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Judges |
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| Chapter 1 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 12 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 2 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 13 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 3 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 14 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 4 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 15 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 5 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 16 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 6 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 17 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 7 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 18 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 8 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 19 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 9 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 20 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 10 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 21 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 11 | Prayer | Devotional |
God of Our Fathers, from Judah You gave the best of all leaders. He has won the battle for us against an overwhelming foe. You repay Your enemies according to their evil, but You have made a way for us to live in the Promised Land. We have a place of blessing far better than Canaan. We have discovered streams of living water in Jesus Christ, and we have been refreshed. Fill us with Your Spirit, and lead us on in the work that You have for us. Your people of old did not finish their work. Many of the Canaanites were not driven out of the land. We too have much good work in accord with the gospel of grace. Have we become complacent about our labors in the gospel? Our job is not yet completed. Help us to have hope and strength in You, for each day has enough trouble of its own, and we quickly become very weary in well-doing. Our confidence is in You alone.
Father God, we have been delivered from the bondage of sin, yet we have not obeyed Your voice as we should. We thank You for the measure of sanctification that You have granted to us already, but we are ashamed of our sin. Help us to remember day by day what Your Son has accomplished for us. If we forget You, we will surely worship idols and turn down paths that will be both fruitless and dangerous. We thank You for our great Deliverer and Savior Jesus Christ. Send Him to us when we would be foolish and lazy, and turn us back to the way of Your Word. Father, in our current weakness and sin there is a test that is too difficult for us to pass. Fill us with Your Spirit that we might serve You as redeemed men, and not as foolish beasts.
Lord God, this is a time of war for Your church. We do not use the weapons of this world. Nor do we struggle against flesh and blood. Nonetheless, help us to be aware of the spiritual battle that is raging all around us. If You bring us into some difficulty or oppression, You surely have a purpose in this time of trouble. Teach us to turn away from worldliness. All the food that the earth has to offer can never bring us the happiness that our hearts desire. There is a Bread that comes from heaven that is of far greater worth than all the wealth and possessions of men. This Bread is Jesus, and He has brought us life. We eagerly take into our hearts the sustenance that comes only from Him. Help us to believe that we have victory even now through Jesus. Save Your people from the hands of those who seek to destroy us.
O God, our base impulses would destroy us. Sometimes the deadly yield of lust comes almost immediately. On other occasions the disease lurks deep in our flesh and destroys us many years later. Either way, this sin is so dangerous to our spiritual and physical health. Teach us how to have a proper enjoyment of the good gifts that You have granted to us. Show us the way of love and submission between godly men and women. We see one pattern among the men of this world. They would abuse women and treat them as disposable objects and not as companions to be cherished and blessed. They do not understand that their ways lead only to death. They are so easily fooled. They leave the path of safety and are soon captured by someone who comes softly to them. They lie down in their weakness and are overcome by the hand of death. Thank you for the courageous women that You have granted to Your church. Teach the men of the church to lead in righteous ways, forsaking all evil and laziness.
Our Father, may godly men be willing to take the lead within Your church for the glory of Your Name. We thank You for our one great Leader, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our confidence is in Him. We are in the midst of a great spiritual battle. We need Your help. May we not be those who sit out the fight, or hide in a place that seems peaceful. You have granted to us Your Word, sacraments, and prayer as good weapons in this struggle. Gather us together in the use of these good gifts. Thank You for strong and courageous women who are willing to work with us in Your congregations. We do not struggle against flesh and blood. We pray for those who are being deceived by the evil one. We pray that many will be rescued from the one who comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. May Satan and his demonic host perish at just the right time, O Lord. May Your friends be like the sun that rises in its might. Bring forward the great day of resurrection life for Your church. Grant that Your Son will reign as King over His church forever and ever.
Sovereign Lord, what will You do when we pursue evil ways in Your sight? Surely You love us enough to challenge us in our errors. You may even send an enemy against us to teach us lessons that cannot be learned in times of peace and prosperity. Train us to call out to You for a Savior. We are too fearful of men in times of difficulty. Make Your church a mighty congregation of valor. Grant us eyes to see the signs of Your presence all around us. Help us see the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ with new eyes day by day. You are with us. Your Son is still alive. Grant us a new awareness of the peace that He has won for us. We have peace with You, and peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we do not have peace with idolatry. Make us strong for the tearing down of unlawful altars within our hearts and lives. Clothe us with Your Spirit that we might find new courage that can only come from You. Purify our consciences from past sin, and grant us daily repentance and faith as a sign of Your abiding love.
