Author: tanahmerah

God’s Will Is Better Than Imagined

Backgrounder: David’s greatest
dream is to build a house for God.
Though David is not permitted
to build a house for God, God
will build a house for David –
a perpetual dynasty and kingdom.
In peacetime and war, through times
of faithfulness & faltering in David’s
life, God remains true to His promise
by preserving the line of David.

Lord, we trust Your Will is Better:
King David went in and sat
before the Lord and prayed:
Who am I O Lord God, and
what is my family that You have
brought me this far (1Chr 17:16).
Lord, let the promise You have
made concerning Your servant and
his house be established forever.
Do as You promised so that it will
be established & that Your name
will be great forever. Then men
will say: The Lord Almighty, the
God over Israel, is Israel’s God!
And the house of Your servant
David will be established(v23-24).
For You, O My God, have revealed
to Your servant that You will build
him a house… And Lord… You…
have promised this goodness
to Your servant (v25-26).

Lord, we confess disappointment
when our prayers are not answered
the way we wanted them to be.
But I realise my greatest blessing
will come about because of
Your will being done in my life.
For what You’ve for me is far greater
than what I can imagine for myself.
Forgive me Lord for those times
I did not trust that to be true. Amen.

Lord, Your ways are higher than
mine; and You have plans for
me that I cannot even fathom.
Yet it is easy to bask in successes
and forget it is You who bless me.
Loving Lord, lead me tell someone
about the goodness of You. And
Help me to lift Your name high
for all to see. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, help us when we sense
You are saying no to our prayer,
not to focus on the disappointment
over not having our will be done.
For if we do that, we miss out the
joy of something much better that
can come about if God’s will is done.
For God’s will is much better than
anything we can imagine. Amen.

Inquire & Listen Before Acting

The ark of covenant is mentioned
more than 40 times in Chronicles;
and the events surrounding the
journey of the ark to Jerusalem
consume 3 full chapters in 13-15.
The lesson is clear: The right action
must be done with the right motives
and carried out in the Right Way.
When the ark is at last installed
in Jerusalem, David then leads
the people in national celebration.

Lord, we’ll Inquire & Hear You:
The Philistines had arrived in the
Valley of Rephaim and raided it.
So David ASKED God: Should
I go out to fight the Philistines?
Will You hand them over to me?
The Lord replied: YES, go ahead.
I will give you the victory.
So David and his troops went
to Baal-Perazim and defeated
the Philistines there (1Chr 14:9-11).
But after a while, the Philistines
returned and raided the valley again.
And once again David ASKED God
what to do. Do Not Attack them
straight on, God replied. Instead,
Circle around behind them and
attack them Near the balsam trees.
When you HEAR a sound like
marching feet in the tops of the
balsom trees, Attack (v13-15).
So David DID what God commanded
and he struck down the Philistine
army all the way fr Gibeon to Gezer.
So David’s fame spread everywhere
and the Lord caused all the nations
to fear David (1 Chron 14:16-17).

Lord, I ask You concerning the
situation I am facing for I don’t
want to run ahead of Your plan.
Lead me follow David’s example to
seek Your wisdom first in the matter.
For only then can I be truly sure
that I will be following Your plan.
Guide my actions O Lord by Your 
wisdom & Your instruction. Amen.

Lord, You know everything whilst
I don’t know the answer to the 
questions of what, how and when.
So Lord I need to learn to Seek Your
advice in life’s important decisions.
Rescue me Lord from turmoil and
lead me to regularly ask questions
beginning with: Should I Lord. And
Lead me down the path to recovery
into a life of purpose & destiny.Amen

Lord, pray that I will always inquire
of You first before taking action.
For I can’t assume that just because
You had instructed in a certain way
before, that You want the same way
each time with a similar situation.
And I don’t want to mistakenly think
of having all the answers when
only You have all the answers to life.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

God Answers Bold Prayers (Mar 31)

Chronicles give a priestly account
on the history of God’s people,
a sort of divine commentary on
the kingdom period. It carefully
weds the nation’s history with the
active hand of God in Israel’s affairs.
Chronicles centers on the southern
kingdom of Judah. First Chronicles
opens with a lengthy genealogy
tracing the line of David all the way
back to Adam. The genealogies
provide clear evidence of God
at work throughout history,
by selecting a people for Himself
and then protecting a family within
that people to provide leadership.

