Month: April 2024

Adoring God thru Thanks & Praise

The purpose of the book of Ezra
is show God’s faithfulness and
the way He kept His promise to
restore His people to their land;
whilst for Nehemiah is to record
the third return to Jerusalem after
captivity, telling how the walls were
rebuilt and the people were renewed
in their faith; and for Esther is to
demonstrate God’s sovereignty
and His loving care for His people.

On Monday, we learn from Ezra 1-3
that God Is Faithful & In Control.
On Tuesday, we learn from Ezra 8
that God Hears Earnest Prayers.
On Wed, we learn from Neh 1/2
that God Puts His Word In Yr Heart.
On Thu, we learn from Neh 8-10
that God Strengthens & Gracious.
On Friday, we learn from Esther 6/7
that Almighty God Is In Control.
On Sat, we learn from Esther 8/9
that God’s Mighty Deeds Spur Us.

Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face. Help us O God
be Christ’s disciples who Adore You:
For You Put Your Word in our hearts;
and You Hear our earnest prayers;
For You are worthy of our Praise
as You are Faithful and Gracious;
For You are worthy of our Thanks as
You Strenghten,In Control & Spur us.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

God’s Mighty Deeds Spur Us 

The final chapters of Esther’s drama
read like the ending of a fairy tale.
Mordecai is promoted, the Jews’
enemies are destroyed and Esther
secures letters from the king
establishing the Feast of Purim
as a perpetual reminder of God’s
great deliverance. In the epilogue,
Mordecai receives recognition in the
Persian annals fr pagan historians.

Lord, we will Remember Your Deeds:
King Xerxes gave estate of Haman
to Queen Esther… The king took
off his signet ring… and presented it
to Mordecai…Esther appointed him
over Haman’s estate. Esther again
pleaded with the king to put an end
to the evil plan of Haman… against
the Jews. Then the king extended
the gold scepter to Esther(Est 8:1-4)
Mordecai recorded these events
and sent letters to the Jews
throughout all the king’s provinces,
encouraging them to celebrate
an annual festival (Esth 9:20-21).
These would commemorate a time
when the Jews gained relief from
their enemies, when their sorrow
was turned into gladness and their
mourning into joy. So, the Jews
adopted Mordecai’s suggestion
and began this custom (v28).

Lord, as we read the book of Esther,
we reflect on the many events
demonstrating sovereign control:
Mordecai’s unrewarded kindness,
king’s insomnia, Haman’s casting
of lots and Esther’s two banquets.
With God in charge, we can take
courage that He will guide and
lead us through life’s challenges.
Lord, we’ll Remember Your Deeds
and Be Committed to You. Amen.

Lord, we note Esther and Mordecai
were faithful to the point of risking
their lives to save others. And God
gave them a reward in proportion
to their all-out commitment. Lord,
we note You are faithful and do not
abandon Your people and promises.
Help us run with perseverance the
race marked out, fixing our eyes on
Jesus perfecter of our faith. Amen.

Lord, we ask for Your favour in
response to our keeping faith in You.
And we will run with perseverance
the race marked out by You for us.
As we seek first the kingdom of God,
we can be confident to benefit from
Your sovereign care and faithfulness.
And we will remember and celebrate
Your goodness in our lives and Your
faithfulness to Your people. Amen.

Almighty God Is In Control

The king and Haman are invited to
yet another banquet. Esther’s wise
and timely delay allows the Divine
Director to stage Haman’s exit.
Meanwhile, King Ahasuerus has
trouble sleeping and tries to cure
his insomnia by reading the court
records. To his surprise he discovers
the unrewarded kindness of
Mordecai and orders Haman to lead
the procession in Mordecai’s honor.
Thoroughly humiliated, Haman
returns to Esther’s banquet, where
she reveals both her nationality
and his treachery. The king directs
his servants to hang Haman on the
very gallows prepared for Mordecai.

Lord, we Trust You are In Control:
That night the king could not sleep.
So the book of records… were read
before the king. It was found written
that Mordecai had exposed… two
of the king’s officers… who had
conspired to assassinate Kg Xerxes.
Then the king said: What recognition
has Mordecai received for this? And
the king’s servants… said: Nothing
has been done for him (Esth 6:1-3).
The king and Haman went to Queen
Esther’s banquet. While they were
drinking wine, the king again asked
her: Tell me what you want. I will
give u even if it’s half the kingdom.
And so Queen Esther replied:
My petition is that my life and the
lives of my people will be spared.
For my people and I have been
sold to those who would kill us.
Who would do such a thing?
King Xerxes demanded. Who would
dare to touch you? Esther replied:
He is wicked Haman (Est 7:1-6).
Then the king said: Hang him… So
they hang Haman on the gallows he
had prepared for Mordecai (v9-10).

