Saturday 3 February 2018

Praying Through God’s Word: Acts

Acts 1:1-26
We thank You, Lord, for Your gift of the Holy Spirit. We are not called to serve You in our own strength. We come to You in our weakness. You give to us Your strength. This is the strength that we need – the strength that comes from You.
Acts 2:1-47
We thank You, Lord, that the Holy Spirit directs our attention to Jesus (John 16:14). He leads us to make our confession of faith: “Jesus is Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:3). He leads us into a new life – a life that is centred on Jesus, a life that brings glory to You and blessing to us.
Acts 3:1-26
What we cannot do for ourselves, You do for us. Thank You, Lord. You forgive our sins. You give us new life. You’re leading us on to Your eternal glory. Thank You, Lord.
Acts 4:1-5:11
Without You, Lord, we are weak. With You, we are strong. Lead us, Lord, out of our failure and into Your victory, out of our sin and into Your holiness. How are we to walk with You in holiness and victory? – We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, our Saviour (Hebrews 12:1-2; Acts 4:120. When we fail You, Lord, help us to learn from the testimony of Peter – he failed (Matthew 29:69-75), and he was filled (Acts 4:8). Help us to join, with Peter, in saying, “Lord, You know that we love You” (John 21:15-17).
Acts 5:12-6:7
We thank You, Lord, for Your Word and Your Spirit (Acts 6:3-4). Help us, Lord, to “be filled with the Spirit” as we “let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly” (Ephesians 5:18; Colossians 3:16). Filled with Your Spirit and obedient to Your Word, may we look to You for Your blessing (Acts 6:7).
Acts 6:8-8:3
You call us, Lord, to be Your faithful servants. Help us to follow our Saviour. Give to us His forgiving spirit. May our lives be marked by loyalty and love – loyalty to Jesus, love for people who need Him.
Acts 8:4-40
Help us, Lord, not to be content with empty religion when we can have full salvation. We want ‘the real thing.’ We want Jesus. We want more than ‘going through the motions of religion.’ We want to have the Holy Spirit, living in us and working through us. Jesus, the Holy Spirit – This is not only about what we want. It’s about You want us to have. It’s about what You give to us – a real Saviour and a life-changing Spirit.
Acts 9:1-34
Help us, Lord, never to forget what we were before Jesus saved us. Where would we be without Jesus? Life with Jesus is so much better than life without Him. Help us never to forget this. When we’re tempted to go back to our life without Jesus, help us to say,”No, Lord. No turning back. It’s Jesus for me – Jesus, today: Jesus, all the way.
Acts 10:1-11:18
We thank You, Lord, for Your love – “You loved the world so much that You gave Your Son, Jesus” (John 3:16); Your Son – He died for “the sins of the whole world” (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2); Your command – “the Good News” of Christ’s love is to be preached to “every person” (Mark 16:15); and Your purpose – You’re looking for disciples of Christ in every nation (Matthew 28:19).
Acts 11:19-12:25
Lord, we read about Barnabas – he “was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:24). Help us to pray, “Make us like Barnabas.” Help us to give ourselves to You, to be changed by You, and to become more useful in Your service.
Acts 13:1-43
We thank You, Lord, for Your Word – and we thank You that it is more than words. It is the Word that comes to us in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:44-14:28
We thank You, Lord, for Your Good News – “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). We are sinners. Christ is our Saviour. For this, we give You our heartfelt thanks.
Acts 15:1-35
We thank You, Lord, that we are “saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 15:11). we receive His grace when we put our faith in Him: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Putting our faith in the Lord Jesus – This is just the beginning of a life-long commitment to Him: “saved by grace through faith for good works” (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Acts 15:36-16:40
Lord, teach us to pray. This is where the power comes from. It comes from You. Sometimes, it seems like, “Lord, here we are again.” You never say, “Oh, it’s you again.” Help us to keep on praying – even when we feel like giving up. Sometimes, we’re not sure what we should be praying for. When we feel like this, help us to pray, “Your will be done.” Help us to hear Your Word of grace: “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Acts 17:1-34
Help us, Lord, to make time for reading Your Word – not just on Sundays, when we’re in church. Help us to read Your Word every day. When we stop speaking to You, help us to remember that You haven’t stopped speaking to us. Your Word continues to speak to us – even when we’re not really listening. Help us, Lord, to listen to what You’re saying to us: “Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10).
