Day 235 of My 3rd Bible Study Journey - 23 August 2023 reflections
Day 235, 23 August 2023
1) Lamentations 1,2,3:1-36
Lamentations 1
The Sorrows of Jerusalem
1 (1Ki 4:21; Ezr 4:20) How lonely sits the city
that was full of people!
How she has become like a widow,
who was once great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the provinces
has become a slave!
2 (Ps 6:6; Mic 7:5) She weeps sorely in the night,
her tears are on her cheeks;
among all her lovers
she has none to comfort her.
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
they have become her enemies.
3 (Dt 28:64-67; La 2:9) Judah has gone into captivity,
under affliction and great servitude;
she dwells among the nations,
she finds no rest;
all her persecutors overtook her
in the midst of distress.
4 (Jer 9:11; Joel 1:8-13) The roads to Zion mourn
because no one comes to the solemn feasts.
All her gates are desolate;
her priests sigh,
her virgins are afflicted,
and she herself suffers bitterly.
5 (Ps 90:7-8; Jer 30:14-15) Her adversaries have become her masters,
her enemies prosper;
for the Lord has afflicted her
because of the multitude of her transgressions.
Her children have gone into captivity
before the enemy.
6 From the daughter of Zion
all her beauty has departed.
Her princes have become like deer
that find no pasture;
they fled without strength
before the pursuer.
7 (Ps 42:4; 77:5-9) In the days of her affliction and misery
Jerusalem remembers all her pleasant things
that she had in the days of old.
When her people fell into the hand of the enemy,
there was no one to help her.
The adversaries saw her
and mocked at her desolation.
8 (Isa 59:2-13; La 1:20-22) Jerusalem has sinned grievously;
therefore she has become vile.
All who honored her despise her,
for they have seen her nakedness;
she herself sighs
and turns away.
9 (Dt 32:29; Isa 47:7) Her uncleanness is in her skirts;
she took no thought of her future;
therefore her fall is astounding;
she has no comforter.
"O Lord, look upon my affliction,
for the enemy has triumphed!"
10 (Dt 23:3; Jer 51:51) The adversary has spread his hand
over all her precious things;
for she has seen the nations
enter her sanctuary,
those whom You commanded
not to enter Your congregation.
11 (Jer 52:6; 38:9) All her people groan,
as they search for bread;
they trade their treasures for food
to restore their strength.
Look, O Lord, and consider,
for I am despised.
12 (Da 9:12) Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look and see
if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
which was brought upon me,
which the Lord has inflicted
on the day of His fierce anger.
13 (Job 30:30; Hab 3:16) From on high He has sent fire into my bones,
and it prevailed against them;
He has spread a net for my feet;
He turned me back;
He has made me desolate
and faint all the day long.
14 (Dt 28:48; Isa 47:6) The yoke of my transgressions
was bound; by His hand
they were fastened together; they were set upon my neck.
He made my strength fail;
the Lord delivered me into the hands
of those whom I am not able to withstand.
15 (Isa 28:18; 63:3) The Lord has trampled underfoot
all my mighty men in my midst;
He has called an assembly against me
to crush my young men;
The Lord has trodden the virgin daughter of Judah
as in a winepress.
16 (La 1:2; Jer 13:17) For these things I weep;
my eyes flow with tears;
for the comforter, who should relieve my soul,
is far from me.
My children are desolate
for the enemy has prevailed.
17 (Jer 4:31; Isa 1:15) Zion spreads out her hands,
but there is no one to comfort her;
the Lord has commanded against Jacob
that his neighbors should be his adversaries;
Jerusalem has become a filthy thing among them.
18 (1Sa 12:14-15; Jer 12:1) The Lord is in the right,
for I have rebelled against His commandment.
Hear now, all peoples,
and see my sorrow;
my virgins and my young men
have gone into captivity.
19 (La 1:2; 1:11) I called for my lovers,
but they deceived me;
my priests and my elders
perished in the city,
while they sought food
to restore their strength.
20 (La 2:11; Dt 32:25) Look, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my soul is greatly troubled;
my heart is overturned within me,
for I have grievously rebelled.
In the street the sword bereaves,
at home it is like death.
21 (La 1:8; Jer 50:11) They have heard my groaning,
yet there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
they are glad that You have done it.
Bring the day that You have announced,
that they become like me.
22 (Ne 4:4-5; Ps 109:14-15) Let all their wickedness come before You,
and do to them
as You have done to me
for all my transgressions;
for my groans are many,
and my heart is faint.
[1] How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people how is she
become as a widow she that was was great among the nations, and princess
among the provinces, how is she become tributary
[2] She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among
all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt
treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.
[3] Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great
servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her
persecutors overtook her between the straits.
[4] The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all
her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and
she is in bitterness.
[5] Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath
afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are
gone into captivity before the enemy.
[6] And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes
are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without
strength before the pursuer.
[7] Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries
all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people
fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw
her, and did mock at her sabbaths.
[8] Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that
honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she
sigheth, and turneth backward.
[9] Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end;
therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my
affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself.
[10] The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things:
for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou
didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.
[11] All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant
things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am
become vile.
[12] Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be
any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD
hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
[13] From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against
them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made
me desolate and faint all the day.
[14] The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed,
and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath
delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.
[15] The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me:
he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath
trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.
[16] For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water,
because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my
children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.
[17] Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the
LORD hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be round
about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.
[18] The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment:
hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young
men are gone into captivity.
[19] I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine
elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to
relieve their souls.
[20] Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine
heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword
bereaveth, at home there is as death.
[21] They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me: all mine
enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou
wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me.
[22] Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou
hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my
heart is faint.
Lamentations 2
The Anger of God Over Jerusalem
1 (Ps 99:5; 132:7) How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion
with a cloud in His anger!
He has cast down from heaven to the earth
the beauty of Israel;
He has not remembered His footstool
in the day of His anger.
2 (Ps 89:39-40; La 2:17) The Lord has swallowed up without mercy
all the habitations of Jacob;
In His wrath He has thrown down
the strongholds of the daughter of Judah;
He has brought them down to the ground;
He has profaned the kingdom and its princes.
3 (Ps 74:11; 75:5) He has cut off in fierce anger
all the might of Israel;
He has drawn back His right hand
from before the enemy.
He has burned against Jacob
like a flaming fire, devouring all around.
