MEMORISE:
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. James 4:3
READ: 1 Kings 2:13-24
13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
14 He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.
15 And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD.
16 And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.
17 And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.
18 And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.
19 Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.
20 Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay.
21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.
22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.
23 Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
24 Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.
MESSAGE
Prayer is a special medium, a divine frequency by which Christians communicate with God. It is also a very powerful weapon of spiritual warfare. Prayer is well recognized as a means of walking with the Almighty God. Meanwhile, walking is a kind of journey, and while there are many kinds, there is none more blessed and productive than a prayer journey. Simple prayers offered by individual or a group of people were responsible for many of the great miracles and moves of God in different parts of the world as seen in history.
Today’s Bible passage shows that we could desire something even to the point of killing for it. However, fighting a war does not guarantee our getting what we desire; the only guarantee is prayer.
Access to the prayer request of individuals may betray their innermost desires, lusts, and personal ambitions. Every Christian must critically watch and tailor his/her prayer request in line with the word of God. According to the memory verse also, one major reason for unanswered prayer is the basis of human lusts.
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” 1John 5:14
Today, the fruit and gifts of the Spirit are only evident in the lives of very few Christians. Many genuinely born-again Christians, though not living a sinful life, are cold and operating far below Heaven’s expectations for various reasons. We need a revival in the Church, from the very top to the last member! I pray that God will revive His Church again, break through our self-centered daily routines, and fill us with the fire of revival as of old, in the Name of Jesus.
What do your prayer requests reveal about you?
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please kindle my fire of prayer and guide me to pray in Your will always, in the mighty Name of Jesus.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Kings 20-21
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 25: ROCK OF AGES, CLEFT FOR ME.
1. Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save from wrath and make me pure.
2. Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.
3. Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.
4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eyes shall close in death,
When I rise to worlds unknown,
And behold Thee on Thy throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
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