Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture today is 2 Chronicles 1:10 (NIV).

Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?

An earlier account of Solomon’s request in 1 Kings 3:9 is nearly an exact quote: “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” Solomon asked for wisdom over wealth or power. He later wrote in Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” He asked for God’s guidance instead of human things. Jesus tells us this in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” This is the call He places on our lives – love God, love neighbor, make disciples.

Loving Lord, help us to trust in Your wisdom and strength and not our own selfish thoughts. May we be Your face, hands and heart to all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture today is 1 Chronicles 28:10 (NIV).

Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.

David has instruction to pass to his son Solomon, whom God has selected as the next king and the one to build the temple. David doesn’t talk about royal privilege or power. He speaks of duty and responsibility, to God and His people. This is what separated David and Solomon from so many of their successors: they may not have always acted perfectly, but they were repentant when they sinned and asked forgiveness. David says Solomon has been chosen by God. He has chosen us all as His children and calls us by name to follow Him.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times our selfish choices harm our relationship with You and others. Forgive us, and bless us to be aware of our call to share Your love. Amen.

Our scripture today is 1 Chronicles 22:10 (NIV).

He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.

Here is another promise from God regarding David’s royal line. It was also a gentle “no” to David, who had planned to build God’s temple in Jerusalem. God has chosen David’s son Solomon to succeed him as king and tasked him with the building of the temple, which he accomplished. God is giving him and the people a chance to re-establish the relationship they once had and live as an example of God’s love and care to the world. Sadly, the next generations forgot their connection to the Lord and in the end, the temple was destroyed in the Exile.

Gracious God, forgive us when we allow our vision to replace Yours, and go our own way. Heal us and send us to share the joy of Your salvation with the world. Amen.

I got the staples out of my incisions today, but still have another three weeks of home rest after back surgery. Things look good and I’m grateful and trying to be patient. Thank you for prayers!

Our scripture today is 1 Chronicles 17:13-14 (NIV).

I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.

Today’s passage is often termed the Davidic Covenant, God’s promise to David that the Messiah was to come from his royal line. We read the same words in 2 Samuel 7:15 “But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.” David has been loyal to God, but not perfect. However, when he sinned he admitted his wrongdoing and asked forgiveness. God loves David as He loves us all, but there is a special bond as with Abraham and Moses. David is a fallible human leader who makes mistakes, but he relies on God’s word and His strength.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we go our own way, rather than the path You have prepared for us. Bless us to go in Your name to share the Gospel everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture today is 1 Chronicles 13:3-4 (NIV).

“Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul.” The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.

In the Gospels we read separate accounts of the same stories of Jesus from different people. 1 and 2 Chronicles are similar in that they repeat stories from 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings but by a different author. In this passage David encourages the people to bring the Ark of the Lord back. This story also appears in 2 Samuel 6. Repeated stories in scripture occur because they are important and sadly, we rarely get the lesson the first time. God reaches out to us in a variety of ways through various means and people that we might hear His message.

Patient and persistent Lord, we are sorry we are so hard of hearing when it comes to the lessons You send us. Awaken us in body and spirit that we may share Your love with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture today is 1 Chronicles 11:3 (NIV).

When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.

Scripture takes us back to the anointing of King David and the hope it gave the people. This was a gift from God. Even though choosing an earthly king was not what He wanted for us, He is involved in the process. David makes a covenant with God and the people, but as we know, he is human and fallible just as the rest of us. When we follow our own path instead of what the Lord chooses for us, the results are never good. He doesn’t abandon us but waits patiently for us to return in repentance.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Jesus to save us from our sin. Bless us to be the disciples of today, going where You send us in love. Amen.

Our scripture today is 1 Chronicles 1:1-4 (ESV).

Adam, Seth, Enosh; Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared; Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech; Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Chronicles 1 & 2 retell the story of David and the first kings. While it speaks of the past, it is actually a jump to the future – it was written after the exile in Babylon to remind the people of their history and their relationship with God. It begins with a genealogy that lists their forefathers, a reminder that we are connected to each other as well. We will hear more detail on stories we have heard before, and some we haven’t. God has a purpose in His teaching and plans for our lives.

Heavenly Father, sometimes we need to remember from where we have come and our link to You in the past. We also need to look to the future, asking Your guidance and strength as we go. Bless us to share Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture today is 2 Kings 24:10 (ESV).

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

The people have become like all the nations around them. God warned them against having an earthly king, that they would go down the path of worldly conflict. Now God allows them to experience what being part of that chaos really means. Both Israel and Judah fall to outside invaders and it will be many years before they return to the land God gave them. God is with them still, hoping the lesson will be effective.

Gracious God, even when we are selfish and disobedient, You stand ready to welcome us back when we acknowledge our sin and repent. Bless us to tell others of Your love and forgiveness. Amen.

Our scripture today is 2 Kings 17:13 (ESV).

Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”

God has tried to reach His people through the years by a variety of means. Now they have brought themselves to ruin. Israel is overrun by Assyria, and Babylon will soon do the same to Judah. God has not forsaken them, but much like their wilderness experience, they need to learn to rely on God and not themselves or any idol they create. The new wilderness of exile from the Promised Land is a reminder of the expulsion from Eden, but also a chance to repent and renew their connection with the Lord.

Gracious God, we are sorry for our willful disobedience and our separation from You. Forgive us and bless us to be energetic disciples, sharing Your love with the world. Amen.

Our scripture today is 2 Kings 2:9 (ESV).

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”

God gave Elijah three tasks to accomplish in 1 Kings 19:15-16: annoint a new king for Israel, annoint a new king for Judah, and annoint Elisha as the new prophet. Now as Elijah prepares to go with God, Elisha asks for “a double portion of your spirit.” In that society the eldest son was given a double portion of the inheritance, but with these resources came responsibility to care for the family. Like Solomon asking for wisdom, Elisha asks that he may be a worthy successor to Elijah and take responsibility for the family of God.

Loving Lord, help us to see the responsibility we bear in creation, to care for what we have been given, especially each other. May we be good stewards of all Your gifts, but more importantly, good siblings to all our brothers and sisters. Amen.