Category: Daily Prayers

Ask God

for the hand of the Lord his God was on him

Nehemiah 2:4
Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers ‘graves, that I may rebuild it.” And the king said to me ( the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.

Ezra 7:6
this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him

Ezra 8:17
to send us ministers for the house of our God. And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion

I am reminded of how many times men prayed and sought God for a very specific need that seemed impossible.  Can you imagine going to the King who has conquered your country and taken you exile and asking him for permission to go back to rebuild your city?  Or in a time when it is clear there is no one able to meet the task at hand God supplies the person.  There is nothing greater than our God. He is able to do more than we can imagine.  Everything is possible with God – Take your burden and place it in His hands.

In His Presence

For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy

Nehemiah 1:6
let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there. ’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man

1 Kings 8:29
Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive

2 Chronicles 7:15
if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place

Daniel 9:18
O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy

I wonder if we seek God in the same reverence that godly men of the past.  Note how they acknowledge their own sin, the sins of their fathers, and the sins of their nation.  They come to God in awe of Him and recognize their only path to His holiness is through His great mercy and grace.  How often  do we come to God with a burden and think only about our burden.  Shouldn’t we be acknowledging His holiness, mercy, and grace and as well our unworthiness out side of this before we set our burdens at His feet.  Being humble in His presence is not an option.  Do not lose site of who God is and who we are.  We certainly are limited in our understanding of all is power because He is without limit of any kind.  His word says He can do more than we ask but even more than we can imagine.  Going before God in prayer – acknowledge Him first and your burden will seem so much less left in His presence.

Broken Hearted

take care that you be not ensnared to follow them

Nehemiah 1:2
And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”
As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments

Ezra 9:1
After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel

Daniel 9:18
O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.

Two separate trials. One the remnant of Jews who escaped exile were living in Jerusalem and the walls were broken down and the gates burned.  In the other people of Israel had not separated themselves from others who did not honor God and took wives of nations they were not allowed to marry.  In the trail spoken of in Nehemiah he mourned because the city that stood as a symbol of God’s chosen (who by the way had chosen to forsake following Him, and were allowed by God to be, taken into exile) had come to much ruin and were a shame for those who loved God.  In Ezra he mourned because of the great sin that had been committed by the Jews.  In both cases these two leaders were heart broken over what they heard.  Their response was to fast and pray.  This is a good example for each of us.  When we hear  of our culture going down a path away from God – Fast and Pray.  When we hear of brothers and sisters fallen away and following a path away from God – Fast and Pray.  When Gods word convicts our heart that we are on the wrong path – CONFESS and TURN AWAY from that which God has shown us.  Oh God open our ears and our heart to know You and hear Your voice leading us on a path that brings honor and glory to You.  Keep God first in all you do.

The Light that Teaches

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God

Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age

Isaiah 49:6
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth

John 14:15
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me

Acts 13:47
The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. ’”
And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.

What does Christ mean by “Go make disciples”and “I have made you a light” and “Teach them”?  It is easy to think that teaching and making disciples is all up to the pastor or priest.  In fact this is the way our culture has evolved and it is a lie.  Think about it – Christ says make disciples and teach them – he did not say “I only want those who are called to be pastors/priests to teach and make disciples.  The rest of you can follow at a distance and the only requirement is to come to church and try to be good.”  Yet this is the very actions taken by most. We are called to be the light (live out our faith and in such a way that others see it and God is glorified). We are called to teach and make disciples (read and know what scriptures says, learn to obey it, tell others of our faith and hope, talk scripture into our daily conversations, tell of the struggles and trials we experienced and how God led us through it victoriously, tell our story of salvation and what life was like before and after being saved)  Satan wants you to believe the lie that you are not asked or not able to teach and make disciples.  He wants us to live defeated and have no effect on those around us.  Do not believe this lie – we are children of God.  Choose to start making a difference in your life by humbly serving Him.