4 (Isa 42:25; Jer 7:20) He has bent His bow like an enemy,
with his right hand set like an adversary;
He has killed all who were pleasant to His eye;
in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion,
He has poured out His fury like fire.
5 (La 2:2; Jer 30:14) The Lord has become like an enemy;
He has swallowed up Israel,
He has swallowed up all her palaces;
He has destroyed her strongholds,
and has increased mourning and lamentation
in the daughter of Judah.
6 (La 1:4; Zep 3:18) He has violently taken away His tabernacle
as if it were a garden;
He has destroyed His place of assembly;
the Lord has caused the solemn feasts and Sabbaths
to be forgotten in Zion.
In his fierce indignation He has despised the king and the priest.
7 (Ps 74:3-8; 78:59-61) The Lord has scorned His altar,
He has disowned His sanctuary;
He has given up the walls of her palaces
into the hand of the enemy.
They have made a noise in the house of the Lord
as on the day of a solemn feast.
8 (2Ki 21:13; Isa 3:26) The Lord has purposed to destroy
the wall of the daughter of Zion.
He has stretched out a line;
He has not withdrawn His hand from destroying;
therefore He caused the rampart and the wall to lament;
they languished together.
9 (Ne 1:3; Hos 3:4) Her gates have sunk into the ground;
He has destroyed and broken her bars.
Her king and her princes are among the nations;
the Law is no more,
and her prophets find
no vision from the Lord.
10 (Isa 3:26; Job 2:12-13) The elders of the daughter of Zion
sit on the ground in silence;
they throw dust on their heads
and gird themselves with sackcloth.
The virgins of Jerusalem
bow their heads to the ground.
11 (Job 16:13; La 1:16) My eyes fail with tears,
my spirit is greatly troubled;
my bile is poured on the ground
because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
because the children and infants faint
in the streets of the city.
12 They say to their mothers,
"Where is grain and wine?"
when they faint like a wounded man
in the streets of the city,
as their life is poured out
on their mothers' bosom.
13 (La 1:12; 2Sa 5:20) What can I say for you,
to what shall I liken you,
O daughter of Jerusalem?
What shall I compare with you,
that I may comfort you,
O virgin daughter of Zion?
For your devastation is great like the sea;
who can heal you?
14 (Isa 58:1; Jer 5:31) Your prophets have seen for you
false and deceptive visions;
they have not revealed your iniquity,
to bring back your captives,
but have seen for you oracles
that are false and misleading.
15 (Ps 48:2; Jer 18:16) All who pass by
clap their hands at you;
they hiss and shake their heads
at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying,
"Is this the city that men call
the perfection of beauty,
the joy of the whole earth?"
16 (Ps 35:21; La 3:46) All your enemies
have opened their mouth against you;
they hiss and gnash their teeth.
They say, "We have swallowed her up!
Certainly this is the day that we longed for;
we have found it; we have seen it."
17 (Ps 89:42; Eze 5:11) The Lord has done what He planned;
He has fulfilled His word
that He had commanded in the days of old.
He has thrown down and has not pitied,
and He has caused the enemy to rejoice over you;
He has exalted the power of your adversaries.
18 (Ps 119:145; Jer 9:1) Their heart cried to the Lord:
O wall of the daughter of Zion,
let your tears run down
like a river day and night;
give yourself no rest,
your eyes no respite!
19 (Ps 62:8; 1Sa 1:15; Isa 26:9) Arise, cry out in the night,
at the beginning of the watches;
pour out your heart like water
before the face of the Lord.
Lift your hands to Him
for the lives of your young children,
who faint for hunger
at the head of every street.
20 (Jer 19:9; La 4:10) Look, O Lord, and consider!
To whom have You done this?
Should the women eat their offspring,
the children who were born healthy?
Should the priest and the prophet be killed
in the sanctuary of the Lord?
21 (2Ch 36:17; Jer 13:14) The young and the old lie
on the ground in the streets;
my virgins and my young men
have fallen by the sword;
You have killed them in the day of Your anger,
You have slaughtered and not pitied.
22 (Jer 6:25; Ps 31:13) You have invited as to a feast day
the terrors all around;
in the day of the Lord's anger
no one escaped or survived;
those whom I held and raised
my enemy destroyed.
Lamentations 2
[1] How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his
anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and
remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!
[2] The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not
pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of
Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom
and the princes thereof.
[3] He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath
drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob
like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about.
[4] He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an
adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of
the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.
[5] The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed
up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased
in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
[6] And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a
garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused
the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath
despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.
[7] The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he
hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have
made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.
[8] The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he
hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying:
therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished
together.
[9] Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her
bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more;
her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.
[10] The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep
silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded
themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to
the ground.
[11] Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is
poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people;
because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.
[12] They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as
the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into
their mothers' bosom.
[13] What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken
to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may
comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the
sea: who can heal thee?
[14] Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have
not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for
thee false burdens and causes of banishment.
[15] All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head
at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The
perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?
[16] All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and
gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the
day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.
[17] The LORD hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his
word that he had commanded in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath
not pitied: and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set
up the horn of thine adversaries.
[18] Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let
tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not
the apple of thine eye cease.
[19] Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out
thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward
him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of
every street.
[20] Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the
women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the
prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?
[21] The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and
my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of
thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied.
[22] Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in
the day of the LORD's anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have
swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.
Lamentations 3
The Prophet's Anguish
1 (Ps 88:7; Job 19:21) I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of His wrath.
2 (Job 30:26; Isa 59:9) He has driven and brought me
into darkness without any light.
3 Surely against me has He turned His hand
continually, the whole day long.
4 (Ps 51:8; Isa 38:13) My flesh and my skin He has made waste away;
He has broken my bones;
5 (La 3:19; Jer 23:15) He has besieged and enveloped me
with gall and travail.
6 (Ps 88:5-6; 143:3) He has set me in dark places,
like the dead of long ago.
7 (Job 3:23; 19:8) He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out;
He has made my chain heavy.
8 (Job 30:20; Ps 22:2) Even when I cry for help, He shuts out my prayer.
9 (Isa 63:17) He has blocked my ways with hewn stone;
He has made my paths crooked.
10 He is to me a bear lying in wait, a lion in hiding.
11 (Hos 6:1; Job 16:12-13) He has turned aside my ways and torn me in pieces;
He has made me desolate.
