Category: 2019 Prayers

Gracious God Is Our Helper: Inspiring   Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Robert Robinson (1735-1790)
had always been prone to wander.
And as a wild youth he came to repentance. He became a pastor and wrote a few hymns; and Come
Thou Fount was written in 1757;
inspired very much by 1 Samuel 7.
Late in life he wandered fr the Lord.
But he met a lady in a coach who
shared the hymn Come Thou Fount
to him. He replied: I’m the unhappy
man who wrote the hymn years ago
and I would give a thousand worlds
to enjoy the feelings I had then.”
She told him:’the ‘streams of mercy’
are still flowing.” And he repented…

Lord, we Call on You for Help:
And Samuel said: Gather all Israel
to Mizpah and I will pray to the
Lord for you… And they fasted
that day and said: We have sinned
against the Lord (1Sam 7:5-6).
(Samuel) pleaded with the Lord
to help Israel & the Lord answered.
Just as Samuel was sacrificing
the burnt offering, the Philistines
arrived for battle. But the Lord
spoke with a mighty voice of
thunder… and the Philistines were
thrown into confusion that the
Israelites defeated them (v9-10).
Then Samuel took a stone… set it
up and called its name Ebenezer,
saying: Thus far the Lord has helped
us. So the Philistines were subdued,
and they did not come anymore
into the territory of Israel (v12-13).

Lord, we realized You are more
ready to hear the prayers of Your
people when they are repentant.
You listened to Your servants’
intercession for divine favour.
We note Samuel’s good practice
of erecting Ebenezer memorial as
Thanksgiving, which reminds us
of Your goodness and power that
we can call on You for help. Amen.

Father, thanks for streams of mercy
that call for songs of loudest praise.
We yearn to be able to erect our
Ebenezer like Samuel & testify of U.
But Lord, we are human, and like
Robertson we are prone to wander.
Cause us to always remember the
Lord has helped us & be grateful.
So, here’s my heart; take & seal it;
seal it for Your courts above. Amen.

Lord, Thou fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing Thy grace.
Streams of mercy never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wondering from the fold of God.
He, to rescue me from danger,
interposed His precious blood…
Lord, I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by Thy help I come.
Let Thy goodness like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander Lord I feel it;
prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above. Amen.

Adoring God thru Thanks & Praise

The purpose of First Samuel 
is to record the life of Samuel,
Israel’s last judge, thru reign and
decline of Saul, the first king;
and the choice and preparation
of David, Israel’s greatest king.
Establishing a monarchy did
not solve Israel’s problems.
What God desires is the genuine
devotion of each person’s mind
and heart to Him. No government
or set of laws can substitute for
the rule of God in your heart & life.

On Monday, we learn from 1Sam 1
that God Cares about Our Concerns.
On Tuesday, we learn from 1Sam 7
that God Is Our Mighty Helper.
On Wed, we learn from 1Sam 10
that Spirit of God Empowers Us.
On Thursday, we learn from 17
that God Delivers the Faithful.
On Friday, we learn fr 1Sam 20/22
that God Cares for Downtrodden.
On Sat, we learn from 1Sam 30
that Gracious God Is Our Strength.

Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face. Help us O God
be Christ’s disciples who Adore You:
For You Care about Our Concerns;
especially when are Downtrodden;
For You are worthy of our Thanks
as You Deliver and Empower Us;
For You are worthy of our Praise
being Mighty Helper & Our Strength.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

God Is Our Strength (Mar 9)

After months of running for his life,
David concludes that leaving
Israel entirely is the only way to
escape Saul’s relentless pursuit.
By convincing the Philistines he is
a defector, David is given the city
of Ziklag as his base of operations.
But instead of aiding the enemy,
David and his army methodically
destroy Philistine strongholds.
Meanwhile, Saul’s desperate
attempts to counter the Philistine
threat lead him to consult a medium.
And instead of promise of victory,
Saul heard frightening prediction of
defeat and death, forecasts which
came true the very next day as he
& his sons die on the field of battle.

Lord, You are God of My Strength:
It happened when David and his men
came to Ziglag, on the third day that
the Amalekites invaded the South
burned it… and had taken captives…
Then David and the people who
were with him… wept until they
had no more power to weep… Now
David was greatly distressed for
the people spoke of stoning him…
But David Strengthen himself
in the Lord his God (1Sam 30:1-6).
Then David said to Abiathar the
priest… Bring the ephod to me…
So David inquired of the Lord:
Shall I pursue this troop?…
And He answered him: Pursue,
for you shall surely overtake them
and without fail Recover all (v7-8).
Then David attacked them from
twilight until the evening of the next
day. Not a man of them escaped,
except 400 young man… who fled.
So David recovered all that the
Amalekites had carried away(v17-18)

Lord, we learnt from David that
we can strengthen ourselves in You.
For You are our strong fortress and
You are the God of our strength.
In You Lord are power and might;
and in You we find all that we need
when we are weary or go out of gas.
Forgive us for doubting Yr strength
and failing to access it in our life.
As Your children we claim access
to Your strength, rather than walk
in our own limited power. Amen.

