May 1 – Knowledge and Understanding

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,…” - Colossians 1:9 (ESV)

Paul the Apostle was a man of prayer and filled with love for those who had come to know the saving faith of Jesus through his ministry. One of the servant messengers had brought to Paul a good report from the church in Colossae. This is Epaphras (Epaphroditus), Likely the same one who carried messages and support to Paul from the believers in Philippi (Philippians 4:18). Because of this good report from and of them, Paul continued to pray for them. Paul’s ceaseless prayer does not mean that he prayed without ever stopping but that he never forgot to pray for them when he regularly prayed each day. Paul’s primary petition was that God would fill them with the knowledge of His will. There are two key words, “fill” and “knowledge” which Paul used. The first suggests a filling out to entirety, and the latter is a full, deep understanding. Knowledge of this kind, and of God’s will, does not come from a natural or fleshly mind, but from the Word of God through the Holy Spirit who, dwelling in us enlightens our spirit. That is our promise ⸺spiritual wisdom from the Holy Spirit.

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March 10 – The Wisdom Needed

“For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,” – Colossians 1:9 (NASB)

The believers in the assembly of the church in Colossae were up against false teachers who were co-opting the truth of the Gospel with fabricated rules about eating, drinking and religious traditions. This false teaching developed into the heresy called Gnosticism*. The Colossians, like us, needed to know and understand the deity and superiority of Christ. Paul writes that he prayed for them without ceasing. It means that in his prayer times, they were always included in his prayers. He writes this letter from his prison in Rome and stressed two primary requests.  That they, and us, would know fully and be filled with the knowledge of God’s will; that they would be enjoined with spiritual wisdom and understanding of who Jesus Christ truly was. This perverse heresy taught that Christ was not God. It takes believers with spiritual maturity in faith to overcome false teaching and fully embrace the truth of Christ’s deity as taught in the Bible. Paul wrote this for us as well so that we too will learn to hold fast to the truth of Jesus Christ who is, the Son of God, our Savior. And acknowledge Christ as sovereign head of the Church.

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* Understanding What Gnosticism Is

January 30 – First the Five Steps

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (ESV)

Let’s take a look at a promise we find in a Scripture verse that has been quoted, sung and used in many ways.  Most times it is used like a call for HELP! From folks in our country. When circumstances are not the best this verse is turned to as if it is a direct promise to all who call on God.  It can be but it also might not apply. The context is Israel at the time of the dedication of the Temple built by Solomon. God give a prophetic warning because He knows His people will fall into disobedience to His Word. “Then,” says God, “I’ll stop the rain and send spoil your crops.” But for them and for us God gave a recourse, five steps to the blessing. First our standing – “called by my name.” Second, our posture – “humbled.” Third our action – “pray”. Fourth next action – “seek God’s face.” Fifth another action – “turn (repent) of our wickedness.” If we claim to have no wickedness, we lie. (1 John 1:6)  When we want to use this promise as a means to restore our nations, we are obligated to first to the Five Steps.

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January 2 – Lending to God Permanently

“And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.”” 1 Samuel 2:1 (ESV )

Hannah was a godly woman and one we learn from her faith and her life story. The verse we have today is the beginning of her song and prayer of thanksgiving after she had placed Samuel with the priests in the temple. Hanna says “I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives he is lent to the Lord.” This was an offering of her son to God’s service. It was also the plan of God for Samuel. Hannah had long prayed for a son and once God answered that prayer, she wanted to give him back. This prayer is one of the earliest poems in the Old Testament. It was well known in the days of Jesus. Mary, incorporated Hanna’s prayer into her own song of triumph, the Magnificat. God indeed hears our earnest prayers and answers them according to His will. For Hannah, who pleads with God and receives her request. It was the most natural thing for her to do. She received God’s promise of a positive answer to Her prayer. She rejoiced in the salvation God provided to her and gave back her gift. Let’s rejoice in His salvation today.  

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December 2 – Thanks. Prayer. Rejoice.

