inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these
My brethren, you did it to Me.' "
(Matthew 25:40, NKJV)
MORNING DEVOTION- "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee..." (Psalm 63:1)
Scripture Reading: Acts 20:13-38
As we near the end of our journey together studying the important role prayer played in the early church, we find Paul getting ready to go onto Jerusalem and then eventually onto Rome, where his ministry will come to an end. Paul says goodbye to the elders at Ephesus, but takes time to exhort and care for the church, as was always his primary ministry. "I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches" (2 Corinthians 11:28). In his farewell address he reminds the leaders of the church of the work he had been called to do and the previous warnings he has given them. "So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears" (Acts 20:31). He exhorts them to be spiritual watchmen and to not let their guards down (reference Ezekiel 3:17). Paul then encourages them to continue the work they have been commissioned to carry forward. "Now I commit you to God and to the work of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (v.32). Finally, he called them to share all that they had with those in need. "We must help the weak" (v.35b).
Paul reminded the people of the importance of giving. At the heart of ministry is selfless, sacrificial giving which is the outflow of a heart that has experienced the extraordinary love of the Father who gives all good gifts, and a sincere desire to bless others out of the overflow of that love. He then took the opportunity to collect an offering to carry to the saints who were in need in Jerusalem. "At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need" (2 Corinthians 8:14). In our discussion yesterday, we read how Jesus met the needs of the people He was ministering to. When Jesus began His earthly ministry He read from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue: "The Spirit of the Lord in on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19; Isaiah 61:1,2). Jesus had come to free mankind from the bondage of sin and death by offering Himself as our sin-sacrifice on the cross. He gave up His throne and became a servant so we could be saved (reference Philippians 2:7); He became poor so that we could become rich (reference 2 Corinthians 8:9). He set the supreme example for us to follow, so that we might experience the blessing of taking up our cross and becoming a blessing to others. "May those who bless you be blessed" (Numbers 4:9b).
The Lord bears the burdens of His people and watches over His servants so that His kingdom work can be accomplished. Throughout Paul's ministry the Lord was near Paul (Acts 23:11); he was given the strength and help he needed to complete the work he had been called to do (reference Acts 18:9; 22:18; 27:23). Paul, who understood what it meant to be weak, and in need of the Lord's help to accomplish his ministry work, boasted of his weakness, for it revealed God's provision of strength. "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:9b). Paul encouraged the church to continue in the Lord's strength and to trust in His provision, sharing with others the blessings they had received from the Lord. Paul knew the Lord's work could only be done with the Lord's help, therefore he depended upon the prayers of the saints. When it was time to say goodbye he gathered them together to pray (reference Acts 20:36; 21:5). Of all the gifts we can give to others, our prayers provide the greatest power to meet their every need. May we pray and inquire of the Lord to show us how He would have us help meet the practical needs of the people He has brought into our lives with the time, talent, gifting, resources and spiritual blessings He has bestowed upon us.
Heavenly Father,
"Praise be to the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual
blessing in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)
"We who are strong ought to bear with
the failings of the weak" (Romans 15:1).
Give us great endurance
to pray fervently
for the blessings from Your hand that will
meet the many needs of the people
that You bring to our mind and place in our path today.
May I never fail to use the grace given to me
to proclaim "the unsearchable riches of Christ"
(Ephesians 3:8b).
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Jesus accomplished His ministry with open hands, an open heart (the love of the Father poured out upon the earth), and a surrendered will. He stretched out His arms and had those tender, benevolent hands nailed to the cross that we might gain access to the infinite riches of His kingdom. He touched a multitude of people with His selfless acts of kindness and love, and blessed the whole world with His ultimate sacrificial gift. He set the supreme example for His disciples to follow. "I have set you and example that you should do as I have done for you" (John 13:15). The entire ministry of Christianity is rooted in giving. Our heavenly Father gives generously to His children who ask. What we receive from the Father we are not to keep for ourselves. What He gives to the faithful stewards of His kingdom is meant to be poured out as a blessing to others. It is our duty as His children to keep that channel of blessing clear and open through repentance, so that we can continually receive and give. "Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8b). The destiny of the men is dependent upon the prayers of God's people. This morning let us enter our prayer closet and ask the Lord to clothe us with His power so we can pray down His blessings on the people He has placed in our lives and use us to reveal His glory on the earth.
