Backgrounder: Genesis 12-14
describe God’s call of Abram
to leave his home in Ur (near
the Persian Gulf) and travel to
a distant but unspecified new land.
Abram faces many distractions
along the way including the death
of his father and a severe famine.
But God is looking for a person
of faith who will trust Him
completely to keep His Promises.
For Abram those promises include
becoming a great nation and
experiencing great blessing in
the face of overwhelming odds. Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (Nov 15)”
And Dear Lord,
This morning, there’s a collision
in Spore MRT Joo Koon station
following recent technical faults.
Instead of following the world
in complaining and criticising,
we as the children of the Holy,
all knowing and powerful God,
hereby pray that you grant the
management & maintenance
staff of SMRT the understanding
& wisdom to quickly & effectively
resolve the technical problems.
More importantly, understand
that there were 10 injured taken to
Ng Teng Fong hospital, two were
classified as “major emergencies”
which may include injuries such
as fractures, joint dislocation, and
severe back pain. The other eight
cases were classified as “minor
emergencies”, which range from
headaches, sprains to superficial
injuries with bleeding. And the
conditions of the other 15 people
taken to NUH are unclear.
Dear Lord, grant your speedy
healing even as you work thro the
hands of the medical personnel.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Backgrounder: Will Thomson
regularly went to New York City
to sell his secular songs he
had written. He made so much
money from his compositions
that newspapers called him
“the millionaire songwriter”.
But Thomson, a Christian, soon
began concentrating on hymn
writing and set up his own
firm for publishing hymnals.
Two million copies of his
gospel quartet books were sold.
Sometime around 1880, when
Thompson was 33 years old,
he wrote this invitational hymn:
Softly and Tenderly.
Lord, we will come to You:
Then Jesus said: Come to me,
all of you who are weary & carry
heavy burdens, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you.
Let me teach you, because I am
humble and gentle at heart, and
you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy to bear, and
the burden I give you is light
(Matt 11:28-30).
Lord, thank you for loving me
so much and desires that all man
would come to him; for it is He
who will truly give us REST from
our weary condition (Matt 11:28).
Jesus is never tired of waiting
and watching out for us, telling
us: Come home and find Peace.
The Lord has helped me so many
times in singing, “Softly and
Tenderly because I can always
come to His wonderful love and
recieve His abundant mercy.
And I pray that no matter what
my life holds, I can say at the end
softly & tenderly Jesus is calling.
Lord, I’ve loved this hymn since
teenager years, which always
brought me back to You after
sometimes Wandering around.
The Almighty God is so merciful
to receive us back as His children
it doesn’t matter what our sins
may be, He always wants us
back. And He is able to cleanse
us and make white as snow.
And when we walk back to Him
like the prodigal son, He runs
towards us with open arms and
takes us in. No matter how far
we go, He patiently and tenderly
tells us we’ve not gone too far
to come back home.
Lord, I had sung this precious
hymn to my dying eldest sister
even as she struggled in her final
days on earth. And she was well
comforted having known the
Lord and where she was going.
Her dearest wish was that one
of her daughters and her sibling
sister will one day come to know
the Lord like the rest of the family
And I can imagine her singing:
patiently and tenderly Jesus is
calling, Calling for you & for me.
Lord Jesus, you are so just
that You respect the personal
decision and wait. Meanwhile,
grant us the burden for Salvation
for our loved ones and friends for
Jesus is calling All to come home!
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Softly and tenderly
Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals
He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.
Refrain:
Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly,
Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!
Why should we tarry
when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger
and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?
Oh, for the wonderful love
He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned,
He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.
Backgrounder: Love Lifted Me
was written in 1912 Connecticut.
James Rowe wrote the lyrics and
Howard Smith wrote the melody.
According to Rowe’s daughter:
I can see them now, my father
striding up and down humming
a bar or two, and Howard
playing it and jotting it down.
The two huddled together,
working line by line, bar by bar,
composing this hymn in tandem.
Rowe and Smith wrote the hymn
based on the passage Peter
walking on the water, becoming
afraid, and crying out to the Lord
to save him as he was sinking.
Rowe reminds us of the
“redemption from sin by our
Saviour” in the first verse of this
hymn. The second verse shows
“the change in our walk as we
owe Him our song, our service,
our whole heart.” The last verse
is a “witness to the loss.”
Lord Jesus, Your Love Lifted Me:
Peter said: Lord, if it is You,
command me to come to You
on the water. So He said: Come.
And when Peter came out of
the boat and walked on the water
to go to Jesus. But when he saw
that the wind was boisterous,
he was afraid and, beginning
to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’
Immediately Jesus reached out
His hand and caught him. ‘You
of little faith,’ He said, ‘why did
you doubt? (Matt 14:28-31).
