A Prayer of Moses

“And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my LORD be great, according as thou hast spoken” (v. 17).
Moses and Aaron had been voted out; Israel was ready to stone them! When God threatened to wipe out these grumblers, Moses stood in the gap. In his prayer, Moses used God’s own promises of protection and provision to implore Him to cancel the death sentence. Other nations had observed God’s provision for this great throng and to wipe them off the map would destroy the nations’ respect for God.
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,” (James 5:16b). We should never underestimate the power of a single prayer. As pilgrims on this planet, we have a Christian duty to pray for those who have spiritual or physical needs. This begins with our families and extends to the far reaches of the world. Prayer is an investment that pays extraordinary dividends for eternity. Heaven will reveal the miracles wrought through prayer!
We are the seed-sowers, and God delivers the harvest. The prayers of Moses are scattered throughout the Books of Exodus and Numbers. Sometimes the “people cried to Moses,” and at other times he discerned the spiritual void in his people. Thank God for forgiveness and that His mercies are new every morning. We don’t want our children to reap the remunerations of our sins. Stand in the gap for your family and generations to follow! May God keep us faithful in prayer and shower His blessings of mercy to a thousand generations. (Beverly K. Tatum)
Be Thou my Guardian and my Guide; And hear me when I call; Let not my slippery footsteps slide, And hold me lest I fall. — Isaac Williams
Lord, help us to be faithful to our generation and leave behind road signs pointing to the heavenly path!
2018-06-13T09:00:50+00:00June 13th, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: , , |0 Comments

Does God Answer Prayer

Lesson 2 - March 11, 2018
Focus Text: Luke 11:1-13; 1 John 5:14-15
Central Truth: We can pray confidently knowing that God will answer us.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list ways God answers prayer.
Lesson Outline:

  1. Pattern for Prayer (Luke 11:1-4)
  2. Persistence in Prayer (Luke 11:5-13)
  3. Confidence in Prayer (1 John 5:14-15)
2018-03-10T19:19:24+00:00March 10th, 2018|Categories: Weekly Lesson Summaries|Tags: |0 Comments

Earnestness in Prayer

Read Exodus 2:23-25
“And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage” (v. 23).
How does a person assess “earnestness in prayer”? Some prayer meetings might give the impression that earnestness is equated with volume. The louder the prayer, the more earnest it is. Earnestness might also be evaluated by persistence. In that case, a no-quit attitude would be evidence of earnestness.
It is unlikely that the Israelites in our text came together for times of group prayer. And it is equally unlikely that they prayed at the top of their voices. The authorities would likely have frowned on either scenario. But what is clear is that their cries got the attention of God and that as a result the deliverance process was begun.
Earnestness could be defined as a heartfelt conviction that God is the only answer to our dilemma. Probably how it is expressed is as different as the people praying. But God knows when a seeker is completely given to crying out to God for an answer. And history has shown that when God gets that message, He acts! (Gordon Snider)
Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees,
And looks to that alone;
Laughs at impossibilities,
And cries, “It shall be done!” — Charles Wesley
Earnest prayer knows no impossibilities.
This devotional is the Monday, February 19 , 2018 entry of Opening the Word.

2018-02-23T04:00:00+00:00February 23rd, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: |0 Comments

Our Duty as Watchmen

In "Biblical Perspective" I.C. Holland writes:

Watchmen were on duty in the Temple. Psalm 134 speaks to the “servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD.” For the safety of the people who dwelt in walled cities, watchmen kept their courses day and night. To Ezekiel, God said, “Son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me” (33:7). The prophets of old were “God's remembrancers,” as are preachers and pastors of the Church age. It is their solemn business “to call to God's remembrance the needs and claims of His people, and the obligations of His covenant promises” (Pulpit Comm.). This we can understand to be importunate and intercessory prayer, the duty of all Christians. Paul taught us to pray without ceasing. In our prayers, we Christians are allowed to remind God of our faith in His covenant promises.

Source: Building Christian Relationships: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 12.

2017-06-10T09:26:00+00:00June 10th, 2017|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: |0 Comments

Prayer Conclusion

As we conclude this quarter of emphasizing the Sunday school teacher in prayer, consider how you will continue to make prayer an integral part of your ministry. What emphasis in prayer for the next Sunday school quarter is the Holy Spirit impressing upon you?
Heavenly Father, we pray for each teacher who has been reading these prayers this quarter and praying them throughout the week. Father, create in these dear people and our churches a renewed passion for prayer. Don’t allow this emphasis on prayer to fizzle out at the end of this quarter of lessons. Instead, may we continue to be a people committed to intercessory prayer.
Help us, Lord, to truly learn to pray for the needs of others, and not just our own needs and wants. May we love others, first, through prayer. Give us a vision that sees more than our personal needs. Instead, help us to demonstrate a real concern for others in prayer.
Thank You again for Your love and grace. In Jesus’ name we pray all this, Amen.