Lord, we Boldly Seek Your Blessing:
The sons of Judah were Perez,
Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobai.
And Reaiah the son of Shobai
begot Jahath, and Jahath
begot Ahumai (1Chr 4:1-2).
Now Jabez was more honourable
than his brothers, and his mother
called his name Jabez, saying:
“Because I bore him in pain.”
And Jabez called on the God
of Israel saying: “Oh,
that You would bless me indeed
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me &
that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”
So God granted him what
he requested (1 Chron 4:9-10).

Lord, thank You for putting Jabez
and his bold prayer in scripture.
Thank You Father for loving us
and being accessible to us
as You were to Jabez of Judah.
Thanks for Your good plans and thru
prayer we can appropriate them.
Let me Lord never take the privilege
of prayer for granted; and thank
You for hearing my prayers. Amen.

Lord, I thank You for Your goodness
and all that You’ve been giving me.
I pray for Your continued blessings,
provision, guidance and protection.
I pray Lord that Your presence will
always be with me wherever I go.
Grateful You are pleased to share
Yourself and Your kingdom with me.
Prompt me Lord to give back to You
by helping & blessing others. Amen.

Lord, I will love an easy life, free of
trouble but You don’t promised that.
For Your goal for us is not purely
earthly bliss, but Your glory
brought about thru our maturity.
So give me wisdom and courage
Lord so that I am willing to walk
with You wherever You may lead.
Trust that when I seek You and
Your kingdom, all these things
will also be given to me. Amen.

God Gives Wisdom & Understanding

In the final hours before his death,
David charges Solomon to walk
before the Lord in integrity and
truth – a request which Solomon
fulfills in the early days of his reign
by ruling with justice, humility
and honesty before God and man.
Presented with a “blank cheque”
by God, Solomon asks for wisdom
to rule skilfully rather than wealth.
In return, God Gives him both!

Lord, grant us Divine Wisdom:
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to
Solomon and said: Ask! What shall
I Give you? And Solomon said:
O Lord my God, You have made
Your servant king… but I am
a little child (1Kings 3:5-7).
Therefore give to Your servant
an understanding heart to judge
Your people, that I may discern
between good and evil. For who
is able to judge this great people
of Yours? The speech pleased
the Lord that Solomon had
asked this thing (1Kings 3:9-10).
Then God said to him: Because
you have asked this thing
understanding to discern justice…
I have given you a wise and
understanding heart, so that there
has not been anyone like you…
And I have also given you what
you have not asked: both riches
and honour, so that there shall
not be anyone like you among
kings all your days (1Kgs 3:11-13).

Lord, we are grateful that whenever
we are lost or unsure of what to do,
we can always seek You for wisdom.
Thank You Lord for divine wisdom,
which we can readily find in Your
Word as well as asking You for it.
Your word assures if I lack wisdom,
I can ask God who gives generously.
Thank You that the wisdom from
heaven is full of good fruit. Amen.

Lord, help us not only to hear
and meditate on Your Words
but also put them into practice
so that we can be like a wise man
who built his house on the rock.
And help us take care how we live,
not as the unwise but as wise;
making most of every opportunity
to be a source of blessing and to
lead others to Your kingdom. Amen

Lord, help us seek Your wisdom;
open our ears to it and help us to
recognise wisdom when we hear it.
Give us Lord the wisdom to know
what to do, how to do and the
courage to follow through on it.
And we know even as we put
You God and Your agenda first
that You will satisfy all our needs.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Music Facilitates Hearing God

2 Kings can be summarised in
a verse: In those days the Lord
began to cut Israel short (10:32).
The downward spiral that begun
in 1 Kings now accelerates as one
bad king after another accedes
to the throne. Standing in the
path of this downward trend are
the prophets who speak for God.
Calling upon the God of Elijah,
Elisha watches as God sends
waterlogged valleys as a sign to
Jehoram, and blood-red water
signalling defeat for Moab.

Lord, we draw near You with music:
So the king of Israel went with the
king of Judah and the king of Edom
and they marched… seven days;
& there was no water for the army…
And the king of Israel said: the Lord
has called these 3 kings together
to deliver them into hands of Moab.
But Jehoshaphat said: Is there no
prophet of the Lord here that we
may inquire of the Lord? (2K3:9-11)
So one of the servants of the king
of Israel answered: Elisha is here…
And Jehoshaphat said: The word
of the Lord is with him. So the king
of Israel and Jehoshaphat & the king
of Edom went down to him (v11-12)
And Elisha said: were it not
that I regard the presence of
Jehoshaphat king of Judah,
I would not… see you. But
Now bring me a musician. Then
it happened, when the musician
played, that the hand of the Lord
came upon him (2 Kings 3:14-15).