“See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 (NASB)

If we include the last instruction in verse 14 of this chapter, we learn to “be patient with everyone.”  And so, the next instruction teaches us that retaliation is not an option for a Christ believer. Paul the Apostle, writing this letter to the Church in Thessalonica is keenly, from personal experience, aware of the normal reaction we have when others do us wrong. It does not matter who does the wrong, believer or non-believer, we do not repay a wrong with a wrong. This is so very different than what we learn from the world. “If someone hits you, you hit back, harder.” That is the normal way most of us might have thought. But our promise today can be found in the next three instructions. Let’s look at them in the reverse order given in the verses.  Give thanks for everything and in everything – God wills that to be our pattern. We give thanks for everything by praying on a regular basis. Make prayers a practice and that is where we can honestly give thanks all the time. What will be the result in our lives, in our attitude, in our perspective on life?  We will rejoice always. 

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March 8 – Wholehearted Seeking

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:12-13  (ESV)

We are promised in this proclamation from God, through Jeremiah, that when we seek God we will find God.  Does it seem sometimes that when we are looking for God’s help or an answer to a perplexing circumstance, getting a response is difficult?  What is our attitude when we call on God?  What is our expectations when we seek Him for help?  Is it to hear and obey what God has to say to us?  Or, is it to preserve our way of life and escape the trials and testing we facing?  In this passage just prior to this verse, God is telling Israel that after seventy years in Babylon He will visit His people and He will fulfill His promise to bring them back to Jerusalem.  There is much that will happen first because they are yet in wholehearted rebellion against the message Jeremiah has been bringing to them.  When we receive a message from God through His Word the Bible or through teaching or preaching of His Word, our response needs to be a wholehearted desire to seek God.  That is when God promises to hear and listen to our cry. 

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February 5 - Unbelief Missile Defense

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”  -  Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

This is not the first or second or even third time we’ve looked at this promise from God.  But repetition is good for us.  Just as our Enemy seeks to devour and destroy, we know it is done repeatedly with anxiety.  We become disturbed with worry over matters that appear very important.  Our eyes shift from God’s promises to our concerns and doubt becomes a force we do not need.  So, we are reminded again, this time using the New Living Translation.  Notice the inclusion of ‘thank him’ in our verse.  One of the things we are thankful for when we tell God what we need are His promises.  The promises God has given to us are the ammunition in the artillery that is our unbelief missile defense. It is good for us to load up on our ammo so that we are ready and practiced when the attacks of worry and anxiety come at us.  In the next few days we will look at eight promises from God that He has given to us for our defense against various anxiety.  We are told here, “Don’t worry about anything;”  God’s promises enable us to abide by that instruction.     

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December 14 – Where Power Is

“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  - 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12  (ESV)

Paul confirms the promise we looked at yesterday. Today's verse calls us to reckon our acts of obedience and goodness as a “work of faith.”  And saying that he declares that it is by God's power we are enabled to do this.  Through our efforts the name of Jesus, is glorified in us when we accomplish it by the power God provides us to do the work.  We have this promise today so that we can know that our obedience gives God pleasure and it is produced by the power of God's grace through faith. This is the same dynamic at work at every stage of our Christian life. The power of God’s grace that saved us through faith is the same power of God’s grace that builds us up in Christ.  We can rejoice that putting ourselves into the good work that we have before us today, will result in God providing the power we need to accomplish the work and glorify our God.  What then will we apply this promise to today?  

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June 4 – Peace Beyond Comprehension

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB)

Our God in heaven wants us to look toward Him and to depend on Him for our needs.  Our promise today is a promise of peace that is beyond our understanding. No matter what our circumstances or needs we face we are called here to not be anxious about anything.  Now, this may be a difficult principal but we are told that for those things that we might be anxious for, we are to bring them to our God in prayer.  As we bring them we present both our petitions – or supplication, since that is a petition offered humbly for a need.  With the petition we offer our thanksgiving because we know that God, who has promised to hear,  is listening and He cares about us.  God will respond with His peace and that peace will guard our hearts and minds from being anxious.  God's offer of peace comes to us when we take our troubles, needs, and worries to him in prayer and when we cease to be anxious.  What is our concern today?  Let's bring it to God and let Him know and let's be thankful because we know He cares.    

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April 28 – Always, Continually, In All Things

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

Our lives as followers of Jesus Christ are intended to have the habit of always rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks in all things.  How can we expect to be always joyful?  No matter what happens in our lives, even in the most difficult circumstances can we be joyful in what God has done and promised to us.  How can this be?  It can be by abiding with God in continual communication, always praying.  This doesn't mean that we are 100% of the time on our knees in formal prayer.  It means that whatever is going on, we are in communication by thought or words or song with God who is there helping.  The result will be a desire to rejoice in the most difficult times for God is carrying out His plan for our lives.  And we are to give thanks in all circumstances.  God is here with us and we can be thankful about that.  It takes work and commitment but with a joyfulness in God and with regular communication and depending on Him, we find giving thanks a natural reaction.  And, after all it is God's will that we do this because we are in Christ Jesus.