12 (Job 7:20; Ps 38:2) He has bent His bow
and set me as a target for the arrow.
13 (Job 6:4) He has caused the arrows of His quiver to pierce my inward parts.
14 (Jer 20:7; La 3:63) I have become the derision of all my people,
their mocking song all the day.
15 (Jer 9:15) He has filled me with bitterness,
He has sated me with wormwood.
16 (Pr 20:17; Jer 6:26) He has made my teeth grind on gravel,
and covered me with ashes.
17 (Isa 59:11) My soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten prosperity.
18 (Job 17:15; Eze 37:11) So I say, "My strength and my hope
from the Lord have perished."
19 (La 3:5; 3:15) Remember my affliction and my misery,
the wormwood and the gall.
20 (Ps 42:5-6; 42:11) Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me.
21 (Ps 130:7) But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
22 (Mal 3:6; Ps 78:38) It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed;
His compassions do not fail.
23 (Zep 3:5; Ps 36:5) They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
24 (Ps 16:5; 73:26) "The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in Him."
25 (Isa 25:9; 30:18) The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
to the soul who seeks Him.
26 (Ps 37:7; 130:5) It is good that a man should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
27 (Ecc 12:1) It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.
28 (Jer 15:17; La 2:10) Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him;
29 (Job 40:4) let him put his mouth in the dust-there may yet be hope.
30 (Isa 50:6; Job 16:10) Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
and let him be filled with insults.
31 (Ps 94:14; 77:7) For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 (Ps 78:38; Hos 11:8) But though He causes grief,
yet He will have compassion according to the abundance of His mercies.
33 (Eze 33:11) For He does not afflict from His heart,
nor grieve the sons of men.
34 To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn aside the justice due a man in the presence of the Most High,
36 (Hab 1:13) to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord does not approve.
[1] I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
[2] He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
[3] Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.
[4] My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
[5] He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
[6] He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
[7] He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain
heavy.
[8] Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
[9] He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
[10] He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
[11] He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me
desolate.
[12] He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
[13] He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
[14] I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
[15] He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
[16] He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me
with ashes.
[17] And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
[18] And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
[19] Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
[20] My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
[21] This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
[22] It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his
compassions fail not.
[23] They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
[24] The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
[25] The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh
him.
[26] It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the
salvation of the LORD.
[27] It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
[28] He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
[29] He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
[30] He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with
reproach.
[31] For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
[32] But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the
multitude of his mercies.
[33] For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
[34] To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
[35] To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
[36] To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
2) Our Daily Bread for 23 August 2023 Titled Witnesses
Genesis 4:2-11
2 Then she gave birth again to his brother Abel.
And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 In
the course of time Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the
ground. 4 Abel also brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat
portions. And the Lord had respect for Abel and for his offering, 5 but for
Cain and for his offering, He did not have respect. And Cain was very angry
and his countenance fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why
is your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, shall you not be accepted? Or
uplifted. But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. It
desires to dominate you, but you must rule over it."
(God warns of anger and negative behaviour)
8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about, when they were in the
field, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 The
Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?"
He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
(Murder and deceit)
10 And then He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood
is crying out to Me from the ground. 11 Now you are cursed from the ground
which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
[2] And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but
Cain was a tiller of the ground.
[3] And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit
of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
[4] And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat
thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
[5] But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very
wroth, and his countenance fell.
[6] And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy
countenance fallen?
[7] If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not
well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou
shalt rule over him.
[8] And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they
were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
[9] And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I
know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
[10] And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood
crieth unto me from the ground.
[11] And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to
receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
In his poem "The Witnesses," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) described
a sunken slave ship. As he wrote of "skeletons in chains," Longfellow mourned
slavery's countless nameless victims. The concluding stanza reads, "These are
the woes of Slaves, / They glare from the abyss; / They cry from unknown
graves, / We are the Witnesses!"
But who do these witnesses speak to? Isn't such silent testimony futile?
There is a Witness who sees it all. When Cain murdered Abel, he pretended
nothing had happened. "Am I my brother's keeper?" he said dismissively to God.
But God said, "Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you
are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to
receive your brother's blood from your hand" (Genesis 4:9-11).
Cain's name lives on as a warning. "Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the
evil one and murdered his brother," John the disciple cautioned (1 John 3:12).
Abel's name lives on too, but in a dramatically different way. "By faith Abel
brought God a better offering than Cain did," said the writer of Hebrews.
"By faith Abel still speaks" (Hebrews 11:4).
Abel still speaks! So do the bones of those long-forgotten slaves. We do well
to remember all such victims, and to oppose oppression wherever we see it.
God sees it all. His justice will triumph.
By: Tim Gustafson
Reflect & Pray
What situations of injustice and oppression do you know about?
What might God be calling you to do today?
Dear Father, You're the God who sees.
Help me to see oppression when it happens and show me
what I can do to counter it.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 5 Rejoice in Grace - Day 4 Under the Mercy
Ps 13:5-6
5 I for my part confide in Your kindness;
may my heart exult in Your salvation!
6 I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.
5 But I have trusted in thy mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
6 I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
In Sheldon Vanauken's book "A Severe Mercy", Vanauken faced the "severe mercy"
of the untimely death of his wife. His friend C. S. Lewis , who had endured a
similar grief , comforted him through letters,
encouraging him with the exhotation, "Go under the Mercy".
While God's grace deals with sin and forgiveness,
God's mercy deals with the pain pf human existence. We all experience pain
- sometimes as a natural result of wrongs we have done, sometimes unfairly
as a consequence of living in a fallen world.
But for all who hurt, God provides
mercy - respite from pain, and the assurance of a Lord who cares.
David , in Psalm 13 says " I trust in your mercy, your unfailing love."
God's love never fail us, no matter how much we may have failed him.
David knew the consequences of sin; he knew what it meant to fail God,
to rebel against God's faithfulness. Yet David trusted in God's Goodness
rather than depending upon his own; he focused his attention upon the
mercy of the Lord.
We need, like David, to "Go under the mercy", even when it is a
"severe mercy."
Even when circumstances seem bad; even when things seem out of control; even
when we think God has forsaken us, yet his mercy is at work to bring us
fulfillment and cause us to turn to him
with a song of praise on our lips.
