Category: 2020 Prayers

Keep Trusting & Waiting on God

Looking around Judah, Habakkuk observes injustice. What he sees causes him to cry out to God
with his perplexing questions:
Why are the wicked prospering?
Why are the righteous beaten down?
Why don’t You right the wrongs ?
God’s reply is shocking: I’ll use a
nation more corrupt than Judah –
Chaldeans, to cleanse My people
of their wicked ways. In stunned
disbelief, Habakkuk responds:
How in the name of holiness can
You do that God? And when God
answers the prophet’s question,
Hab responds in prayer of faith.

Dear Lord, Thank You for the book
of Habakkuk that shows You God
is still In Control of this world in
spite of apparent triumph of evil.
During difficult circumstances,
You God wants us to come to You
with our struggles & even doubts.
And You will sustain us by revealing
Yourself for our hope comes from U.
Help us Lord to Keep On Praying;
Help us to Trust by Waiting on You;
Help us Find Strength in You alone.
We pray these in Jesus’ mighty name

Lord, we will Keep On Praying:
How long O Lord must I call
for help? But You do not listen!
Violence I cry, but You do not come
to save. Must I forever see this
sin and misery all around me?
Wherever I look, I see destruction
and violence… The wicked far
outnumber the righteous and
justice is perverted (Hab 1:2-4).
Lord, grant me the understanding
and the faith I need to keep praying
and not give up even if my prayers
are not answered straight away.
Help me not become discouraged
in the time of waiting for Your help.
But rather to continue praying
until I see Your will done in the
things You put on my heart. Amen

Lord, we’ll 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).
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 way and Your time. Amen.

Lord, we’ll Hold On thro hard times,
and will Rejoice in Your Strength:
Lord, I have heard of Your fame;
I stand in awe of Your deeds
O Lord. Renew them in our day,
in our time make them known…
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 3:2,17-19)
Lord, I have heard all about You
and I am filled with awe by the
amazing things You have done.
In our time of need, begin again
to help us as You did years ago
and show us Your power to save.
Lord, 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.

Preparing for Day of the Lord

Zephaniah’s pen records only 53 verses but in the process sets forth some of the strongest statements
of judgment in the Old Testament.
Looking out over the nation of
Judah in particular and the world
in general, Zephaniah fashions
his fiery verbal assault. The day
of the Lord will come with fury,
ferocity and finality, and God will
have the last word. But Retribution
and judgment will give way to
Restoration and joy “in that day.”

Lord, Thank You for lessons from
the ministry of Zephaniah to shake
pple of Judah out of complacency
and urge them to return to You.
The people knew that God would
eventually bless them. But the Lord
made it clear that there would be
judgment first (for punishment of
sin & part of process of purification
of Your people) then the blessing.
Help us learn from this prophecy:
that we will Not Be Complacent;
that we will Humble Before You;
that we will Love You fully. And
We praise You for Restoration
for You are Mighty to Save. Amen.

Lord, we will Not Be Complacent:
I will search with lanterns in
Jerusalem’s darkest corners to
punish those who sit Complacent
in their sins. They think the Lord
will do nothing to them(Zep1:12-13)
I will bring distress upon men for
they have sinned against the Lord.
Neither their silver nor their gold
shall be able to deliver them(17-18)
Lord, we confess often relying
on money for a sense of security.
But wealth doesn’t buy salvation
nor can it even influence Your will.
Help us to not to be Complacent
but instead use what we have for
Your glory. And Help us not to focus
on accumulating wealth but work
on cultivating holiness. Amen.