Lord God Almighty, You are very capable of helping us through every challenge. You can win a great victory with even fewer men than Gideon’s small army of 300. Have You not won the greatest battle of all time through the weakness of One Man? Did not the Son of Man slay a legion of adversaries through His death on the cross? You are the one who grants true spiritual courage to Your church. You have shown us much evidence of Your greatness and faithfulness. Open our eyes and ears to Your glory and love. We worship You with confidence in Your promises. Come quickly, great Lord of Hosts. Win the battle against fear and disappointment that rages within our souls. If we will resist the devil, He will flee from us. Why are we slow to do this? Build up Your church even in our day. Help us to be faithful to Your call in every situation of trouble that we face. You are surely with us.
Our Lord, forgive us for our disputes and divisions that are unnecessary and fruitless. Have we brought trouble upon Your people without cause? We repent of our sins against the purity and peace of Your church. Thank You for our great Leader, the Lord Jesus Christ. May He always lead us forward in the spiritual battles that rage around us. To Him belongs all power and dominion. He is the Lord, and He is the true King over Your people. Protect us even in the day of victory, lest we become like great Gideon of old. He won a great victory over his enemies, but then fell in the snare of his own foolish idolatry. Protect us from our impulse to exalt ourselves to the hurt of Your covenant community.
Father God, even from within our own families it is sadly possible that an enemy may arise who causes great trouble within Your church. We do not want some false and brutal Abimelech to force Himself upon us after a great Gideon is gone. Help us to hold fast to this truth: that Your Son is forever King over Your people. We want no other king but Jesus Christ. When we insist on ruthless men ruling over us, men who lust for power, they will surely bring violence and misery upon Your family. Give us zeal, not for strong men who insist that they are in charge, but for humble leaders who are most bold in seeking You and in following the commandments of Your Son. What shall we do now if we have foolishly sought leaders who are not godly men? Deliver us from evil that is too strong for us. You have told us that we are to submit to You and to resist the devil. Your promise is that our adversary will then flee from us. We claim this promise with confidence. You will purify Your Kingdom. Our hope is in Your Son, no matter how intimidating wicked men may seem to be who have usurped positions of leadership in Your church. You are able to bring a millstone on the neck of the man who troubles Your household.
Sovereign Lord, the generations come and go, and Your kingdom moves forward. Even our depravity will not ultimately stop Your holy will. How much suffering do we bring upon ourselves by our continual sin? What have foreign gods ever done for us? They are only a snare to us. We have sinned against You. Please deliver us from the trap of false worship even now. We ask You for godly leaders who will seek You, find You, obey You, and lead us as we follow Jesus Christ together.
Lord God, You can raise up a child of no consequence to be a man of Christ-like spiritual leadership. Who is the mighty man? Give us men who trust Christ boldly and who know the history of Your dealings with Your people. Is it only for naïve young men to desire positions of leadership in Your church? Surely there must be a place for patient men who have learned of the power of Your Word through godly experience. Our enemies may seem overwhelming to us, but You can provide a Savior who is our Helper forever. He sends forth under-shepherds who fight the good fight for Your flock in holy prayer and consecrated living. Such men find that the fight may be very costly for them and for their loved ones. What will happen to the sons and daughters of those who serve You in accord with Your calling? May we carefully consider the cost of serving You, and then do so with joy. Surely we can trust You for our own lives and the lives of our children, for Your promise is not only to us, but also to the young ones in our charge. We believe Your Word, and we wait with all of creation for the unveiling of the sons of God in resurrection glory.
Sovereign Lord, will trouble await the man who serves You faithfully? We understand that the world will resist Your truth, but what can we do when those who name the Name of Christ act with even less faith than the children of the devil? Surely it will not go well with Your church if we are led by faithless and lazy leaders. Surely we cannot safely follow those who call evil good, and good evil, and who are always ready to strike down the godly.
Blessed Lord, You have given a Son; a child is born. Shall a kingdom be born in a day? When Your Son was born a kingdom came. When He returns to deliver us from the curse, we will see that kingdom in its fullness. The conception of Your Son was a great miracle. You have testified to His greatness in Your Word. You have prepared us for our holy Savior through the Word of the Old Testament. Your Son came as the fulfillment of every wonderful hint of a coming Redeemer. He is our great Samson, announced by an angel, and worshipped forever by the host of heaven. Surely it is not Your intention to kill Your people with eternal destruction. By Your powerful Spirit, stir us up in holy service for the glory of Your Name, and for the vindication of Your righteousness and Your mercy.
Glorious Lord, keep our eyes focused on Your Son. Your ways are mysterious to us. How could it be that a Samson seeks a wife from the Philistines, and this plan is somehow from You? The events of our lives are similarly puzzling to us. We might expect that Your ways would be above our ways. Yet we are surprised to find such amazing experiences in the lives of men of faith in the Bible. We marvel at You. Evil men have their plans. They pressure others to do things against the Lord, and against themselves and their loved ones. So many things seem to go wrong, and yet You still work Your holy judgments against the enemies of Your people. We stand in awe of Your wisdom and Your power.