As we come to the end of our prayer journey, we cannot help but praise God for all that He has revealed to us through His Word, and express our gratitude for these precious hours that have been carved out of our day to spend intimate time with our Lord. He has opened our hearts to an understanding of how vital it is that the children of God exercise their privilege to pray daily, and how critical it is that His Church become the "house of prayer" God has intended it to be. Over these past 40 days we have hopefully established a daily discipline of sincere and earnest prayer that has instilled in us an insatiable desire to advance the work of His kingdom. Throughout our journey we have realized that we, as true Christ followers, hold the keys to unlocking the doors of heaven; we have the ability in our prayers, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, to tap into the vast wealth of God's blessings and pour them out on all those in need. Through God's provision we have power to help the helpless when we ourselves find that we are otherwise helpless to meet their needs. We recognize that we are debtors who have no means to repay the great price that was paid to earn our freedom, other than offering our lives in complete surrender to the Lord and submitting ourselves to the holy labor of prayer, that the storehouse of heaven would be opened to pour out God's provision on all His people. "Letno debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another" (Romans 13:8a).
When Jesus called us to take up our cross and follow Him, it was a commission to follow in His footsteps and emulate the life He lived. All that we have been given through His mercy, grace, and love is to be poured into the lives of others. We are called to live as He lived; to serve as He served; to give as He gave. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from our own flesh and blood?" (Isaiah 58:6-7). When we set everything aside to seek the Lord with fasting and prayer, our ears become more in tune to our Masters' voice. Through our sacrifice and in our weakness the Lord is able to increase our sensitivity to the pain and suffering of others; as we wait on Him to provide our Spiritual nourishment each day we are drawn closer to the Father's heart and gain a greater understanding into the deeper more spiritual needs of the people He desires to help. It is here that we learn to pray His will for their lives and are able to lay hold of the heavenly resources they need to help them persevere when they are too weak to reach out themselves. As we continue to pray for all the many needs of the people in our life, let us pray that they would experience God's comfort and peace knowing that "love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8); and that they would not doubt God's love for them and realize that the Lord will never leave or forsake them. May we be willing to be used of God to express His love in a tangible way, as His hands and feet, to those in need; giving them an opportunity to experience God's infinite and abounding love through the kindness and generosity of His children!
Heavenly Father,
"You defend the cause of the fatherless
and the widow" (Deuteronomy 10:18).
Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD!
He rescues the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked" (Jeremiah 20:13)
Use us as Your hands and feet today, Lord Jesus,
to express You love and goodness to those in need.
You have blessed us to be a blessing to others.
Let our whole lives be lived in complete surrender
for the interests of Your kingdom alone,
so that the impoverished, persecuted,
starving, and suffering of the world may
experience Your peace, power, provision,
and salvation.
For the glory of Your name!
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
In the account of the widow's offering, recorded in Luke 21:1-4, we find an example of true sacrificial giving and faith. In ancient times, a widow had no security unless she had children who could care for her. This woman was a poor widow who gave everything she had to God. "This poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."Throughout the Scriptures we recognize the special care and concern the Lord has for the widow, the poor, the orphan, and the alien. In the account of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (reference 1 Kings 17:7-24), we read of God's miraculous provision for a widow and her son; even to the point of raising her son from the dead so she could have the security she needed. God used His prophet to show this widow how much He cared for her, and how He would provide for her daily needs. In Acts 6, we read how the widows were being overlooked, and how it was the responsibility of the church to care for them (Acts 6:1). As we pray this afternoon let us ask the Lord to give us a greater sensitivity and awareness of the needs of the people in our church or community. The expression of our commitment and love to, and faith in, God is expressed in our willingness to sacrifice and serve to meet the needs of others. "As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34b, 35).
EVENING MEDITATION -"...and on His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2)
Prayer Focus: The widow, the orphan, and the poor
We have been commanded by Christ to love one another; to love our neighbor as ourselves; and to provide for those in need. "For I desire mercy not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6a). The Scripture declares that the "religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after the orphans and widows..." (James 1:27). Jesus explained, that in the coming judgment those who would receive His inheritance would be those who gave of themselves to care for the needs of His people: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me" (Matthew 25:35-36). We have been shown what is required of us: "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8b). "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:2).
This evening, as we lift up the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the imprisoned, let us pray first and foremost that they would experience the love of the heavenly Father; and find all that they need in an intimate, abiding relationship with Christ Jesus. May we, as the church, not hold back the riches we have been given in Christ Jesus to bless the world with the love of God. "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk" (Acts 3:6). Let us pray for the heart of the Church to become reconnected to the Head, which is Christ, so that we will have a deeper sensitivity and growing compassion for the impoverished and perishing of the world. "But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish" (Psalm 9:18). Pray for open hearts and open pocketbooks to support the ministries in the church who meet the growing needs in the community. Pray for families who are facing unemployment, home foreclosure, and increasing debt to not be discouraged or lose hope realizing many people will find themselves in a place of trial and difficulty at some point in their lives and to trust God to provide for them and prepare them to be a source of help and strength for others in the future; pray they would have courage to ask for help. Pray for those who are lonely, hurting, hungry, and hopeless to be drawn to the church and be welcomed with open, loving arms. "This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles" (Psalm 34:6). Pray for families who have opened their hearts to adoption; pray that the financial needs would be met for more Christian families to adopt. Pray for protection, and for financial and personnel provision of adoption agencies and orphanages around the world. Pray for those in prison to experience the forgiveness of Christ; that they also would be able to resist sin, experience restoration, and receive encouragement against loneliness.
