REASONING WITH THE LORD IN PRAYER!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY OCTOBER 09, 2022.

SUBJECT : REASONING WITH THE LORD IN PRAYER!

Memory verse: "“Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together. State your case, that you may be acquitted.” (Isaiah 43 vs 26).

READ: Isaiah 38 vs 1 - 6:

38:1: In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Set thine house in order: for you shall die, and not live.’

38:2: Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD,

38:3: and said, “Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before you in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight. And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

38:4: And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying,

38:5: “Go, and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely, I will add to your days fifteen years.

38:6: I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.”’

INTIMATION:

Our God is just, compassionate, loving, and merciful. He acts according to His nature, and encourages His people to take advantage of His nature in their relationship with Him. Being consistent with His love and merciful nature, He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, as a propitiation for the sin of whole world. Christ came for sinners, and He expects us to come to Him for mercy. We can only go to God in prayer, acknowledging our need and admitting that we don't have all the answers, and God will come to our help. He desires to show mercy and His mercy endures forever.

God is willing to reason with us when we humble ourselves in prayer, and come before Him to plead our case. He is ever ready to listen, and willing to see reasons to be consistent with His nature of love, merciful, compassionate, and just. No matter how long you have been away from God, He is ready to hear from you and restore you to a right relationship with Him. 

God intends that we remind Him of reasons why He should be consistent with His nature to us, hence He employ us to come and reason with Him; ”Present your case,” says the Lord. “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob.” (Isaiah 41 vs 21.) God requires us to present our case to Him with strong reasons why He should come through to us in any circumstances of life we face. He intends that we remind Him of such things that will cause Him to attend to our pleas. 

In the passage we read today, when prophet Isaiah went to Hezekiah, who was extremely ill, and told him of his impending death, Hezekiah immediately turned to God. He wept bitterly in his sick bed, and reminded God of his service to Him; “Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before you in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” (Isaiah 38 vs 3.) God responded to his prayer, allowing Hezekiah to live another fifteen (15) years, and further delivered the city from the hands of the king of Assyria, and promised to defend the city. 

When the children of Israel sinned against God in the wilderness by making for themselves a molded gold calf as their god, He was ready to destroy the whole nation because of their sin. But Moses pleaded for mercy, and God spared them: “And God said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.” ( Exodus 32 vs 9 - 10.)

“Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: “Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.” (Exodus 32 vs 12 - 13.)

When God first wanted to destroy the people, He was acting consistently with His nature of being just. But when Moses interceded for the people,  reasoned with God and presented  his strong reason, God changed His mind and spared the people, in line with His consistent merciful nature. This is one of the countless examples in the Bible of God’s mercy. Although we deserve His punishment, He is willing to forgive and restore us to Himself. 

Every situation can be salvaged if you are willing to turn to God. In Judges 16 vs 28 - 30,  we would observe that in spite of Samson's past, God still answered his prayer and destroyed the Philistines' heathen temple and worshipers. He killed more people at his death than he did in life because of the mercy of God when he turned to Him in prayer.

If you have a desperate need in your life, bring it to the Lord in fervent prayer, presenting your strong reasons; reminding Him of His promises, and your good works or services toward His kingdom. He may change the course of your life. My prayer is that you will have strong reasons to present to God in times of your need for Him to come through to you, in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer: Abba Father, have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving kindness; according to the multitude of your tender mercies. Remember my offerings and sacrifices toward Your kingdom. Hear my cry O Lord, and come to my rescue, for in You I live and move and have my being, in Jesus name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!