Application
a) How have I experienced the mercy of God?
b) How can these verses help me focus on God's
merciful intervention in my life even when circumstances seem
out of control?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
1 Cor 13:3
3 If I give all my goods to feed the poor,
and if I give my body to be burned,
and have not love, it profits me nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity,
it profiteth me nothing.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Inexhaustible Strength
Ps 18:30-34
30 As for God, His way has integrity;
the word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all those who take refuge in Him.
31 For who is God except the Lord?
Or who is a rock besides our God?
32 It is God who clothes me with strength,
and gives my way integrity.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and causes me to stand on my high places.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
30 As for God, his way is perfect:
The word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God save the LORD?
Or who is a rock save our God?
32 It is God that girdeth me with strength,
And maketh my way perfect.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet,
And setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war,
So that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)
New Brunswick
Total population 753900
Muslim population (est.) 4543
Moncton, followed by Fredericton and Saint John, each have a growing Muslim
population in New Brunswick, In 2007, the building that was formerly a Baptist
church was converted into Moncton's 1st mosque. The University of Moncton
also has a Muslim student association hosting prayer services, fellowship
getherings, and outreaches on campus.
Fredericton also has one mosque and a Muslim student association serving the
campuses of the University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University.
Fredericton's Muslim population consists in 2014 of about 50 families,
and between 300 to 400 university students.
Saint John is home to the 1st Muslim Association for the province,
which also helped foster the Islamic associations of Fredericton and Moncton.
a 'musalla', or prayer location that is not officially structured as a mosque,
has been established in the Uptown area with the intention of seeing it grow
into a 2nd official place of Muslim worship. Demand for this new location has
been primarily for university students moving into the area.
Pray for Muslims and New Brunswick
- that the eyes of pastors, believers and entire congregations will be opened
to see this growing body of Muslims, and their hearts will be opened
to sharing God's love in Jesus Christ with them
- that intentional ministries to Muslims will grow and flourish in these
areas of concentration
- that cooperative CNNMM Networks will form to really, encourage,
and equip believers to lovingly reach Muslims in this province.
Adding further
30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020
Under the Keep Praying page
When the new moon is sighted it marks the beginning of t he new Islamic month
and Eid al-Fitr, the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", will start! After 30 days
of fasting, the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan is a joyful time that
usually lasts about 3 days. Muslims will buy new clothes, exchange gifts and,
of course, enjoy special foods. In Muslim-majority nations, the streets may be
decorated and festivals will be held.
For many Muslims, Eid-al-Fitr begins with communal prayers at daybreak and the
distribution of money (zakat) to the poor, which is one of the 5 pillars of
Islam.
You can greet Muslim friends during this time by saying "Eid Mubarak",
which means Blessed Eid!"
Ramadan is over for this year, but you can continue to pray for Muslims you
know, and Muslims around the world:
- Despite the unsettling developments in our world today that involve actions
in the name of Islam, there is at the same time a largely untold story about
unprecedented movement to Christ among Muslims. There have been more such
movements of thousands or more new disciples among Muslims in the last three
decades or so than in all the previous history of Christian Muslim
relationships! Pray for this momentum to continue.
Acts 2:12-17 : 17 12 They were all amazed and perplexed, saying to each other,
"What does this mean?"
13 (1Co 14:23) Others mocking said, "These men are full of new wine."
Peter's Speech at Pentecost
14 (Ac 1:26) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice
and said to them, "Men of Judea and all you who dwell in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose,
since it is the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 (Isa 44:3; Ac 10:45) 'In the last days it shall be,' says God,
'that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.'
- Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have god's heart for
Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.
Matthew 5:14-15 : 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under
a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the
house."
Ideas for prayer
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
And
Thank you for praying through the
5 Days of Prayer for Sikhs.
"My name is Kam. I'm 29 years of age, and I grew up Sikh. As a teenager,
I struggled with depression, brokenness, and addiction to
cannabis. I didn't know how to stop or how to get help.
Then a friend invited me to church. As I spent time with Christians
and heard the message of the Gospel, I experienced the
love of Jesus Christ, and it was like nothing I'd known before.
One night I had a dream where I saw Him - a figure surrounded by
light who I knew was Jesus, the light of the world.
As I began to understand the gospel message, I encountered a reassuring and
confident solution to the problem of sin. I knew that I needed a solution
to my sin problem, and I gave my life to Christ.
Slowly, God began to heal my broken heart and my addiction.
Nine years have passed, and I am a devoted husband and a father
to two beautiful boys. I grow deeper in love with Jesus each day.
I ask you to continue praying with me, and others around the world, for Sikhs.
God is the only one who can draw people to Himself. He works in and through
the prayers of His people. I want Sikhs to know the freedom
and healing that is only available through Jesus Christ."
13 (Ro 14:17; 12:12) Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope,
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
[13] Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that
ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
ROMANS 15:13
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, atheists, secular humanists, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
Day 23 of the Month
a) Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation of those
who have committed crimes.
b) Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ
across Canada.
(
John 13:34-35
34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another,
even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another.
Rom 12:10
10 Be devoted to one another with brotherly love; prefer one another in honour
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love;
in honour preferring one another;
Heb 10:24
24 And let us consider how to spur one another to love and to good works.
24 and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
1 Peter 3:8
8 Finally, be all of one mind, be loving toward one another, be gracious,
and be kind.
8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another,
love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
1 John 3:23
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name
of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another as He commanded us.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name
of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
)
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray a prayer of intersession for your nation.
Pray to the Lord: "Dear Father, You're the God who sees.
Help me to see oppression when it happens and show me
what I can do to counter it."
Pray to the Lord and pray to experience the Lord's mercy.
Pray to the Lord and pray to have charity.
Pray to the Lord and pray to be strenghen and have integrity.
Pray for Muslims and New Brunswick
- that the eyes of pastors, believers and entire congregations will be opened
to see this growing body of Muslims, and their hearts will be opened
to sharing God's love in Jesus Christ with them
- that intentional ministries to Muslims will grow and flourish in these
areas of concentration
- that cooperative CNNMM Networks will form to really, encourage,
and equip believers to lovingly reach Muslims in this province.
Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation of those
who have committed crimes.
Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ
across Canada.
Pray for the effective testimony of Shakeel in Pakistan,
who came to faith in Christ after reading the Bible.
Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.
and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.
Remember eternity starts now -
Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God.
1) Lamentations 1,2,3:1-36
Lamentations 1
The Sorrows of Jerusalem
1 (1Ki 4:21; Ezr 4:20) How lonely sits the city
that was full of people!
How she has become like a widow,
who was once great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the provinces
has become a slave!
2 (Ps 6:6; Mic 7:5) She weeps sorely in the night,
her tears are on her cheeks;
among all her lovers
she has none to comfort her.
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
they have become her enemies.
3 (Dt 28:64-67; La 2:9) Judah has gone into captivity,
under affliction and great servitude;
she dwells among the nations,
she finds no rest;
all her persecutors overtook her
in the midst of distress.
4 (Jer 9:11; Joel 1:8-13) The roads to Zion mourn
because no one comes to the solemn feasts.
All her gates are desolate;
her priests sigh,
her virgins are afflicted,
and she herself suffers bitterly.
5 (Ps 90:7-8; Jer 30:14-15) Her adversaries have become her masters,
her enemies prosper;
for the Lord has afflicted her
because of the multitude of her transgressions.
Her children have gone into captivity
before the enemy.
6 From the daughter of Zion
all her beauty has departed.
Her princes have become like deer
that find no pasture;
they fled without strength
before the pursuer.
7 (Ps 42:4; 77:5-9) In the days of her affliction and misery
Jerusalem remembers all her pleasant things
that she had in the days of old.
When her people fell into the hand of the enemy,
there was no one to help her.
The adversaries saw her
and mocked at her desolation.
8 (Isa 59:2-13; La 1:20-22) Jerusalem has sinned grievously;
therefore she has become vile.
All who honored her despise her,
for they have seen her nakedness;
she herself sighs
and turns away.
9 (Dt 32:29; Isa 47:7) Her uncleanness is in her skirts;
she took no thought of her future;
therefore her fall is astounding;
she has no comforter.
"O Lord, look upon my affliction,
for the enemy has triumphed!"
10 (Dt 23:3; Jer 51:51) The adversary has spread his hand
over all her precious things;
for she has seen the nations
enter her sanctuary,
those whom You commanded
not to enter Your congregation.
11 (Jer 52:6; 38:9) All her people groan,
as they search for bread;
they trade their treasures for food
to restore their strength.
Look, O Lord, and consider,
for I am despised.
12 (Da 9:12) Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look and see
if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
which was brought upon me,
which the Lord has inflicted
on the day of His fierce anger.
13 (Job 30:30; Hab 3:16) From on high He has sent fire into my bones,
and it prevailed against them;
He has spread a net for my feet;
He turned me back;
He has made me desolate
and faint all the day long.
14 (Dt 28:48; Isa 47:6) The yoke of my transgressions
was bound; by His hand
they were fastened together; they were set upon my neck.
He made my strength fail;
the Lord delivered me into the hands
of those whom I am not able to withstand.
15 (Isa 28:18; 63:3) The Lord has trampled underfoot
all my mighty men in my midst;
He has called an assembly against me
to crush my young men;
The Lord has trodden the virgin daughter of Judah
as in a winepress.
16 (La 1:2; Jer 13:17) For these things I weep;
my eyes flow with tears;
for the comforter, who should relieve my soul,
is far from me.
My children are desolate
for the enemy has prevailed.
17 (Jer 4:31; Isa 1:15) Zion spreads out her hands,
but there is no one to comfort her;
the Lord has commanded against Jacob
that his neighbors should be his adversaries;
Jerusalem has become a filthy thing among them.
18 (1Sa 12:14-15; Jer 12:1) The Lord is in the right,
for I have rebelled against His commandment.
Hear now, all peoples,
and see my sorrow;
my virgins and my young men
have gone into captivity.
19 (La 1:2; 1:11) I called for my lovers,
but they deceived me;
my priests and my elders
perished in the city,
while they sought food
to restore their strength.
20 (La 2:11; Dt 32:25) Look, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my soul is greatly troubled;
my heart is overturned within me,
for I have grievously rebelled.
In the street the sword bereaves,
at home it is like death.
21 (La 1:8; Jer 50:11) They have heard my groaning,
yet there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
they are glad that You have done it.
Bring the day that You have announced,
that they become like me.
22 (Ne 4:4-5; Ps 109:14-15) Let all their wickedness come before You,
and do to them
as You have done to me
for all my transgressions;
for my groans are many,
and my heart is faint.
[1] How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people how is she
become as a widow she that was was great among the nations, and princess
among the provinces, how is she become tributary
[2] She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among
all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt
treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.
[3] Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great
servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her
persecutors overtook her between the straits.
[4] The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all
her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and
she is in bitterness.
[5] Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath
afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are
gone into captivity before the enemy.
[6] And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes
are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without
strength before the pursuer.
[7] Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries
all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people
fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw
her, and did mock at her sabbaths.
[8] Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that
honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she
sigheth, and turneth backward.
[9] Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end;
therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my
affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself.
[10] The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things:
for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou
didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.
[11] All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant
things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am
become vile.
[12] Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be
any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD
hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.
[13] From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against
them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made
me desolate and faint all the day.
[14] The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed,
and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath
delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.
[15] The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me:
he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath
trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.
[16] For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water,
because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my
children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.
[17] Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the
LORD hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be round
about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.
[18] The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment:
hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young
men are gone into captivity.
[19] I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine
elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to
relieve their souls.
[20] Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine
heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword
bereaveth, at home there is as death.
[21] They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me: all mine
enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou
wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me.
[22] Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou
hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my
heart is faint.
Lamentations 2
The Anger of God Over Jerusalem
1 (Ps 99:5; 132:7) How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion
with a cloud in His anger!
He has cast down from heaven to the earth
the beauty of Israel;
He has not remembered His footstool
in the day of His anger.
2 (Ps 89:39-40; La 2:17) The Lord has swallowed up without mercy
all the habitations of Jacob;
In His wrath He has thrown down
the strongholds of the daughter of Judah;
He has brought them down to the ground;
He has profaned the kingdom and its princes.
3 (Ps 74:11; 75:5) He has cut off in fierce anger
all the might of Israel;
He has drawn back His right hand
from before the enemy.
He has burned against Jacob
like a flaming fire, devouring all around.
4 (Isa 42:25; Jer 7:20) He has bent His bow like an enemy,
with his right hand set like an adversary;
He has killed all who were pleasant to His eye;
in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion,
He has poured out His fury like fire.
5 (La 2:2; Jer 30:14) The Lord has become like an enemy;
He has swallowed up Israel,
He has swallowed up all her palaces;
He has destroyed her strongholds,
and has increased mourning and lamentation
in the daughter of Judah.
6 (La 1:4; Zep 3:18) He has violently taken away His tabernacle
as if it were a garden;
He has destroyed His place of assembly;
the Lord has caused the solemn feasts and Sabbaths
to be forgotten in Zion.
In his fierce indignation He has despised the king and the priest.
7 (Ps 74:3-8; 78:59-61) The Lord has scorned His altar,
He has disowned His sanctuary;
He has given up the walls of her palaces
into the hand of the enemy.
They have made a noise in the house of the Lord
as on the day of a solemn feast.
8 (2Ki 21:13; Isa 3:26) The Lord has purposed to destroy
the wall of the daughter of Zion.
He has stretched out a line;
He has not withdrawn His hand from destroying;
therefore He caused the rampart and the wall to lament;
they languished together.
9 (Ne 1:3; Hos 3:4) Her gates have sunk into the ground;
He has destroyed and broken her bars.
Her king and her princes are among the nations;
the Law is no more,
and her prophets find
no vision from the Lord.
10 (Isa 3:26; Job 2:12-13) The elders of the daughter of Zion
sit on the ground in silence;
they throw dust on their heads
and gird themselves with sackcloth.
The virgins of Jerusalem
bow their heads to the ground.
11 (Job 16:13; La 1:16) My eyes fail with tears,
my spirit is greatly troubled;
my bile is poured on the ground
because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
because the children and infants faint
in the streets of the city.
12 They say to their mothers,
"Where is grain and wine?"
when they faint like a wounded man
in the streets of the city,
as their life is poured out
on their mothers' bosom.
13 (La 1:12; 2Sa 5:20) What can I say for you,
to what shall I liken you,
O daughter of Jerusalem?
What shall I compare with you,
that I may comfort you,
O virgin daughter of Zion?
For your devastation is great like the sea;
who can heal you?
14 (Isa 58:1; Jer 5:31) Your prophets have seen for you
false and deceptive visions;
they have not revealed your iniquity,
to bring back your captives,
but have seen for you oracles
that are false and misleading.
15 (Ps 48:2; Jer 18:16) All who pass by
clap their hands at you;
they hiss and shake their heads
at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying,
"Is this the city that men call
the perfection of beauty,
the joy of the whole earth?"
16 (Ps 35:21; La 3:46) All your enemies
have opened their mouth against you;
they hiss and gnash their teeth.
They say, "We have swallowed her up!
Certainly this is the day that we longed for;
we have found it; we have seen it."
17 (Ps 89:42; Eze 5:11) The Lord has done what He planned;
He has fulfilled His word
that He had commanded in the days of old.
He has thrown down and has not pitied,
and He has caused the enemy to rejoice over you;
He has exalted the power of your adversaries.
18 (Ps 119:145; Jer 9:1) Their heart cried to the Lord:
O wall of the daughter of Zion,
let your tears run down
like a river day and night;
give yourself no rest,
your eyes no respite!
19 (Ps 62:8; 1Sa 1:15; Isa 26:9) Arise, cry out in the night,
at the beginning of the watches;
pour out your heart like water
before the face of the Lord.
Lift your hands to Him
for the lives of your young children,
who faint for hunger
at the head of every street.
20 (Jer 19:9; La 4:10) Look, O Lord, and consider!
To whom have You done this?
Should the women eat their offspring,
the children who were born healthy?
Should the priest and the prophet be killed
in the sanctuary of the Lord?
21 (2Ch 36:17; Jer 13:14) The young and the old lie
on the ground in the streets;
my virgins and my young men
have fallen by the sword;
You have killed them in the day of Your anger,
You have slaughtered and not pitied.
22 (Jer 6:25; Ps 31:13) You have invited as to a feast day
the terrors all around;
in the day of the Lord's anger
no one escaped or survived;
those whom I held and raised
my enemy destroyed.
Lamentations 2
[1] How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his
anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and
remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!
[2] The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not
pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of
Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom
and the princes thereof.
[3] He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath
drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob
like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about.
[4] He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an
adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of
the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.
[5] The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed
up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased
in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
[6] And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a
garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused
the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath
despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.
[7] The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he
hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have
made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.
[8] The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he
hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying:
therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished
together.
[9] Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her
bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more;
her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.
[10] The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep
silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded
themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to
the ground.
[11] Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is
poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people;
because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.
[12] They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as
the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into
their mothers' bosom.
[13] What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken
to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may
comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the
sea: who can heal thee?
[14] Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have
not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for
thee false burdens and causes of banishment.
[15] All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head
at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The
perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?
[16] All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and
gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the
day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.
[17] The LORD hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his
word that he had commanded in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath
not pitied: and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set
up the horn of thine adversaries.
[18] Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let
tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not
the apple of thine eye cease.
[19] Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out
thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward
him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of
every street.
[20] Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the
women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the
prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?
[21] The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and
my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of
thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied.
[22] Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in
the day of the LORD's anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have
swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.
Lamentations 3
The Prophet's Anguish
1 (Ps 88:7; Job 19:21) I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of His wrath.
2 (Job 30:26; Isa 59:9) He has driven and brought me
into darkness without any light.
3 Surely against me has He turned His hand
continually, the whole day long.
4 (Ps 51:8; Isa 38:13) My flesh and my skin He has made waste away;
He has broken my bones;
5 (La 3:19; Jer 23:15) He has besieged and enveloped me
with gall and travail.
6 (Ps 88:5-6; 143:3) He has set me in dark places,
like the dead of long ago.
7 (Job 3:23; 19:8) He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out;
He has made my chain heavy.
8 (Job 30:20; Ps 22:2) Even when I cry for help, He shuts out my prayer.
9 (Isa 63:17) He has blocked my ways with hewn stone;
He has made my paths crooked.
10 He is to me a bear lying in wait, a lion in hiding.
11 (Hos 6:1; Job 16:12-13) He has turned aside my ways and torn me in pieces;
He has made me desolate.
12 (Job 7:20; Ps 38:2) He has bent His bow
and set me as a target for the arrow.
13 (Job 6:4) He has caused the arrows of His quiver to pierce my inward parts.
14 (Jer 20:7; La 3:63) I have become the derision of all my people,
their mocking song all the day.
15 (Jer 9:15) He has filled me with bitterness,
He has sated me with wormwood.
16 (Pr 20:17; Jer 6:26) He has made my teeth grind on gravel,
and covered me with ashes.
17 (Isa 59:11) My soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten prosperity.
18 (Job 17:15; Eze 37:11) So I say, "My strength and my hope
from the Lord have perished."
19 (La 3:5; 3:15) Remember my affliction and my misery,
the wormwood and the gall.
20 (Ps 42:5-6; 42:11) Surely my soul remembers and is humbled within me.
21 (Ps 130:7) But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
22 (Mal 3:6; Ps 78:38) It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed;
His compassions do not fail.
23 (Zep 3:5; Ps 36:5) They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
24 (Ps 16:5; 73:26) "The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in Him."
25 (Isa 25:9; 30:18) The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
to the soul who seeks Him.
26 (Ps 37:7; 130:5) It is good that a man should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
27 (Ecc 12:1) It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.
28 (Jer 15:17; La 2:10) Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him;
29 (Job 40:4) let him put his mouth in the dust-there may yet be hope.
30 (Isa 50:6; Job 16:10) Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
and let him be filled with insults.
31 (Ps 94:14; 77:7) For the Lord will not cast off forever.
32 (Ps 78:38; Hos 11:8) But though He causes grief,
yet He will have compassion according to the abundance of His mercies.
33 (Eze 33:11) For He does not afflict from His heart,
nor grieve the sons of men.
34 To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to turn aside the justice due a man in the presence of the Most High,
36 (Hab 1:13) to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord does not approve.
[1] I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
[2] He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.
[3] Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day.
[4] My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.
[5] He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.
[6] He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
[7] He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain
heavy.
[8] Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.
[9] He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.
[10] He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
[11] He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me
desolate.
[12] He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.
[13] He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.
[14] I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.
[15] He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.
[16] He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me
with ashes.
[17] And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.
[18] And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:
[19] Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
[20] My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
[21] This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
[22] It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his
compassions fail not.
[23] They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
[24] The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
[25] The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh
him.
[26] It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the
salvation of the LORD.
[27] It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
[28] He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.
[29] He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
[30] He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with
reproach.
[31] For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
[32] But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the
multitude of his mercies.
[33] For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
[34] To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,
[35] To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High,
[36] To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.
2) Our Daily Bread for 23 August 2023 Titled Witnesses
Genesis 4:2-11
2 Then she gave birth again to his brother Abel.
And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 In
the course of time Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the
ground. 4 Abel also brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat
portions. And the Lord had respect for Abel and for his offering, 5 but for
Cain and for his offering, He did not have respect. And Cain was very angry
and his countenance fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why
is your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, shall you not be accepted? Or
uplifted. But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. It
desires to dominate you, but you must rule over it."
(God warns of anger and negative behaviour)
8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about, when they were in the
field, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 The
Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?"
He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
(Murder and deceit)
10 And then He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood
is crying out to Me from the ground. 11 Now you are cursed from the ground
which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
[2] And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but
Cain was a tiller of the ground.
[3] And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit
of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
[4] And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat
thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
[5] But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very
wroth, and his countenance fell.
[6] And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy
countenance fallen?
[7] If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not
well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou
shalt rule over him.
[8] And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they
were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
[9] And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I
know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
[10] And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood
crieth unto me from the ground.
[11] And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to
receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
In his poem "The Witnesses," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) described
a sunken slave ship. As he wrote of "skeletons in chains," Longfellow mourned
slavery's countless nameless victims. The concluding stanza reads, "These are
the woes of Slaves, / They glare from the abyss; / They cry from unknown
graves, / We are the Witnesses!"
But who do these witnesses speak to? Isn't such silent testimony futile?
There is a Witness who sees it all. When Cain murdered Abel, he pretended
nothing had happened. "Am I my brother's keeper?" he said dismissively to God.
But God said, "Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you
are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to
receive your brother's blood from your hand" (Genesis 4:9-11).
Cain's name lives on as a warning. "Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the
evil one and murdered his brother," John the disciple cautioned (1 John 3:12).
Abel's name lives on too, but in a dramatically different way. "By faith Abel
brought God a better offering than Cain did," said the writer of Hebrews.
"By faith Abel still speaks" (Hebrews 11:4).
Abel still speaks! So do the bones of those long-forgotten slaves. We do well
to remember all such victims, and to oppose oppression wherever we see it.
God sees it all. His justice will triumph.
By: Tim Gustafson
Reflect & Pray
What situations of injustice and oppression do you know about?
What might God be calling you to do today?
Dear Father, You're the God who sees.
Help me to see oppression when it happens and show me
what I can do to counter it.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 5 Rejoice in Grace - Day 4 Under the Mercy
Ps 13:5-6
5 I for my part confide in Your kindness;
may my heart exult in Your salvation!
6 I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.
5 But I have trusted in thy mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
6 I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
In Sheldon Vanauken's book "A Severe Mercy", Vanauken faced the "severe mercy"
of the untimely death of his wife. His friend C. S. Lewis , who had endured a
similar grief , comforted him through letters,
encouraging him with the exhotation, "Go under the Mercy".
While God's grace deals with sin and forgiveness,
God's mercy deals with the pain pf human existence. We all experience pain
- sometimes as a natural result of wrongs we have done, sometimes unfairly
as a consequence of living in a fallen world.
But for all who hurt, God provides
mercy - respite from pain, and the assurance of a Lord who cares.
David , in Psalm 13 says " I trust in your mercy, your unfailing love."
God's love never fail us, no matter how much we may have failed him.
David knew the consequences of sin; he knew what it meant to fail God,
to rebel against God's faithfulness. Yet David trusted in God's Goodness
rather than depending upon his own; he focused his attention upon the
mercy of the Lord.
We need, like David, to "Go under the mercy", even when it is a
"severe mercy."
Even when circumstances seem bad; even when things seem out of control; even
when we think God has forsaken us, yet his mercy is at work to bring us
fulfillment and cause us to turn to him
with a song of praise on our lips.