2017-02-23T09:00:00+00:00February 23rd, 2017|Categories: Teacher Helps|Tags: |0 Comments

Pray for God’s Blessing

Father, I come again in prayer to ask for Your blessing upon my life and my volunteer ministry within our local church. There have been many misguided teachings over the past years concerning praying for Your blessing. Some have basically taught that we can confidently pray for our every whim and desire. Others have suggested that Your blessing is like a bubble gum machine: insert a prayer or a tithe, and out comes a blessing. I recognize that the purpose of prayer is about aligning my will with Your will, not about merely presenting You a wish list.
Yet, Lord, I do feel a deep need for Your blessing upon my life. I recognize that without Your enabling power I cannot be victorious spiritually or successful in ministry for You. So I humbly ask for You to pour out blessings upon my life so that I can glorify Your name and be a blessing to others.
Thank You in advance for the grace You are going to provide. Amen.

2017-02-17T09:30:00+00:00February 17th, 2017|Categories: Teacher Helps|Tags: |0 Comments

Pray for Your Community

Heavenly Father, I pray today for our community. All around our church live many people who do not know You as their Lord and Savior. Some may know much about You, but they have not surrendered their lives to Your control. Others may actually not know much about God and the Gospel. Some may hate You. But I know that You love them and want each one to trust in You as Lord and Savior.
Therefore, Lord, I pray for the good of my community. Lord, break into the routine of this community to demonstrate Your love and grace. Through tragedies that may come, I ask for Your abiding peace to overshadow us. Create a hunger for Yourself that will not be satisfied by worldly success and pleasure.
Help our local church then to provide the witness necessary to attract lost people to You. Draw them by the power of the Holy Spirit and change them by Your grace. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

2017-02-07T09:00:00+00:00February 7th, 2017|Categories: Teacher Helps|Tags: |0 Comments

Pray for Your Church

Father, I pray for my local church. I thank You for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I praise You for the blessings You have bestowed upon us and ask for continued grace.

You know the needs of our congregation. (List specific needs here). I pray that, according to Your will, You would give healing to those who are suffering with physical needs. Encourage them, despite their pain, to live for You. I pray for those with financial needs. Supply what they lack. Provide for them, as a sign of Your love and grace. I ask You also to remember those who are under heavy burdens of stress, etc. Lighten their load. Let them know that You are with them, to help them through these trials and to give grace for every hour.
Father, help our church to be a light of love and holiness to this community. May we be known as a people who love God and one another. Increase our influence for Christ in our world. Thank You for all this. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

2017-01-31T09:00:00+00:00January 31st, 2017|Categories: Teacher Helps|Tags: |0 Comments

Pray for Your Pastor

Heavenly Father, I pray for my pastor as the senior leader and shepherd of this congregation. Give him the wisdom and insight he needs to direct our church according to Your will. May we follow his lead, instead of arguing, complaining, or revolting against his leadership. Instead, help us to join hearts, hands, and minds in one accord as we seek Your Spirit’s leading.

Bless our pastor with understanding of how best to teach and equip our church for service. Give him fresh insight each week as he studies Your Word to deliver to our congregation. Help him to demonstrate the truths of Your Word to be extremely practical to our lives.
Encourage our pastor as he seeks to train volunteer workers, such as myself, how to better serve the church. Help him to see areas in which we can improve and be able to equip us for greater ministry. Help us to be humble enough to receive the training we need, even though we may have served in our volunteer ministries for many years.

2017-01-26T12:13:00+00:00January 26th, 2017|Categories: Teacher Helps|Tags: |0 Comments

Pray for Your Sunday School Superintendent

Heavenly Father, thank Your for my Sunday school superintendent and all the work that he/she does to make sure our Sunday school department runs properly.
You see the stress this person experiences when teachers are absent without warning or complain and argue over little things. Help me to be an encouragement by faithfully showing up each week and letting the superintendent know well in advance if I cannot come. Help me also to have such a sweet spirit that it gives joy to him/her.
Enable this person to have the strength and energy to serve in this position. Help them not to feel overwhelmed by the various administrative tasks for which they are responsible. Give this person creative ideas for how to encourage and train us teachers to disciple our students more effectively. Help us teachers to work together for the good of our church, but most of all because we love You, Lord.

2017-01-17T09:00:00+00:00January 17th, 2017|Categories: Teacher Helps|Tags: |0 Comments
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