Tag: prayer

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Finish the Race

Daily Reading

2Kings 20-22

Daily Thought

That Hezekiah enjoyed prosperity was obvious. An envoy of visitors bearing gifts sent by the king of Babylon became an excuse to show off. “Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them” (2Kings 20:13). Babylon would visit again someday, to make this treasure their own, but this was of little concern to Hezekiah as long as there was “peace and security in my days” (2Kings 20:19).

Hezekiah had begun beautifully. “The Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered” (2Kings 18:7), but success became too much a good thing. You would hope that one who trusted God with his life would trust God with his death, but that was not the case for Hezekiah. When Isaiah the prophet came to him and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die'” (2Kings 20:1), Hezekiah pleaded with God and wept bitterly, and fifteen years were added to his life.

We pray for results and God answers with opportunities. Hezekiah was given longer life, so he did not bother ordering his house. He would finish badly. He had another son and named him Manasseh, “and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel” (2Kings 21:9).

Better to say, as the apostle Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2Timothy 4:7-8).

Daily Prayer

My Lord, my God, Your commandments will be upon my heart, because they are good for life, my life, and my children’s and their children’s. I will impress them on my children, talk about them when I sit at home and when I walk along the road, when I lie down and when I get up. I will not only teach them, I will live them.

God, bless my household. May my family, my spouse and children, follow You all the days of our lives. As for me and my house, we will serve You.

Amen

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Bad Beginnings

Daily Reading

2Samuel 4-7

Daily Thought

David determined to bring the ark of God to the city of David, to Jerusalem. It began badly. After loading the ark of God on a new cart, the oxen stumbled, the ark thrust sideways, and “Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God” (2Samuel 6:6-7). The celebration turned to grief. What happened?

The problem: David determined to bring the ark. He talked to his leaders, “David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader” (1Chronicles 13:1). He talked to the people, “All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people” (1Chronicles 13:4). Of course he talked to God, right? He always talks to God. Look how often, “David inquired of the Lord, ‘Shall I…?'”–1Samuel 23:3; 1Samuel 30:8; 2Samuel 2:1; 2Samuel 5:19. Except not this time. He did not ask God if God wanted his ark in Jerusalem. And, tragically, he did not ask God how to carry the ark.

God’s word was clear, but forgotten. “You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it” (Exodus 25:12-15). The ark was to be carried on the shoulders by four Kohathite men, and “they must not touch the holy things, lest they die” (Numbers 4:15). And “Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it.”

It began badly, because it began without God.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, I worship You and You alone. You are God and there is no other. May I worship You the way You want, the way You ask me to, the way that pleases You. God, too often I worship You to please myself and others.  May I be more concerned about Your pleasure than mine. I give You Sunday; may I worship You Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, as well, and may my worship be seen in my love for others. May my life be a living sacrifice.

God, help me be Your servant to the poor and the needy. Let me be one who reads Your Word and follows Your ways. To worship You, obedience comes before sacrifice. Keep me from becoming self-centered, world-centered. May I be heavenly minded and passionate about You. Mold my heart, so that it desires all things good and righteous.

Amen

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God Knows Best

Daily Reading

Numbers 8-10

Daily Thought

My son approached me with what seemed to be a reasonable request. “May I go to the movies tonight with my friends?” Which movie? Which friends? I asked the right questions. “Son, it seems like everything is okay.”

He started to walk away triumphantly. “But son, you know there is no ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ until your mom says ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’” 

He knew. My wife knows better. She knows if there is homework due. She knows how he’s behaved during the day. She knows his friends. I’ve learned, I dare not say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ before checking with the one who knows best.

The Israelites were observing the Passover on the anniversary of their deliverance from Egypt. Some who were unclean (they had touched a dead body) still wanted to participate. They asked Moses if it was okay. It seemed a reasonable request.

And Moses said to them, “Wait, that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you” (Numbers 9:8). 

Moses knew, check with the One who knows best.

Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my door.
~Proverbs 8:34

Daily Prayer

Father God, You are wise, You are loving, You are good. What a blessing it is to bring my requests to You. I know that You will work all things to the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. I want Your wisdom, God, and it is there for the asking. But I forget to ask. 

My love for You is shown by my obedience. My trust is displayed in my actions. May I be one who, all day long, seeks Your Word and Your ways, follows Your path, and walks in Your wisdom. May I be one who talks to You. And listens. 

Amen