Lord, some challenges we face can
make us feel insecure & doubtful.
Our fears tell us that if we take a
wrong step, we will fall into danger.
Help us learn from David to inquire
of You Lord; and remember of
Your assurance to provide us
strength as the feet of a deer.
Grant us direction and strength
to do what we are called to do.
And put Lord a spring in our steps
as we follow where You lead. Amen.

Lord, I need You for my strength is
limited but Your strength is endless.
Gird me with Your great strength
for I am weak but You are strong.
Strengthen my heart and resolve
when life seems so challenging.
Strengthen my mind to think
big because I serve a big God.
Strengthen my hands to do all
that You have called me to do;
for You are My Strength!! Amen.

God Cares for the Faithful 

David the king-elect of Israel –
anointed, approved in battle and
awaiting the inauguration of his
reign – is fleeing for his life from
the deranged Saul, the king rejected.
Saul’s pursuit drives David to
desperate measures such as eating
the forbidden shewbread at Nob
and feigning insanity at Gath.
But Scripture records that David’s
confidence in God never slackens,
as his frequent petitions to God for
direction & protection clearly testify.

Lord, we aspire to Be Faithful:
If he is angry and wants u killed,
may the Lord kill me if I don’t
warn you so u can escape & live.
May the Lord be with you as he
used to be with my father. And
may you treat me with the faithful
love of the Lord as long as I live…
So Jonathan made a covenant
with David saying: May the Lord
destroy all your enemies! And
Jonathan made David reaffirm
his vow of friendship again, for
Jonathan loved David as much as
he loved himself (1 Sam 20:13-17)
David therefore departed from there
and escaped to the cave of Adullam.
So when his brothers and all his
father’s house heard it, they went
down there to him. And everyone
who was in distress, everyone who
was in debt and everyone who was
discontented gathered to him.
So he became captain over them.
And there were about four hundred
men with him (1 Sam 22:1-2).

Dear Lord, from the experience
of David on the run from king Saul,
we learn when treated unjustly that
we should not take matters into our
own hands. For God is just & faithful
and You care for the downtrodden.
Help us Lord to be faithful friends;
& help us avail ourselves for service.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we are inspired Jonathan
and David based their friendship
as well as their commitment to You.
Inspire us to be like Jonathan who
displays loving commitment and
let nothing comes between friends.
Help us be people of integrity
by keeping promises even though
it may involve sacrifice. Amen

Lord, we note that David with Your
help managed to mould the 400
men into a strong fighting men and
did great exploits for the kingdom.
Help our leaders to manage people
from a range of backgrounds and to
be humble in accepting their failings.
Help our leaders to be both strong
and humble for church leadership
can be pretty tough work. Amen.

God Delivers the Faithful

The rejection of a king after the
 people’s heart (Saul) sets the stage
for the choice of a king after God’s
 own heart (David).A young shepherd
with a disposition more suited to
the pasture than the palace, David
 possesses few claims to fame.
 He is a good marksman with a sling,
 an excellent lyre player and the
youngest of eight sons from an
 insignificant family in Bethlehem.
But his heart attitude is one of
 undivided devotion; a quality readily
visible in the way David dispatches
 the Philistine giant Goliath and
 handles Saul’s jealous attacks.

Lord,we Remember Yr Deliverance:
             Saul said to David: You are not
able to go against this Philistine;
for you are a youth, and he a
man of war from his youth…(But)
David said: The Lord Who Delivered
me from the paw of the bear,
He Will Deliver me from the hand
of this Philistine (1 Sam 17:33-37).
Then David said to the Philistine,
You came to me with a sword,
with a spear and with a javelin.
But I come to You in the name
 of the Lord of hosts, the God of
 Israel whom you have defiled…
So David prevailed over the
 Philistine with a sling and a stone
and… killed him (1 Sam 17:45-50)

Father God, just as You taught
 David to trust You when he killed
the bear and the lion, prepare me
 for the battles I will face one day.
And when I reach those battles,
 remind me I had overcome in other
 situations and that as You were with
 me then, You will be with me again.
Give me the courage of David to
 take up the armour of God, for with
it I can overcome anything. Amen.