Lord, just as Your presence can
often be experienced thru music,
Elisha needs a harpist in order
to hear from You. We realise that
God speaks to our intuitive side
more often than to our logical,
skeptical side. So, even as we
approach You in faith with music,
we trust Your Spirit will connect
with us at a creative level & reveal
Your words for us in season. Amen

Lord, just as Elisha hear U better
when the harpist was playing,
trust the music we play will also
activate our spiritual perceptions.
So sensitize me to Your presence
and awaken my heart to know when
You are speaking creatively to me.
Trust that when I am open to know
You beyond my own understanding,
You will open to me and free me
to experience You in any way You
want to be experienced. Amen.

Lord, my emotions, anxious
thoughts and mental strategies
often block my listening ear,
and music removes the blocks.
When I surround myself with the
language of music and rhythm,
let it open my spirit to hear the
language of Your heart to me.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

God Speaks In Varied Voice

I Kings 15 begins a pattern that
will extend throughout the rest of
1 and 2 Kings. The writer flip-flops
in his account between the nations
of Israel and Judah. He traces
the parallel stories of two nations
in spiritual decline, taking time
occasionally to highlight a prophet
or a king who contributes greatly
to spirituality of one of the nations.
Today we centre around Elijah the
prophet who courageously faces
a heathen Israelite king and 850
pagan prophets of Baal, only to
flee for his life from Queen Jezebel.

Lord, we’ll Be Alert to Your Voice:
But (Elijah) went a day’s journey
into the wilderness… and sat down
under a… tree. And he prayed that
he might die, and said: It is enough!
Now, Lord, take my life, for
I am no better than my fathers!
Then as he lay and slept… suddenly
an angel touched him & said to him:
Arise and eat(1Kgs 19:4-5)
As Elijah stood there, the Lord
passed by and a mighty windstorm
hit the mountain… but the Lord was
not in the wind. After the wind there
was an earthquake, but the Lord
was not in the earthquake…..
And after the fire there was the
sound of a gentle Whisper (v11-12).
What are you doing here Elijah?
I alone am left and they seek to take
my life… Then the Lord said: Go…
anoint Hazael as king over Syria…
anoint Jehu as king over Israel…
anoint Elisha as prophet in yr place…
Whoever escape sword of Hazael,
Jehu will kill and whoever escapes
the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.
Yet I’ve reserved 7,000 in Israel who
have not bowed to Baal (v13-18).

Lord, after victorious stand against
Baal, Elijah worn in body and brain,
fell prey to fear, fled from wrath
of Jezebel and wanted to die. But
God in Your wisdom denied request.
Along with Moses and Jonah who
presented similar requests, Elijah’s
unanswered prayer reminds us that
we’re not fit for heaven when weary.
Realised loneliness explains Elijah’s
sense of being forsaken. But U God
is ever kind & understanding. Amen

Lord, we note centuries earlier,
that You had spoken to Moses
amid thunder & lightning, a thick
cloud of smoke & a blast of horn.
Now in the very same mountain,
Elijah facing similar phenomena,
yet he heard God’s voice only in
the gentle whisper. Help me to be
attentive to Your voice as You’ve
different ways of communing with
people at different times. Amen.

Lord, You are sovereign and Your
communication with us is varied &
we can’t focus on particular mode.
Help me to be ready for what You
want to say, however You say it.
Help me Lord to remain Alert to
Your voice in whatever the forms.
Make my spirit to be sensitive
to You at all times: Shout to me,
whisper to me, speak however
You want, for I’m listening. Amen.

God Declares & Fulfills His Plan

Before his death, David had
charged his son Solomon with the
responsibility of building a house
for God in Jerusalem. Now at last
it’s time to make that dream a reality.
For seven years Solomon plans and
prepares the Temple. When at last
the ark of the covenant is installed
in the Holy Place, the cloud of
God’s presence fills the house of
the Lord. Once again, God’s glory
dwells in the midst of His people.

Lord, we trust You Fulfil Your Plan:
It came to pass when the priests
came out of the holy place, that the
cloud filled the house of the Lord…
So the Lord has fulfilled His word…
and I have built a temple for the
name of the Lord (1 Kgs 8:10,20).
But will God indeed dwell on earth?
Behold, heaven… can’t contain You.
How much less this temple which
I have built! Yet regard the prayer
of Your servant and his supplication,
O Lord my God, and listen to the cry
and the prayer which Your servant
is praying before You (v27-28).
Praise the Lord who has given
rest to His people Israel, just as He
promised. Not one word has failed
of all the wonderful promises He
gave through His servant Moses.
May the Lord our God be with us…
may He never forsake us.
May He give us the desire to do
His will in everything and to obey
all the commands (v56-58).

