Category: 2020 Prayers

Seek First Kingdom of God (Sep 15)

Jesus claimed to be the Messiah,
the king of the Jews. And Matthew
5 to 7 traditionally called the
Sermon on the Mount, essentially
presents His statement of heaven.
Relationship to God (rather than
adherence to ritual) and inward
attitude (not outward action)
become the focus of His message.

Lord, we Lift Up Our Needs to You:
Do not worry saying: What shall
we eat…or What shall we wear?
For the pagans run after these
things and Your Heavenly Father
Knows that You Need them. But
Seek First the Kingdom of God and
His righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well.
Therefore Do Not Worry about
tomorrow (Matt 6:31-34). Amen

Lord, You promise and advise us
Not To Worry about basic needs
for You will provide them to us.
Grateful I don’t have to be consumed
with worry; but I can be consumed with You and Your kingdom. For
No need enters my life for which
You Lord have already provided.
I choose to Keep Anxiety from cluttering my heart and instead
let it be filled with You. Amen

Lord, You are all-knowing and
therefore You Know all our needs.
Praise You for Knowing everything
about us and every detail of our
situation; for nothing surprises You.
For Your Word says You Know
Our Needs and Will Provide them.
And so we can live peacefully and
cheerfully each day when we keep
Your kingdom as key concern. Amen

Gracious Lord, Thanks for caring
so much and being so good to us.
Help me to always Seek You First,
trust Your gracious promise and
keep from worrying about the future.
Give me Lord the right perspective
and not worry over issues beyond
my control. Help me to see the
difference between needs & wants.
And do transform my life. Amen.

Be Light of the Kingdom (Sep 14)

Jesus claimed to be the Messiah,
the King of the Jews. And you
will read in Matt 5-7 the Sermon
of the Mount, where He presents
His statement of heaven (Mt 5:3,10)
Relationship to God (not simply
adherence to ritual) and inward
attitude (not merely outward action)
become focus of Christ’s message
for a lifestyle of righteousness.

Lord, we purpose Be Salt & Light:
You are the Salt of the earth.
But if the salt loses its saltiness,
It is no longer good for anything,
except to be thrown out…
You are the Light of the world.
A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp
and put it under a bowl. Instead
they put it on its stand & it gives
light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light
shine before men, that they may
see your good deeds and praise
your Father in heaven (Mt 5:13-16)
But I say: Love your enemies!… In
that way, You will be acting as true
children of your Father in heaven…
Be perfect, just as your Father in
heaven is perfect (Mt 5:43-45,48)

Dear Almighty God, You sent
Jesus to save us from our sins;
give us eternal & abundant life;
and to be our Master and King.
Your standards are lofty; but in
deep gratitude of what You had
done, we Your people purpose
to Live a Kingdom Lifestyle by
Adopting Kingdom Perspectives,
Be Salt of earth, Light of world
and Aspire to Be Perfect. Amen.

Lord it’s an awesome responsibility
to reflect Your image & Your glory
to the world; but it’s an awesome
privilege too. Give us opportunities
to do so & help us reflect You well.
Lead us Lord to what You’re doing
& use us to bear fruit in Your world.
Help us live in such a way as to
preserve biblical values and let
our light shine for Jesus. Amen.

Lord Jesus, Thank You for dying
on the cross for us so that we
can be reconciled to the Father.
Fill my heart with understanding
for people who are negative of me.
Help me to pray for these people
and not badmouth or curse them.
I can do this only as I look to You
as my example. And grant me Lord
the grace to be perfect for apart
from You, I can do nothing. Amen

Experiencing God thro Obedience

The current series on Experiencing
God through Obedience is perhaps
the main focus of discipleship.
We position to encounter God’s
presence through learning to seek
God’s voice, deepening our trust in
Him and ultimately thro Obedience.
Before moving to New Testament,
let’s pause to reflect our learning
over the last 4 mths from Torah laws,
Israel history, Wisdom and Prophets.

