Day 229 - 17 August 2021 reflections
Day 229, 17 August 2021
Jeremiah 38-40 ; Psalms 74,79
Jeremiah 38
Jeremiah Thrown Into a Cistern
1 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur,
and Jukal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malkijah
heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people, saying:
2 (Jer 34:17; 39:18) Thus says the Lord: He who remains in this city
will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. But he who goes
out to the Chaldeans shall live, for he shall have his life as plunder,
and shall live.
3 (Jer 21:10; 32:3-5) Thus says the Lord: This city shall surely be given
into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, and he will capture it.
4 (Jer 26:11; Ex 5:4) Therefore the officials said to the king, "We beseech
you, let this man be put to death, for he thus weakens the hands
of the men of war who remain in this city and the hands of all the people,
in speaking such words to them; for this man does not seek the welfare
of this people, but their harm."
5 (2Sa 3:39) Then Zedekiah the king said, "Here he is; he is in your hand;
for the king cannot do anything against you."
6 (Jer 37:16; 37:21) Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern
of Malkijah the son of HammeÂlech that was in the court of the prison,
and they let Jeremiah down with cords. And in the cistern there was
no water, only mud, so Jeremiah sank in the mud.
7 (Jer 29:2; 37:13) Now Ebed-Melek the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs
who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the cistern.
Now the king was sitting in the Gate of Benjamin.
8 Ebed-Melek went forth out of the king's house and spoke to the king, saying,
9 (Jer 52:6) "My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have
done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the cistern.
And he will die by hunger in the place where he is,
for there is no more bread in the city."
10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Ethiopian, saying,
"Take thirty men with you from here and take up Jeremiah the prophet
out of the cistern before he dies."
11 So Ebed-Melek took the men under his authority
and went into the house of the king under the storeroom
and took from there worn-out clothes and worn-out rags and let them down
by cords into the cistern to Jeremiah.
12 Then Ebed-Melek the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, "Now put these
worn-out clothes and worn-out rags under your armpits under the cords,"
so Jeremiah did accordingly.
13 (Jer 37:21; Ac 23:35) Then they drew Jeremiah up with cords and took him up
out of the cistern, and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah Again
14 (1Sa 3:17-18; 1Ki 22:16) Then Zedekiah the king sent and had Jeremiah
the prophet brought to him at the third entrance that is in the house
of the Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah, "I will ask you something; hide
nothing from me."
15 (Lk 22:67-68) Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I declare it to you,
shall you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel,
you will not listen to me."
16 (Isa 57:16; Jer 37:17) So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah,
saying, "As the Lord lives, who made our souls, I surely will not put you
to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life."
17 (Jer 27:12; 38:2) Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the Lord,
the God of Hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officers
of the king of Babylon, then your soul will live and this city will not be
burned with fire. Thus you and your household will live.
18 (Jer 38:3; 2Ki 25:4-10) But if you do not surrender to the king
of Babylon's officials, then this city will be given into the hand
of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape
out of their hand."
19 (Jn 12:42; Isa 51:12-13) Then Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah,
"I am afraid of the Jews who have fallen over to the Chaldeans, l
est they deliver me into their hand and mock me."
20 (Isa 55:3; 2Ch 20:20) But Jeremiah said, "They will not deliver you.
Please obey the voice of the Lord which I speak to you, so it will be
well with you and your soul will live.
21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that the Lord has shown me:
22 (Jer 20:10; 43:6) Then all the women who are left in the house
of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officers of the king
of Babylon; and those women shall say:
'Your friends have misled
and prevailed against you;
while your feet were sunk in the mud,
they turned back.'
23 (Jer 41:10; 38:18) "So they will bring out all your wives
and your children to the Chaldeans. And you will not escape out of their hand,
but will be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon; and you will cause this
city to be burned with fire."
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no man know of these words,
and you will not die.