Application
a) How have I experienced the mercy of God?
b) How can these verses help me focus on God's
merciful intervention in my life even when circumstances seem
out of control?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
1 Cor 13:3
3 If I give all my goods to feed the poor,
and if I give my body to be burned,
and have not love, it profits me nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity,
it profiteth me nothing.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
God's Inexhaustible Strength
Ps 18:30-34
30 As for God, His way has integrity;
the word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all those who take refuge in Him.
31 For who is God except the Lord?
Or who is a rock besides our God?
32 It is God who clothes me with strength,
and gives my way integrity.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and causes me to stand on my high places.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
30 As for God, his way is perfect:
The word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God save the LORD?
Or who is a rock save our God?
32 It is God that girdeth me with strength,
And maketh my way perfect.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet,
And setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war,
So that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)
New Brunswick
Total population 753900
Muslim population (est.) 4543
Moncton, followed by Fredericton and Saint John, each have a growing Muslim
population in New Brunswick, In 2007, the building that was formerly a Baptist
church was converted into Moncton's 1st mosque. The University of Moncton
also has a Muslim student association hosting prayer services, fellowship
getherings, and outreaches on campus.
Fredericton also has one mosque and a Muslim student association serving the
campuses of the University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University.
Fredericton's Muslim population consists in 2014 of about 50 families,
and between 300 to 400 university students.
Saint John is home to the 1st Muslim Association for the province,
which also helped foster the Islamic associations of Fredericton and Moncton.
a 'musalla', or prayer location that is not officially structured as a mosque,
has been established in the Uptown area with the intention of seeing it grow
into a 2nd official place of Muslim worship. Demand for this new location has
been primarily for university students moving into the area.
Pray for Muslims and New Brunswick
- that the eyes of pastors, believers and entire congregations will be opened
to see this growing body of Muslims, and their hearts will be opened
to sharing God's love in Jesus Christ with them
- that intentional ministries to Muslims will grow and flourish in these
areas of concentration
- that cooperative CNNMM Networks will form to really, encourage,
and equip believers to lovingly reach Muslims in this province.
Adding further
30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020
Under the Keep Praying page
When the new moon is sighted it marks the beginning of t he new Islamic month
and Eid al-Fitr, the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", will start! After 30 days
of fasting, the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan is a joyful time that
usually lasts about 3 days. Muslims will buy new clothes, exchange gifts and,
of course, enjoy special foods. In Muslim-majority nations, the streets may be
decorated and festivals will be held.
For many Muslims, Eid-al-Fitr begins with communal prayers at daybreak and the
distribution of money (zakat) to the poor, which is one of the 5 pillars of
Islam.
You can greet Muslim friends during this time by saying "Eid Mubarak",
which means Blessed Eid!"
Ramadan is over for this year, but you can continue to pray for Muslims you
know, and Muslims around the world:
- Despite the unsettling developments in our world today that involve actions
in the name of Islam, there is at the same time a largely untold story about
unprecedented movement to Christ among Muslims. There have been more such
movements of thousands or more new disciples among Muslims in the last three
decades or so than in all the previous history of Christian Muslim
relationships! Pray for this momentum to continue.
Acts 2:12-17 : 17 12 They were all amazed and perplexed, saying to each other,
"What does this mean?"
13 (1Co 14:23) Others mocking said, "These men are full of new wine."
Peter's Speech at Pentecost
14 (Ac 1:26) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice
and said to them, "Men of Judea and all you who dwell in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose,
since it is the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 (Isa 44:3; Ac 10:45) 'In the last days it shall be,' says God,
'that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.'
- Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have god's heart for
Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.
Matthew 5:14-15 : 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under
a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the
house."
Ideas for prayer
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
And
Thank you for praying through the
5 Days of Prayer for Sikhs.
"My name is Kam. I'm 29 years of age, and I grew up Sikh. As a teenager,
I struggled with depression, brokenness, and addiction to
cannabis. I didn't know how to stop or how to get help.
Then a friend invited me to church. As I spent time with Christians
and heard the message of the Gospel, I experienced the
love of Jesus Christ, and it was like nothing I'd known before.
One night I had a dream where I saw Him - a figure surrounded by
light who I knew was Jesus, the light of the world.
As I began to understand the gospel message, I encountered a reassuring and
confident solution to the problem of sin. I knew that I needed a solution
to my sin problem, and I gave my life to Christ.
Slowly, God began to heal my broken heart and my addiction.
Nine years have passed, and I am a devoted husband and a father
to two beautiful boys. I grow deeper in love with Jesus each day.
I ask you to continue praying with me, and others around the world, for Sikhs.
God is the only one who can draw people to Himself. He works in and through
the prayers of His people. I want Sikhs to know the freedom
and healing that is only available through Jesus Christ."
13 (Ro 14:17; 12:12) Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope,
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
[13] Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that
ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
ROMANS 15:13
My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further
call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity
(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, atheists, secular humanists, ...) .
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
Day 23 of the Month
a) Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation of those
who have committed crimes.
b) Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ
across Canada.
(
John 13:34-35
34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another,
even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another.
Rom 12:10
10 Be devoted to one another with brotherly love; prefer one another in honour
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love;
in honour preferring one another;
Heb 10:24
24 And let us consider how to spur one another to love and to good works.
24 and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
1 Peter 3:8
8 Finally, be all of one mind, be loving toward one another, be gracious,
and be kind.
8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another,
love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
1 John 3:23
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name
of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another as He commanded us.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name
of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
)
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray a prayer of intersession for your nation.
Pray to the Lord: "Dear Father, You're the God who sees.
Help me to see oppression when it happens and show me
what I can do to counter it."
Pray to the Lord and pray to experience the Lord's mercy.
Pray to the Lord and pray to have charity.
Pray to the Lord and pray to be strenghen and have integrity.
Pray for Muslims and New Brunswick
- that the eyes of pastors, believers and entire congregations will be opened
to see this growing body of Muslims, and their hearts will be opened
to sharing God's love in Jesus Christ with them
- that intentional ministries to Muslims will grow and flourish in these
areas of concentration
- that cooperative CNNMM Networks will form to really, encourage,
and equip believers to lovingly reach Muslims in this province.
Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective
discipleship movements among Muslim people.
- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you
- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving
Christ among Muslim people -
Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."
- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims
throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!
Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation of those
who have committed crimes.
Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ
across Canada.
Pray for the effective testimony of Shakeel in Pakistan,
who came to faith in Christ after reading the Bible.
Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.
and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.
Remember eternity starts now -
Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God.
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