1 Samuel 1-5 March 13, 2009
Posted by Sparky in 1 Samuel, History.Tags: 1 Samuel, blessing, Hannah, History, prayer
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Scripture:
1 Samuel 1:19-20
Early the next morning they arose and worshipped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.”
Observation:
The phrase “and the LORD remembered him / her / them” occurs several times in Scripture, and I particularly love it here. It is not supposed to indicate that God had forgotten Hannah and was suddenly reminded – not really possible for an all-knowing God. The way I like to ‘translate’ it is something like “God decided to bless him / her / them” – and it tends to happen after that person or people have spent time pouring their heart out to God in prayer or worship. I love Hannah’s story as a whole – her selflessness, her boldness, and the way God blessed her – but this verse particularly stood out to me today.
Application:
I’ve been reading Bill Hybels’ book “Too Busy Not To Pray” recently, which has convicted me about how I pray, and reading this today has reinforced this. I don’t pray fervently or for extended periods of time; I get very distracted and though I might say something to God each day, it never feels like it’s anything very meaningful. But I want to be in the position Hannah finds herself in here, where she can see concrete results from her prayer – the existence of her son Samuel is direct proof that God heard and listened to her prayer. Guess I need to follow her example and pour my heart out to God a bit more.
Prayer:
Lord, please help me revitalise my prayer life over the next few weeks and months. Please don’t let me fall into the trap of starting unsustainable habits for the sake of it, but lead me to a place where I can make realistic changes to my prayer life, that bring me closer to you and your presence.
Acts 5-6 January 21, 2009
Posted by Sparky in Acts, NT - Other.Tags: Acts, disciples, doing God's will, Gamaliel, Jesus, Jews, prayer
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Scripture:
Acts 5:38-39 – “In the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
Observation:
Praise God for the wisdom of Gamaliel. The verses above are from a speech that this member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council, gave in response to the crisis brewing because of the apostles’ actions in Jerusalem. He compared their movement to two others that had failed due to leaders being killed and then the followers dispersing after a while. Hoping that the same would happen with Jesus’ disciples, he encourages the Sanhedrin members to leave them largely alone, and see what happens. Maybe this was short-sighted (but hey, we can praise God for that!), but the last line of the speech is so perceptive. If God is determined to do something, no human can even hope to stop it.
Application:
How can this be applied? I think it’s in the area of prayer that we can use this lesson – if we’re seeking God’s will in our lives and the lives of those around us, and our prayers line up with his will, then they are very worthwhile indeed. As a Christian of many years, I have gone through times when I thought prayer was a total waste of time, just a boring activity that I had to go through. I’ve also had times when I’ve really seen its power – those times get forgotten so easily! When we join our prayers to God’s determination to get certain things done, then we will see those prayers answered.
Prayer:
Lord, may my prayers match up with your will for my life and the people I pray for. Help me to remember the times when I’ve really seen prayer work, and believe that you listen and act, no matter what I see around me or what I hear from others. Help me to increase my faith in You.
Nehemiah 1-4 November 11, 2008
Posted by Sparky in History, Nehemiah.Tags: History, Nehemiah, prayer
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Scripture
Nehemiah 2:1-5
In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” The king said to me, “What is it you want?”
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
Observation
The main thing that stood out to me was how Nehemiah approached the challenge before him. In chapter 1, he gets righteously upset about the fate of Jerusalem, when he hears the state it’s in, and spends some time in prayer about going to the King to ask permission to return home. Then, when the time comes to say what he wants to the King he serves, he begins by praying a quick prayer inwardly, and asks the King what he wants. I don’t know if this is the only example of an ‘arrow prayer’ being prayed in the Bible, but it’s a great one.
Application
The result of all this prayer is quick and clear – Nehemiah gets permission, and goes off to do what God has called him to do, namely re-build the walls of Jerusalem, with the help of the remnant families who are there. God honours his prayerful requests, and though this is not rocket science to most Christians, shows that prayer works! Personal testimony to this – my wife passed her driving test first time two weeks ago, and in every lesson with her instructor that week had been told that she didn’t really have a chance of passing if she carried on driving how she was. I had been praying most days since she started in August, and asked friends to pray specifically on the day of her test, and God totally honoured those prayers too.
Prayer
Father God, help me to remember that prayer actually works, and to take my concerns to you on a regular basis. Holy Spirit, please inspire me to pray ‘arrow prayers’ regularly too, especially when something particularly challenging needs praying about.
