Our Blog
Divine Reassurance
Read Daniel 9:20-23
“Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation” (v. 21).
We humans have an innate desire to communicate and be heard and understood by other people. I see this desire in my three-year-old’s face as he tries to get his story out over the noise and distractions of his older brothers. Being ignored or drowned out by the sea of competing sounds is a frustrating experience for him. In those times, stooping down to his level, looking into his eyes, and placing a hand on his arm is the encouragement he needs that someone is listening and cares about what matters to him.
In this passage, Daniel pours out his heart in intercessory prayer, and God sends an angel to reassure him that he is “greatly beloved” and to reveal some astonishing details about God’s work in the future for his people. In our times of prayer, we also may be anguished and burdened for the needs of those around us. In these moments, our Heavenly Father hears us, and it is a blessing when we feel His encouraging touch, reassuring us of His great love and concern for the things that matter to us. (Stephen B. Smith)
A Prayer of Confession
Focus Text: Daniel 9:3-6, 11-19
Central Truth: God’s grace is extended to those who confess their need to Him.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify some areas of need in their lives which require God’s help.
Lesson Outline:
I. The Burden (Dan. 9:3-10)
II. The Confession (Dan. 9:11-15)
III. The Request (Dan. 9:16-19)
A Prayer for Fellow Teachers
Lord, I pray today for my fellow Sunday school teachers. I thank you that our church has a team working together to train people how to live for Christ. I value their ministry, whether they are teachers of younger ages or a different class of adults. Thank you for the privilege of serving you with others.
I pray that my fellow teachers might be filled with wisdom and understanding as they direct their classes. Give them the creativity to teach their students so that every week the class is excited to learn about you.
Give my fellow teachers encouragement in their ministry. I know that they, like me, will have those days and weeks where busyness, troubles of various kinds, and interruptions tend to suck the energy and life from their spirit. Help them to persevere for you. Let them know that their work has eternal results and eternal rewards.
Help me to be an encouragement to my fellow teachers. May I never be a source of frustration or irritation. Instead, help me to be a great team player for the cause of Christ. I pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Keeping God’s Word
Read John 17:6-8
“I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word” (v. 6).
They were “keepers of the flag” when they planted it on the tiny sulfuric island called Iwo Jima because they considered what it stands for worth defending to the death. And 6,800 heroic American servicemen did just that in that brutal, pivotal battle for freedom during World War II.
The word “kept” in this verse means to cherish and protect, a state of grace that goes beyond mere belief in truth. It is defined by a commitment to embrace, obey, and defend that truth; to allow no shift or compromise of that which is absolute. It is to defend, as the final authority, the Word of the Father as depicted in Jesus. It means stepping up and planting the standard of the gospel on the ground of those who would abolish it. Jesus is pure divine truth in human form, the living verbatim message of Almighty God to us. As His disciples would do, we must live and die in allegiance to the keeping of His life-giving Word. (R. Wayne Skeen, II)
What is God today leading you to do as a true Word-Keeper?
Keeping God's Word
Read John 17:6-8
“I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word” (v. 6).
They were “keepers of the flag” when they planted it on the tiny sulfuric island called Iwo Jima because they considered what it stands for worth defending to the death. And 6,800 heroic American servicemen did just that in that brutal, pivotal battle for freedom during World War II.
The word “kept” in this verse means to cherish and protect, a state of grace that goes beyond mere belief in truth. It is defined by a commitment to embrace, obey, and defend that truth; to allow no shift or compromise of that which is absolute. It is to defend, as the final authority, the Word of the Father as depicted in Jesus. It means stepping up and planting the standard of the gospel on the ground of those who would abolish it. Jesus is pure divine truth in human form, the living verbatim message of Almighty God to us. As His disciples would do, we must live and die in allegiance to the keeping of His life-giving Word. (R. Wayne Skeen, II)
What is God today leading you to do as a true Word-Keeper?
A Prayer for Believers
Focus Text: John 17:1-5, 14-26
Central Truth: The Christian lives in victory through Christ’s provision.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify several things for which Christ prayed in John 17.
Lesson Outline:
I. A Prayer for Eternal Life (John 17:1-5)
II. A Prayer for Preservation (John 17:14-16)
III. A Prayer for Sanctification (John 17:17-19)
IV. A Prayer for Unity (John 17:20-26)