Day: February 27, 2024

The Lord of Peace Is With You

Gideon, Israel’s fifth judge, receives
          God’s call while hiding in winepress.
Midian’s oppression is indeed severe
 and Gideon is God’s man to lead
 the people in throwing off that
 yoke of bondage – an assignment
Gideon is not keen to accept!
 But once convinced of his calling
 thru two miraculous signs, Gideon
 leads a humble army of 300 men,
 equipped only with pitches, torches 
 and trumpets, in a stunning victory 
against the mighty Midianite forces!
 Israel’s unconventional weapons and
 unusual battle plan leave no room 
for doubt: The victory is the Lord’s!

Praise Jehovah Shalom With Us:
The angel of the Lord appeared
to Gideon and said: The Lord
Is With You (Jehovah Immeka)…
Gideon replied: if the Lord is with us,
why has all this happened to us?…
The Lord has abandoned us and
handed us over to the Midianites.
Then the Lord said: Go with
the strength you have and
rescue Israel from the Midianites.
I am sending you (Jdgs 6:12-14).
Then the angel of the Lord touched
the meat and bread with the staff
in his hand, and fire flamed up from
the rock and consumed all he had
brought… Gideon (then) cried out:
Sovereign Lord, I have seen the
angel of the Lord face to face!
Then the Lord said to him:
Peace be with you; do not fear…
So, Gideon built an altar there to the
Lord and named it The Lord Is Peace
Jehovah Shalom (Jdgs 6:21-24).

Lord Jehovah Immeka, we see that
Your very presence alone is enough
to defeat an army. When the angel
told Gideon You Lord were with him
that truth bring Gideon to a new
level of courage. Praise You Lord
for Your presence which empowers
us to overcome obstacles & secure
victory in our life. And thank You for
the kindness of Yr presence. Amen

Lord Jehovah Shalom, in You
is fullness of peace and You
bring us peace in Your name.
For You still the storm within us
when we call on Your name. And
You bring peace to our heart & soul
when we abide in Your presence.
Thank You for making Your peace
available to us. And Thank You for
You Are My Peace and hope. Amen.

Lord Jehovah Shalom, I speak
shalom into my body and health.
I speak shalom into my mind,
my thoughts and my heart.
Let there be shalom in my plans,
in my future and in my relationships.
Lord, reveal to me the choices
I need to make to enter into an
even greater level of Your Peace.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Answered Prayer in Perilous times

Despite God’s persistent commands,
the Israelites chose to accommodate
rather than annihilate the Canaanites
thereby surrounding themselves
with godless influence. So, they
began series of cycles of sinning,
worshipping idols, being punished,
crying for help, being rescued by a
judge, obeying God for a while, then
falling back into idolatry. They were
conquered by Syria, Moab, Canaan,
Midian, Ammon and Philistia.

Lord, we’ll Seek You for Help:
These people were left to test the
Israelites – to see whether they
would obey the commands the
Lord had given… So Israel lived
among the Canaanites, Hittites,
Amorites… and they intermarried
with them…. And the Israelites
worshiped their gods (Jdgs3:4-6)
The anger of the Lord burned agst
Israel and He handed them to king
Aram for 8 years. But when they
cried out to the Lord, he raised up a
deliverer Otheniel who saved them.
Once again the Israelites did evil
and the Lord gave Moab control
over Israel for 18 years. Again the
Israelites cried out to the Lord,
and he gave them Ehud (v9, 15).
Then Deborah sang on that day:
When leaders lead in Israel,
when the people willingly offer
themselves, bless the Lord!…
I will sing praise to the Lord…
They shall recount the righteous
acts of the Lord (Jdgs 5:1-3, 11).

Lord, You allowed pagans in the
land to test Your people whether
they will obey Your commands.
We will not bond with heathens
and we will abstain from idols.
And we will advise our children to
heed Your warning that marriage
between believers & unbelievers
will create countless problems.
Help us in our endeavours. Amen.

Merciful Lord, thank You that
whenever we cried out to You,
You will deliver us from misery.
We confess often trying to control
our own lives without God’s help.
Remind us that You God should
be the first place we turn to for
help when we’re facing struggles
and not as a last resort. Amen.

Lord, we note the Song of Deborah
was a prayer of gratitude to You.
We are grateful for the faithful
workers who offer their services
for the wellbeing and support
of others. We ask Lord for Your
special blessing for these workers.
Provide their needs, guide them
and protect them from evil. Amen.