PrayerThots Devotional

God Is Your Strength

Backgrounder on Habakkuk 1-3:
Habakkuk prophecies in Judah
before its final overthrow by
Babylonia. Honestly concerned
with how God could chasten Judah
by means of a nation even more
sinful than itself, Habakkuk deals
with some 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 (H2:4)

Lord, You are Our Strength:
How Long O Lord must I call
for help but You do not listen?
Or cry out to You… but
You do not save? (Hab 1:2).
I am filled with awe by the amazing
things You have done. In this time
of our need, begin again to help us,
as You did in years gone by. Show
us Your power to save us (Hab 3:2)
Even though the olive crop fails
and the fields lie empty & barren;
even though the flocks die in the
fields & the cattle barns are empty,
yet I Will Rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of
my salvation (Hab 3:17-18).
The Sovereign Lord is My Strength;
He makes my feet like the feet
of a deer, He enables me to tread
in the heights (Hab 3:19). Amen.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (April 26)”

God Brings You Out of Darkness

Backgrounder on Micah 6-7:
Micah describes God’s people
on trial as the charges are leveled
against Israel: halfhearted worship,
persistent rebellion, hypocrisy, greed, idolatry. The verdict
can only be guilty as charged.
The sentence: a generation of
exile in Babylon. Yet the message
of Micah is not complete until
he preaches the richness of
God’s forgiveness and grace.
He retains not his anger forever because he delights in mercy(7:18)

Lord will Bring Us Out of Darkness:
Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness, the Lord
Will Be My Light. Because I have
sinned against him, I will bear
the Lord’s wrath, until He pleads
my case and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out Into the Light;
I’ll see His righteousness (Mic7:8-9)
Where is another God like You…
You will not stay angry with
your people forever, because you
delight in showing unfailing love.
Once again U will have compassion
on us. U will trample our sins under
your feet and Throw Them into the
depths of the Ocean (v18-19) Amen
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (April 25)”

God Will Redeem the Time

Backgrounder on Joel 1-3:
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 will
seem pale beside the castastrophe
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 all Judah’s enemies
and the gift of peace to Zion!

Lord, You Will Redeem the Time:
I Will Repay you for the years
the locusts have eaten… my
great army that I sent among you.
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God (Joel 2:25-26).
It shall come to pass afterward that
I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh..
Whoever Calls on the name of the
Lord shall Be Saved (v28-32) Amen
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (April 24)”

God Builds Hedge of Protection

Backgrounder on Hosea 1-3:
To the nation of Israel, a land
steeped in idolatry, God sends
the prophet Hosea, whose name
means salvation. Just as God
foretold, Gomer deserts her
husband for other lovers -a graphic
depiction of Israel’s faithlessness
in response to God’s loyal love.
When Gomer sinks to the level
of a slave, Hosea is commanded
to buy her back, for she is still
his wife. In the same way the God
of Israel pledges His continuing
love for His people, even though
their spiritual adultery will result
in captivity and enslavement
at the hands of the Assyrians.

Lord, raise Yr Hedge of Protection:
I will Fence her in with thornbushes.
I will block the road to make her
lose her way. When she runs
after her lovers, she won’t be
able to catch up with them.
She will search for them but
not find them. Then she will say:
I will go and Return to my first
husband for then it was better
for me than now (Hos 2:6-7).
I Will Win her back once again…
I Will Be Faithful to you and
make you mine (v14, 20) Amen.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (April 23)”

Response to the Son of God
(Prayer Walk thro John 9-12)

Backgrounder: Christ’s claim
draw the attention of more than
the hungry and sick. The scribes
and Pharisees, religious leaders
concerned about maintaining
the status quo, respond with
angry resistance. But how do
you refute a Man who preaches
that He is the Light of the World,
then proves it by giving sight to
the blind? … who claims He is
the resurrection & the life (J11:25),
then validates that claim by raising
a man from the dead. The choice
is clear: Either believe Him or seek
to silence Him once and for all.