Lord, noted king Xerxes unable to
sleep and decided to review history
of his reign may seem coincidental;
but You God are always at work.
Trust events that come together
for good are not mere coincidence.
But they are the result of almighty
God’s sovereign control over the
course of our lives. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, when I’m anxious, help me
to remember that Your grace is
sufficient for me and Your power
is made perfect in my weakness.
Lord, when dealing with those in
authority, it is important to ensure
the timing is right before speaking.
So teach us Lord to listen to Your
voice and respond in obedience
on Your perfect timing. Amen.

Lord, because You are in control of
history, You’re not frustrated by turn
of events & You’re able to deliver us.
Because we trust You God, we are
not to fear; but instead we are to
be confident that God is in control.
And we will purpose to act with
courage to follow God’s guidance;
knowing & trusting You’re In Control.
Lord, we’ll Wait for Your Timing; and
we’ll Seize the Opportunity. Amen.

God Strengthens & Gracious

The first half of Nehemiah teaches
lessons about working for God; the
2nd emphasises worshipping Him.
Beginning with chap 8 the account
centers on the spiritual rather than
physical well-being of the people.
The public reading and explanation
of God’s Word bring a sweeping
revival to the city. Rejoicing at the
sound of God’s precious laws as
preached by Ezra the priest, the
people respond with prayers of
confession, worship to God and
a fresh resolve to live godly lives
in keeping with their commitment.

Lord, we Seek Your Strength &
Your Mercy to follow after You:
Nehemiah… the governor said…
Don’t be dejected and sad, for the
Joy of the Lord is your Strength…So
the pple went away to eat & drink &
to celebrate with great joy because
they had heard God’s words and
understood them (Neh 8:9-12).
Yet for many years U had patience
with them, & testified against them
by Your Spirit in Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen. Therefore
You gave them into the hand
of the peoples of the lands. But
in Your great mercy, You did not…
abandon them, for You’re a Gracious
and merciful God (Neh 9:30-31).
             All who had separated themselves
from the pagan people of the land in
order to serve God… now all heartily bound themselves with an oath…
They solemnly promised to carefully
follow all the commands, laws…
of the Lord their God(Neh 10:28-29)

Lord, we rejoice in the grace that
You have poured out in our lives.
Thank You that it is never too late
to come back to You in repentance.
Thank You God that You’re gracious
and that the Lord is my strength.
The past can be difficult to let go
of, but with Your Joy helping us,
we can move forward into what
You have prepared for us. Amen.

Lord, thanks for Your great mercy
that You have never judged me
according to what I have deserved.
Thank You that Your grace toward
me that is beyond comprehension.
Thank You Lord that You will never
forsake me; and Help me to never
forsake You in any way either.
Pray that my attitude will be right
before You, and that I will not take
Yr grace & mercy for granted. Amen

Lord, following building the wall,
the work wasn’t complete until the
people rebuilt their lives spiritually.
Ezra taught the people God’s Word.
They admitted the sins in their lives,
and took steps to remove them.
Admitting sin is not enough; for God
doesnt want halfhearted measures.
Help us remove sin from our lives
and help us to be Christ-Centered.
Lord, we Seek Yr Strength & Grace
and we Seek to Follow You. Amen.

God Puts His Word In Your Heart

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 and
receives more than he asked for!

Lord, we Open our Heart to You:
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. When I heard this,I wept.
For days I mourned,fasted & prayed.
O Lord, look down & see me praying
night & day for Your people(N1:1-6)
The king asked: How can I help you?
With a Prayer Neh replied: send me
to Judah to rebuild the city(N2:4-5)
So I came to Jerusalem and was
there three days…. I told no one
what my God Had Put In My Heart…
And I went out by night… and viewed
the walls which were broken (v11-13)
Then I said to (the Jewish leaders):
Come let us build the wall of Jer…
And I told them of the hand of God…
& also of the king’s words… So they
said: Let us rise up & build (v17-18)

Lord, sometimes my heart is
gripped by the things that grip
Your heart for Your purposes.
Make me Lord to be 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 Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we learn Nehemiah’s example
on how to respond to bad news.
Following initial grief, he prayed,
pouring his heart out to You God.
Then he gathered all the information
he needed to assess the situation.
Only after careful planning would
Neh Share his mission to others.
Help us Lord to confront challenges
with Trust in God and constructive
action. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, help me sort out the burdens
in my heart whether they’re Yours;
and which one I should follow.
Lead me to fulfil the purposes
You have placed within my heart;
Clarify vision and secure my steps.
Lead me Lord through open doors
to accomplish Your Kingdom mission
wherever You lead & wherever I can.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

God Hears Earnest 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 thru 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, we know the need to fast to
focus attention & dependence on U.
It shows Your presence & direction
are more important than food; 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 at fasting time,
hear our cries and lead us in the
right way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord of mercy, help me to fast and
pray whenever the need arises. 
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 the direction I have to take.
For I need to deny my flesh so that
I can hear from You clearly and
exalt You above all else. Amen.

