Praying thro Zephaniah (Feb 24)

The Day of the Lord
(Prayer Walk thro Zephaniah 1-3)

Backgrounder: Zephaniah’s pen
records only 53 verses but in
the process sets forth some
of the strongest statements of
judgment in the Old Testament.
Looking out over the nation of
Judah in particular and the world
in general, Zephaniah fashions
his fiery verbal assault. The day
of the Lord will come with fury,
ferocity and finality, and God will
have the last word. Retribution
and judgment will give way to
restoration and joy “in that day.”

Lord, thank you for lessons from
the ministry of Zephaniah to shake
pple of Judah out of complacency
and urge them to return to U God.
The people knew that God would
eventually bless them, but You
made it clear that there would be
judgment first, then the blessing.
The judgment would not be merely
punishment for sin, but also a
process of purifying your people.
Help us learn from this prophecy:
that we will Not be Complacent,
that we will Humble before You &
that we will Love You Fully. Amen.
Continue reading “Praying thro Zephaniah (Feb 24)”

Prayer Thot for the Day (Feb 23)

God’s Word Directs Your Path

Backgrounder on Psalm 119:
Psalm 119 is the longest psalm
and the longest chapter of the
longest book in the Bible. And
it provides the multifaceted Word
of God. Just as the psalm seems
to go on endlessly as you read its
176 verses, so let your praise and
love for God’s Word be endless
as you make it the focus of your
devotional time today & every day.

Lord, Your Word Directs Our Path:
Your Word I have hidden in my heart that I might Not Sin against U.
Your Word is a lamp for my
feet and a Light for my Path…
You are my refuge and my shield; Your Word is my only Source
of Hope (Ps 119:11, 105 & 114).
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Feb 23)”

Prayer Thot for the Day (Feb 22)

God Brings You Through Trouble

Backgrounder on Psalms 111-118:
Praise permeates nearly every
line of these eight psalms. God is
praiseworthy for His care (P111),
His commandments (P112),
His name (P113), His power (P114)
His uniqueness (P115),
His Deliverance (P116), His truth
(P117) and His Mercy (P118).
What other response could there
be thankful to Praise the Lord.

Lord Almighty, You are For Me:
Give thanks to the Lord for He is
good & His Mercy endures forever.
In my distress I prayed to the
Lord and the Lord answered me
and rescued me. The Lord is
On My Side, I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do
to me? Yes, the Lord is For me;
He will help me (Ps 118:1, 5-7).
This is the day the Lord has made.
We’ll Rejoice & be glad in it (v24).
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Feb 22)”

Prayer Thot for the Day (Feb 21)

God Hears Your Prayers

Backgrounder on Psalms 111-118:
Praise permeates nearly every
line of these eight psalms. God is
praiseworthy for His care (P111),
His commandments (P112),
His name (P113), His power (P114)
His uniqueness (P115),
His Deliverance (P116), His truth
(P117) and His mercy (P118).
What other response could there
be thankful to Praise the Lord.

Lord, You Hear Our Prayers:
I love the Lord, for He Heard my
voice; He Heard my cry for mercy.
Because He turned His ear to me,
I will call on Him as long as I live…
The Lord is gracious & righteous;
our God is full of Compassion…
I believe in You, so I prayed, I am
deeply troubled (Ps 116:1-2, 5, 10)
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Feb 21)”

Prayer Thot for the Day (Feb 20)

God’s Faithfulness Is Dependable

Backgrounder on Psalms 107-110:
There is plenty to sing about
in these psalms. First is the song
of the Redeemed (P107), then
a song dedicated to the God of
Might & Glory (P108) and a song
of lament over the attacks of an
enemy (P109). But how can u sing
when the godless are seemingly
getting away with murder?
Remember the Lord is king (P110)

Lord, You are Mighty & Faithful:
I will awaken the dawn with song.
I will Praise You, O Lord, Among
the Peoples & I will sing praises
to You among the nations.
For Your mercy is great
above the heavens, and Your
Faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Be exalted O God above the
heavens, and your glory above
all the earth (Ps 108:2-5) Amen.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Feb 20)”

Prayer Thot for the Day (Feb 19)

God Helps His People

Backgrounder on Psalms 107-110:
There is plenty to sing about
in these selection of psalms.
First comes the song of the
Redeemed (P107), then a song
dedicated to the God of might
and glory (P108) and a song
of lament over the slanderous
attacks of an enemy (Ps 109).
But how can you sing when the
godless are seemingly getting
away with murder? Remember
with the psalmist David that
the Lord is king (Psalm 110).

Lord, You Help Your People:
Some wandered in the desert,
lost & homeless. Hungry & thirsty,
they nearly died. Lord, Help!
they Cried in their trouble and He
Rescued them from their distress…
Let them Praise the Lord for his
great love & for all his wonderful
deeds to them. For He satisfies
the longing soul, & fills the hungry
soul with goodness (Ps 107:4-9).
Whoever is wise will Observe these
things and they will understand
the faithful love of the Lord (v43).
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Feb 19)”

Praying thro Nahum (Feb 18)

No More Time to Delay
(Prayer Walk thro Nahum 1-3)

Backgrounder: To whom much
is given, much is also required.
Nineveh had been given the
privilege of knowing the one true
God. Under Jonah’s preaching
this great Gentile city had repented
and God had graciously stayed
His judgment. But now about
150 years later, Nahum proclaims
the downfall of once mighty
Nineveh. The Assyrians had
forgotten their revival and had
returned to their habits of violence,
idolatry and arrogance. As a result,
Babylon would so destroy the city
that no trace of it would remain,
a prophecy fulfilled in painful detail.