Lord, we will Humble Before You:
Gather together & pray while there’s
still time before judgment begins
and your opportunity is blown away.
Act now before the fierce fury
of the Lord falls and the terrible
day of the Lord’s anger begins.
Beg the Lord to save you – all who
are Humble, who uphold justice.
Walk Humbly and do what is right.
Perhaps even yet the Lord will
protect you from His anger on
that day of destruction (Zep 2:1-3)
Lord, we Humble before U. Forgive
us for pushing U out of our lives &
fill them with meaningless pursuits.
Forgive us for allowing evil to
penetrate our hearts and minds.
Open our eyes to our desperate
need for you. Thank You for giving
us not what we deserve but what
we need to get back to You. Amen.

Lord, we Love You for Saving us:
Sing O daughter of Zion! The Lord
has taken away your judgments.
You shall see disaster no more.
Do not fear; let not your hands be
weak. The Lord your God is with
you, He Is Mighty To Save. He will
take great Delight in you, He will
quiet u with His Love (Zep 3:14-17)
Lord, I have joy in knowing You are always with me and have the Power to Save from the plans of the enemy.
Help me remember at all times, even
when going thro difficult situations that my foundation is really in You.
And that my security is sustained
by Your great love for me. Draw me
into the depths of your heart and
let me love You completely. Praise
You for being Mighty to Save. Amen

Minor Prophets to Judah (Aug 1)

As the Bible is arranged by genre,
to enhance understanding context
we’re meditating by time sequence.
Old Testament Expository Phases:
OT1A: Genesis
OT1B: Poetry Book of Job
OT1C: Life of Moses (Exo to Deut)
OT2A: History to David (1Chron)
OT2B: Five Books of Psalms
OT2C: 1 Kings & Wisdom Poetry
OT3A: 2 Kings & Prophets
OT3B: 2 Chronicles & Prophets
OT3C: Return From Exile & Prophets

2 Chronicles spans four centuries of
Judah’s history from glory days of Solomon to end of Babylonian Exile.
Moving to prophets, Isaiah’s ministry
spans reigns of four kings of Judah
(722-681BC) stressing holiness and
justice of God as well as the Messiah
who comes to comfort His people.
Next, we will mediate on five minor prophets to Judah over 3 weekends
including Obadiah (840BC) and
Joel (830) as well as Micah (735-10)
Zephaniah (630) & Habakkuk (607).

Obadiah: One of the worst things
that can happen is to have your
enemies line up to destroy you.
However, defeat takes on a different
meaning when close friends and
brothers also join the opposition.
When Judah called out to her
Edomite cousins for help against
the advancing Babylonians troops,
Edom stood aloof & behaved like Judah’s foes. God’s displeasure
with Edom as it comes through the prophet Obadiah is clear: Edom be destroyed and Judah live in peace.

Joel: Addressing hearts that have
grown cold to the things of God,
Joel confronts the people of Judah.
He reminds them of the recent
destruction brought by a plague
of locusts. Yet that disaster, a
judgment in itself, will seem pale
beside the catastrophe still to come.
Unless the nation repents, it will be destroyed by an army from the north.
The only hope of escape is for the
people to repent. If they do, then
God will divert judgment and will
deliver an unparalleled blessing;
judgment on Judah’s enemies and
the matchless gift of peace to Zion.

Micah: Sin had infiltrated every
segment of society. False prophets
preached for money, immoral
princes oppressed poor, corrupt
judges allowed injustice to rule the land. Such were the days of Micah, country preacher turned prophet of God. Micah pleads with his country
men to turn away from sin & back to
God. But the message falls on deaf ears, that will soon instead hear
the glamour of invading armies. But within the hardness lies hope. When
justice is achieved, God will restore
His people to their covenant land.

Zephaniah: Writing at one of the
lowest points in the spiritual life
of Judah, Zephaniah’s primary
concern is the impending Day of
the Lord. That day signifies the final
judgment of God on earth and the ensuing time of blessing & peace.
But Zephaniah knows that when judgment is over, God will once
again look with favour on His people,
restore their fortunes, rejoice over
them & dwell among them (3:14-18)

Habakkuk: Looking around his native
Judah, Habakkuk observes injustice.
What he sees causes him to cry out
to God with perplexing questions:
Why are the wicked prospering
in Your nation Lord? Why are
the righteous beaten down?
Why don’t You do something
to right the wrongs of society?
God’s reply is even more shocking
than the conditions in Judah:
I am about to use a nation even
more corrupt than Judah to cleanse
My people of their wicked ways.
In a stunned disbelief, Habakkuk
responds: How in the name of
holiness can You do that God?
And when God patiently answers
the prophet’s question, Habakkuk
responds in praise with faith.