A True Leader

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Matthew 28:16
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age

Daniel 7:13
“I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed

Ephesians 1:20
according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

All of the world leaders are either elected by the people or they have taken power by force. How should we act in the presence of a King or Ruler.  Some would say with the respect of the title which they hold.  Others would say with the respect the person holding the title deserves.  In our global information flowing world it is easy to hear reports on leaders which are on both sides of the moral/ethical coin. Any given day it is a coin toss how the media will paint them.  Much of what they do is made public but even more is not.   Christ on the other hand did everything in public.  He did not seek his own self interest but rather desired to do the will of His heavenly Father.  Scripture says that Jesus has been given all authority over heaven and earth.  He was not elected by man nor did he come to his leadership by force.  He was placed in power by God.   While on earth he led by being  humble, servant, compassionate, loving, kind, healer, and giving hope, peace, and rest to the burdened people who lacked it.  He led by sacrificing his life for those who would choose to believe and desire to live for God.  Worldly leaders are always going to disappoint us but Jesus never will.  His promises are rocks we can stand on.

 

The Curtain

the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom

Matthew 27:51
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Exodus 26:32
“And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place

Hebrews 9:6
These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people

Hebrews 9:11
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent ( not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance

Hebrews 10:19
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works

If you think about the Holy Place and the restrictions that went with being able to go near compared to the new covenant prepared by God shouldn’t our heart be thankful?   We live in a time that is surrounded in with great grace and mercy.  In no other time prior to Christ has such grace and mercy been freely given.  This is not to be taken lightly.  How much more will we be held accountable for knowing so much and neglecting it so easily.  Paul said what manner of lives should we be living in light of what God has given.  I am certain we have so much more to forget about this world and greatly more to learn about and apply grace and mercy.

Joy Set Before Him

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross

Matthew 27:27
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God

Philippians 2:8
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,

Psalms 69:19
You know my reproach,
and my shame and my dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.
Reproaches have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair

Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions

The verse that always sticks in my head and heart is “for the joy set before Him he endured the cross”.  He could have called down a legion of angels but did not do it.  We are the joy He bore the cross for.  He knew our helpless state before a Holy God and chose to bare our sin so that trusting in Him and this sacrificial act we would be saved.  However it does not end there.  He also said that He would send us a helper (Holy Spirit) to speak to our heart and soul and lead us through this life in a way that honors and glorifies God.  How much do we truly endure for Him?  The absolute best we can give is our whole heart’s desire to live and obey His guidance everyday.

 

No Thought For Their Children

Our fathers sinned, and are no more;
and we bear their iniquities.

Matthew 27:24

So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Exodus 20:5
for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments

Lamentations 5:7
Our fathers sinned, and are no more;
and we bear their iniquities.

I add comments today from a sermon preached by Johnathan Edwards which brings home the message of disregarding God and making decisions without Him in mind.   These scriptures today describe the sins of man carried out on their children well after death.

It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand. It is no security to a natural man, that he is now in health, and that he does not see which way he should now immediately go out of the world by any accident, and that there is no visible danger in any respect in his circumstances. The manifold and continual experience of the world in all ages, shows this is no evidence, that a man is not on the very brink of eternity, and that the next step will not be into another world. The unseen, unthought-of ways and means of persons going suddenly out of the world are innumerable and inconceivable. Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering, and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight, and these places are not seen. The arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day; the sharpest sight cannot discern them.

Words Without Action

They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works

Matthew 26:69
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath:“I do not know the man.” After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Matthew 10:32
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven

John 18:25
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed

Proverbs 30:8
Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God

What is it like to look into the mirror and know you have denied God?  I wonder if we even truly consider this as part of our daily work with Him.  We aren’t persecuted here for our belief like other place of the world.  However I think we still deny Him in other ways.  Love your neighbor as yourself, give generously, be kind, be humble, Love your God with all your heart mind and soul, be joyful, be a servant, make disciples, live victorious, trust God in all things, live by faith, continually grow in knowledge of God, live in the power and strength of God…… the list goes on and on if we read only but a little of scripture.  We look in the mirror and say we do not deny Him yet on the other hand I don’t think we look close or deep enough.  How appropriate is this scripture:

Psalms 139:23   Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting

We are not alone

If God is for us, who can be against us

Oh God, open our eyes that we may see the wondrous work of Your hand.  Open our mind that we may understand Your awesome power and might over everything there is.  Open our heart to receive and know Your grace, mercy, and love.  Open our ears that we may hear Your leading and guidance.  Open our mouth with Your words that we may speak of your love, show grace, mercy, kindness, hope and faith.

Matthew 26:53
Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels

2 Kings 6:15
When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha

2 Chronicles 32:7
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah