Judges 1:1 - Ask The Lord

After the death of Joshsua, the Israelites asked the Lord, "Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?" Judges 1:1

In a class on the Judges, it was pointed out that this is the ony time in this book where the Israelites asked for the guidance of the Lord. Judah is the answer, but Judah asks another tribe to go into battle with them, so even this is not fully followed. How often do we ask for the guidance of God? I often praise him, thank him, and make requests, but rarely do I ask for specific guidance. Which should I do first? When should I do this? Who can help me with this? I think God will find a way to communicate to us if we ask for ears to hear and eyes to see his answer.

Lord, Thank you for allowing us to come to you for guidance. Please help us to think first of asking you when we are making decisions. Amen

2 Samuel 7:21 - Sometimes we get a no

For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

In this chapter, David decides to build a permanent home for the Ark of  God. God speaks to David though the Nathan and says no, David's son will be the one to build a temple. David accepts this from God and praises Him. We (or someone close to us) may not hear an audible answer from God today, but he has his ways to make his will known. If we pray for an answer to be made clear, it will.

Lord, thank you for your guidance. Please help us to accept your answers. Amen.

2 Samuel 6:5 - Pray, then plan

David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.

David has a great plan. He wants to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem and make it a huge celebration for all the people. Everything starts out well, then Uzziah touched the ark and is instantly killed. David was doing all this for the Lord. Why did God bring this celebration to a halt? Why didn't God overlook this mistake?

A few weeks ago I heard a sermon by Paul Cartwright about Uzziah.. (This is the sermon where we were challenged to read 2 Samuel.) In this lesson, Paul talked about how there were several things wrong here, mostly, David did not make sure the Ark was being moved as God specifically required it to be moved. It should not have been on an cart, but carried by poles. David was usually so good at praying to God before doing things like going to battle, but in this case, maybe he planned this big celebration to move the Ark without going to God first.

Lord, than you for being clear with us about what you want from our lives. Please help us to always go to you before making plans. Amen.

2 Samuel 5:19 - Guidance

so David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”
  The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.”

David sought after God's will. He did not trust in his own strength or mind. The Philistines were attacking David. Common sense would dictate fighting back, if not to conquer then at least to defend yourself. But David went to as secure place and prayed. How many times to we rush in to a new project or commitment without praying first? We may not hear an audible voice like David did, but if we ask for guidance, the answer will be made clear.

Lord, thank you for being with us and guiding us. Please help us to remember to pray before we act. Amen.

Psalm 143:8 - Morning

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
     for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
     for to you I entrust my life.

Because I sit down to study in the morning, I am always drawn to the passages about morning. This is a beautiful verse and encapsulates a perfect morning prayer.

Lord,
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
     for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
     for to you I entrust my life.
Amen,

Ephesians 3:20-21 - Plunder

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

I've had an epiphany, and aha moment. God has been bringing me to this point for several months and the last few days have made it clear. I tried to share this with a ladies class last night and I think I realized that aha moments may be difficult to translate to others who have not been walking your journey, but here it goes. The process of seeking healing may even be more important than actually receiving healing. We all have one or many strongholds, right now my stronghold of focus is food issues. My sisters and I have been reading the book Breaking Free by Beth Moore. At the end of the book she states that our motivation may have been to find deliverance, but hopefully we will find more of the deliverer. She also talks about the idea of plunder and that when the Israelites left the slavery of Egypt, the Egyptians gave the gold. God gives us more than what we've asked for. In fact, God can even give us plunder if he does not give us healing right away or ever. Perseverance in study and prayer gives us a closer connection and relationship with God. Dealing with our stronghold will help us to have mercy on others who are dealing with their stronghold. And if we do receive healing, that's just the icing on the cake and gives more plunder because now we have an amazing story of healing to share with others.

Lord, thank you for plunder. Thank you for the things you do that go above and beyond what we ask for. Please help us to persevere in our struggle against our stronghold. Amen.

Psalm 138:3-Boldness

When I called, you answered me;
     you greatly emboldened me.

Our experiences with God strengthen our boldness in him. The more we see him working in our lives, the more we want to share this with others.

Lord, thank you for every time you answer us, when we can see you working in our lives, whether it was exactly what we asked for or not, whether your answer was yes, no or not now. Please help us to see your work in our lives, so that we will be greatly emboldened and share you with others. Amen.

