Week Of Prayer – Week 2
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May 30 – Hezekiah’s Prayer
This week we will look at some of the great Old Testament prayers. First, King Hezekiah demonstrated tremendous faith in God when the Assyrians plotted to destroy the southern kingdom of Judah as they had already done to the northern kingdom of Israel. Hezekiah prayed for courage and deliverance.
2 Kings 19: 14-19; 14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: ‘Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. 17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.’
I love the imagery of Hezekiah taking this threatening letter and spreading it out in faith before the Lord in prayer. What concern do you need to “lay out” in faith before the Lord in prayer today?
May 31 – Hannah’s Prayer
Hannah was a faith-filled woman but faced the problem of barrenness, which was considered shameful in her day. Hannah prayed to the Lord in the temple of Shiloh for a son and vowed that she would dedicate her child to God. The Lord granted her prayer and gave her a son whom she called Samuel. This is a prayer of adoration for her gratitude.
1 Samuel 2: 1-10, My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord, my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. 2 “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 3 “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak with such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him, deeds are weighed.4 “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. 5 Those who were full hired themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. 6 “The Lord brings death and makes it alive; he brings down to the grave and raises. 7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them, he has set the world. 9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; 10 those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Highest will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
Hannah expressed high praise to God for His ultimate providence in miraculously providing a son for her but also includes all who recognize they are needy. She understood that it is not by our strength that we prevail but by God’s empowerment. It is from recognizing our humbling circumstances that we can best experience God’s provision. How are your praising God for his mighty provision in your life?
June 1 – Job’s Prayer
After all had been said and done by Job and his friends to try to understand why he suffered so, God paid Job a visit like he asked Him to do. However, it was not Job asking the questions but God who interrogated Job. After God did so, Job was silenced and this was his humble prayer of repentance.
Job 42:2-6, 2 “I know that you can do anything,
and no one can stop you.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
things far too wonderful for me.
4 You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!
I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.’
5 I had only heard about you before,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
6 I take back everything I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
There is much we do not understand about our world. There may be many questions we have for God. How we come to God matters greatly. Job was proud in wanting to question God. He was greatly humbled when God came. God does not mind our questions unless we come with an attitude of arrogance and pride rather than humility. How will you humbly approach God today with the questions you have?
June 2 – Daniel’s Prayer
Daniel found favor in God’s eyes and was supernaturally protected after being thrown into the lion’s den. Even though Daniel himself was a righteous man, he prayed a prayer of confession and repentance on behalf of his people who had greatly sinned which caused them to go into exile.
Daniel 9:4-6; 9-10;18-19, 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets… 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”
Though we may be righteous because of what Jesus has done for us, do we need to offer prayers of confession and repentance on behalf of our nation, family members, friends, etc.? In doing so, this is one way in which we can be a kingdom of priests which all Christians have been called to be on behalf of those who do not yet know Jesus. How will you intercede for God’s mercy on behalf of others?
June 3 – Solomon’s Prayer
There are many prayers in the Bible asking God for wisdom and guidance. King Solomon’s prayer is one of the most famous.
1 Kings 3: 5-10, At Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern these great people of yours?”10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.
A common theme we find in these prayers is that they come before God with humility in recognizing their great need. James 1:5 says, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” How are you in need of God’s guidance and wisdom in your life today?
June 4 – Jonah’s Prayer
Jonah disobeyed and ran away instead of answering God’s call to prophesy to Nineveh. Because of his disobedience, God sent a raging storm to the ship Jonah boarded. Jonah then convinced the sailors to throw him overboard because he knew God sent the storm. However, God didn’t let Jonah die and provided a great fish to swallow him. During the three days and three nights inside the fish’s belly, Jonah honestly confessed his sin and promised to be faithful once again.
Jonah 2:1-10, 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said: “In my distress, I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight, yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ 5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. 7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. 8 “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. 9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” 10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Have you been unfaithful to God’s call upon your life in any way? Have you disobeyed Him? What prayer of confession do you need to offer and what renewed commitment to be faithful will you offer?
June 5 – David’s Prayer
After David spoke his desire to build God a temple, the word came back through the prophet Nathan that he was not the one to do so but that God would actually build David’s house into a dynasty of kings. This prayer is David’s response to hearing this amazing news.
2 Samuel 7:18-29, 18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?
20 “What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord. 21 Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant.
22 “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you! 23 What other nation on earth is like your people Israel? What other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? You made a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations and gods that stood in their way. 24 You made Israel your very own people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.
25 “And now, O Lord God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever.26 And may your name be honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever.
27 “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer to you because you have revealed all this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you—a dynasty of kings!’ 28 For you are God, O Sovereign Lord. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 And now, may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you have spoken, and when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing!”
On this day of Pentecost, just as David celebrated God building his house and dynasty, we celebrate the birth of the church which God built through His Spirit. Like David, are you overwhelmed with God’s blessing in your life? Can you believe what God has done for you? What words of praise will you offer to Him?