Author: tanahmerah

Get Ready to Be Counted

Esther has been elevated to queen
without her nationality discovered.
And Haman the villain also rises
to the top politically. His hatred for
the Jews burns hot when Mordecai
fails to pay homage to him. Haman
persuaded King Ahasuerus to issue
an edict for destruction for the
Jewish race. Now Queen Esther
is faced with a deadly decision.
Should she risk revealing her
nationality in an attempt to dissuade
the king? Or should she protect
her life and silently watch while
her countrymen are slaughtered?

Lord, we’ll Stand & Be Counted:
And letters were sent by couriers
into all the king’s provinces… to kill
all the Jews, both young and old…
on the 13th day of the 12th mth & to
plunder their possessions (Est 3:13)
Mordecai sent this reply to Esther:
Don’t think for a moment because
you’re in the palace you will escape
when all other Jews are killed. If
you Keep Quiet at a time like this,
deliverance and relief for the Jews
will arise from some other place,
but you and your relatives will die.
Who knows you were made queen
for just such a time like this?
(Est 4:13-14). Then Esther replied:
Go, gather together all the Jews…
and fast for me. Do not eat or
drink for three days… I and my
maids Will Fast as you do. When
this is done, I Will Go to the king,
even though it is against the law.
And If I Perish, I Perish (v15-16).

Lord to witness Esther’s courageous
Identification with You & Your people
challenges me to look at my own life.
I ask myself if I’ve been committed
to being a part of Your people.
Grant me Lord the courage to
Identify with You and Your cause.
Give me courage to be different
even if it means being rejected
for Identifying With You. Amen.

Lord, help me to be a person who
has a Heart For You and Your ways.
Help me Lord to be one who is
in the right place at the right time.
Enable me Lord as I Fast and Pray
to have a powerful effect on those
around me by standing up for what
is right and following Your leading.
Make my prayers powerful enough
to encourage and enable the lives
of the people whom I pray. Amen.

Lord, show me when Your Spirit is
calling me to Put Aside everything
else in order to seek You; and give
me grace to respond to that call.
Give me the discipline I need to be
able to Follow Through and the faith
to know that You are able to deliver.
Make my heart obedient in Seeking
Your kingdom interests for You God
will take care of my needs. Amen.

Complete the Assignment

With progress continuing on the
rebuilding of the walls, Nehemiah’s
opponents shift their attacks from
direct confrontation to conspiracy.
Sanballat and Geshem repeatedly
try to sidetrack Nehemiah from his
God-given assignment. Even a false
prophet arises to lead Nehemiah
into a potentially fatal trap, only to
have his plan foiled by Nehemiah’s
keen discernment. In spite of deceit,
espionage & attempted assassinatn,
Nehemiah and his dedicated brick-
layers complete the city walls in
under 2 mths,– a feat even Israel’s
enemies perceive is wrought of God.
As governor, Neh also organises
the leadership in the newly built city.

Lord, we’ll Complete Yr Assignment:
Then Sanballat sent his assistant…
(with) letter: It is reported… that you
and the Jews are plotting to revolt,
and therefore you’re blh l the wall.
Moreover, acc to these reports
you are about to become their king…
I sent him this reply: Nothing like what you’re saying is happening; you are just making it up.They are trying
to frighten us, thinking: Their hands
will get too weak for the work, and
it will not be completed (Neh 6:5-9)
After the wall had been rebuilt and
I had set the doors in place, the
gatekeepers & Levites were apptd.
I put in charge of Jerusalem my
brother Hanani along with Hananiah
the commander of the citadel
because he was a man of integrity
and feared God more than most
men do… Also appoint residents
of Jerusalem as guards (Neh 7:1-3)

Nehemiah demonstrated excellent
leadership. He was spiritually ready
to heed God’s call. He also used
careful planning, courage and
perseverance to get the work done.
For positive expectations are never
a substitute for doing difficult work.
Lord, we will Stand Firm to Do Right;
and we will Fulfil Your Assignment.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we pray that our church
leaders will be equally committed
to doing what is right in God’s eyes.
Grant us Lord grace to listen to Your
instructions and to carry them out.
Pray that whatever distractions
and challenges may come, we will
concentrate on the work God has
called us to do. And strengthen
Lord our hearts and hands. Amen.

Lord, we recognise that correctly
assessing people’s gifts, reliability
& character is essential of leadership.
And that integrity and fear of
God are the key character traits.
For people of integrity can be trusted
to carry out their work; and God-
fearing people can be expected to
do so in line with God’s priorities.
Grant us Lord the passion to serve
and to complete all that God has
entrusted to us. In Jesus’ name.

God Puts His Word In Our 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 Listens to 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 (Ezra 8:21-22)
So we Fasted & earnestly Prayed
that our God would take care of us
and He answered our prayer (v23).
We departed from the river
of Ahava… to go to Jerusalem.
And the hand of our God was
upon us from the hand of the
enemy and from the ambush
along the road (Ezra 8:31).

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 us to fast and
pray whenever the need arises.
Show us how often & how long
and give us the strength to get
through each fast successfully.
With every fast, help us to pray
about the issues of the situation
and the direction we have to take.
For we need to deny the flesh
to hear from You God 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 towar 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.

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.