From Genesis, we see Abraham’s
Obedience in Trusting God though
he didn’t have all the answers; so
he went Not Knowing Where; and
sacrificed Issac Not Knowing How
he be father of nations (Gen 12&22)
From life of Moses, we see in the Red
Sea crossing that the Israelites have
to Move Forward to experience the
mighty deliverance of God (Exo 14).
The Israelites were protected from
harsh desert elements by Following
the cloud (Num 9); and Moses
challenged them to Obey the Lord in
order to receive blessings (Deut 30)

Israel history begins with the call to
Joshua to Be Courageous to receive
the inheritance, to obey the law and
to claim the presence of God (Josh1)
David killed the mighty Goliath
because he Remembered God
helped him to kill the lion (1Sam 17)
And then by Inquiring of the Lord,
he won great victories repeatedly
against the Philistines (1Chron 14).
King Jehoshaphat by Seeking the
Lord for help in 2Chron 20 won a
great victory against the combined
armies of Moab, Ammon & Syria.

In the Wisdom literature, David
Sought the Lord and was delivered
from all his fears; and blessed is the
one who Trust in Him (Ps 34:4, 8).
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble…
We just need to Be Still and Know
that He is God (Ps 46:1 & 10).
Solomon urges in Prov 2:1-5: If you
receive my words…If you search for
her as for hidden treasures, then you
will understand the fear of the Lord.
Fear God and keep His commands,
for this is man’s all (Eccles 12:13).

And moving to the Prophets,
those who Wait on the Lord shall
renew their strength (Isa 40:31).
And the Lord has plans to give you
hope and a future… Seek Me and Find Me, when you search for me with all your heart (Jer 29:11-13).
Rid yourselves of all the offences
you have committed, and get a new
heart and a new spirit (Ezek 18:31).
The vision is yet for an appointed
time… Wait for it because it will
surely come… (For) the just shall
live by his Faith (Habakkuk 2:3-4).

Waiting Upon God thro Hard Times

Habakkuk prophesies in Judah
before its overthrow by Babylonia. Honestly concerned with how God could chasten Judah by means of
a nation even more sinful than itself,
Habakkuk deals with perplexing
questions: Why is a just God silent? Why do 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.

Lord, we Trust by Waiting on You:
I will stand my watch & set myself
on the watch tower. And watch
to see what He will say to me…
Then the Lord answered me:
The vision is yet for an appointed
time; but at the end it will speak,
and it will not lie. Though it tarries,
Wait for it; because it will surely
come, it will not tarry. Behold the
proud… is not upright; but the just
shall live by his Faith (Hab 2:1-4).
Though the fig trees does not bud,
there are no grapes on the vines
and the olive crop fails… yet I will
rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful
in God my Savior. The Sovereign
Lord is my strength (Hab 3:17-19).

Lord, we note that to trust God
fully means to trust Him even
when we do not understand
why events occur as they do.
Help us to live by Faith by Waiting
upon You and trust that You God
will direct all things according
to Your purpose, Your way and
Your time. In Jesus’ precious name.

Lord, I have “heard all about You
and I am filled with awe by the
amazing things You have done.”
In our time of deep need, begin
again to help us as U did in years
gone by. Show us Your power to
save us. No matter what happens,
whether I see prayers answered,
I purpose to hold on In Faith.
And may my heart rejoice in You;
for You are my strength. Amen.

Oh Sovereign Lord, we need You.
Our strength is limited; but Your strength is endless. Fill us and empower us; enable us to do
all that You have called us to do.
May the same Spirit that raised
Jesus from the dead give us life
and strength to make thro all the
dark winters we are facing and
bear much fruit in Your time. Amen

Follow the Lord’s Direction (Sep 13)

Babylon the last and greatest enemy
of Judah will suffer the same fate
as the rest of Judah’s ungodly
neighbours. But Jeremiah concludes
his discourse with a note of hope.
Though Jerusalem has fallen as
predicted, her king Jehoiachin is
shown unexpected kindness in
Babylon. In the restoration of this
covenant-breaking king, Jeremiah
pictures the future restoration
of covenant breaking Judah
by her covenant-keeping God.

The sad truth that runs through
the book of Jeremiah is that people
want to rebel against God rather
than listen to Him. The wonderful
truth is that God is a God of hope.
The situations that we encounter
in Jeremiah were so hopeless that
no human solution was workable.
The answer was for God Himself
to be the answer; and to come in
person to save & restore His people.
Lord, we will Return & Seek You.
Lord, we will Rely On Your Defence.
Lord, we will Put Trust in You. Amen

Lord, we will Return & Seek You:
The people of Israel will Return
home together with the people
of Judah. They will come weeping
and Seeking the Lord their God.
They will ask the way to Jerusalem
and will start back home again.
They will Bind themselves to the
Lord with an eternal covenant that
will Never Be Forgotten(Jer 50:4-5)
Lord, my season of struggle is
made bearable by Your presence.
I know there is an end and I will
hope in it before I experience it.
Thank You for the gift of freedom
You bought for me on the cross &
in Christ I no longer walk as a slave.
Guard my steps and my thoughts
from places that will snare me.
And use me and enable me to help
others walk in Your freedom.Amen

Lord, we Rely On Your Defence:
See I will defend your cause and
avenge you; I will dry up her sea
and make her springs dry (Jer 51:36)
Lest your heart faint, and you fear
the rumour of approaching forces…
For the time is surely coming when
I will punish this great city and all
her idols. Her whole land will be
disgraced… Just as Babylon killed
the people of Israel and others, so
must her people be killed (v46-49).
Lord, things in life aren’t alway as
they seem. The situation appeared
bleak for Zion and rosy for Babylon.
But within one generation Babylon
had fallen and the children of
Jerusalem’s exiles were returning
to the city God had given to David.
Help us Lord in times of suffering
the need to develop a much bigger
perspective of hope for the future.
Help us remind ourselves of how
God has worked in the past and
also be watchful. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, we Put our Trust in You:
Zedekiah did evil in the eyes of the
Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done.
It was because of the Lord’s anger
that all this happened to Jerusalem
and Judah, and in the end He
thrust them from His presence…
It came to pass… Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon and his army came
against Jerusalem & encamped
against it… By the fourth month…
the famine had become so severe
in the city that there was no food
for the people of the land. Then the
city wall was broken (Jer 52:2-7).
Lord, noted a leader bears special
responsibility as the fall of Jerusalem
is attributed to the sin of its king
Zedekiah. And that disobedience
to God eventually leaves us empty
and weak; even as we saw the army
caved in because of the famine.
Though death is the final pay-off
which all sinners will get, thank God
that in Christ we have been forgiven
and receive restoration. Amen.

Submit to Sovereign Lord (Sep 12)

Jeremiah closes his book with
mighty sweep of prophetic judgment.
Moving from west to east, Jeremiah
shows that the God of Israel rules
in the affairs of people everywhere:
from Egypt to Elam, Damascus
to Edom. For their wicked idolatry
and staunch refusal to acknowledge
the one true God, Judah’s neighbors
would fall to enemy armies, showing
no nation is big enough to flaunt
God’s justice and get away with it.

The fundamental reason why Egypt,
Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Elam,
Damascus, Babylon, Israel, Judah
and other nations were destroyed
was because they magnified them-
selves against the Lord (48:42).
Because of God’s majestic power
and love, our only duty is to submit
to His authority. And afterall, He is creator and Lord over all the world.
By following His plans, not our own,
we can have loving relationship with
Him and serve Him wholeheartedly.
Help us to Trust and Obey Lord;
Help us to Yield to Your Shaping;
Help us to Humble before U. Amen.

