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Posts tagged ‘authority’

Aug 28

Isaiah 40:28

Isaiah DeclarationsFriday, August 28, 2020

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.”

Personal note: I can just see the shake of His head and the hear the sadness in His voice as the Lord once again asks if anything He’s done for us has registered in our hearts. The earth, the oceans, the mountains, the stars, and best of all, each and every one of His beautiful children were created in His wisdom and through and for His glory. He is beyond measuring, and yet His greatest desire is an intimate relationship with each one of us. Of all He’s created, His most marvelous treasure is found in us and our capability to love Him back.

  • We marvel at Your brilliance, Lord. You’ve known each and every one of us since the foundation of the world. Before You flung the universe and named the stars, You saw our faces and You knew our names. How magnificent You are!
  • Open our ears to hear Your voice. Open our eyes to see You in our world and in each other. Open our minds to calculate, compute, reason and understand, but most especially open our hearts to receive Your love and give it back to You.
  • Our lives have limited days, but Yours are forever. Help us extract the most from You each day. Give us wisdom to number our days. (Ps 90:12) Thank You, Jesus, that You never age or change. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb 13:8)
  • We are weak and weary at times, Lord. Stresses of life, responsibilities, unforeseen events weaken our resolve and drain our resilience. You are never weak or weary. Call us to rest in You. Revive us when we find You. Remind us, yet once again, of Your love.
  • Today, we ask for Your intervention with souls dear to us who still refuse to acknowledge You and Your lordship in their lives. We know You’ve spoken to them time and time again, but Lord, we appeal to You once more. Save their souls. Draw them to Truth and Salvation.
  • During these days of disruption, division, disunity, and destruction, we ask for Your intervention in our cities and nation. Awaken the sleeping church to appeal to heaven in prayer. Raise up godly men and women into positions of authority in local, state, and national government positions. Protect our nation from the evil one and his influence. Reestablish Yourself in this nation: One Nation Under God!

Aug 26

Isaiah 40:26

Isaiah DeclarationsWednesday, August 26, 2020

“Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.”

Personal note: OMG as the saying goes! Can you just imagine anyone on this earth in all its ancient and recent history being able to do something like this? No way, no sir, couldn’t happen. Only a GREAT God could do something like this! I close my eyes and just imagine His throne room as He looks upon our night sky and says: “Come, Orion, Ursa Major-over there and Ursa Minor-just there, give Little Dipper a little more room and make sure your North Star is visible to the sea vessels. Leo, you roar over this area and Crux, shine your southern cross the brightest tonight.” (See 5 Constellations)

  • Oh Lord, how magnificent you are! You determine the number of the stars and name each one. (Ps 147:4)
  • We bow our heads in amazement that out of the billions of souls now living on this earth, You see each soul individually and You’ve tracked them all day long, moment by moment and have thought about each and every one of them. (Ps 139:18)
  • Forgive us for making You so small. Forgive us for losing sight of Your power, Your creativity, Your marvelous ways. Forgive us for taking Your creation and our world for granted.
  • Help us to be mindful of You throughout our days and nights. Don’t let one day pass without acknowledging our gratitude for what You’ve given to us.
  • Just as You’ve named each star, You know the names of every person-past, present, and future. Today we call upon Your mercy to draw each lost soul to You. As they look up into the night sky, let their wonderment be new again. Let them ask “If there is a God…” and You answer, “Yes, I am.” Holy Spirit, speak to their hearts about Jesus. Cause divine appointments, speak to them in dreams, use a song, a conversation, a message, whatever will speak to them.
  • We marvel at Your world and ask for Your mercy on those areas facing natural disasters from fire, wind, floods, and hurricanes. Protect first-responders, cause provisions to be sent, guard lives and property, and be a help to Your people.

Aug 25

Isaiah 40:25

Isaiah DeclarationsTuesday, August 25, 2020

“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.

Personal note: The key in this verse to me is actually the name of God: Holy One. It’s the Hebrew word, qadosh, meaning sacred, holy. Of the 118 times it’s used in the OT, 50 times it’s translated “holy” and 44 times it’s translated “holy one” where God Himself or others describe Him. I immediately thought of Isaiah 6 where Isaiah had a vision of God on His throne with the seraphim above the throne crying out, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.” Wow. These angels had 6 wings, but note, 2 covered their faces and 2 covered their feet. Can you imagine if we saw the Lord in all His holy glory? I shake my head to think of it as I’m sure I would be flat on my face! And really, isn’t that the point?