Acts 18:1-21
When, Lord, we feel like giving up, help us to keep on going. Many people are turning away from You. Help us, Lord, not to follow them. Help us to keep on following Jesus.
Acts 18:22-19:22
Help us, Lord, never to adopt a ‘know-it-all’ attitude. there is always so much more for us to learn. There is so much more blessing for us – when we’re listening to You, when we’re ready to receive from You.
Acts 19:23-20:16
“King of my life, I crown Thee now, Thine shall the glory.” Help us, Lord, to give You first place in our lives. Help us to say, “Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son.” Help us to walk with you in the power of Christ’s “endless victory.” May much blessing flow into our lives, overflowing out from us into the lives of other people.
Acts 20:17-21:14
Often, Lord, we’re out for what we can get when we should be thinking about how we can give. Change us, Lord. Change us from the inside. May the story of our life become “Not I but Christ” (Galatians 2:20), “I must decrease. Christ must increase” (John 3:30).
Acts 21:15-22:16
Lord, You call us to be Your witnesses: “You shall be My witnesses.” Help us, always, to remember that the power comes from You: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” (Acts 1:8).
Acts 22:17-23:35 
Help us, Lord, to have the upward look – looking up to You, to receive Your power – and the outward look – looking out to the world, to bring to them the Good News of Your love.
Acts 24:1-27
We thank You, Lord, for the Old Testament Scriptures. They tell us that the Saviour will come. We thank You for the New Testament Scriptures. They tell us that the Saviour has come. Speak to us, Lord, from every part of Your Word. Lead us to Jesus. Help us to welcome Him – our great Saviour.
Acts 25:1-27
Often, Lord, we can’t make up our mind. We are indecisive. Jesus speaks to us. He calls us to make our decision for Him – but we sit on the fence. We’re neither one thing nor the other. We try to keep on the right side of Jesus – but we’re not out-and-out for Him. Help us, Lord, to nail our colours to the mast – to say, “I belong to Jesus – and I’m proud to belong to Him.”
Acts 26:1-32
Lord, help us to remember – and to forget. Help us to remember what You have done for us – and to say, “Thank You, Lord.” Help us, Lord, to forget what we once were – so that we don’t keep on wanting to go back to the world’s way of living.
Acts 27:1-44
Without You, Lord, we are without hope. Where does hope come from? It comes from You, Lord. You are “the God of hope” [Romans 15:13]. You give us more than the hope of a better life – a life that is filled with Your blessing. You give us the glorious hope of eternal life [1 John 3:2].
Acts 28:1-31
We thank You, Lord, that You are greater than Satan. When Satan comes to us, help us to remind him of this. Help us to tell Satan that Jesus is Lord. Help us to tell Satan that Jesus has triumphed over him. Help us to say to him, “In the name of Jesus, we have the victory. With Christ within, the fight we’ll win. On the victory side.”

Praying Through God’s Word: 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 1:1-28
We come to You, Lord, with sadness. You give us gladness. How does this gladness come to us? It comes to us when we stand upon Your Word, when we believe Your promises. Our life is not controlled by our feelings – the feelings that drag us down, the feelings that pull us away from You. Your promises lift us out of these feelings. They lift us into Your presence. They assure us of Your love. They lead us into Your blessing. Thank You, Lord, for Your promises and Your presence, Your love and Your blessing.
1 Samuel 2:1-36
Lord, there are two ways of living. There’s the way of holiness and joy, the way of living in the strength of Your Spirit. There’s the way of living to please ourselves, living without the joy that comes from You, living in the weakness of the flesh. Help us, Lord, to keep on choosing Your way, and not to persist in going our own way and doing our own thing.
1 Samuel 3:1-4:22
“Here I am, Lord … I have heard You calling in the night. I will go, Lord … I will hold Your people in my heart” (Daniel L. Schutte). Lord, You come to us. You come with Your Word. It is a Word for ourselves. It is a Word for others. We receive Your Word. We share Your Word. Glorify Your Name, Lord – in us and through us.