Lord, noticed that it wasn’t until the
temple was completed that God’s  
glory took residence there – God’s
stamp of approval of a job well done.
We remember Your past deeds in
our life showing Your faithfulness.
And we trust that You will fulfil
Your promises in Your way and time.
Though sometimes it may seem late
to us, it will still be on time. Amen.

Lord, I thank You for Your presence,
and I am humbled that You through
Your Holy Spirit live inside of me.
Help me to never be full of myself,
but rather to always be freshly filled
with more of You Lord each day.
Help me to have a sense of Your
presence, especially as I read Your
Word and pray and live in obedience
to Your ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, we praise You for keeping
covenant & fulfilling Your purposes!
Grant us O Lord the desire to Do
Your Will in more spheres of life.
Trust in Your infinite faithfulness
that You will fulfill Your promise
and purpose in our life just as You
fulfilled all Your promises to Moses.
Not one of them failed and neither  
will Your promises to us. Amen.

God Gives Us Direction

The books of 1 and 2 Samuel are
actually a single continuous story.
In 1 Samuel, the mood is despair;
in 2 Samuel, a ray of hope shines.
In 1Sam, Saul’s dynasty is destroyed;
in 2Sam,David’s dynasty secured.
But transition of power is not simple:
Proper mourning for departed king,
the inauguration of the new leader,
the purging of rebellious elements,
all these things must be done
before David can rule in peace.

Lord, we Seek Your Direction:
A man arrived fr Saul’s army camp…
Our entire army fled from the battle.
Many of the men are dead and Saul
and his son Jonathan are also dead.
David and his men tore their clothes
in sorrow when they heard the news.
They mourned and wept and fasted
all day for Saul… his son Jonathan
& for the Lord’s army (2S1:1-4,11-12)
David inquired of the Lord: Shall
I go to any of the cities of Judah?
The Lord said:Go up. David asked
Where? And He said: To Hebron.
So David went up there. Then
the men of Judah anointed David
king of Judah. And they told David:
The men of Jabesh Gilead buried
Saul. So David sent messengers
to Jabesh Gilead and said:
l’ll repay this kindness (2Sam 2:1-6).
The war betw the house of Saul and
the hse of David lasted a long time.
David grew stronger and stronger,
while the house of Saul grew
weaker and weaker (2 Sam 3:1).

Lord, we see David’s loyalty to
Your purpose as he mourned for
Saul who was the Lord’s anointed.
And because David trusted You God,
he would not rejoice in Saul’s death.
Give us Lord greater passion
for Your will and purpose rather
than our ambition and interest.
In Jesus ‘ precious name, Amen.

Lord, praise You for Your faithfulness
and we are inspired by David on
his dependence on You for success.
Prompt us Lord to Inquire of Your
will for guidance in the way to go.
When we don’t quite understand
why You move so slowly at times,
grant us sufficient signs to trust
that Your promises will be fulfilled.
Help us focus on Your purpose and
help us wait on Your timing. Amen.

Lord, we note that when Saul died,
David did not rush to make himself
the king of Israel. Help us Lord
not to assume that we know
what is best but seek wisdom
in Your Word and Your Spirit.
Help us Lord to inquire of You,
follow Your direction, and wait
patiently for Your promises to be
fulfilled for we trust in You. Amen.

Hearing God thru His Word

The purpose of 2nd Samuel is
to record the history of David’s
reign; to demonstrate effective
leadership under God; to show
the qualities that please God;
to depict David as an ideal leader
of an imperfect kingdom and to
foreshadow Christ, who will be the
ideal leader of a perfect kingdom.

On Monday, we learn fr 2 Sam 1/2
that God Gives the Direction.
On Tue, we learn from 2Sam 5/7
to Do God’s Will In His Terms.
On Wed, we learn from 2Sam 8-10
to Coperate with God To Succeed.
On Thu, we learn from 2Sam 12
that God Sends Someone to Tell.
On Friday, we learn fr 2Sam 15 that
God Cares about our Challenges.
On Sat, we learn from 2Sam 22
that God Secures & Strengthens.

Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face. Help us O God
be Christ’s disciples who Hear You:
For God Gives us Direction and
You Send Someone to Tell us;
For Cooperate with God to succeed
and to Do God’s Will in His Terms;
For God Cares for our Challenges
and that He Secures & Strengthens.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.