Dear Lord, we learn from Jn 9-12
that the message that You Jesus
is the Son of God received mixed
reaction. Some worshiped You,
some shrank back while some
moved to silence You. Although
times have changed, people’s
hearts remain generally hard.
Grant that our response to
Your Word be appropriate and
that is to obey and worship You.
And help us Hear & Follow You;
help us to Pray In Faith; and
help us Live for Your Glory. Amen.
Continue reading “Praying thro John (April 22)”

Claims by the Son of God
(Prayer Walk thro John 6-8)

Backgrounder: Early in His ministry,
Christ issues a challenge: Search
the Scriptures, for in them you think
you have eternal life; and these
are they which testify of Me (5:39).
Now His public declarations and
miraculous demonstrations serve
to confirm what the OT said would
be true of Him. Using the Jewish
feast days as public forums, Jesus
declares Himself to be the Bread
of Life (6:35), the Sent One of God
(7:28), the Forgiver of Sins (8:11) and the Light of the World (8:12).

Dear Lord Jesus, we learnt from
Jn 6-8 Your claims as the bread
of life, the water of life & the light
of the world, pointing to Your deity.
Grateful that You are not only our Saviour but also meet our needs.
Help us constantly Come to You
for You are our Bread of Life,
Source of Joy & Light of Life. Amen
Continue reading “Praying thro John (April 21)”

God Gives Revelation & Wisdom

Backgrounder on Daniel 1-3:
Daniel prophesies concerning
the role of Gentile powers in
God’s program for His people.
The first 3 chapters of the book
describe the spiritual integrity
of Daniel and his three friends.
Selected for government service,
they resist the pressure to conform
to their pagan environment and
instead take a stand for God. Whether in diet, truthfulness or
spiritual discipline, the four young
men live out their convictions.

Lord,grant us Revelation & Wisdom:
During the Night the mystery
was revealed to Daniel in a vision.
Then Daniel said: Praise be the name of God forever; wisdom
and power are His (Dan 2:19-20).
He Reveals deep and mysterious
things and knows what lies hidden
in darkness… I thank and praise U
for You have given me Wisdom and
strength. You have told me what
we asked of You and Revealed to us
what the king demanded (v22-23)
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (April 20)”

God Brings Dead Things to Life

Backgrounder on Ezekiel 37-39:
In a vision told with vivid details,
that u can see the bones moving,
Ezekiel announces Israel’s future
rebirth. Reassembled with God’s
breath of life, the bones become
the new Israel, more glorious
and powerful than ever before.
Then in a second vision, Ezekiel
sees the revived nation utterly
destroy its last foe – the mysterious
Magog – after which God is
acknowledged by all nations as
the mighty and undisputed Victor.

Lord, You Can Revive All Things:
Prophesy to these (dry) bones…
This is what the Sovereign Lord
says to these bones: I will make
breath enter you, and you will
come to life… So I prophesied as
He commanded me, and breath
came into them, and they lived
and stood upon their feet,
an exceedingly great army…
Then you shall know that I am
the Lord (Ezek 37:4-13). Amen.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (April 19)”

God Moves You in the Spirit

Backgrounder on Ezekiel 33-36
Ezekiel’s emphasis shifts from
the failures of Judah’s past to
the Promises of Judah’s future.
Jerusalem has fallen, and the
prophet’s tongue – silenced for
three years – is loosened at last
to declare that a new Shepherd
is coming. He will tenderly care
for the flock of Israel, rescue
His people from their scattered
homes of exile and restore them
to their covenant land.

Lord, we’ll Move in the Spirit:
I will give you a New Heart and
I will put a new spirit within you;
I will take the heart of stone out
and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put My Spirit in you
and Move You to follow my
decrees and be careful to keep
my laws (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
I will Deliver u from uncleanness
and filthy behaviour (v29). Amen.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (April 18)”

God Gives You A New Heart

Backgrounder on Ezekiel 7-11:
In a series of visions, Ezekiel
foresees the what, why and how
of God’s judgment upon Judah.
The What: total destruction of
Jerusalem and the departure
of God’s glory from the temple.
The Why: generations of idolatry,
wickedness & spiritual indifference.
The How: through the cruel Baby-
lonians, God’s agents of judgment.
But the harshness of the sentence
is tempered by a tender reminder:
A remnant will survive, receive
sanctuary in a foreign country
and return to the Land of Promise.

Lord, Thank You for New Heart:
Tell the exiles, this is what the
Sovereign Lord says: Although
I have scattered u in the countries
of the world, I will be a Sanctuary
to you during your time in exile…
I will gather you… and give you
the land of Israel (Ezek 11:16-17).
I will give them an undivided Heart
and put a new spirit in them;
I will remove from them their
heart of stone and give them
a Heart of Flesh… Then they
will truly be my people, and
I will be their God (v19-20) Amen.
Continue reading “Prayer Thot for the Day (April 17)”