Lord, help us remember our past
 deliverance and know that You
will continue to be our Deliverer.
Help us have the same perspective
of David where size of the giant
is irrelevant, for Goliath was puny
 when compared with almighty God.
Help us to be trained in the power
of God, fixing our eyes on You God,
then we’ll not fear the giant. Amen.

Lord, remind us that prayer is
not something that only happens
in the quietness of a moment.
Prompt us to cry out to You whilst
in battle & desperate moments for
deliverance may be a prayer away.
Strengthen our faith in You so that
we’ll not forget or give up praying.
And enable us to stand strong
in prayer, giving thanks for Your
presence and deliverance. Amen.

Spirit of God Empowers Us (Mar 6)

From all outward appearances,
Saul’s selection as the first king
of Israel is an outstanding choice.
His kingly demeanour & imposing
presence make him a promising
candidate fr a human perspective.
But while man looks on the outward
appearance, the Lord looks on the
heart. Saul is anointed by Samuel,
installed as king at Mizpah, proven
in battle against the Ammonites
and confirmed as king at Gilgal.
But the fact remains (as pointed
out by Samuel in his final address
to the nation) that God not Saul
should be king over Israel.

Praise be to the Spirit of God:
Then Samuel took a flask of olive
oil and poured it over Saul’s head.
He kissed Saul on the cheek and
said: I am doing this because
the Lord has appointed you to be
the leader of His people Israel…
When you arrive at Gibeah of God,
where the garrison of Philistines
is located, you will meet a band
of prophets… and they will be
prophesying. At that time the
Spirit of the Lord will come upon
you with power, and you will
prophesy with them. You will be
changed into a different person…
When they came to the hill there,
behold a group of prophets
met Saul; and the Spirit of God
(Ruach Elohim) came upon him
mightily, so that he prophesied
among them (1 Sam 10:1, 5-6, 10)

Lord Ruach Elohim, in You we
put our hope and trust for You
are the Spirit of the living God.
Because of You we can experience
the fullness of God in our lives.
Thank You for imparting the
wisdom of Your Word in our heart
and as You direct our thoughts.
Help us pray with words we don’t
even know we need to pray. Amen

Lord Ruach Elohim, forgive me
for the sins I harbour in my heart.
Forgive me for envy and becoming
ungrateful for all You’ve done for me.
Forgive me Lord when I am jealous,
comparing Your path for me with
the favour You have given to others.
Grant me the strength and help
to keep me from mortal sins in
the future. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord Ruach Elohim, I ask You to be
ever present in my spirit; and may
Your Holy Spirit dominate my own.
I don’t want to wrestle with fear
or doubt. Instead I want the trust
and rest that come from Your
presence to be evident in my life.
I seek You and Your closeness;
for I need Your presence in all I do.
And help me to know You and love
You as I ought to. In Jesus’ name.

God Is Our Mighty Helper: Inspiring   Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Robert Robinson (1735-1790)
had always been prone to wander.
Apprenticed to a barber at 14, he
spent more time playing with friends
than cutting hair. And as a wild youth
he came to repentance. He became
a pastor and wrote a few hymns.
Come Thou Fount was written in
1757, inspired possibly by 1 Sam 7.
Later in life he wandered from the
Lord and felt he could not return.
But he met a lady in a coach who
shared the hymn Come Thou Fount
to him. He replied: I’m the unhappy
man who wrote the hymn years ago
and I would give a thousand worlds
to enjoy the feelings I had then.”
She responded by telling him:
“Sir, the ‘streams of mercy’ are
still flowing.” And he repented.

Lord, we Call on You for Help:
And Samuel said: Gather all Israel
to Mizpah and I will pray to the
Lord for you… And they fasted
that day and said: We have sinned
against the Lord (1Sam 7:5-6).
(Samuel) pleaded with the Lord
to help Israel & the Lord answered.
Just as Samuel was sacrificing
the burnt offering, the Philistines
arrived for battle. But the Lord
spoke with a mighty voice of
thunder… and the Philistines were
thrown into confusion that the
Israelites defeated them (v9-10).
Then Samuel took a stone… set it
up and called its name Ebenezer,
saying: Thus far the Lord has helped
us. So the Philistines were subdued,
and they did not come anymore
into the territory of Israel (v12-13).

Lord, we realized You are more
ready to hear the prayers of Your
people when they are repentant.
You listened to Your servants’
intercession for divine favour.
We note Samuel’s good practice
of erecting Ebenezer memorial as
Thanksgiving, which reminds us
of Your goodness and power that
we can call on You for help. Amen.

