Then the Lord answered me:
 The vision is yet for an appointed
 time; but at the end it will speak,
and it will not lie. Though it tarries,
 Wait for it; because it will surely
 come, it will not tarry. Behold the
 proud… is not upright; but the just
 shall live by his Faith (Hab 2:1-4).
Though the fig trees does not bud,
 there are no grapes on the vines
 and the olive crop fails… yet I will
 rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful
 in God my Savior. The Sovereign
 Lord is my strength (Hab 3:17-19).

Lord, we praise You for Your
 lovingkindness & Your faithfulness.
We thank You Lord for recording
 Your Word for us so that through
endurance, the encouragement
 of scriptures and of Your Spirit,
we might have confident hope.
Thank You that Your rhema word
 will surely come to pass and
 grant us the strength to wait
 upon You. In Jesus’ mighty name.

Lord, we note that to trust God
fully means to trust Him even
 when we do not understand
why events occur as they do.
 Help us Lord to live by Faith by
Waiting upon You and trust that You
 God will direct all things according
 to Your purpose, Your way and
 Your time. In Jesus’ mighty name.

Merciful and faithful Lord, I pray
 especially over people right now
 who are experiencing loss,
who are experiencing suffering,
 who are undergoing severe trial,
 who are facing health challenge.
 God, I pray they be able to rejoice in You;
 God, I pray for satisfaction in You;
 God, I pray for strength from You, 
in tough circumstances. Amen.