Dear Lord,from Nahum’s prophecy,
we learn anyone who remains
arrogant & rejects God’s authority
will face His anger. Yet those who
keep trusting God will be kept safe.
Knowing that U God are not only
Holy & Jealous, but also Good,
help us to relate to You Reverently
with Trust and Gratitude. Amen.
Continue reading “Praying thro Nahum (Feb 18)”

Preview on Minor Prophets (Feb 18)

Nahum, Zephaniah & Habakkuk

We have been covering the Bible
by time sequence, phase by phase
OT1: Five Books of Laws incl Job.
OT2: History Up to King David
from Joshua to 1 Chron + Psalms
as well as Reign of King Solomon
in 2nd Chron & Wisdom Poetry.

In OT Phase 3, we see decline
of the two Divided Kingdoms.
OT3A: 1 Kings, Obadiah & Joel
OT3B: 2K1-17: Ministry of Jonah,
Amos, Hosea, Micah & Isaiah in run
up to Israel’s Dispersion in 722BC.
OT3C: 2 Kings 18-25 as well as
ministry of Jeremiah in the run up
to Judah’s Dispersion (605/586BC)
and thereafter Lamentations.

Continuing, we will cover three
minor prophets chronologically
over two weekends. Listed below
are the contextual background in
the southern kingdom during the
ministry of the three prophets.

Nahum’s Ministry (664-612BC):
By the time Nahum comes on
the scene, Nineveh is even more
wicked than it had been during
the time of Jonah about 100 years
earlier. The repentant spirit of
the people and the revival that
stemmed fr Jonah’s visit is gone.
Now a terror to the entire world,
the fortress city of Nineveh
seems impenetrable. But God
will no longer overlook the city’s
horrible sins, and he sends Nahum
to deliver message of impending
destruction. The entire Assyrian
empire will be destroyed and
the mighty city of Nineveh
will be gutted by a raging fire.

Zephaniah’s Prophecy (612BC):
Writing at one of the lowest
points in the spiritual life of Judah
Zephaniah’s primary concern is
the impending Day of the Lord.
That day signifies the final
judgment of God on earth and
the ensuing time of blessing
and peace. However, Zephaniah
knows that when judgment
is over, God will once again
look with favour on His people,
restore their fortunes, rejoice
over them & dwell among them.

Habakkuk’s Prophecy (605 BC):
Habakkuk prophesies in Judah
before it’s final overthrow by
Babylonia. Honestly concerned
with how God could chasten Judah
by means of a nation even more
sinful than itself, Habakkuk deals
with some perplexing questions:
Why is a just God silent? Why do
the 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.

Friends, Look out for them as they
will enable you to have a better
understanding of the contextual
background and appreciate the
mega themes of the prophets,
besides nudging u to Fear the Lord.

Praying thro 2 Kings (Feb 17)

Lessons from Surviving Kingdom
(Prayer Walk thro 2 Kings 18-25)

Backgrounder: The Northern
kingdom was destroyed, and
prophets were predicting the same
fate for Judah. What more could
cause the nation to repent?
Hezekiah & Josiah were able
to stem the tide of evil. They both
repaired the Temple and gathered
the people for the Passover.
Josiah eradicated idolatry from
the land, but as soon as these
good kings were gone, the people
returned again living their own way
instead of God’s way.

Dear Lord, thanks for the history
of the Surviving Kingdom that
reminds us that each individual
must believe and live for God.
And thanks for the record of
King Hezekiah that reminds us
of the importance of prayer.
Help us to Humble before You,
and Come to You in Prayer.
Lord, Remember and Heal us,
for You Recognise our cries. Amen
Continue reading “Praying thro 2 Kings (Feb 17)”

Prayer Thot for the Day (Feb 16)

God’s Plan Never Fails

Backgrounder on Psalms 104-106:
In these psalms, we see three snap
shots of the great God you serve.
He is big enough to create and
rule the universe (Ps 104); He is
small enough to rule in the hearts
of His people (Ps 105) and He
is loving enough to discipline
His rebellious children (Ps 106).

Lord, Your Plan Never Fails:
He called for a famine on the land
of Canaan, cutting off food supply.
Then He sent someone to Egypt
ahead of them (Joseph) who
was sold as a slave (Ps 105:16-17).
Lord, You had promised Joseph
that he would be a great leader;
and you used seemingly adverse
circumstances to position Joseph
for receiving the promise.
And You brought famine on the
promised land, but first U prepared
their deliverance in Egypt.
What appeared to be a disaster
and a tragedy drove God’s people
to a place of God’s provision.
So, when it seems that everything
is working against me, remind
me that in truth, everything is
actually working for me. Amen.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Feb 16)”