1 Samuel 5:1-6:16
Lord, You are the true God, the living God, the everlasting God (Jeremiah 10:10). You are our Saviour (Isaiah 43:11). Speak to us Your truth. Breathe into us Your life. As Jesus draws near to us, help us to trust Him and be led by Him on the pathway to Your eternal glory.
1 Samuel 6:17-7:17
“Holiness, holiness, the only life that the Lord will bless” (Don Francisco). Lord, You are the holy God. You call us to be holy. The way of holiness is the way of blessing. Help us, Lord, to walk with You in Your way – the way of holiness, the way of blessing.
1 Samuel 8:1-9:10
Lord, You are the King. There is no king like You. No human king can even begin to compare with You – the divine King, the “King of kings” (Revelation 19:16). We lift to You our song of praise: “O worship the King, all glorious above. O gratefully sing, His power and His love.”
1 Samuel 9:11-10:16
“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him, for He is they health and salvation!” When, Lord, we say that You are the great King, may we not think only of the greatness of Your power. May we think also of the greatness of Your love.
1 Samuel 10:17-11:15
“Praise, my soul, the King of heaven; To His feet thy tribute bring. Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, who like thee His praise should sing?” No earthly king could ever bless us the way You, Lord, have blessed us. What a great Saviour You have given to us! Jesus is greater than any earthly king. He does for us what no earthly king could ever do for us. He brings us into Your everlasting Kingdom.
1 Samuel 12:1-13:15a
We thank You, Lord, that You speak to us the right Word at the right time. Sometimes, we need to hear Your Word of promise. Sometimes, we need to hear Your Word of warning. Assure us, Lord, that, in all life’s changing circumstances, “Your grace is always sufficient for us” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
1 Samuel 13:15b-14:23
Is there any hope for us, Lord? Sometimes, we wonder. It seems like we’re in a dark hole – and we can’t get out! Then, Lord, You come to us. You say to us, “I am the God of hope, I will fill you with hope (Romans 15:13). In ourselves, there is no hope. With You, there is real hope. Our future is in safe hands – “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).
1 Samuel 14:24-52
“We all make mistakes. If any one makes no mistakes … he is a perfect man” (James 3:2). Lord, there is only one perfect Man – Jesus. When we get it wrong, help us to look to Him – to put it right, to make us right. Our difficulties may not disappear, but, with Jesus on our side, we will rise above them.
1 Samuel 15:1-35
Again and again, Lord, we take the easy way out. We avoid conflict. We side with evil, when we should be choosing good. Why are we like this? – We’ve always been like this. It’s the story of our life. It’s everybody’s story. Can we be changed? We’ll never be perfect, but we can begin to triumph over evil. Help us, Lord, to begin with You, to receive Your strength – strength to do good rather than evil.
1 Samuel 16:1-23
“Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me” (Daniel Iverson). Lord, it’s Your Spirit who makes the difference. He changes us. We lose heart. He gives us new strength. We feel like giving up. He keeps us going on. Thank You, Lord, for Your Holy Spirit. Lead us out of our emptiness and into Your fullness.
1 Samuel 17:1-58
Often, Lord, we feel like David – facing Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Everything seems too much for us. Was Goliath too much for David? He wasn’t too much for You – and You were on David’s side. We’re not alone. Help us to remember this. When we feel weak, help us to remember that You are strong – and Your strength has been given to us. Thank You, Lord.
1 Samuel 18:1-20
What a difference there is between the love of power and the power of love. The world is all about the love of power. You, Lord, are all about the power of love. Your power is never power without love. Your love is powerful love. Fill us with Your power – and help us to give glory to You, the God of loving power and powerful love.
1 Samuel 19:1-24
What are the most important things in our lives? Why are they so important to us? Everything revolves around ourselves, Lord. We forget about You. Call us back, Lord – back from the brink, back from “the broad way that leads to destruction” (Matthew 7:13). Call us into “safety, certainty and enjoyment” (George Cutting) – saved by You, assured of Your salvation, enjoying Your salvation.
1 Samuel 20:1-42
Where does true love come from? It comes from You, Lord. It comes from Your love. Give us real love. Give us Your love. When we know that we are loved by You, our love will grow strong – our love for You, our love for one another, our love for people who need You.