Hearing God thru His Word

The purpose of First Chronicles
is to unify God’s people, to trace
the Davidic line and to teach that
genuine worship ought to be the
center of individual & national life;
whilst that of 2nd Chron is to unify
the nation around true worship
of God, to highlight the religious
revivals under the good kings and
to expose the sins of the evil kings.

On Monday, we learn fr 1 Chron 4
that God Answers Bold Prayers.
On Tuesday, we learn from 1Chr 14
to Inquire & Listen Before Acting.
On Wed, we learn fr 1Chr 17 that
God’s Will Better Than Imagined.
On Thu, we learn from 2Chron 7
to Humbly Seek God for Recovery.
On Fri, we learn fr 2Chr 15/16 that
God Strengthens the Committed.
On Sat, we learn from 2Chron 20
that God Speaks thru His Prophets.

Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face. Help us O God
be Christ’s disciples who Hear You:
For God Answers Bold Prayers
and His Will Is Better than Imagined;
For we’ll Inquire & Listen B4 Acting
and Humbly Seek God for Recovery;
For God Strengthens the Committed
and that He Speaks thru Prophets.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

God Speaks Through His Prophet

Jehoshaphat institutes a national
scripture study program; and God
blesses with peace & prosperity.
But he also institutes a peace
treaty with the king of Israel. And
it causes Judah being entangled
in a war between Israel and Syria.
But his reaction to divine rebuke,
his appointment of judges to rule
for the Lord and his Godward
response to crisis point to the
day-by-day reality of his faith.

Lord, we Seek Your Assistance:
Jehoshaphat set himself to seek
the Lord and proclaimed a fast…
Are You not our God, who drove
out the inhabitants of this land…
and gave it to the descendants of
Abraham… And here are the pple of
Ammon, Moab & Mt Seir…O our God,
won’t You stop them? For we hv no
power against this great multitude
nor do we know what to do, but our
eyes are upon You (2Chr 20:3-12).
Then the Spirit of the Lord came
upon Jahaziel a Levite. And he said:
Do not be afraid nor dismayed..for
the battle is not yours but God’s…
Position yourselves. Stand still and
see the salvation of the Lord(v14-17)
Jehoshaphat said: Believe in the Lord & you shall be established…
Now when they began to sing and
to praise, the LORD set ambushes
against the people of Ammon, Moab
& Mt Seir & defeated them (v20-22)

Lord, sometimes I feel so over-
whelmed, all I can say is “Help”.
When I don’t know what to do,
but I am looking to You for help.
Please help me to fully trust You
instead of focusing on the situation.
When trouble comes, help me
to keep my eyes solely on You;
for the battle belongs to the Lord.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Father God, when at our wits end,
we come seeking You for assistance.
We look to You for we don’t know
what to do but our eyes are on You.
We call on You for we know Your
almighty power & promises to us.
We depend and rest on You Lord,
trusting we will see Your salvation.
And we believe in You Lord and
trust we will be established. Amen.

In heavenly armour
we’ll enter the land
The battle belongs to the Lord.
No weapon that’s fashioned
against us shall stand
The battle belongs to the Lord.
We sing glory and honour
Power & strength to the Lord (x2)
When your enemy presses
in hard do not fear
The battle belongs to the Lord.
Take courage my friend,
your redemption is near
The battle belongs to the Lord.
We sing glory and honour
Power & strength to the Lord. 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.

Humbly Seek God for Recovery

Great quantities of men & materials
plus seven years of Solomon’s life
are invested to complete the house
of the Lord. Solomon in dedicating
the Temple praise and thank God
for His Unchanging character and
unfailing promises on behalf of
the nation. When Solomon finishes
his prayer, the glory of God fills
the Temple. But in the night,
God appears to Solomon to warn
him that if the nation fails to
remain true to God, He will uproot
the people from their beloved
homeland and will destroy the
magnificent temple which they
have laboured so long to complete.

Lord, we Seek You for Recovery:
Thus Solomon finished the house
of the Lord and the king’s house…
Then the Lord appeared to
Solomon by night & said to him:
I have heard your prayer and have
chosen this place for Myself as a
house of sacrifice (2Chr 7:11-12).
If my people, who are called by
my name, will humble themselves
and pray and seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
and I will forgive their sin and
will heal their land. Now My eyes
will be open and My ears attentive
to prayers made (2Chron 7:14-15).

Lord, thank You for the reminder to
pray for our country & its leaders.
We realise no country is perfect;
we know our leaders are human
and therefore invariably have flaws.
And You God promise that when
Your people humble themselves
and pray, You will hear from heaven.
So we ask that You Give our leaders
wisdom & sense of Yr justice. Amen.

Lord, we come humbly before You
and confess the sins of our nation.
Pray that we as a people turn from
self seeking ways & seek Your face
so that You will hear our prayers,
forgive our sins and heal our land.
We need Your blessings Lord,
pour out Your Spirit on us & work
Your righteousness in us. Amen.

Lord, Inspire the people of this land
with the spirit of justice and love,
that in all dealings with one another
that we show forth our brotherhood.
Free us Lord from oppressing the
poor and bring about social justice.
And prosper all efforts to make
known Your truth so that many
may learn their need of You Lord
and Your love for them. Amen.