Experiencing God thro Obedience

This week we learn the importance
of Seeking God, Fully Trusting and Waiting on Him to position ourselves
in order to encounter His presence.
On Monday, we learn from Psalm 1
to Meditate on the Word of God.
On Tues, we learn from Psalm 18
to Place our full Trust in the Lord.
On Wed, we learn from Psalm 27
to Come to the Lord & Wait on Him.
On Thurs, we learn from Psalm 34
to Seek the Lord for Deliverance.
On Friday, we learn from Psalm 37
to Delight and Trust in the Lord.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.

Delight & Trust in the Lord (Jul 31)

Psalms is not only a book of praise;
it is also a book of practical counsel.
And in the last 5 chapters of Book 1
written by David, you will learn
how to deal with fretfulness (Ps 37)
and failing strength (Ps 38-39);
as well as how to rest in
God’s faithfulness (Ps 40)
and how to rightly respond to
a friend’s unfaithfulness (Ps 41).

Lord, we’ll Delight & Trust in You:
Trust in the Lord… do good;
and feed on His faithfulness.
DELIGHT yourself also in the Lord,
and He Shall Give you the desires
of your heart. COMMIT your way
to the Lord, TRUST also in Him,
and He shall bring it to pass.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently
for Him… Do not fret, it only
causes harm… But those who
Wait on the Lord, they shall inherit
the earth (Ps 37:3-9). Amen.

Lord, help me to Delight in You;
to centre my heart in knowing You
more and loving You more each day.
Grant me grace so that my heart
Desires You above everything else.
Help me to discover that there is
fullness of joy in Your presence.
Stir up holy passion within me so
that the things I want most are the
things You want to give me. Amen.

All Knowing and Loving Lord,
help me Commit my way to You.
Give me wisdom to sort the
precious from the worthless.
Give me the knowledge of You
that causes me to cling to You.
Fashion my heart so that it
reflects Yours more each day.
Mold me into Your likeness so that
U are the desire of my heart. Amen.

Lord, You promise in Your Word
to help us if we will Trust You.
It just goes against our old sinful nature to wait on Your leading and
to rely solely on Your strength.
There is this human tendency
to get busy in our own strength,
make it happen and push ahead.
Lord, change me to Trust You more,
be willing to Be Still in the soul to
listen to You & Wait on You. Amen.

Seek the Lord’s Deliverance(Jul 30)

Psalms 31-36 show how Proper
Perspective can help you face
any circumstance. It can bring
you from gloom to glory (P31);
from failure to deliverance (P32);
fr false security to secured trust(33
from Affliction to Adoration (34);
from persecution to praise (35);
and from darkness to light (36).

Lord, You Deliver When We Seek:
I Sought the Lord & He heard me
& Delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were
Radiant, and their faces were not
ashamed…The angels of the Lord
encamps all around those who
fear Him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord
is good, Blessed is the man
who Trusts in Him… Fear the Lord…
Those who Seek the Lord shall not
lack any good thing (Psa 34:4-10).
The eyes of the Lord are on the
righteous and His ears are open to
their cry… The righteous cry out,
and the Lord Hears and Delivers
them out of their troubles (v15-17).

Lord, we give You all our anxieties  over finances, work, health or relationships & look to You for help.
Do a deep work in my heart on
those things that strike fear in me.
I lay these burdens and worries   before You Lord and ask You
to exchange my fear for faith.
Thank You Lord for Your promise
to answer me when I call on You,
to free me from fear & shame and
to make me radiant with joy. Amen.