God Is Faithful & In Control

After 70 years of exile, God Fulfils
His Promise to return His people to
their homeland. Under His direction,
King Cyrus of Persia now rules
Babylonia, and the Jews are free
to go home. The first group of
returnees rebuild the temple in
Jerusalem (Ezra 1-6). 58 years later,
Ezra leads a second group back to
Jerusalem to rebuild the spiritual
character of the people (Ezra 7-10).

Lord, we Trust the world In Yr Hands:
To fulfil the word of the Lord spoken
by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the
heart of Cyrus to make proclamatn:
Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth the
Lord God of heaven has given me.
And He has commanded me to build
Him a house at Jerusalem(Ezra1:1-2)
God stirred the hearts of the priests
and Levites… to go to Jerusalem to
rebuild the Temple of the Lord (v5).
So a total of 42,360 pple returned
to Judah… and each leader gave as
much as he could toward rebuilding
of God’s Temple (Ezra 2:64-69).
With praise and thanksgiving
they sang to the Lord: He is good;
His love to Israel endures forever.
And all the people have a great
shout of praise to the Lord,
because the foundation of the
house of the Lord was laid (Ez3:11)

Lord, You enabled Cyrus to conquer
the Babylonians and guided Cyrus
to allow Judah return to their home
-land to fulfil Jeremiah’s prophecy.
Remind us Lord to trust that You
are actively at work even when
we may not be able to see how.
Lord, stir up people to come to You
for that’s where true security can
be found. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, by returning to their home
land of Israel fr Babylon, the Jews
showed their faith in Your promise
to restore them as a people.
Trust Father God that You show
mercy to every generation; and
compassionately restores Your pple.
No matter how difficult our present
“captivity,” we are never far from
Your love and mercy. For You will
restore us when we return to You.
Lord, we Trust You Are In Control &
we’ll Not Fear but Praise You. Amen

Lord, You are Almighty, far above
all things; and Your presence is
greater than anything we fear. For
Faith in You and in Your Word will
conquer all challenges in our lives.
Help us Lord when we struggle
or doubt; to make praise the first
response to fearful situations.
Help us not to dwell on problems
but instead praise Yr mighty name.
And as we praise and thank You
Help us by taking away our fear
and instead give us peace. Amen.

God Strengthens the Committed

Following Judah King Abijah’s
military victory over Jeroboam,
king of Israel, King Asa attempts
to duplicate in the spiritual realm.
King Asa removes all traces of
foreign religion from the land and
commands the people to observe
God’s statutes. But toward the end
of his reign, Asa faces a threat from
Baasha (king of Israel) and seeks
an alliance with the king of Syria.
Even on his deathbed he puts his
trust in earthly physicians alone,
rather than in the Great Physician.

Lord, we purpose to Be Committed:
Then they entered into a covenant
to seek the Lord with all their heart…
And the Lord gave them rest
from their enemies on every side.
Although he did not remove
the high places from Israel,
Asa’s heart was Fully Committed
to the Lord (2 Chron 15:12-17).
Hanani the seer came to Asa
king of Judah, and said to him:
Because you have relied on the
king of Syria and have not relied
on the Lord your God, therefore
the army of the king of Syria has
escaped from your hand(2Chr 16:7)
For the Eyes of the Lord search
the whole earth to Strengthen
those whose hearts are fully
Committed to Him. In this you have
done foolishly; therefore from now
on you shall have wars (2Chr16:9).

Lord, we learnt that decisive
and whole-hearted Commitment
pleases You and results in peace.
Help us Lord to always remember
to pray to You in the good times
as we do in challenging times.
Enable us Lord to always keep
our hearts open to Your high
purpose; and to what You’re doing
in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, I earnestly thank You
for Your promises of blessing.
And I stand on Your promise to
strengthen those who are fully
committed to You for whatever
assignment You have for me.
And I purpose the weaker I feel,
the harder I will lean on You Lord.
And I trust the harder I lean on
You, the stronger I will be. Amen.

Lord, it is so comforting that You
God longs to support us thru the
struggles and challenges we face.
Although we may not yet be fully
committed to You but we want to be.
So Lord, grant us the grace to do
so while we are yielded and still.
Lord, I give You my heart, remold
it after Your will and Your way.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.