25 (Jer 38:4-6; 38:27) But if the officials hear that I have talked with you
and they come to you and say to you, 'Declare to us now what you said
to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us
and we will not put you to death,'
26 (Jer 37:20; 37:15) then you will say to them, 'I presented my supplication
before the king, that he would not cause me to return to the house
of Jonathan, to die there.' "
27 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and asked him.
And he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded;
so they stopped speaking with him, for the matter was not overheard.
28 (Jer 37:21; 39:14) So Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison
until the day that Jerusalem was captured.
Jeremiah 39
The Fall of Jerusalem
2Ki 25:1-12; Jer 52:4-16
1 (Jer 52:4–7; Eze 24:1–2) In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah,
in the tenth month, NebÂuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army
came against Jerusalem and besieged it.
2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day
of the month, the city wall was broken up.
3 (Jer 21:4; 38:17) All the officials of the king of Babylon entered
and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo,
Sarsekim the Rabsaris,[Possibly Chief of Staff.]
Nergal-Sharezer the Rabmag,[Possibly the high official.]
and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon.
4 (2Ch 32:5; Am 2:14) When Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them
and all the men of war, then they fled and went out of the city
by night, by way of the king's garden, by the gate between the two walls.
And he went out the way of the Arabah.
5 (2Ki 23:33; Jos 5:10) But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them
and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken
him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah
in the land of Hamath, where he passed sentence on him.
6 (Jer 52:10; Dt 28:34) Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah
in Riblah before his eyes. Moreover, the king of Babylon slew all the nobles
of Judah.
7 (Eze 12:13; Jdg 16:21) He also put out Zedekiah's eyes
and bound him with chains to carry him to Babylon.
8 (Ne 1:3; Jer 21:10) The Chaldeans burned the king's house
and the houses of the people with fire and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.
9 (Jer 40:1; Ge 37:36) Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard
carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people
who remained in the city, and those who fell away, who fell to him,
with the rest of the people who remained.
10 (2Ki 25:12; Jer 40:7) But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left
behind in the land of Judah the poor people who had nothing,
and gave them vineyards and fields at that time.
The Lord Delivers Jeremiah
11 (Jer 15:21; Ac 24:23) Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge
concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,
12 (Pr 16:7; Ps 105:14–15) "Take him and look after him, and do not harm him.
But do to him just as he says to you."
13 (Jer 39:3) So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the
Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer the Rabmag, and all the chief officers of
the king of Babylon
14 (Jer 38:28; 2Ki 22:12) sent and took Jeremiah out of the court
of the prison and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam,
the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home.
So he lived among the people.
15 Now the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah while he was shut up
in the court of the prison, saying:
16 (Da 9:12; Zec 1:6) Go and speak to Ebed-Melek the Ethiopian,
saying: Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel:
I will bring My words upon this city for harm and not for good.
And they shall be accomplished in that day before you.
17 (Ps 41:1-2; 50:15) But I will deliver you in that day, says the Lord,
and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom
you are afraid.
18 (Jer 21:9; 38:2) For I will surely deliver you, and you will not fall
by the sword; but your life will be as plunder to you,
because you have put your trust in Me, says the Lord.
Jeremiah 40
Jeremiah With Gedaliah the Governor
1 (Jer 31:15; Jos 18:25) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had
taken him bound in chains among all who were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried away captive to Babylon.
2 (Dt 29:24-28; Jer 22:8-9) The captain of the guard had taken Jeremiah,
and said to him: "The Lord your God has pronounced this disaster
upon this place.
3 (Ro 2:5; Jer 50:7) And the Lord has brought it and done according as He
has said. Because you have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed
His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you.
4 Now look, I am loosening you this day from the chains which are
on your hands. If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon,
come and I will look well after you. But if it seems bad to you to come
with me into Babylon, never mind. See, all the land is before you.
Go wherever it seems good and right for you to go."
5 (Jer 39:14; 2Ki 8:7-9) Now while he was not yet going back, he said,
"Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan,
whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah,
and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever it seems right
for you to go."
So the captain of the guard gave him rations and a gift and let him go.
6 (Jdg 20:1; Jer 39:14) Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam
to Mizpah and lived with him among the people who were left in the land.
Gedaliah Is Assassinated
2Ki 25:22-26
7 (Jer 39:10) Now all the captains of the forces which were in the fields,
they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah
the son of Ahikam governor in the land and had committed men to him,
and women, and children, and some of the poorest of the land who were not
carried away captive to BabÂylon.
8 (Jer 42:1; Dt 3:14; Jos 12:5) Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan
the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth,
and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite,
and Jezaniah the son of a Maakathite, they and their men.
9 (Jer 27:11; 1Sa 20:16-17) Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam,
the son of Shaphan swore to them and to their men, saying,
"Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land
and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.
10 (Jer 40:12; Dt 1:38) As for me, I will dwell at Mizpah to serve
the Chaldeans who will come to us. But you, gather wine
and summer fruits and oil, and put them in your vessels
and dwell in your cities that you have taken."
11 (Isa 16:4) Likewise, also all the Jews who were in Moab,
and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and who were
in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left
a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them
Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan.
12 (Jer 43:5) Then all the Jews returned out of all places
wherever they were driven and came to the land of Judah,
to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered very much wine
and summer fruits.
13 Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains
of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah at Mizpah,
14 (Jer 41:10; 2Sa 10:1-6; Jer 25:21) and said to him,
"Do you certainly know that Baalis, the king of the Ammonites,
has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay you?"
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.
15 (1Sa 26:8; 2Sa 21:17) Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke
to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, "Let me go, please,
and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and no man shall know it.
Why should he slay you so that all the Jews who are gathered to you
should be scattered and the remnant in Judah perish?"
16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah,
"You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely of Ishmael."
Psalms 74
A Contemplative Maskil of Asaph.
1 O God, why have You cast us off forever?
Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?
2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) Remember Your congregation, which You have
purchased of old, the rod of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed,
this Mount Zion, where You have lived.
3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) Move Your footsteps to the perpetual desolations,
to all the harm the enemy has done in the sanctuary.
4 (Isa 30:29; Ps 62:8) Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;
they set up their miracles for signs.
5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) They seem like men who lift up axes on a thicket of trees.
6 (2Sa 17:22; Dt 3:8-9) But now they strike down its carved work altogether
with axes and hammers.
7 (Ps 88:7; Jnh 2:3) They have cast fire into Your sanctuary;
they have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.
8 (Job 35:10; Ps 63:6) They said in their hearts,
"Let us destroy them together."
They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 (Ps 38:6; 18:2) We do not see our signs;
there is no longer any prophet,
nor is there among us any who knows how long.
10 (Ps 42:3; Joel 2:17) O God, how long will the adversary scorn?
Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?
11 (Ps 42:5; 43:5) Why do You withdraw Your hand, Your right hand?
Draw it out of Your bosom and destroy them!
12 For God is my King of old,
working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 You divided the sea by Your strength;
You broke the heads of the dragons on the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan in pieces,
and gave him for food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15 You split the fountain and the flood;
You dried up ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is Yours, the night also is Yours;
You have prepared the light and the sun.
17Y ou have established all the borders of the earth;
You have made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, that the enemy has scorned, O Lord,
and that the foolish people have blasphemed Your name.
19 Do not give the life of Your turtledove to a wild animal;
do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20 Have regard for the covenant;
for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of violence.
21 May the oppressed not return ashamed;
may the poor and needy praise Your name.
22 Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;
remember how the fool insults You daily.
23 Do not forget the voice of Your enemies,
the tumult of those who rise up against You continually.
Psalms 79
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance;
Your holy temple they have defiled;
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) The dead bodies of Your servants
they have given to the birds of the sky for food
and the flesh of Your faithful to the animals of the land.
3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) Their blood they have poured out like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.
4 (Isa 30:29; Ps 62:8) We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
a scorn and derision to those who are around us.
5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) How long, O Lord? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6 (2Sa 17:22; Dt 3:8-9) Pour out Your wrath
upon the nations who do not know You,
and upon the kingdoms
who have not called upon Your name.
7 (Ps 88:7; Jnh 2:3) For they have devoured Jacob,
and laid waste his dwelling place.
8 (Job 35:10; Ps 63:6) Do not choose to remember our former iniquities;
let Your tender mercies come swiftly to us,
for we are brought very low.
9 (Ps 38:6; 18:2) Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name;
deliver us, and purge away our sins, for Your name's sake.
10 (Ps 42:3; Joel 2:17) Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?"
May the avenging of the shed blood of Your servants
be known among the nations before our eyes.
11 (Ps 42:5; 43:5) Let the groans of the prisoners come before You;
according to the greatness of Your power
preserve those who are appointed to die.
12 And render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their lap
the reproach that they have reproached You, O Lord.
13 But we are Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,
and will give You thanks forever;
we will declare Your praise
to all generations.
2) Our Daily Bread for 17 August 2021
https://odb.org/CA/2021/08/17/his-word-by-faith
entitled Trusting the Bible
Jeremiah 15:15-21
15 (Jer 12:3; Ps 69:7-9) O Lord, You who know, remember me,
and take notice of me,
and take vengeance on my persecutors.
Because of your longsuffering, do not take me away.
Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke.
16 (Jer 14:9; Job 23:12) Your words were found and I ate them.
And Your word became to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart,
for I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of Hosts.
17 (Ps 1:1; La 3:28) I did not sit in the assembly of mockers,
nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone because of Your hand,
for You have filled me with indignation.
18 (Jer 30:15; Job 34:6) Why is my pain perpetual
and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed?
Shall You be altogether to me as a deceptive stream
and as waters that fail?
The Lord Reassures Jeremiah
19 (Jer 15:1; Zec 3:7) Therefore thus says the Lord:
If you return, then I will bring you back,
and you shall stand before Me;
and if you take out the precious from the worthless,
you will be My spokesman.
Let them return to you,
but do not return to them.
20 (Jer 1:18–-9; Ps 46:7) I will make you to this people
a fortified bronze wall;
and they shall fight against you,
but they shall not prevail against you;
for I am with you
to save you and to deliver you,
says the Lord.
21 (Ge 48:16; Ps 37:40) I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and I will redeem you out of the hand of the violent.
Billy Graham, the renowned American evangelist, once described his struggle
to accept the Bible as completely true. One night as he walked alone
in the moonlight at a retreat center in the San Bernardino Mountains,
he dropped to his knees and placed his Bible on a tree stump, able only
to "stutter" a prayer: "Oh, God! There are many things in this book I do not
understand."
By confessing his confusion, Graham said the Holy Spirit finally "freed me
to say it. 'Father, I am going to accept this as thy Word-by faith!' " When he
stood up, he still had questions, but he said, "I knew a spiritual battle in
my soul had been fought and won."
The young prophet Jeremiah fought spiritual battles too. Yet he consistently
sought answers in Scripture. "When your words came, I ate them; they were
my joy and my heart's delight" (Jeremiah 15:16). He declared,
"The word of the Lord . . . is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my
bones†(20:8-9). 19th-century evangelist Charles Spurgeon wrote,
"[Jeremiah] lets us into a secret. His outer life, especially his faithful
ministry, was due to his inward love of the word which he preached."
We too can shape our life through the wisdom of Scripture despite
our struggles. We can keep studying, as always, by faith.
By: Patricia Raybon
Reflect & Pray
How has your life been shaped by Scripture?
As you accept it by faith, how do you expect your life to change?
Heavenly Father, show me new things
about You as I read the Bible.