Father God, there is a great battle that is raging. We have a Solo Warrior who has done amazing things to work Your holy will. He came as our mighty Leader. No man had the courage or ability to work alongside Him. Forgive us, Lord, for we are so easily overtaken by fear. Left to ourselves we would surely have given up the fight so long ago. You are the great unseen Strongman for Your church. You deliver her out of every trouble.
Great God, there is a sin that so easily besets us. Even the greatest leaders of Your people face the challenge of entangling depravity. You work out your mighty purposes despite our obvious failures. Why do we continually return to places of temptation as if we were invincible? Will our souls be vexed until our weakness becomes our downfall? Why are we so easily fooled by those who hate You? Yet You will not be utterly defeated. In Your Son’s death, His enemies imagined that they had surely won the battle against their powerful foe. Yet this was the crowing achievement of His life of perfect obedience. His death on the cross was the greatest victory that He had ever accomplished. Throughout the days of His earthly ministry He brought life and healing to many, but the life that He won for us through His death was far beyond the life that He had given to His people through all of His earlier deeds of power. In this one decisive moment in the history of salvation, our strong Deliverer accomplished the redemption of His people.
Our Father, there is a way that seems right to a man, but it is full of presumptuous sin. No matter how holy we think that way is, and no matter how we decorate a false road with many beautiful idols, it is still so very wrong. It is not the way of our King. We must give careful attention to Your Word, and not merely do what is right in our own eyes. We have a Priest who is over Your house. The way that He leads according to Your Word is the only safe way for Your children.
Lord God Almighty, there are crowds of people who claim Your Name, but many are only committed to violence and sin. It will never be safe for us to be in league with such men. There are those who call themselves brothers, but their lives are only examples of disorderly living, and they will not listen to any correction. You have warned us that bad company will not lead us to health in Christ. We need the help of true spiritual companions. We especially need a safe and close relationship with You alongside others who are willing to hear Your Word. Please provide us with such a company of believers in Your church. As our children grow and move on to new avenues of opportunity and service, grant to them healthy spiritual companionship, and protect them from evil men who are committed to violence and idolatry. Grant that we will submit to You, and that we will have new strength to resist the devil, that He might flee from us. Build Your church, and bless us with wisdom, that we will be engaged forever in holy and obedient worship.
Lord God Almighty, when there was no king in Israel, the people seemed to forget that You were King. There is a King in Your church today, the Lord Jesus Christ. Why do we act as if we have no king? Will we give ourselves over to immorality and to folly? There can be no health in Your church until we are willing to hear and obey Your Word. The truth of the Scriptures must direct us in our homes, in Your church, and in every sphere of our lives. There is a world of sin all around us, and it has found fertile soil for evil in our hearts and lives. We forget about the beauty of Your gift of marriage, and pursue strange and cruel behaviors that have no place among Your people. Is this a secret? Is it not a fact that should be obvious to all, that even in Your church we have given ourselves over to gross worldliness and immorality? Heal us, and save us, for evil is closing in all around us, and we are weak.
Our Father, the consequences of sin have been revealed to us from the beginning. We know that the wages of sin is death. We see much trouble because of the evil that has taken hold within Your church. We think of ways of fighting against this enemy, but we forget that the disease is also in us. Thank You for the perfect solution to evil around us and within us in the cross of Christ. His death was an atoning sacrifice. The solution for us is not in the destruction of men, but the renewal of our hearts and minds by the work of Your Holy Spirit. If we attack one another because of sin, there will be no end to the destruction all around us. If we remember that we have died to sin in the death of Christ, we will also be reminded that the free gift that we have from Your hand is true life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Help us to walk in the way of life as those who know that we do not battle against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities from angelic realms that seek an ugly victory for evil in our lives. The decisive battle has already been fought on the cross. Our Savior has defeated sin and death, and we have been claimed according to Your mercy and justice. You have determined that Christ’s obedience and death would be counted as ours through faith in Him. Fill us with Your Spirit again today, and grant that we would pursue the mortification of our flesh as we seek the righteousness that can only come from You. Put to death the evil within us according to the power of Christ at work in our lives and in Your church.
Father God, after we have accused others of sin and taken vengeance against the wicked, who will be left alive? Surely we need a way of grace, for we have not made an end to the practice of sin in our lives. Keep us from making up our own solutions to the discipline with which You are graciously chastening us. Help us to see the way of faith and repentance again, so that we will not pursue our own wild plans to gain for ourselves a life and a future. Your Son has done everything necessary for us. In Him we have hope. Every detail that troubles us surely has a solution in the wisdom that comes from above. Even if we must suffer and die at the hands of our enemies, there must be some way that this suffering and death is part of Your perfect plan. Your determination to glorify Your Name and to bless Your children will never end until You have accomplished the fullness of Your holy will. There is a King over Your people. We will trust Him now and forever.