“The Apple of Your Eye”: A Monday Prayer For Loved Ones

It is good to pray scriptures as we intercede for loved ones, as it takes us out of what can become almost “rote” repetition of requests, and substitutes something fresh and pertinent from God’s word instead. Psalm 17:8 makes such a good intercessory prayer. David actually prays it for himself: “Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings.” It is a beautiful prayer even on the surface, but it becomes even more poignant when you dig deeper:

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Devoted To Prayer?

Acts 1:14 says that after the ascension of Jesus to heaven, the disciples “all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer.” This was undoubtedly the key to their later filling with the Spirit, and success of their mission. They were all devoted to prayer.

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God Did It!

In II Kings 18, the Assyrian army under Sennacherib invaded Judah, and the king spoke arrogantly to Hezekiah, king of Judah, about how none of the nations’ gods had delivered them from his hand, and Yahweh their God would not either. But in Chapter 19:25 God had a word for these Assyrians through Isaiah the prophet: “Have you not heard? Long ago I did it; from ancient times I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps.”

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Praying for the Glory of God

Hezekiah truly made his prayer in II Kings 19 about the glory of God — a model for us all. Faced with invasion by Sennacherib’s army, Hezekiah sought the Lord (:1, :14). As we observed in the last post (here), he began his prayer with praise to God. And even in his request to the Lord, Hezekiah implored God to act, not merely for the benefit of the king or for his people, but for God’s own glory.

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Begin With Praise

Psalm 100:4 instructs us to open our prayers to God with adoration: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.” Jesus’ Model Prayer teaches us to do the same: “Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name …”. (Matthew 6:9) In II Kings 19, King Hezekiah gives us an example of this very thing:

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Take It To The Lord

In II Kings, the Assyrian army under Sennacherib had come up to Jerusalem and threatened Hezekiah, the king of Judah who was besieged there. Hezekiah’s reaction to the Assyrian threats is a model for our response in times of difficulty:

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“God Told Me”?

In II Kings 18, the Assyrian King Sennacherib had sent his army to capture Jerusalem. In verse 25 he had his messengers tell Hezekiah, King of Judah: “Yahweh said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.'” Continue reading

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Will God Find Nothing?

In Psalm 17:3 David proclaims his innocence before God: “You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.” David (or perhaps as is so often the case in Psalms, the Messiah, the ultimate “Son of David” whom he represents) is confident that he is blameless when God examines him. Can we say the same thing?

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Brother Against Brother

II Kings 13:12 summarizes the reign of Joash the King of Israel by describing “all that he did and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah …”. What a sad summary of a legacy …

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“The Little Condo on the Prairie” (August 5, 2014)

What’s it like to live in a pastor’s family? You don’t have to guess — just read it here in “The Little Condo.” No names have been changed … 🙂

DRIVERS ED
It’s hard when you are riding along in the car while your child with his newly acquired learner’s permit is driving — especially when you see the need for a stop coming and it doesn’t seem like he is braking in time.
After several animated “conversations” Cheryl & I tried to stop telling Michael about how he needed to put the brakes on at every intersection — but as we approached each stop we would grimace and push our feet on the imaginary “brake” on the floorboard, all of our muscles tensed.
After one particularly excruciating stop, neither of us said anything for a few seconds, until Cheryl finally said quietly: “At least we’re getting a good ab workout …”. Continue reading

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