When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually. (Job 1:5, NASB)
Several years ago I did a Bible study on the book of Job. I thought that after my diagnosis for ALS, I could learn from Job how to deal with adversity. There were some things that surprised me. Looking at the verse above, the authors stressed that Job prayed every morning for his children. This was before all of his calamity happened. But I took a lesson from this and doubled down on my efforts to make sure I pray for my children EVERY day.
Job had seven sons and three daughters. His children used to take turns hosting feasts for each other. The verse says, “Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all.” In other words, Job prayed for his children, and prayed for each one. “This Job did continually.”
Using Job as an example, I make sure to pray for our three wonderful children, their spouses, and our 12 precious grandchildren each morning. I praise God for putting them into my life; ask God’s blessings on each one; ask God to bless their marriages and their families; to bless their homes and keep peace within them; and for salvation for those who need it.
Sue and I consider these 18 people to be the most precious earthly gifts with which God has blessed us. Job certainly had his priorities straight!
Worship: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, by Keith and Kristyn Getty
I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land . . . Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” (Daniel 9:4-6, 18-19, NASB)
The book of Daniel takes place during the Babylonian exile, and the subsequent conquest by the Persians of that empire. This is the same Daniel who endured the Lion’s Den. Daniel received favor, and was appointed to high positions in the courts of the kings of Babylon and the Medo-Persian Empire. Today’s snippet takes place during the reign of King Darius of Persia. This Bible passage features a prayer for national repentance for the nation of Judah, and is a great model as we pray for our Nation.
Daniel had noticed the number of years that the Prophet Jeremiah had said that the exile would last (70 years), had almost run its course. Daniel therefore fasted and prayed, and chapter 9 contains that prayer. Notice how he acknowledges Judah’s sins, but also his responsibility in those sins: “We have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.” It’s important that you and I identify with the transgressions of our Nation, as well as our own sins.
Daniel continues: “Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.” Who are our modern-day prophets? Many of our pastors. We need to pay attention to them!
Last, Daniel prays for a desired end state. In this case, he prays for the resettlement of the city of Jerusalem and the restoration of the Holy Temple, because he’s aware that the 70 years of exile and Jerusalem’s desolation are almost complete. Daniel also admits to the Lord that the people don’t deserve what he’s asking for, but it’s by God’s love and mercy that He will abide by His word!
On a recent walk through the Bible, I made a list of the great national prayers. In addition to Daniel 9, we see them also in Ezra 9; Nehemiah 1; 1 Kings 8:22-53 & 2 Chronicles 6:12-42; 2 Kings 19 (King Hezekiah’s prayer) & Isaiah 37; Psalm 85; and Jeremiah 14. It’s interesting that these prayers follow much the same format: Personal and national repentance, a desired outcome, and acknowledgment that we don’t deserve God’s mercy in the outcome.
I am guilty of sins against God. I’ve not done all I can to straighten out the transgressions perpetrated in our land. Please forgive me, Lord! I pray for liberty and justice for all, and for revival and a Great Awakening in our land, that people would turn back to God. And like God’s gift of salvation, I and we are not deserving. Only by His grace can we approach Him, trust in His Son, and be saved! In Jesus alone is our Hope!
‘”Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? But they have not become contrite even to this day, nor have they feared nor walked in My law or My statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.” ’ “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to set My face against you for woe, even to cut off all Judah. And I will take away the remnant of Judah who have set their mind on entering the land of Egypt to reside there, and they will all meet their end in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword and meet their end by famine.'” (Jeremiah 44:9-12, NASB)
The Prophet Jeremiah received many messages from God, which He told Jeremiah to pass on to the kings of Judah and to the people. God’s patience with His people was wearing thin, and He was about to send the Babylonian armies of King Nebuchadnezzar against them, and send a remnant of people who wouldn’t be killed into exile. The Bible passage above is one of those warnings from God. I believe it has implications for us today.
Jeremiah begins with God speaking. God is reminding Judah of the “wickedness” of her ancestors, the kings, and themselves. Further, God tells them, “they have not become contrite even to this day, nor have they feared nor walked in My law or My statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.”
The Pilgrims sailed to a new land to escape religious persecution in England. After their arrival at Plymouth, they made a covenant with God, and compared themselves to “a city on a hill,” whose light shines brightly. Our Founding Fathers and Mothers often compared our Nation to Israel, and thought of America as the Promised Land. They believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and understood that if our people strayed from Him there would be consequences.
