PrayerThots Devotional

God Strengthens & Gracious

The first half of Nehemiah teaches
lessons about working for God; the
2nd emphasises worshipping Him.
Beginning with chap 8 the account
centers on the spiritual rather than
physical well-being of the people.
The public reading and explanation
of God’s Word bring a sweeping
revival to the city. Rejoicing at the
sound of God’s precious laws as
preached by Ezra the priest, the
people respond with prayers of
confession, worship to God and
a fresh resolve to live godly lives
in keeping with their commitment.

Lord, we Seek Your Strength &
Your Mercy to follow after You:
Nehemiah… the governor said…
Don’t be dejected and sad, for the
Joy of the Lord is your Strength…So
the pple went away to eat & drink &
to celebrate with great joy because
they had heard God’s words and
understood them (Neh 8:9-12).
Yet for many years U had patience
with them, & testified against them
by Your Spirit in Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen. Therefore
You gave them into the hand
of the peoples of the lands. But
in Your great mercy, You did not…
abandon them, for You’re a Gracious
and merciful God (Neh 9:30-31).
             All who had separated themselves
from the pagan people of the land in
order to serve God… now all heartily bound themselves with an oath…
They solemnly promised to carefully
follow all the commands, laws…
of the Lord their God(Neh 10:28-29)

Lord, we rejoice in the grace that
You have poured out in our lives.
Thank You that it is never too late
to come back to You in repentance.
Thank You God that You’re gracious
and that the Lord is my strength.
The past can be difficult to let go
of, but with Your Joy helping us,
we can move forward into what
You have prepared for us. Amen.

Lord, thanks for Your great mercy
that You have never judged me
according to what I have deserved.
Thank You that Your grace toward
me that is beyond comprehension.
Thank You Lord that You will never
forsake me; and Help me to never
forsake You in any way either.
Pray that my attitude will be right
before You, and that I will not take
Yr grace & mercy for granted. Amen

Lord, following building the wall,
the work wasn’t complete until the
people rebuilt their lives spiritually.
Ezra taught the people God’s Word.
They admitted the sins in their lives,
and took steps to remove them.
Admitting sin is not enough; for God
doesnt want halfhearted measures.
Help us remove sin from our lives
and help us to be Christ-Centered.
Lord, we Seek Yr Strength & Grace
and we Seek to Follow You. Amen.

God Puts His Word In Your 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 Hears 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… So we Fasted and
earnestly Prayed that our God
would take care of us, and He
heard our prayer (Ezra 8:21-23).

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 me to fast and
pray whenever the need arises. 
Show me how often & how long
and give me the strength to get
through each fast successfully.
With every fast, help me to pray
about the issues of my situation
and the direction I have to take.
For I need to deny my flesh so that
I can hear from You 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 toward 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.

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.

Adoring God thru Thanks & Praise

The purpose of First Chronicles
is 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 16
to Thank God for what He has done.
On Tuesday, we learn from 1Chr 21
that God Is Holy Yet Also Gracious.
On Wed, we learn from 1Chron 28
that God With Us Boosts Courage.
On Thu, we learn from 2Chr 15/16
that God Strengthens t Committed.
On Friday, we learn from 2Chr 20
that God Fights Battle for us, and
On Sat, we learn from 2Chron 32
that God Is For us and Helps us.

Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face. Help us O God
be Christ’s disciples who Adore You:
For You are worthy of our Thanks
for all that You have done for us;
For You are worthy of our Praise
being Holy yet Gracious & With us;
For You are For us and Helps us,
strenghtening us & fighting for us.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

God Is For Us & Helps Us

Inheriting a disorganised country
and a burden of tribute to Assyria,
Hezekiah puts first things first.
In the very first month of his reign
Hezekiah repairs the house of the
Lord, restores the long-neglected
Temple worship and declares war
on idol worship & pagan practices.
When the Assyrian King besieges
Jerusalem, Hezekiah prays for
deliverance. God answers his plea &
crowns his life with power & prestige