Lord, remember singing this
hymn in my late teens and young
adult years. And now as going
through challenges in life,
the hymnal song just rise
from the deep of my heart.
Only Yr love Lord gives unending
peace and reigns in our heart,
for You God remains in control,
even in the storms of life.
God commanded his love
towards us that while we were
still sinners Jesus died for us.
That’s the love that lifted us.
Love especially the third verse –
Souls in danger look above
Jesus completely saves –
He your Savior wants to be;
Be saved today!
What hope and assurance!!
Love lifted me, Love lifted me
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me! Thank you Lord.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I was sinking deep in sin,
far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within,
sinking to rise no more,
But the Master of the sea,
heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me,
now safe am I.
Refrain
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me!
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me!
All my heart to Him I give,
ever to Him I’ll cling
In His blessèd presence live,
ever His praises sing,
Love so mighty and so true,
merits my soul’s best songs,
Faithful, loving service too,
to Him belongs.
Souls in danger look above,
Jesus completely saves,
He will lift you by His love,
out of the angry waves.
He’s the Master of the sea,
billows His will obey,
He your Savior wants to be,
be saved today.
Backgrounder: This poem written
in 1922 by Rhea Miller, was left
on a piano in the Shea home by
Bev Shea who wanted her son to
find it and change the course of
his life. The words, I’d rather have
Jesus moved George so much
and spoke to him about his aims
in life. He sat down at the piano
& began singing them with a tune
that seemed to fit the words.
George’s life direction did change
He was offered a popular music
career with NBC, but a few years
later chose to become associated
with evangelist Billy Graham and
sang this hymn around the world.
Lord Jesus, I rather have You:
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
‘If anyone would come after me,
he must deny himself and
take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever wants to save
his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for me will find it.
What good will it be for a man
if he gains the whole world,
yet forfeits his soul? Or what
can a man give in exchange
for his soul? (Matt 16:24-26).
Dear Father God, forgive us when
we seek after temporal things
to meet the deep yearnings of
our heart. Your eternal plan was
to send Jesus, Your Son, to give
us a life that is no longer empty
or imprisoned by sin’s chains.
Thank You for Jesus who came
that we might have abundant life
through His sacrificial death
on our behalf. Nothing on earth
and no person deserves our
allegiance more than our Savior.
Remind us to be always grateful
to Jesus for loving so sacrificially
and for saving us from our sin.
Lord, You have great things in
store for each of us if we would
just fix our eyes upon You. And
we are created in Christ Jesus
for good works which God has
prepared for each of us to live
a life of purpose and of destiny.
Grant us grace to find out & do
the heavenly things that You God
wants us to do while still on earth.
Help us Lord to have the attitude
of Apostle Paul who considers
everything rubbish, that he may
know and gain Christ. Grant us
resolve in each of us to truly say:
I’d rather have Jesus… for I’d
rather be true to His holy name.
Lord, we know this hymn is about
dedication and commitment for
to follow after Jesus is costly.
Grant each of us will always
be able to sing from our heart,
and truly mean it, the words of
the hymn: I’d Rather Have Jesus.
So help us God. Thank you for
hearing & answering our prayer.
Gratefully in Jesus’ name, Amen.
I’d rather have Jesus than
silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have
riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than
houses or lands,
I’d rather be led by His nail
pierced hand.
Refrain:
Than to be a king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway,
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.
I’d rather have Jesus than
men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to
His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than
world-wide fame,
I’d rather be true to
His holy name.
Backgrounder: Karen Lafferty:
I was raised in a Christian home,
but like many young people
I wanted to discover life and did
some drifting. I was working as
a nightclub entertainer in New
Orleans when a friend visited me
& got me back on the right track.
After that I began to write Christian
songs. It was back in 1971. I had
quit my entertainment job and
was trying to support myself with
teaching guitar lessons to three
students! When my savings were
all gone and I had no money to
make my car payments, I became
very discouraged and confused.
One evening I went to a Bible study
and we talked about Matthew 6:33.
I was tremendously encouraged
and challenged by the words.
So I went home, wrote the tune,
recorded it on a tape recorder.
I taught the song at church the next
week and it caught on right away.
Lord, we’ll Seek Yr Kingdom First:
Therefore do not worry…For after
all these things the Gentiles seek.
For your Heavenly Father knows
that you need all these things.
But seek first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness, and
all these things will be added
to you (Matthew 6:31-33).
Dear Lord, complete consecration
is not easy. While we love You, it’s
not easy to give up things of this
world when U call us to serve. So,
Help us to genuinely Seek first the
kingdom of God by Surrendering
all that is required to be yielded.