Continuing in our text, God tells Judah of the consequences of its wickedness: “I am going to set My face against you for woe, even to cut off all Judah.” Pretty scary! It’s frightening to fall into the hands of the Living God, yet that’s what happens when His people turn their backs on Him. And we as a Nation, individually and collectively, have done just that.
What will be the consequences? Or are we seeing them already? Plagues (COVID-19)? Weather (Ian)? Other widespread disasters (9/11)? We probably have yet to see the full extent of God’s anger. But there is good news: Jesus! Many, including myself, are praying for revival in our land, for a Great Awakening. The Bible tells us that “If . . . my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14) We all need Jesus. In Him is my Hope.
“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven,Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:9-15, NASB)
The Bible verses above are Apostle Matthew’s account of Jesus telling His disciples how to pray. The words He teaches them have become “The Lord’s Prayer.” Prior, in Chapter 6, Jesus warns His students not to be like the Pharisees, who like people to notice their good deeds. Rather, He says, they should not make a big production when they give their offerings in the Temple, and when they pray. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” (v. 1)
Jesus starts by saying, “Pray in this way:” He doesn’t say “These are the words you must use.” Some people pray the exact words from memory. Others use the Prayer as a template, praying other words as they go through. However we use The Lord’s Prayer, we should pay attention and not just go through the motions. After all, we’re talking with the Creator God, Who loves us so much that He gave His Son to die for us, that we would have everlasting life!
I think it’s interesting that after the Prayer, the one one point Jesus emphasizes is forgiveness. The portion of the Prayer reads, “And forgive us our debts [trespasses], as we also have forgiven our debtors [those who have trespassed against us].” The word “sin” is not used here, but that’s what He’s talking about. And God has forgiven us of our sins. Jesus points out in the last section that since God has forgiven us, so should we forgive others who have wronged us. Notice too that we’re reporting to God that “we also have forgiven our debtors.” It’s already been accomplished! A final warning: “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”
The Lord’s Prayer is a model for us to use when we talk to God. However we use it, we must be careful to think, and not be distracted by its rote nature. We must remember to Whom we’re speaking. We must also remember to forgive others.
Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:13-18, NASB)
The Apostle Paul talks in this passage about how we should treat each other. In his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, which he had helped found, he asks them to encourage each other; to help those who are weak; to have patience with everyone; and to seek good for each other and for everyone. The Master, Jesus Christ, had taught his disciples to love people, so Paul’s letter is consistent with that. Paul’s teaching, of course, applies to us as well.
Paul goes on to tell us to “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; . . . ” Wait a minute! God, do You know I have ALS? How do expect me to rejoice? Or give thanks? I can’t move, I can’t speak, I can’t eat. I can’t do anything without someone’s assistance. As my friend Joe Shirey says, “Who would sign up for that?”
Paul gives some perspective in the next phrase: “. . . for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” So it’s God’s will that even during trials and tribulations that we should rejoice, pray, and be thankful. I choose to do what God wants me to do here. We serve a Savior Who during His earthly ministry endured horrific torture and crucifixion. He knows what it’s like to suffer injustice, and pain like no one else ever has. He gave Himself up willingly, and He did it for me and for you. I’ll break it down:
“Saint Paul Preaching to the Thessalonians,” by Paul Gustave Dore, Rejoice always: I choose to rejoice. I rejoice in the morning when I wake up and realize God has given me another day in His glorious creation! I rejoice when my Sue walks in my room to start the day, that I get to spend another day with her! I rejoice when I hear from our kids, or from a friend, and I rejoice even more when I get to see any of them!
Pray without ceasing: I’m not there yet, but I’m trying! Praying is something I can still do, even with ALS! God is not done with me yet! I pray that I will be in a continual attitude of prayer! Please pray for me in this regard! “Without ceasing” comes from a Greek phrase meaning “without ceasing!”
In everything give thanks: God has blessed me far beyond measure and certainly way beyond what I deserve! Jesus Christ died for me so I shall have everlasting life! God gave me a wonderful woman for my wife, and gave us wonderful kids and grandchildren! He has blessed me with great friends who watch out for me and pray for me! God has done far more for me than I could ever account for! How could I not give thanks? Thank you Lord!
I choose to rejoice! I choose to pray, and to strive to be in a constant attitude of prayer! I choose to give thanks to God for all His blessings and mercies on me! I choose to do all these things despite my circumstances!
I choose to hope! The other day I was listening to The Message on Sirius XM radio. A man called in who has ALS, and he was “talking” using his computer. He said, “ALS stands for Almighty Lord & Savior.” There’s a man who has hope! Worship: “Pray,” The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