Lord, we Seek & Trust Your Help:
When Hezekiah saw Sennacherib
had come to make war, he consulted
with his leaders and commanders…
he strengthened himself, built up
all the wall… made weapons…Then
he gathered the people and gave
them encouragement (2C32:2-6)
Be Strong and Courageous. Do not
be afraid or discouraged because
of the king of Assyria and the vast
army with him, for there is a Greater
Power With us than with him.
With him is only the arm of flesh,
but with us is the Lord our God
to Help us and to fight our battles.
And the people gained confidence
from what Hezekiah the king of
Judah said (2 Chron 32:7-8).
Now because… King Hezekiah and
the prophet Isaiah… Prayed and
cried out to heaven. Then the LORD
sent an angel who cut down every
mighty man… of Assyria (v20-21).

Lord, we learnt from 2 Chron 32
when King Hezekiah faced a strong
enemy, he made preparations
and he told his people the truth
that You God is in fact Greater.
Help us when we sometimes feel
overwhelmed at how little strength
in the midst of the challenges.
Help us not to worry but instead
Pray, remembering that the one
who is in us is Greater than the
one who is in the world. Amen.

Lord, when we face overwhelming
circumstances, we seems small
and the enemy wants us to be
trapped in that perspective.
But LORD Your Word urges us to
Be Strong & Courageous and to
let our eyes come to rest on God.
Praise be to Lord God Almighty
for we’re never in the battle alone
for our battle is the Lord’s. Amen.

Lord, thank You that You are
with me in everything of my life.
No matter what comes against me,
You are with me in all that I face.
And in faith, I am leaving You to
take charge of all my situations.
I praise You and Your greatness
in the midst of all that seems large
and looming in my life. For the
Battle Belongs to the LORD. Amen.

God Fights Battle for us

Jehoshaphat institutes a national
scripture study program which God
blesses with peace and 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’ve 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(14-17)
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.
Plse help me Lord 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;
we position ourselves, stand still,
trusting to see Your salvation; for
the battle belongs to the Lord. Amen

Lord, we believe in You our God
and that You shall establish us.
And when we express our trust
in praise, You will open the way.
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. 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 (2Chr16:7-9)

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 nsme, Amen.

God With Us Boosts Courage

David ends his life the same way
he began it with humble confidence
in God. In spite of his numerous
accomplishments, David never
let greatness go to his head.
Rather, his final words to Solomon
reflect the same wholehearted
devotion to God that characterised
the young shepherd of Judea.

Lord, we’ll Be Strong & Courageous:
I made the necessary preparations
for building it; but God said to me:
You must not build a temple to honor
my name, for you are a warrior and
have shed much blood(1Chr 28:2-3)
My son Solomon, know God… and
serve Him with a loyal heart and
with a willing mind… Consider now,
for the Lord has chosen you to
build a house for the sanctuary;
be Strong and do it (v9-10).
Every part of this plan, David
told Solomon, was given to me in
writing from the hand of the Lord.
Then David continued: Be Strong
and Courageous, and do the work.
Don’t Be Afraid or discouraged
by the size of the task, for the
Lord God, my God, is With you.
He will not fail you nor forsake you.
He will see to it that all the work
related to the Temple of the Lord
is finished correctly (v19-20).

Lord, when You call us to serve,
enable us to hear clearly as David
when U gave him the Temple plans.
Help us to be willing to accept
God’s will when He does not allow
us to serve Him in the way desired.
When we’re disheartened or fearful
be our friend Lord to encourage us.
And when we think we have failed,
give us peace in our hearts. Amen.

Lord, when David was surrounded,
he slept well knowing he plus God
outnumbered an intimidating army.
Lord, while Your presence can turn
situation around, it isn’t automatic.
For it requires us not be discouraged
by the size of the task; it requires
us to be strong and courageous.
Help us be aware of Your Presence
so that we can face our situation
with confidence & trust in You.Amen

Lord, we trust You with the
mountains we face periodically.
They are often overwhelming
but You Lord are infinitely larger
Help us put more confidence
in You God than in the obstacles.
Lead us Lord into Your Presence,
for that is where we are strong.
And when we experience You are
with us, everything is possible; and
we become more than we can be.
Amen and amen.