Lord, we will Trust and Obey:
This message concerning Egypt
was given in the fourth year of the
reign of Jehoiakim… king of Judah
on the occasion of the battle of
Carchemish when Pharaoh Neco…
and his army were defeated by
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon…
The Lord Almighty..says: I will punish
Amon the god of Thebes and all the
other gods of Egypt. I will punish…
Pharaoh… and all who trust in him.
I will hand them over… to King Nebu
-chadnezzar of Babylon & his army.
But afterward the land will recover from ravages of war (Jer46:2, 25-26)
Lord, noted that with Babylonians
defeating Egypt, it was both poor
strategy & disobedience to God for
Judah to form alliance with Egypt.
And You God punished His people
not only to correct and purify but
also to bring them back to Himself.
Help us Lord not to rely on our own
understanding but to be watchful
and to trust & obey. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, we Yield to Your Shaping:
Moab has been at rest from
youth like wine left on its dregs,
not poured from one jar to another.
So she tastes as she did,
and her aroma is unchanged.
Therefore behold the days are
coming, says the Lord, that I shall
send him wine workers who will
tip him over and empty his vessels
and break the bottles (Jer 48:11-12)
Lord, You are the winemaker –
fermenting my life until it is a
perfect vintage with beautiful aroma.
I trust You Lord and thank You
for all the stages of my journey,
including the not so comfortable.
With You nothing is wasted or
erratic but is part of a needful
process. I yield myself to U. Amen

Lord, we will Humble before You:
This is what the Lord says:
I will cut you down to size among
the nations, Edom. You will be
despised by all. You are proud
that you inspire fear in others.
And you are proud because you
live in a rock fortress and hide
high in the mountains. But don’t
fool yourselves! Though you live
among the peaks with the eagles,
I will bringh you crashing down,
says the Lord (Jer 49:15-16).
Lord, we noted that Edom was
destroyed because of her pride.
You hate Pride for it can make
us think we can take care of
ourselves without Your help.
So we ask You God to point out
and remove any pride we may
be habouring in our life. Amen.

Experiencing God thro Obedience

This week we learn the importance
of Repentance, Passion & Waiting to position rightly to experience God.
On Monday, we learn from
Joel 1-2 to Return to the Lord.
On Tuesday, we learn from Amos
2-5 to Guard Against Indifference.
On Wed, we learn from Jonah 3-4
to Share Message of Compassion.
On Thurs, we learn from Hab 2-3
to Wait Upon God thro Hard Times.
On Friday, we learn from Haggai
1-2 to Get the Priorities Right.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.

Get the Priorities Right (Sep 11)

Consider your ways & Finish what
you have begun are the resounding calls of prophet Haggai as he tries
to awaken the people spiritually.
They have just returned from exile
in Babylonia and are discouraged
by the destruction in the city.
But Haggai’s message brings encouragement, particularly to the governor, Zerubbabel, who must inspire the people. I am with you,
declares the Lord as the people are called to rebuild and fight against future oppression. There is hope and
future blessing for their obedience!

Lord, we’ll Straighten Priorities:
Thus says the Lord: Consider
your ways! Go up to the mountains
and bring wood and build the
temple, that I may take pleasure
in it and be glorified, says the Lord.
You expected much, but see,
it turned out to be little… Why?…
Because of my house, which
remains a ruin, while each of you is
busy with his own house (Hag1:8-9)
Yet now be strong Zerubbabel, and be strong Joshua the high priest;
and be strong all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work; for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts.
My Spirit remains among you, just
as I promised when you came out of
Egypt. So don’t be afraid (Hag2:4-5)

Lord, help us learn from Haggai’s
prophesy that one possible reason
one does not have enough may
be because of misplaced value.
Help us guard our spiritual priorities.
Help us allocate our time, energy
and resources, not to forget the
importance of pursuits that matter
to You God. And even as we seek
to further Your kingdom, won’t
You ambly provide for us. Amen.

Lord, help me to not be concerned
with outward appearance and
selfish pursuits, but rather to be
concerned with spiritual growth,
the condition of our hearts and the things that touch the hearts of You.
Help me to have my priorities
in order so that my walk with
You continues to grow closer
and deeper over time. Amen.