John 16:23b-24 - Specific communication in Jesus name

Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

When we are communicating with God and we have needs for ourselves and others, there are some guidelines we are given. First we need to be specific in our prayers. The other day our preacher saw Bubba and asked, “What’s wrong, Bubba?” Bubba said, “I need you to pray for my hearing.”  The preacher put his hands on Bubba’s ears and prayed. When he was done, he asked, “So how’s your hearing?”  “I don’t know,” said Bubba. “It isn’t until next Tuesday.”

Well, I guess the idea here is that we need to carefully communicate our needs to the Lord. When we do, we can more clearly see what his answer is. As this scripture states, we must ask in the name of Jesus Christ. According to John 14:13, when we do this, God is glorified.

Lord, thank you for giving us the opportunity to come to you with requests. Please help us to ask in Jesus name so that you may be glorified, Amen.

Psalm 119:164 - Prayer times

Seven times a day I praise you
     for your righteous laws.

How many times a day do you pray? I am only certain of one, in the morning before I do my study. I offer random prayers through out the day, but nothing structured so that I would know exactly how many times I prayed. One thing I like about the Muslim faith are the specified prayer times, This entire group of people stop what they are doing an pray at least five times a day. Maybe we can find regularly occurring things which happen throughout the day to remind us to pray. Meals are always a good time to pray. Or we could set an alarm on our phone to remind us to pray at certain times of the day. No matter how we do it, the more time communicating with God, the better.

Lord, thank you for the gift of prayer. Please help us to spend several times a day praising you and communicating with you. Amen.

John 16:23b-24 - Ask in Jesus' name

Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

In our study last night, my sisters and I were talking about deliverance from a stronghold. We talked about the many times we have asked God to remove this stronghold in our lives. We understand that God may actually let this be in our lives for many purposes and it may not be something he "heals" us of until we are made perfect in heaven. But then I remembered this verse. When we pray and ask God for something, are we asking in Jesus'name? We often say "In Jesus' name, Amen" at the end of the prayer, but are we truly asking in his name. I'm not even 100% sure what that means, but it is definitely something worth more thought and study.

Lord, thank you for the gifts and help you give us. Please help us to make our requests to you in the right way and with the right spirit. Amen.

Psalm 102:2 - Sending up an SOS

Do not hide your face from me
     when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me;
     when I call, answer me quickly.

There are times when there is nothing we can do but pray. We don't know how to solve the problem. We're not even sure what the solution is. But with faith in God, we know he hears, we know he sees us in our distress. We know he will take care of us.

Lord, thank you for the assurance of your help. Please be patient with us when we are crying out to you, feeling abandoned and hopeless. Amen.

Matthew 26:36-42 - Bible Study Challenge Day 1

This morning at church, our minister issued us a challenge: A Seven Day Family Bible Study. I study most mornings and post here on my blog, so this week my blog will serve to answer this challenge.
Each day, my husband John and I will read the verses and answer the questions listed in the study. I challenge you to read along with us and answer the questions for yourself before reading our thoughts. Day one is below.

Question 1 - Why was Jesus sorrowful?
Jesus knew what was about to happen. He knew the pain and agony he was going to feel, physically and spiritually. He knew what he was going to have to deal with, yet he was willing to do God's will.

Question 2 - How does Jesus teach obedience in this passage?
He is willing to do what God requires, even if he doesn't want to. He wants to follows God's will not his. He prays for a way to change the situation, but is accepting of God's plan.

Question 3 - When was a time you prayed to God like Jesus does here?
We both thought of times when we were praying for children. Parents love their children and want good things for them, but sometimes we have to allow God to work in their lives, which may may be hard for them and difficult for us to watch.

Lord, thank you for showing us such an example of obedience from your son. Please help us to always accept your will. Amen.

 

Ephesians 3:16-17a - My prayer for you

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

On Sunday at Webb Chapel Church of Christ, our lesson was on prayer. A challenge was issued for us to write out a prayer to God,, praying for a specific person, then give the written prayer to them. This is sort of a answer to that challenge. I am praying this prayer, as Paul prayed this for the Ephesian church, for you.

