Our Daily Bread July 22
Seeking God’s Help / By: Amy Boucher Pye We will stand in your presence . . . and will cry out to you in our distress.
2 Chronicles 20:9
Today's Scripture & Insight:
2 Chronicles 20:5–12,15 (NIV):
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front of the new courtyard 6 and said:
“LORD, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’
10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
For five years in the late 1800s, grasshoppers descended on Minnesota, destroying the crops. Farmers tried trapping the grasshoppers in tar and burning their fields to kill the eggs. Feeling desperate, and on the brink of starvation, many people sought a statewide day of prayer, yearning to seek God’s help together. The governor relented, setting aside April 26 to pray.
In the days after the collective prayer, the weather warmed and the eggs started to come to life. But then four days later a drop in temperature surprised and delighted many, for the freezing temperatures killed the larvae. Minnesotans once again would harvest their crops of corn, wheat, and oats.
Prayer was also behind the saving of God’s people during the reign of King Jehoshaphat. When the king learned that a vast army was coming against him, he called God’s people to pray and fast. The people reminded God how He’d saved them in times past. And Jehoshaphat said that if calamity came upon them, “whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine,” they would cry out to God knowing that He would hear and save them (2 Chronicles 20:9).
God rescued His people from the invading armies, and He hears us when we cry out to Him in distress. Whatever your concern—whether a relationship issue or something threatening from the natural world—lift it to God in prayer. Nothing is too hard for Him.
Today’s Hymns:
Let go and let God
God Who Listens
Scripture and Respond:
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Psalm 28:7
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
Reflection:
When you call to God for help in distress, do you believe He will listen to our prayers? Today, which concerns, be they your own or of the world, would you like to lift to God in prayers?
We can tell God everything we need. We can pray for everything, even for our greatest difficulties.
Prayer:
Dear God, Creator of all things, you created the world and everything in it. Please restore the order in it and save the people you love. Please strengthen my heart and help me believe firmly that whatever my concern—whether a relationship issue or something threatening from the natural world— I can lift it to You in prayer because nothing is too hard for You.
Wong Wai Tung (Chief Executive Officer of The Great Wall Education Foundation) & Sam Chow (Administrative Officer of The Great Wall Education Foundation) Reflection and prayer translated by Jenny Hung
