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Dear fellow pray-er,
Prayer Diary for the period Thursday 25th July – Wednesday 11th September 2024.
We often don’t recognise that when a man steps onto the centre of the stage, that he is a man called by God. Into the very centre of God’s people David stepped, as recounted in 1 Samuel 17:31 onwards. Saul, the king of Israel, didn’t recognise him for who he was – Saul looked at the outward appearance of the boy in front of him, ruddy and handsome, and not his heart. Nor did Saul seek the wisdom of God in this situation. Goliath also took the same view of the boy; however, David was focussed on God and what He would achieve in this confrontation. I love the passage: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” He knew where to look for help – but do we? Do we have that trust in God that he really does have a plan to save us or help us when we are confronted by seemingly impossible situations?
Following the success against the Philistines, David is drawn into the company of Jonathan, Saul’s son, and is also promoted by Saul to a high army rank, due to his success in the army. Jealousy of David then quickly takes root in Saul’s heart and so begins a battle of a different sort. David torn between his allegiance to Saul, as God’s anointed king over Israel, and his desire to stay alive, caught him between the proverbial rock and a hard place. And yet he still praised God (see Psalm 63)! However, the end comes as a result of a battle with the Philistines when Saul is critically wounded and takes his own life. We then continue with the second Book of Samuel. A young Amalekite brings David news of Saul’s death. (He falsely claimed to have killed Saul.) Also, bear in mind that all the Amalekites and their animals should have been killed by Saul (see 1Samuel 15:3 onwards). However, Saul and the army were disobedient: they spared the king and kept the best of the sheep, cattle etc for themselves. Saul had rebelled against God!
David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan reveals his compassionate side as does his kindness and care for Mephibosheth, a son of Jonathan. However, I run ahead. David goes to Judah and is anointed king over Judah. There is war between the house of David and Saul which “lasted a long time” after which David is anointed king over Israel. He goes on to capture the “fortress of Zion, the City of David.” Then he brings the Ark of God, with a delay on the way, to Jerusalem. You may care to notice how David asks the Lord for advice (E.g. Ch 2:1; 5:19). We too should be doing this, asking God, daily, to guide us in all that we do.
We now arrive at a well-known incident in David’s life. Bathsheba and her husband Uriah! There is much to learn in this episode - from David’s willingness to acknowledge his sin, his repentance – his fasting and praying for the life of his son and, when his son had died, how he washed and put on fresh clothes and then went to worship in the house of the Lord…... before eating. It is worth reflecting on what we do when we have sinned. Then there is further heartache for David. The actions of his son Ammon towards a daughter Tamar, and then Absalom’s revenge. Later, Absalom conspires against the king and David flees Jerusalem. It’s interesting to note in leaving Jerusalem “30 But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered, and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up.” Reminiscent, perhaps, of the passage in Lukes’s Gospel about Jesus (Luke 19:41) “41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.”
We continue with the battle with Absolom’s forces, Absolom’s death and David’s grief for his son and then on to his counting of the fighting men and the outcome of that! Do we need to be careful about counting “what we have” as opposed to, counting how “God has blessed us”?
We turn now to 1Kings. Still there is trouble for David – he is now old and will soon die. One of his sons, Adonijah, decides he will become king in his father’s stead; however, David is told of this and sends Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and others to anoint Solomon king. There follows the prayer of Solomon for wisdom and God’s response of blessings. Perhaps then, the most famous of all judgements follows when Solomon must decide between two women, who is the real mother of a child they both claim as theirs? We go on to read of the building of the temple. It is interesting to note that “no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.” After the Ark is brought to the temple, the temple is dedicated and then the Lord appears to Solomon and gives him instructions as to the way he should live. We end our Old Testament readings with the visit of the Queen of Sheba.
The New Testament readings continue from Luke’s Gospel with the account of the two men on the road to Emmaus and their subsequent realisation and joy that it was Jesus who was with them. When does he show up in our lives, and we don’t recognise him? The Gospel ends with the appearance of Jesus amongst all the disciples, his promise that they will be clothed with power from on high, and then his ascension.
Now Luke’s account in Acts. I do love his opening reference to Theophilus as in the opening chapter of his Gospel. For me it somehow gives a more personal feel to it. It starts with the replacement of Judas Iscariot with Matthias as an apostle and then …. The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost …. the Birth Day of the church. What a change we see in Peter and the disciples. Their boldness, the love they have for each other and of course the healing of the crippled beggar. Also note in Ch 5 “The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.” This is being reported by a doctor not just by any old bystander!
Then comes persecution – the jailing of the apostles, their miraculous release from jail, their flogging, release and then rejoicing that they were worthy to suffer disgrace for their preaching about Jesus. Stephen is falsely accused and brought to the Sanhedrin where he speaks to them. Following that they dragged him out and stoned him. Saul (later Paul) was there giving approval to his death. A great persecution breaks out against the church and causes many to flee. This, however gave rise to the Gospel starting to reach out further into the world than otherwise might have happened. E.g. Philip in Samaria and his meeting with the Ethiopian eunuch. Then comes the amazing eureka moment for Saul on the road to Damascus, and we see the courage of Ananias in obeying God’s instruction to pray for him, although he knew of Saul’s persecution of the “saints in Jerusalem.” Luke continues in his account at Ch 13:5 by referring to “Saul, also called Paul” and narrates Paul’s exploits and travels far beyond Israel, where we end the readings for this edition of the Prayer Diary.
There is so much to learn from all these passages, and we pray that you will be enriched and encouraged by all that the Lord shows you.
May God bless you,
Peter and Sylvia