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September 13 – Joy Made Full

“In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.” John 16:23-24 (NASB)

The promise from God that we have chosen to read for you today is in chapter 16 of the Gospel of John.  Jesus said many things to the disciples at the last to prepare them for the new way that was coming.  It was normal during their time together for the disciples to ask Jesus question and to ask for things personally.  Now, things were soon to change and they would not have Jesus there physically anymore.  Jesus is teaching them that they will be praying to God the Father and bringing their requests and questions to the Father in His name, the name of Jesus.  This was because Jesus was going to heaven to be with His Father. That is the situation ever since that time.  It is our situation today.  For you and me, when we pray it is to our Father in heaven and Jesus is by His side praying for us as well.  When we pray in Jesus' name, His Father hears us and responds and we receive the joy that Jesus promised, our joy is made full. 

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May 21 – Praying Right

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27 (ESV)

Because God knows we are His, as we read yesterday, He makes wonderful provision in many ways for us, His children. He even provides help for us  in our praying.  Maybe we think that we must pray right to get what we need and that it all depends on us. But our verse today reminds us that by ourselves we don't really know how we should pray or what to pray for. That's why God has given us His Holy Spirit to teach us how to pray and even to step up, on our behalf, and help our prayers. So, not only does the Holy Spirit give us guidance about what to pray for, He also prays for us. In our verses we read that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in a way that is according to God's will. Yes, the Holy Spirit knows what God wants us to pray for and He makes certain that our prayers are given in the way that is God's will.  Now, that is a promise that fills us with encouragement and joy. 

January 3 - Wisdom and Revelation

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Ephesians 1:17 (NIV)

These words by the Apostle Paul are from a prayer he wrote and sent to the Christians in Ephesus. Paul's habit was to keep praying for the believers in that city.  Paul's request on behalf of his Ephesian friends was that God would give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in order that through that they would grow to know God better.  They were believers who knew God but like us all, needed to continue to know God in a deeper way. This prayer is given to us in the Bible and applies to our lives as well if we have believed and come to know God. We too want to know God better. Our promise is that through the Holy Spirit we can receive wisdom and knowledge of God. We can each ask God to give us wisdom and revelation and to teach us by His Holy Spirit more and more of God's great truths for our Christian lives each day. 

March 25 – God Hears Our Call

“As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.” Psalm 55:16-17 (NIV)

The words in this Psalm, written by King David were a prayer of praise and cry for help to God, who is the same as our God for there is only one God. There are many things in this world that have changed since David wrote this song but our God in heaven has not changed. God heard when David called out to Him. He also hears when we cry out in our distress. God hears our voice just as David knew that his voice was heard by God. David also knew that God did not keep office hours. Evening, morning and noon we can turn to him to save us. All day and all night God can and will hear our prayers. We do not have to watch the clock and we do not have to keep appointed hours for prayer. Whenever we have a need of fellowship or even have a need to praise and offer thanksgiving we can pray.

October 13

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 (NIV)

Two days ago we read the first words of the prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray. Today we have another part of that prayer. These words should be our desire at all times. We recognize that in heaven God rules and His will is carried out. If we love Him we will want that His will be done on earth as well. God express this desire in our prayer is really more than a prayer. It must be a statement of our willingness to have God’s will done in our lives. It is a yielding of our own wills to His. So when I pray to God “your will be done on earth” I’m saying that “I want your will to be done in my life, not my will but yours.” I’m also saying, “Use me to accomplish your will here today.”

October 11

“This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,”” Matthew 6:9 (NIV)

As we think of worshipping God, let us look at this first part of the prayer which our Lord taught His disciples. Let us think of the word “to hallow.” It really means to make holy or sacred. It has to do with our attitude toward God. We need to realize that God is holy and His name is sacred. There is nothing that we can do to make Him more holy because that is His nature. But we can recognize His holiness and that is what we need to do. So let that be our motive today – to understand and recognize God’s holiness. That will lead to an attitude of reverence and that is true worship.