Teach me Your ways. Show me Your love.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 4 - The Blessings of Grace Day 3 - From Darkness to Light
Col 1:13-14
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and has transferred us
into the kingdom of His dear Son,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Most of us have no real concept of darkness. We live in a world illuminated
not only by sun, moon and start, bit by streetlights and electric lamps and,
when the power goes off, flashlights and candles. We resist the darkness
For the sighted, being in absolute darkness is a frightening experience.
The dark blots out everything; we can see nothing, not even our own bodies,
and we may become disoriented. The dark seems to press in upon us,
with an almost physical weight that oppresses.
Spiritual darkness is like that. Spiritual darkness,
the absence of light in Christ, is oppressive, weighing us down,
distorting our perceptions of realty.
We cannot judge clearly, for we cannot see at all.
Yet God breaks into our darkness, bringing his light - Jesus Christ,
The Light of the World. When the awareness of Christ invades our lives,
our eyes are opened and we can see for the first time. We see our sin,
God's grace, and the Way he has provided for escape from the dark.
And as we continue to walk in his light, we see even more - the need
for changes in our lives, and God's power to work those changes.
Discernment and wisdom come through his light,
and we understand spiritual truths we could never see before.
Paul says that God has 'rescued' us from darkness and brought us
into the light. We cannot, on our own, accomplish this rescue,
but god through Christ's sacrifice brings it about in us.
He is the light who illuminates our darkness.
Application
a) Many different kinds of spiritual darkness invade our lives
and keep us blind to the truth - sin, lack of understanding,
resistance to the Holy Spirit. What kinds of spiritual darkness
have I experienced?
b) What changes took place in me when I first 'came into the light'?
c) What spiritual truths can I see now that I could not see
when I lived in darkness?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Is 55:11
11 (Isa 45:23; 46:10) so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
it shall not return to Me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
When you are ill or injured
James 5:13-16
13 (Ps 50:15; Eph 5:19) Is anyone among you suffering?
Let him pray. Is anyone merry? Let him sing psalms.
14 (Mk 6:13; 16:18; Ac 14:23) Is anyone sick among you?
Let him call for the elders of the church,
and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil
in the name of the Lord.
15 (Isa 33:24; Jas 1:6) And the prayer of faith will save
the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.
And if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.
16 (Ge 20:17; 18:23-32) Confess your faults to one another
and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.
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."
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 buliding that was formerly a Baptist
chruch was converted into Moncton's 1st mosque. The University of Moncton
also has a Muslim studentt association hosting prayer services, fellowship
getherings, and outreaches on campus.
Fredericton also has one mosque and a Muslim student assoication serving the
campusus 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 asociations 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!
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
17th Day of the Month
a) Pray for the safety of those
who live in your community -
safety from conflict an crimes
( Ps 122:7 - 7 "Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!" )
b) Pray for the province of Ontario
I) Pray for the leaders of Ontario,
that God's Spirit would influence
then to act justly,
serve with integrity
and honour high moral standards. ( 1 Tim 2:1 - 4
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone,
2 (Ezr 6:10) for kings and for all who are in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty,
3(1Ti 1:1; Lk 1:47) for this is good
and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 (Eze 18:23; 18:32)who desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth. )
II) Pray for the churches of the province,
that they would be lighthouses
beaming forth the illuminating truth of God's Word.
III) Pray that the Lord would use
the Finding the Hope Campaign
and booklet to turn many hearts to Jesus
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord to be obedient and resilient to the Lord
despite the troubles around you.
Pray to the Lord "Heavenly Father, show me new things
about You as I read the Bible.
Teach me Your ways. Show me Your love."
Pray to the Lord and pray to stay in His Light.
Pray to the Lord and know the His word is accomplished.
Pray to the Lord and seek Him in your illness.
Pray for Muslims in New Brunswick to know Jesus as Saviour.
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.
Pray for the safety of those
who live in your community -
safety from conflict an crimes
Pray for Barrun's boldness and protection in Bangladesh
as he racehes out to Muslims.
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.