Lord, sometimes You God gives
us challenging tasks to do. And
they may seem completely out
of our reach; and we may feel
like just give up, thinking the job
is impossible. But Lord, no job
is impossible when You God
tells us it is part of Your plan
and You say it’s time to do it.
Empower us Lord with Your
wisdom & perseverance. Amen.

Waiting Upon God thro Hard Times

Habakkuk prophesies in Judah
before its overthrow by Babylonia. Honestly concerned with how God could chasten Judah by means of
a nation even more sinful than itself,
Habakkuk deals with 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.

Lord, we Trust by Waiting on You:
I will stand my watch & set myself
on the watch tower. And watch
to see what He will say to me…
Then the Lord answered me:
The vision is yet for an appointed
time; but at the end it will speak,
and it will not lie. Though it tarries,
Wait for it; because it will surely
come, it will not tarry. Behold the
proud… is not upright; but the just
shall live by his Faith (Hab 2:1-4).
Though the fig trees does not bud,
there are no grapes on the vines
and the olive crop fails… yet I will
rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful
in God my Savior. The Sovereign
Lord is my strength (Hab 3:17-19).

Lord, we note that to trust God
fully means to trust Him even
when we do not understand
why events occur as they do.
Help us to live by Faith by Waiting
upon You and trust that You God
will direct all things according
to Your purpose, Your way and
Your time. In Jesus’ precious name.

Lord, I have “heard all about You
and I am filled with awe by the
amazing things You have done.”
In our time of deep need, begin
again to help us as U did in years
gone by. Show us Your power to
save us. No matter what happens,
whether I see prayers answered,
I purpose to hold on In Faith.
And may my heart rejoice in You;
for You are my strength. Amen.

Oh Sovereign Lord, we need You.
Our strength is limited; but Your strength is endless. Fill us and empower us; enable us to do
all that You have called us to do.
May the same Spirit that raised
Jesus from the dead give us life
and strength to make thro all the
dark winters we are facing and
bear much fruit in Your time. Amen

Share Message of Compassion

God calls Jonah to warn Assyrian
city of Nineveh of impending
destruction. However the brutal
Assyrians are Israel’s bitter enemies
and Jonah both fears and despises
them. Instead of heading to Nineveh
Jonah sets sail in the opposite
direction. A storm ensues, Jonah
is tossed overboard & is swallowed
by a great fish. After three days
the fish deposits Jonah on dry land.
Jonah then goes to Nineveh and
preaches as God had instructed.
When the people repent, Jonah’s
resentment grows until God must
teach him a lesson in compassion.

Lord, we will Deliver Your Message:
The Lord spoke to Jonah a 2nd time.
Go to the great city of Nineveh and deliver the message of judgment…
This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command… He shouted to the
crowds:Forty days from now Nineveh
will be destroyed! The people of
Nineveh believed God’s message
and from the greatest to the least,
they decided to go without food and
wear sackcloth in sorrow (Jon 3:1-5)
Then God said: Is it right for u to be angry because the plant died? Yes,
Jonah retorted: even angry enough
to die! Then the Lord said: You feel sorry about the plant, though you
did nothing to put it there… But
Nineveh has more than 120,000
people living in spiritual darkness…
Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such
a great city? (Jonah 4:9-11).

Lord, learnt from passage that
Jonah was to preach only what
You told him: a message of doom.
Those who bring God’s Word to
others should not let fear of people
dictate their words. For they are
called to preach God’s message
and his truth, no matter how
unpopular it may be. Amen.

Lord, I know there are people all
around who need to hear Your
message of hope and truth –
people whom I might not even
notice, but whom You love deeply.
Reveal them to me so that I can
pray for them and perhaps speak
an encouraging word to them.
Prepare their hearts to receive
word from You through me. Amen.

Dear Lord, we acknowledge Your
Sovereignty & You are In Control.
Help us not run away from doing
Your purpose in the world but
instead to Deliver Your Message.
Help us to Be Compassionate,
including those who are different
from us in race or background.
Help us not be inward looking but be
Your missionaries wherever we are.
Help us to share the Good News for
People truly Need the Lord. Amen.