Practical things you can do as you commit to praying for the widow, the orphan, the poor and the imprisoned: Pray to have an open heart to respond to their needs, and an open ear to hear what the Lord would have you to do specifically to meet those needs in your own sphere of influence. Look for opportunities for how you can help your local homeless shelter, women's shelters, transition homes, food pantry's, and with other ministries and missions that care for the homeless and those who find themselves temporarily in a difficult place financially. Pray about ministry opportunities you can bring to your church to help meet the needs of your community. Contact your local agencies and find out what their needs are; most have a list of food, clothing, and hygiene items they need on a regular basis. "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land" (Deuteronomy 15:11). Pray fervently and faithfully for your local homeless shelters, orphanages, adoption agencies, and prisons. Look for opportunities to serve or to give financially. Consider having your children's ministry or child's class do a service project to help gather supplies for a homeless or women's shelter, or food pantry, in your community. "He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know Me?" (Jeremiah 22:16). Pray for the growing number of the poor and homeless in our nation; especially children and teens who are on the streets. We need the Lord's wisdom and discernment to know how to meet the many needs, and to have the necessary resources and funds to accomplish this mission. Pray for the church to be blessed with the power and freedom to fulfill their mandate to help the poor and the needy; and for protection from government intrusion as well as the threat to the 501c3 charitable status of churches and ministries in the aftermath of the recent same-sex marriage ruling (Pray for The Beckett Fund, Alliance Defending Freedom, ACLJ, Family Research Council, American Family Association, and many others organizations and ministries which fight to protect and preserve our religious freedoms so the Church and these ministries can continue to operate and fulfill God's commands). Pray for orphanages and adoption agencies around the world to have their financial needs met to be able to care for the growing number of fatherless children; pray also for protection from legislation that enforces rules that go against their mission and have caused adoption agencies to close their doors and other ministries to seek legal protection (see "Little Sisters of the Poor"). Pray for favor and financial provision for more Christian families to adopt children from around the world. Pray for Christian ministries and organizations like World Vision, Compassion International, Samaritans Purse, Fred Jordan Missions (on skid row in Los Angeles), Jordan Outreach International in the Coachella Valley, Prison Fellowship, Christ in Action, and a host of other ministries that meet the spiritual and physical needs of those affected by poverty, natural disaster, and war. "Listen my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised to those who love Him?" (James 2:5).
Heavenly Father
Help us to administer true justice;
to show mercy and compassion to one another,
and to not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
the alien or the poor" (Zechariah 7:9-10);
May our hearts be moved to spend ourselves on
behalf of the hungry and to satisfy the needs of
the oppressed (Isaiah 58:10a).
Thank You for Your promise that
"The poor will eat and be satisfied" (Psalm 22:26)
"Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are those who hunger now, for they will be satisfied."
(Luke 6:20, 21a).
Thank You for satisfying our souls with Your salvation.
"Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.
I will praise You as long as I live,
and in Your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise You" (Psalm 63:3-5)
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Tomorrow we will end our 40-day prayer journey with a day of prayer and fasting. Jewish tradition observes days of fasting from sundown to sundown (You may choose to begin your fast day at sundown this evening and break your fast at sundown Friday evening in observance of Shabbat). Whether you offer a full day, part of the day, or a meal, please continue in prayer morning, noon, and evening on this final day of our journey as we continue united, to stand in the gap for a spirit of repentance, and an awakening to the necessity of prayer, to fall upon the Church, and a revival of holiness to fall upon our nation. May God grant us the petition of our heart, which has become enlarged because we have come in contact and been filled with deeper levels of the Father's Love these past few weeks as we have sat with our Teacher in His school of prayer, for every believer to return to their First Love (with greater zeal and passion and complete surrender to the will of the Father), and repent and do the things we did at first (as the pilgrims, settlers, and founding fathers of our nation did), so that the Lord will heal our land and return our lampstand to its place so we can remain a beacon of light for the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the hope of the world.
Let us take time this evening to offer praise the Lord for His faithful love, presence, power, and provision as His Spirit has guided us through His Word into deeper levels of intimacy and dependence upon Him in this season of prayer.
