Archive for January 2021

“As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.” – Exodus 17:11, NIV

When Luke’s wife left him for another man, he was devasted. He had two little girls to raise and he felt unprepared for the task. He didn’t know what to do so he reached out to a well-known men’s leader in his community.

The men’s leader connected Luke to a weekly men’s meeting. The men prayed for each other every week, often sharing concerns about their work, their families, and their spiritual lives.

Luke’s wife eventually came back to him, asking for a chance to repair their marriage. Although Luke wasn’t sure if the relationship could be saved, he was willing to try for the sake of his daughters. 

He shared the situation with his men’s group and everyone prayed over him. The next two years were some of the most intense of Luke’s life but with God’s help, he rebuilt his marriage. He credits God and the faithful men in his prayer group as being the reason his family is still together.

The Israelites were in the middle of a fierce battle. Every time Moses held up his hands, they prevailed. But if Moses lowered his arms—even for a moment—they began to lose ground. Eventually, Moses became exhausted. That’s when Aaron and Hur stepped in. Sensing Moses’ need, they sat by him and held up his arms so the battle could be won.

Walking through a crisis or trial on our own can be wearying. We all need Aarons who can grieve and weep with us, who know how to intercede and pour grace over our aching hearts. 

God, please send me an Aaron. I feel alone in this battle and I’m a mile past exhaustion. Show me kindness by sending friends who can help me bear these burdens. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” – Acts 12:5, NIV

Peter was imprisoned by King Herod. The evil king had already killed James and now he planned to execute Peter. But while the king was plotting, the followers of Jesus were praying.

The night before Peter was to go to trial, an angel appeared in the cell with him. Peter followed the angel out, supposing that this was a vision or dream. But what happened was real. Peter must have laughed as he hurried down the dark streets, looking for his friend’s house.

When he arrived, he told the servant that he was Peter. The servant reported this to those in the house and they laughed at her. But she was insistent and eventually others went to investigate and found Peter waiting on the porch.

Sometimes, we feel powerless to help hurting friends or family members. We think we can’t do anything but that’s not true. We can pray for our loved ones that God would intervene in their situations.

As you wait for God’s answers, continue to seek Him and strive to honor Him with your choices. The Christians in Peter’s story continued to meet together and pray, despite how grim the circumstances must have looked.

God, when I’m tempted to focus on how powerless I feel, remind me again that prayer is powerful. Help me to stand strong in moments of temptation and continue to worship You no matter what’s going on around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Then he said to me, Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. Daniel 10:12 NASB.

Daniel was a prayer warrior. He prayed daily, seeking God constantly. That fact alone is remarkable. But when you consider the time he lived in, it’s downright amazing. He was a captive from Israel who had been taken to Babylon.

He was known to the king, who seeing Daniel’s wisdom, promoted the young man. As a result, Daniel developed powerful enemies who tried to destroy him.

Once after Daniel had been praying over a coming war, an angel appeared. The angel told Daniel that from the first moment of prayer, God had heard his requests. These prayers were immediately answered.

But Daniel did not see those answers for many days. Then one day, an angel arrives to explain that he had been traveling to give a reply from the Lord but was unable to come due to events happening in the spiritual realm.

Daniel’s story illustrates that we may not always see immediate answers to our prayers. But that doesn’t mean that God’s not listening. Not only does God hear your prayers, He will also be faithful to answer them!

God, when I’m praying for others and I get discouraged, help me to remember the story of Daniel. I want to stand strong in my faith, even when it feels like nothing’s happening. In Jesus name. Amen

Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” – 1 Kings 18:38-39, NIV

The nation of Israel was at a crossroads. Some of the people worshipped Baal and other false gods. But a few like Elijah still followed the Lord’s commands.

Elijah knew it was time for the people to choose who they would serve. So he called the king and all of the prophets of Baal together. He proposed a plan: the wicked prophets would build an altar and offer a sacrifice, calling out for their god to send down fire.

They did this early in the morning and they continued all day without results. That’s when Elijah built an altar and doused everything in water. Then he called out and fire fell from Heaven, proving that the Lord is God.

Sometimes the people around us need to see God’s hand moving and know that He’s real and He intervenes in real life situations. When you come across these people, remember Elijah and pray that God would send them a sign.

God, thank You for being the God who listens! I pray for (name) who needs a reminder of Your Presence and Majesty. Send them a sign that they would understand how powerful and merciful You are! In Jesus’ name, Amen.