Lord, I pray that out of your glorious riches you may strengthen whoever is reading this prayer with power through your Spirit in their inner being, so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith. Amen.

Psalm 88:13 - Help!

But I cry to you for help, Lord;
     in the morning my prayer comes before you.

I have several things weighing very heavy on my heart this morning. Verse 3 of this psalm sums it up well, "I am overwhelmed by troubles." They are all things which I have almost no control over, so handing them over to God is really the only constructive option.

Lord, thank you for your omnipotent power and control over all things. Please help me and the situation which are overwhelming me. Amen.

Psalm 72:1 - Pray for our leaders

Endow the king with your justice, O God,
     the royal son with your righteousness.

Psalm 72 is a prayer for David as King and the land he rules over. Such a perfect leader in a perfect land is described, this must be a prophecy about Jesus. This verse made me think about our current political situation with an upcoming presidential election, Regardless of the winner, God can use anyone. We must pray for our leaders to be just and righteous and for the safety and prosperity of our nation.

Lord, thank your for giving us a beautiful example of a perfect leader. Please help us to pray for our leaders and our land. Amen.

Ephesians 1:16 - A new study

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

One of my sisters suggested we have a weekly Bible study. We live in different cities, so we do this by conference call. So far in our "study" we have pretty much just caught up with each other, occasionally throwing in something we have been studying. Last week we reminded ourselves we wanted to do a Bible study, not just chat. We decided to study Ephesians, a chapter each week, then we will have a specific focus for our study. Today I am giving thanks for my sisters and remembering them in my prayers!

Lord, thank you for sisters. Please speak to each of us in our study. Amen.

Psalm 69:17 - Help me, quick!

Do not hide your face from your servant;
     answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.

There are times when we need help and we need it now! We understand that things happen in God's time, but since David called out in this manner, it sounds like God doesn't mind when we ask for something to happen quickly.

Lord, thank you for understanding us better than we understand ourselves. Please help us to always rely on you for our help. Amen.

Psalm 66:18 - Can you hear me now?

If I had cherished sin in my heart,
     the Lord would not have listened;

When we pray to God, how do we know he is listening? How do we know we can expect an answer? The Bible gives us some perimeters regarding prayer and this verse is one of them. In order for God to hear us, we need to be in a right relationship with him. If we have sin in our lives we are not willing to part with, God won't hear us. So if we are praying and feel like we are not getting a response, maybe we need to examine our lives and look for cherished sin.

Lord, thank you for loving us and hearing our prayers. Please help us to cherish no sin in our heart. Amen.

Psalm 40:5 - Praise

Many, Lord my God,
     are the wonders you have done,
     the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
     were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
     they would be too many to declare.

When I pray, I begin my prayers with praise. Sometimes I struggle with what to say, I seem to repeat the same phrases of praise over and over. This verse says there are too many wonderful deeds done by God to declare, so there is unlimited praise material here! When I am not sure what to say next when praising God in my prayers, I will begin to list his deeds and the wonders he has done.

Lord, thank you for all the wonders you have done. Please help us keep our prayers fresh and meaningful, Amen.

Psalm 29:4 - Hearing the voice of the Lord

The voice of the Lord is powerful;
     the voice of the Lord is majestic.

Do you have trouble hearing the voice of the Lord? How is that possible when it is so powerful and majestic? But it can be hard to hear God amidst all the other noise in our lives. God's volume is sufficient, but we may have to eliminate other noises or "tune in" to him. Here are some tips:

1. In Jesus name, ask to hear his voice, then listen. Really. Ok, it may not be an audible voice, but you will hear him speak into your heart and mind.
2. If you feel like you are hard of hearing, in Jesus name, ask him to repeat it three times. You may get messages from friends, sermons, the radio, TV, movies or social media, but if you hear something three times and it strikes a chord in your heart, pay attention. 
3. This kind of goes back to number one, but in Jesus name, ask God to show you what he wants you to hear, then read the Bible. Any where will do. Seriously. God will use that passage to speak to you.
4. Have you noticed the phrase "in Jesus name" attached to each request of God. This comes from John 16:23b-24. Asking in Jesus name is powerful!

Lord, thank you for your powerful, majestic voice. In Jesus name, please help us to hear you. Amen.