  • Who are we that You should look upon us and care for us, and yet, You do, Lord. Our hearts are so grateful. We magnify Your Holy name with our own declaration of holy, holy, holy.
  • Forgive us, Lord. Forgive our nation. Forgive our leaders, both religious and secular for failing to recognize You as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. We stand in the gap and ask You to heal our land.
  • Awaken our eyes. Help us to see why it is so dark today in our cities, in our schools and in our homes. Grant us discernment so that our prayers are targeted. Partner with us, Holy Spirit, as we pray in our prayer language.
  • For all those who have had failed relationships, poor parenting, abuse, and ill-treatment from any source, we ask YOU to be their Source! May Your love bring comfort, guidance, healing, and provision as their Holy One.
  • We continue to stand against the darkness, the evil doctrines, the false narratives of this present world. Be high and lifted up, Lord. Show us Your glory. May Your goodness and mercy be seen and honored. (Exodus 33)
  • There is none like You! (Song)

Aug 23

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Isaiah 40:23

Isaiah 40

Sunday, August 23, 2020

“He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.”

Personal note: “The great people” in other versions is translated as princes with the Hebrew word, razan, meaning weighty, judicious, or commanding. My thoughts immediately went Daniel 2:21 where it says he removes kings and sets up kings and gives wisdom and understanding as He chooses. How many times in the Word have we seen this very thing? Saul/David, Adonijah/Solomon, Ahab/Jorem, Babylon’s King/Cyrus, to name but a few. I am reminded as we are in the midst of this Covid-19 pandemic that those who “rule” over us set the rules and regulations that govern our lives and families. I would bet that many in charge–whether local, state, regional or national–have no clue that they will be judged on how they have cared for us during this time. I am also reminded of Paul’s letter to Timothy with its exhortation to pray for kings and all those in authority. (1 Tim 2:2)

  • Lord, it is our greatest wish to live tranquil and peaceful lives with all godliness as Paul advised Timothy. Help our hearts to look past their failures and pray for our leaders’ successes. For our sakes, give them wisdom and heavenly strategy.
  • We ask for Your wisdom and authority over our educational system particularly. Spur these educators into excellence, especially in communication. Mothers and fathers have been whipped-sawed over how to help their children in this confusing, scary, overwhelming time. Pour out an even greater anointing upon these parents to raise their children in this environment. Provide the necessary tools whether back to class, home-schooling, video-training, pod classes, or tutors. Guide their teachers and administrators. Defeat their own fears with faith. Let those who know You shine with brightness. Give them Your perfect solutions to help parents and children.
  • We stand against the father of lies and the author of confusion, “the forever loser” as Pastor Tim Sheets calls him. He was defeated at Calvary. Jesus now has the keys and He’s given the key ring to us, His church on earth. Ignite our hearts with Your prayers, Holy Spirit, as we operate with the authority You’ve given us. Help us to pray alongside You for righteousness, freedom, courage, strength, vision, and prosperity of our souls as well as our spirits and bodies.
  • Help us especially to watch our mouths in the days ahead. It is so easy to have opinions on how things should be done. Give us a nudge when we’re about to go too far. Let no word curses be heard from our mouths. (Psalm 59:12) This is especially true in the election season we are in, with the unrest in our cities, with false narratives being published, and with two sides to every decision of our lives: work, school, church, finances, leisure. Every area of our society has been affected and infected. Help us to remain humble and pure of heart that our prayers would be heard AND answered. You show Your favor to the humble. (James 4:6)

Aug 22

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Isaiah 40:22

Isaiah 40

Saturday, August 22, 2020

“God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them.”

Personal note: I really spent some time on this verse. Prior verses have pointed to His creation and that no one or thing compares to Him and what/who He has created. But this verse brings to mind two things: 1) From a natural perspective, we probably do look like grasshoppers. 2) The curtain speaks to me of a barrier, a veil, something He can “hide” behind and His tent speaks to me of His tabernacle, His dwelling place. BUT! I also marvel like David that He has crowned us with glory and honor (Ps 8:4,), He knows my name (Ps 91:14), AND He removes the veil when we turn to Him (2 Cor 3:16).

  • We enthrone You on our praise today, Lord. There is no one on earth or in heaven like You. Great is Your name. You are worthy of all our praise.
  • Look down upon our beautiful world today with its blue oceans, high peaks, deserts, and green valleys. Outstretch Your mighty arm towards those fires in California and beyond. Guide the fire fighters, protect them and the land and property, and extinguish these destructive fires. Save lives!
  • Guide those in Iowa and surrounding areas that are trying to pull the pieces together after that derecho hit them. Reestablish power quickly to those areas that lack. Provide for the families and businesses that have to be rebuilt.
  • May Your gaze be upon our cities that have erupted in riots and anarchy. We call upon Your justice and mercy, for You are both. Condemn the lawlessness, convict the slow-to-act, give strength, wisdom and leadership to those who have Your rule in their hearts. Give them a platform to speak reason and rationality into the chaos.
  • Lord, remove the veil on our hearts first and then remove the veil on Your heavens. Holy Spirit, guide us into all truth.
  • We recognize that You have all authority and that you have delegated authority here on earth to Your Church, help us to walk with grace, with love, and with wisdom.
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