Help us seek You First that God is
the Priority of all things in our life.
Help us to Relinquish our selfish
worldly ambitions to You today.
Help us that we may give our all
to God and Live by Him always.
Help us to Commit daily to give
You our all & take U at Your Word.
Lord, U know & care for our needs.
And U desire your children to ASK.
Help us to Ask so that we be given,
Seek so that we we shall find,
Knock and the door be open to us.
Help us to start each day Seeking
God and You will direct our path
every step throughout the day.
Help us to have Faith that U will fulfill Your promises in our lives &
Help us Put You Above all else!!
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God,
And His righteousness,
And all these things, shall be
added onto you,
Alleu, alleuia.
Man shall not live by bread alone,
But by every word,
That proceeds from the
mouth of God
Alleu, Alleuia.
Ask and it shall be given unto you,
Seek and ye shall find.
Knock and the door shall be
opened onto you.
Alleu, Alleuia.
Backgrounder: Cecil Alexander
(1818-1895) was the wife of a
parish minister in an impoverished
rural area of Northern Ireland.
She loved the people. From
one house to another she went,
wrote one historian. She especially
loved children and most of her
hymns were written for them.
Jesus Calls Us was one of the
few hymns she wrote for adults,
and it illustrates her ability to
apply scripture devotionally.
She wrote the hymn at her
husband’s request to accompany
a sermon he was preaching about
the calling of Peter and Andrew
by Jesus on the shores of Galilee.
Lord, we purpose to Follow You:
One day as Jesus was walking
along the shore of the Sea of
Galilee, he saw two brothers –
Simon, also called Peter, and
Andrew – throwing a net into the
water, for they fished for a living.
Jesus called out to then: Come,
follow me, and I will show u how
to fish for people (Matt 4:18-19).
Lord, You call us to follow;
to turn away from our own
selfish interests, and to take up
our cross and follow after You.
Forgive us for being so quick to
question & so hesitant to follow.
Grant us the grace to trust You
even if the path is difficult to see,
or is heading in a direction we
would not choose for ourselves.
Help us to see with the eyes
of faith, rather than from our
own human point of view.
Teach us to follow without fear,
knowing that You are always
with us, leading the way.
Grant us grace to say “Yes”
when you come to us calling:
“follow me” or “love me more.”
Grant us grace to Give our hearts
to Thine obedience, so that we
Serve and love Thee best of all.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Jesus calls us; o’er the tumult
of our life’s wild, restless sea;
Day by day His sweet voice
soundeth,
Saying, “Christian, follow me.”
Jesus calls us from the worship
Of the vain world’s golden store,
From each idol that would keep us,
Saying, “Christian, love me more.”
In our joys and in our sorrows,
Days of toil and hours of ease,
Still He calls, in cares & pleasures,
Christian, love me more than these.
Jesus calls us– by Thy mercies,
Savior, may we hear Thy call;
Give our hearts to Thine obedience,
Serve and love Thee best of all.
Backgrounder: Isaac Watts
(d1748) was an English Christian
minister, hymn writer & theologian.
He was a prolific and popular
hymn writer and was credited
with some 750 hymns. This hymn
in particular has touched the hearts
of millions through the centuries.
After drawing the start contrasts
between the sacrificial death
of the mighty Maker and the
unworthiness of the sinful creature,
he concludes with consecration:
Here Lord, I give myself away,
’tis all that I can do.
Lord, thanks for yr redemptive love:
He was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins. He was
beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could
be healed. All of us, like sheep,
have strayed away. We have left
God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him the
sins of us all (Isaiah 53:5-6).
Dear Father God, you brought
your son Jesus to earth to bring
wholeness to a broken world;
not only spiritually, but also
mentally, emotionally & physically.
Lord Jesus, Thanks for taking
every of our transgressions –
when You went to the cross.
Your death gave us eternal life.
Your death brought wholeness
to our body, mind, soul and spirit.
Yr death released peace to our soul
Your sacrificial death brought us
a complete deliverance once You
paid the penalty of sin for us and
overcoming death victoriously.
Lord, we receive yr total healing:
We receive spiritual healing
and have the connection with
you through the Holy Spirit.
We receive healing to our soul
so that we do not need to be
emotionally tortured anymore.
We receive healing to our minds
& choose to reflect on that which
is pure, noble & praiseworthy.
We honor you by daily renewing
our minds on your living word.
We receive deliverance from
demons for at the name of Jesus
they must all flee and Jesus’
blood cleanses us completely.
We receive healing to our
physical body because when
Jesus was crucified He took
all of the illnesses, sickness
and disease upon Himself.
