Now Bless Him

 So David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, “Blessed are You, O Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name…Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed low and did homage to the Lord and to the king. (I Chronicles 29)

Sometimes our prayers are ones that others hear, as we are asked to pray aloud, or a group of people needs prayer over an upcoming event or situation.  Such is the case here, when David prayed.

This prayer is full of nothing but praise to God for his greatness, his power, his victory, his majesty, his might, his name, etc.  And then David gives thanks.

I believe this is one of the greatest prayers we can pray, and it’s the most effective.  When we remind ourselves, and those who are hearing us pray, of the goodness of our Father, somehow everything else lays to rest in our minds because we feel at peace in knowing what a faithful God we serve.

At the end of the prayer, David speaks to those who heard him pray aloud and instructs them to “Now bless the Lord your God.”

A strong prayer of faith, spoken aloud where ears can here, prompts others to follow suit.

And this pleases the Lord.

Today…don’t shrink away or shake your head “no,” when asked to pray.  Consider it a chance and an opportunity to praise God and cause others to do the same.

At War

In I Chronicles 5, some valiant men who were skillful in battle went to war.

They were helped against them, and the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hand; for they cried out to God in the battle, and He answered their prayers because they trusted in Him… For many fell slain, because the war was of God.

I’ve felt as though I was in a war.  Haven’t you?  And sometimes the war I’m in is self-imposed because I’ve sinned or believed lies that have beaten me down until I’m in retreat mode. 

But notice this scenario with these men.  They are in a war that was of God.  

What?

God sent them into battle and therefore, when they cried out, He answered their prayers – because they trusted in Him.

Sometimes God sends us into battle, but we’re never alone, and we are not sent in to die – we’re sent in to win.  And when God sends us into battle, he trains our hands to war.

There are enemies out there that want to destroy us, and sometimes God sends us in, in His power, and by His name, to destroy them.

Today…pray and ask God for strength, trust in Him, and watch the enemies fall.

That All will Know

In II Kings 19, Hezekiah prays.

O Lord, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. … Now, O Lord our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.

And this is part of God’s answer…

‘For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake..

Hezekiah prayed an earnest prayer, starting with exaltation of who God is. 

Remember in the New Testament, Jesus tells us to start with “Our Father who art in heaven…thy kingdom come…?”  Hezekiah began with acknowledging God’s authority over all the earth and every kingdom in it.

That’s the best way to begin a prayer, because it sets our heart into a receiving mode of God’s answer, knowing whatever He says and does is right and best.

After the exaltation, Hezekiah asks for deliverance, so that all kingdoms would know the same thing Hezekiah already knew and acknowledged – that God alone was God.

That’s the best way to end a prayer, asking for what we need, but not for ourselves – but for others to know God and his great power.

And guess what?

God answered Hezekiah’s prayer and God’s name was glorified.

Today…acknowledge God and all that He is, make your requests, and expect God’s name to be glorified by the answer he sends.

Beach Bag Bargain

My thrifty, crafty daughter-in-law needed a beach bag for our trip and she needed it quickly and cheaply. She got this cute tote at Hobby Lobby for under five bucks, and a bandana scarf.  She tied it in a knot around one of the handles, and voila!  She's got a cute tote, and a scarf for her head when the wind picks up by the water...(by the way, the bag has pockets, too!)

Sound of the Roar

Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees.  He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times.  It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ^‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’” In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. (I Kings 18)

This is such an interesting story…. 

Elijah obeyed, prayed for rain, and now he says he hears the “roar” of a heavy shower. However, no rain had come down yet.  

This is a crucial part of prayer: hearing the answer before it actually rains.  It’s called faith.

Seven times he told his servant to look for clouds of rain and nothing turned up.

I think if I had prayed for rain and seven times I looked to the sky and saw nothing but clear blue, I might be tempted to give up and think God had forgotten me. But Elijah stood firm in his faith because he had obeyed, he heard God, and heard the roar.

The seventh time a small cloud was spotted – a cloud as small as a man’s hand.  

What?  How could he even see a cloud that small? I think it’s because he looking for it and expecting it!

And then we read that “in a little while” there was a heavy shower.

The sound of the roar became the reality of the rain.

Today…pray and believe…and listen for the roar.

Let it Be Known

I Kings 18

^…O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.” Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

This story is one of my favorites…

There was no rain for a long time, and the people were serving other gods.  Elijah was a prophet and he prayed.  In that prayer he asked God to show that he was God and to affirm Elijah’s obedience.  He started by repairing an altar that had been torn down.

After this first prayer, it says fire fell from heaven and consumed the offering and “licked up the water in the trench.”  This one prayer moved the hand of God to such a degree that all of the people witnessed his hand and declared “He is God, the Lord, He is God.”  

Immediately after this great response, Elijah slew all the false prophets.

We see again that God responds to obedience and to prayers that desire to see God’s name above all others.  This must motivate all of our prayers and desires.  

Our prayers are not to be made so that we can be puffed up; so that we can settle back and say we have all that we need, but they are to be made so that His name is lifted up and ALL OTHERS see and fall on their faces proclaiming him as Lord.

Come back tomorrow to see what happened next….

He Heard

Prayer journey cont’d:

I Kings 9: Now it came about when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all that Solomon desired to do,  that the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. The Lord said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

Remember the lengthy prayer Solomon prayed? (in yesterday’s devotion). We now read of God’s response.

First we see that Solomon obeyed what God had told him to do. He did this before he prayed.  And he did this before God answered.

God’s answer states that he heard Solomon’s prayer.  He affirms Solomon by stating that where Solomon has established the name of the Lord, the Lord’s eyes and heart will be there perpetually (forever!).

Wow.

Don’t you want God to show up and tell you that he’s heard your prayers and that his eyes and heart are with you always?

It starts with obedience and dedication of your own house and home to the Lord.  It begins with establishing him as Lord of your life and of the lives of those you love. This pleases God, when we set apart ourselves and all that we have to bless his name.

God’s eyes and heart are toward those that love him.  He loves you.  He sees you.  And his heart is big enough to hold all that you hold dear.

Today…obey his Word, dedicate and consecrate your house to the Lord, and look up to see his eyes and heart as he responds to you with his presence.