40 Days of Prayer – Day 22
The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:1-7
In the world we live in there are constant distractions, so it’s hard to remain focused on Christ. TV, Social Media, and those around us are great examples of this. They are filled with ideas that are contradictory to our faith. Our days are filled with this shower of distractions, and it becomes addicting to become involved in such things. We are pushed further and further away from our faith. We as Christians must learn to push past this challenge, so as to pursue God. He is the one who troubles us “with every sort of distress” so that we may push past them, that we may be stronger. We must have the courage to make the leap into the unknown, and as Azariah said, we must “not let (our) hands be weak.” It’s scary for us, especially with a society and a world that is intent on making us as comfortable as possible in our sin, to put in the work of being a Christian. The temptation of this sin, this “comfort,” is temporary, and it’s part of our duty as Christians to have the courage and strength to move past this temptation. However, part of the challenge is also not falling back into the temptations of the world, like with the nation of Israel. Meditation, prayer, and reading your Bible help you understand what you are being tempted with so that you may better understand how to move past it. In this we can move forward.
Junior Jake Wilke
Prayer Focus:
- SCS Fine Arts Programs: Stephanie Annis, Barbara Beckwith, Micah Hunter, Vicki Lambert, Brian Phillips, Tina Riley
- Preschool – 6th Grade Concert tonight!
- Give thanks for the consequences of sin that move you to repentance at the foot of the cross.
- Revelation 5:12-14: Saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.