Lord Jesus, We remember You
through communion and thanking
you for all the deliverance.
We honor you with obedience
which is the least we can do
for Your deep sacrificial love.
Guide us each day by your
Holy Spirit and the word so that
we will make the right choices
and live in complete freedom.
Let us not to forget the cost of
your love. And stir in us abiding
memory of yr redemptive grace.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
The Hymn:
Alas, and did my Savior bleed?
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
Refrain:
At the cross, at the cross where
I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart
rolled away,
It was there by faith I received
my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
Was it for sins that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide,
And shut His glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker, died
For man, His creature’s sin.
Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears.
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt mine eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away,
‘Tis all that I can do.
Backgrounder: When The United
Methodist Hymnal was published
in 1989, one of the most popular
hymns was Here I Am, Lord (1981)
by Daniel Schutte (b. 1947). Many
Protestants are unaware that this
hymn represents Roman Catholic
renewal music resulting from the
2nd Vatican Council (1962-1965).
Schutte is a native of Wisconsin.
He received his master of divinity
degree in 1979 at the Jesuit
School of Theology, Berkeley.
Following graduation, Mr. Schutte
served as the director of liturgy
at Marquette Univ (1982-1986)
and then entered parish ministry
in two Milwaukee parishes.
An unusual attribute of this hymn
is the change in point of view
that the singer makes between
the stanzas and the refrain.
The stanzas speak from the
perspective of God in the first
person singular, while the refrain,
though remaining in first person,
is from the perspective of
the singers of the hymn
offering their lives to God.
Lord, we offer our lives to You:
In the year that King Uzziah died,
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne..
So I said: Woe is me… Because
I am a man of unclean lips…
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of Hosts. Then one of
the seraphim flew to me, having
in his hand a live coal from the
altar. And he touched my mouth
with it and said: Your iniquity is
taken away. And your sin purged.
Also I heard the voice of the Lord,
saying: Whom shall I send. And
who will go for US. Then I said:
Here am I, send me (Isa 6:1-8).
Lord, whenever I sense Your holy
presence, I am greatly aware of
my own unworthiness. And that
makes me even more grateful for
how much You sacrificed for us,
so that I can come to Your throne
with confidence and find Your
mercy and grace in time of need.
Touch me and purify me, and
help me to separate myself from
all that is unholy, unpleasing to U.
And help us to have a tender
heart to respond positively to
your perfect plans for our lives,
so that we do the good works
that you have prepared for us &
live a life of destiny for your glory.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
I, the Lord of sea and sky
I have heard my people cry
All who dwell in dark and sin
My hand will save.
I who made the stars of night
I will make the darkness bright
Who will bear my light to them
Whom shall I send?
Refrain:
Here I am Lord; Is it I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go Lord; If you lead me
I will hold your people in my heart.
I the Lord of snow and rain
I have borne my people’s pain
I have wept for love of them
They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone
Fill their hearts with love alone
I will speak my word to them
Whom shall I send?
Backgrounder: What do you do
when pastor rambles on too long?
Elvina Hall wrote a hymn (1865).
Seated in the choir loft at the
Monument Street Meth Church of
Baltimore, she wrote the stanzas
on the flyleaf of the hymnal.
The composer of the well-known
tune was John Crape,the organist
and choir director of the church.
He had called the tune “All to
Christ I Owe”. His wife like it but
no one seemed to. It was the
pastor George Schrick who put
the words and tune together,
and she added the chorus
to fit with his tune title.
Lord, U Paid It All & we Adore You:
Come now, and let us reason
together, says the Lord,
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
they shall be as wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
u shall eat the good of the land;
But if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured by
the sword; For the mouth of the
Lord has spoken (Isaiah 1:18-20).
Lord, we’re grateful for your Grace.
Nothing stains quite as sin, for
it not only leaves a stain in our
heart but a residue in our minds.
But Your grace is shown in that
you don’t just forgive our sins,
You banish them; the stain is
removed & the guilt taken away.
We are clean by your grace.
O what joy your grace give us
merciful God! We can never really
thank you and praise you enough.
Lord, Thank you that you do not
see my sins, rather you see me
righteous because of the work of
your precious son, Jesus Christ.
Help me bring the prayers out of
your word, reason with You and
really appreciate yr love & mercy.
Thank U for yr loving kindness &
I want to eat the good of the land.
Help us follow the Holy Spirit
so that we’ll remain obedient.
And help us have deep gratitude
to You for Jesus Paid It All. Amen.
I hear the Savior say:
Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch & pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.
Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.
Lord, now indeed I find
Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.
And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down,
All down at Jesus’ feet.