Lord, help us to look to You and
to fully Trust In You each day.
There is great joy to be found
in living with Eyes Fixed on You.
Help me to do that so that my
life will be radiant with Your joy.
May others be drawn to You Lord
because of the joy You have put
in my heart. O Jesus, more of
the joys of Trusting In You. Amen.

Lord, it’s such a comfort to know
that Your eyes watch over me and
that Your ears hear my cries for help.
Thank You Lord for hearing my cries,
for rescuing me when I am crushed
in spirit. You Lord are close to
the broken-hearted and to those
who are in dire straits. Praise You
for the hope and courage Your
promises give me when I am facing
with difficult circumstances. Amen.

Come & Wait on the Lord (July 29)

As David penned psalms 25-30,
he thought of the multifaceted
character of the God he served.
The Lord is good & upright (25:8),
my light (27:1), my strength (28:7),
King forever (29:10) and my God
(30:2). And incidentally Psa 25 is
the first alphabetic psalm, which
enables David remembers content.

Lord, we Come to You & Wait on U:
The Lord is my light & my salvation
so why should I be afraid? The
Lord protects me from danger, so
why should I tremble? (Psa 27:1).
My heart has heard You say: COME
and talk with me. And my heart
responds: Lord I Am Coming (v8).
I would have lost heart, unless
I had believed that I would see
the Goodness of the Lord… Wait
on the Lord; Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart.
Wait I say on the Lord(13-14) Amen

Lord, help me to see the truth in
Your Word. You are our light and
salvation. You are my protector
from danger and from evil. Indeed
the Lord is the strength of my life,
of whom shall I be afraid? Father,
help me draw close to You and to
rest in the confidence I have in You.
Help me to defeat fear in my life
even as I put my Trust In You. Amen

Lord, give me such a desire for
You that I will run to You right
away when You say “COME”.
Help me to be willing to lay aside
my “to-do” lists and quickly Come
to Your presence and talk with You.
Tune my ears to Your voice Lord
and make my heart sensitive to
Your nudgings to Come to You.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, I listen with an attitude Your
Goodness will show up in my life.
For Your Goodness is not a theory
but it’s real. I am grateful for that
and fully expect to see more of it.
But Waiting and holding on to faith
in situations that dictate against
it requires fortitude and boldness.
So Lord give me patience & courage
to hear You amidst struggles and
pauses in our dialogues. Amen.

Trust God for Security (July 28)

Backgrounder on Psalms 13-18:
In sharp contrast to the fate of the
fool who denies God’s existence(14)
many blessings accrue to those
who serve God wholeheartedly:
joy (Ps13), fellowship with God (15)
satisfaction (16), preservation (17)
& confidence in facing future (Ps18)
Psalm 18 was written by David
on the day that the Lord delivered
him from the hand of his enemies &
from the hand of Saul(2Sam 22:1-4)

Lord, we place our Trust In You:
I will love You O Lord my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my
fortress and my Deliverer; My God
my strength In Who I Will Trust.
My shield and the strength of
my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the Lord, who is
worthy to be praised; for He saves
me from my enemies (Ps 18:1-3)
In my distress I called upon the
Lord, and cried out to my God;
He heard my voice (Ps 18:6).
You armed me with strength for
battle; You made my adversaries
bow at my feet (Psalm 18:39).
Blessed be my Rock! Let the God
of my salvation be exalted (v46).

Lord, be my rock and source
of security when I am beset by
difficulties in an uncertain world.
In You I find protection; and You are my stronghold & I need nothing else.
Be my strength when I am weak.
Be my shield of protection from
those who seek to harm me.
Be the strength of my salvation
when I call upon You; and I will ever praise You for You are worthy. Amen.