Father, thanks for streams of mercy
that call for songs of loudest praise.
We yearn to be able to erect our
Ebenezer like Samuel & testify of U.
But Lord, we are human, and like
Robertson we are prone to wander.
Cause us to always remember the
Lord has helped us & be grateful.
So, here’s my heart; take & seal it;
seal it for Your courts above. Amen.

Lord, Thou fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing Thy grace.
Streams of mercy never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God.
He, to rescue me from danger,
interposed His precious blood…
Lord, I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by Thy help I come.
Let Thy goodness like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander Lord I feel it;
prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above. Amen.

God Cares About Our Concerns

The period of the judges is nearly
at an end. One last judge remains:
Samuel, a man of godly character
and integrity who will guide the
nation from judgeship to kinship.
Samuel is the offspring of barren
woman and the answer to fervent
prayer. And he is consecrated
to the Lord’s service from birth.

Lord, we cast our cares for You Care:
Hannah was in bitterness of soul,
and prayed to the Lord and wept
in anguish. Then she made a vow:
O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed…
give Your maidservant a male child,
then I will give him to the Lord all
the days of his life (1Sam 1:10-11).
As she continued praying… Hannah
spoke in her heart; only her lips
moved but her voice was not heard.
… So Eli thought she was drunk.
But Hannah answered: No my lord,
I am a woman of sorrowful spirit.
I’ve poured my soul before the Lord..
Then Eli answered: Go in peace
and the God of Israel grant your
petition which you’ve asked of Him…
So the woman went her way, ate,
and was no longer sad (v12-18).
I asked the Lord to give me this boy
and He has granted my request.
Now I am giving him to the Lord,
and he will belong to the Lord
his whole life (1 Sam 1:27-28).

Lord, Hannah struggling with
heartbreak of infertility & taunting,
poured out her heart to You God.
After she did, she ate something,
and her face was no longer sad.
Here we see a woman who knew
how to give her worries to God.
Help us Lord learn from Hannah
to cast our worries over to You;
for after all You care for us. Amen.

Lord, Your Word says in 1Pet 4:7
to Cast all our anxieties on You
God because You care for us.
Yet sometimes we take back the
worries we claim to give to You.
Help us Lord learn from Hannah;
help us to rest the full weight of
our worry in Your capable hands.
Help us know You care for us and
thanks for the peace You give. Amen

Lord, although we are not in the
positn to bargain with Almighty God,
You may choose to answer a prayer
that has an attached promise to it.
You God keep Your promises and
will expect us also to keep ours.
Help us Lord to be earnest by
asking ourselves whether we will
follow thru on the promise we make
when God grants our request. Amen.

God Overwhelms the Impossible

Gideon, Israel’s fifth judge, receives
God’s call while hiding in a wine-
press secretly threshing wheat.
Midian’s oppression is indeed
severe and Gideon is God’s man
to lead the people in throwing
off that yoke of bondage – a task
that Gideon is not keen to accept!
But once convinced of his calling
through two miraculous signs,
Gideon leads a humble army of 300
men, equipped only with torches
and trumpets, in a stunning victory
against the mighty Midianite forces.
Israel’s weapons and rather unusual
battle plan leave no room for doubt:
The victory is the Lord’s.

Lord, You Love Impossible Odds:
The Lord said to Gideon: You
have too many warriors with you.
If I let you fight the Midianites,
the Israelites will boast to me
that they saved themselves by
their own strength. Therefore,
tell the people: Whoever is timid
or afraid may leave and go home.
22,000 of them went home,
leaving only 10,000 who were
willing to fight (Jdgs 7:2-3).
But the Lord told Gideon:
There are still too many!
Bring them down to the spring
and I will sort out who will go
with you and who will not (v4).
Then the Lord said: By the 300 men
who lapped I will save you & deliver
the Midianites into your hand (v7).

Lord, when we face overwhelming
circumstances, it is a perfect
position for You God to intervene.
For it is in those times that we
like Gideon can learn to trust You.
Many times we have felt there
was no way out in the circumstance;
only to discover later that You Lord
was actually making a way for us.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Lord, facing overwhelming odds
can be frightening as Gideon felt.
You God understood his fear but
didn’t excuse Gideon from his task.
Instead You led Gideon to slip into
the enemy camp and overhear a
chat that would give him courage.
You God indeed can give us the
strength we need for any situation.
Help us Lord to listen to You and
be ready to take the first step;
for after we begin to obey will we
find the courage to move on. Amen.

Lord, Your Word alone is sufficient
Promise of the ultimate victory.
We just need to simply trust You
and carry out Your instructions.
Thank You for being our warrior.
Thank You, when I am in a battle,
You’ll shine in midst of that battle.
Thank You for giving us victory
when it seems just impossible.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.