Samuel 21:1-22:23
Deliver us, O Lord, from religion without compassion. We don’t want to be Pharisees. we want to be followers of Jesus. Give us compassion – but may it always be compassion without compromise. Help us not to sacrifice truth and righteousness for the sake of relevance. Help us “to be the best that we can be for truth and righteousness and Thee.” Help us to see what relevance really is. Help us to see where relevance really comes from. It doesn’t just emerge out of our own minds, our own creativity. It’s based on truth. We didn’t create truth – and we don’t create relevance. “Your Word is truth” (John 17:17). Your Word is relevant – because it is truth: truth unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. Lord, help us to be faithful to Your truth – and help us to care for people who need to be set free by Your truth, set free by Your Son (John 8:32,36). 1 Samuel 23:1-29
Help us, Lord, to be honest with You – Do we want to get our own way or to do Your will? Set us free from the self-centred illusion that You will always support us  in everything that we decide to do. Help us to see that there’s a great difference between ‘what I want’ and ‘what You want.’ Teach us to choose Your will rather than our own will.
1 Samuel 24:1-22
Help us, Lord, never to imagine that we can ever hope to be fruitful for You if we are not committed to being faithful to You. Help us, Lord, to be more than people who serve You. Help us to be people who love You. May we serve You because we love You. May we love You because “You first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
1 Samuel 25:1-44
Life is full of surprises. Sometimes, Lord, these surprises come from You – blessings that fill our hearts with your joy. Sometimes, the surprises come from Satan. He’s trying to catch us off guard. He’s trying to trip us up. He’s trying to lead us away from You. Help us to turn Satan’s surprises into Your surprises. When Satan comes to tempt us, to draw us away from You, help us to face him in Your strength. Help us to tell him that You were there before he arrived on the scene. – You are the eternal God. Help us to tell Satan that You are still here – the God who is with us to bless us, the God who is living in us to give us Your victory over Satan.
1 Samuel 26:1-25
Lead us, Lord, in the way of true wisdom – “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10). How foolish we are when we choose to go our own way rather than walking in Your way. Help us, Lord, to choose Christ every day – “O happy day, that fixed my choice on Thee, my Saviour and my God … That vow renewed shall daily hear.”
1 Samuel 27:1-28:2
What a difference there is between fear – “I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul” – and faith – “The Lord will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine” (1 Samuel 27:1; 1 Samuel 17:37). Sometimes, fear, sometimes faith – this was the story of David’s life. It’s the story of our life. How, Lord, are we to overcome fear? How are we to grow strong in faith? It’s Your “perfect love that casts out fear.” It’s Your love that makes us strong in faith and gives us the victory (1 John 4:18-19; 1 John 5:4-5). Lord, fill our hearts with Your love. May there be, in us, more faith and less fear.
1 Samuel 28:3-25
Help us, Lord, to take sin seriously – “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). Help us to take Your salvation even more seriously. Help us to believe that the story of our life is more than the story of our sin. It’s also the story of Your salvation. When we are deeply aware of our sin, may we become even more deeply appreciative of Your promise of salvation: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
1 Samuel 29:1-30:15
When, Lord, things are going badly, we start feeling sorry for ourselves – when we should be getting strengthened by You. You are “our strength and our shield.” You give us Your “strength” and Your “peace” (Psalm 28:7-8; Psalm 29:10-11). Give to us the peace that comes to us from knowing that we are not alone. May we not fall down in our weakness. May we stand up in Your victory.
1 Samuel 30:16-31:13
Far too easily, Lord, we accept defeat – when You’re leading us on into Your victory. What’s wrong with us? It’s sin. That’s our problem. It never goes away, this problem of ours – but we don’t have to fight against it in our own strength. Our sin may seem to be inevitable – “That’s the way I am. That’s the way I’ve always been. That’s the way I’ll always be.” Our sin isn’t invincible. Jesus triumphed over sin. That’s what He did when He died for us and rose again. Jesus won the victory for us. He gives His victory to us. Help us, Lord, to receive His strength, to walk in His victory, and to say. “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23).

Notes on the Psalms