Lord, reassuring that You are a God
that hears and answers prayers.
Thank You that You act on behalf
of those who seek You for help.
Be my strength when I am weak &
make me steady when I am unsure.
And I bless You and praise You
at all times for You are faithful and
a very present help in time of need.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, I am grateful that You have
armed me with the strength I need
for the battle ahead. Help me to
withstand and prevail my enemies.
Teach me to persevere in prayer
and not let down Nor give up.
Enable me to pray through each
situation until I see breakthrough.
Thank You that You are always
with me and working things out
in my favour. In Jesus name, Amen.

Meditate on God’s Word (July 27)

The psalms written mostly by
David, over a period of 6 centuries
and used as the temple hymnbook,
capture the essence of what it
means to walk daily with God.
The first six psalms form a fitting
introduction to the entire Psalter.
In them you learn the importance
of meditating on God’s Word (Ps 1),
acknowledging the Lord as King (P2)
and constantly being devoted to
prayer in good times & bad (P3-6).

Lord, we’ll Delight in Your Word:
Blessed is the man who walks
not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stands in the path of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law
of the Lord, and in His law
he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by
the rivers of water, that brings forth
its Fruit in its season, whose leaf
also shall not wither; and whatever
he does shall prosper (Psa 1:1-3).

Lord, I want to have this kind of
blessed life & this kind of happiness.
So I pray that You Lord will cause
me to recognise the wicked and
refuse to follow their leading.
I pray that I will refuse to join in
with those who mock what is
precious to You. And I pray that
the Scriptures will increasingly become the controlling influence
in my life. In Jesus’ mighty name.

Father God, more than anything,
I want to make You Lord happy.
And I want to do and be all that
You planned when you created me.
It’s Your counsel I want to follow,
Your side Lord I want to be on and
Your behaviour I want to imitate.
Help me Lord to Continually Think
of You and Your Word so that
I may experience Your joy. Amen.

Lord, give me the desire to read
Your Word and to meditate on it
day and night. Let me eat deeply
from Your Word & make me wise.
Cause me to Delight in Doing Your will and that’s what I purpose to do.
Most of all, empower me Lord to Do
what it says as well as Transform
me and my circumstance so that
I will bear fruit that lasts. Amen.

God Put Word In Your Heart (Jul 22)

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 & receives
even more than he asked for!

Lord, we Open our Heart to You:
The king asked: How can I help you?
With A Prayer to God of heaven,
(Nehemiah) replied: If it please
Your majesty… send me to Judah
to Rebuild the city (Neh 2:4-5).
So I came to Jerusalem and was
there three days…. I told no one
what my God Had Put In My Heart
to do… And I went out by night… and
Viewed the walls which were broken
& gates which were burned (v11-13)
Then I said to (the Jewish leaders):
Come Let Us Build the wall of
Jerusalem… And I Told Them of
the hand of God… and also of
the king’s words… So they said:
Let us rise up and build (v17-18).

Lord, we note Nehemiah covered
the whole process of Rebuilding
Jerusalem In Prayer; praying for
his people for four months; and
breathing a brief prayer to You God
before saying the request to king.
And I surrender the church to You
and please manifest in my life with
Your Restoring power. Lord, hear
my prayers as You did Nehemiah’s.
As You God prove Yourself mighty,
may You receive much glory. Amen.

Lord, help me sort out the burdens
in my heart whether they all Yours;
and which ones should I follow.
Lead me to fulfil the purposes
You Have Placed within my heart.
Clarify my vision, secure my steps
and lead me Lord through open
doors to accomplish Your Kingdom
mission wherever You lead and
wherever I can. In His name, Amen.

Lord, thank You for Nehemiah’s
example on how to respond to bad
news. After initial grief, he prayed,
pouring his heart out to You God.
Then he got all the accurate info
he needed to assess the situation.
Only after careful planning would
Nehemiah Share his mission.
Help us Lord to confront challenges
with Trust in God and constructive
action for Your name sake. Amen.