Quiet Walk

[Judy Harder]

June 9

1 Kings 9

The Lord reiterates His promise to bless Israel for faithfulness and to judge her for sin.

INSIGHT

Three things happen when Israel lives in a righteous relationship with the Lord. First, God is glorified. Second, Israel is blessed, receiving the fullness of life for which she longs. Third, the unsaved world is drawn to want to know God because of the magnificent picture they see of Him.

Because so much hinges on Israel's standing before God, the Lord makes it clear to her how serious her position is. If she will trust and obey Him, He will bless Israel forever. However, if she lives in sin, He will utterly destroy her.

PRAYER

· Give the Lord praise for His perfect and holy justice and goodness:

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations
(Psalm 100:4-5).

· Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:

O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens (Ezra 9:6).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

· a stronger desire to be obedient to God's commands,
· our nation's military personnel,
· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
For He has founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the waters
(Psalm 24:1-2).

[Judy Harder]

June 10

1 Kings 10

The Queen of Sheba visits Solomon.

INSIGHT

Solomon leads Israel in righteousness, and God pours out His blessing on the nation to such an extent that the reports of Israel's prosperity spread throughout the world. The Queen of Sheba visits Solomon because she cannot believe the reports she has been hearing. After Solomon meets with her and shows her around Jerusalem, she is overwhelmed.

The blessing of Israel is to draw attention to the God of Israel. Today as the Lord blesses us spiritually for our faithfulness to Him, attention will be drawn, not to us, but to the Lord.

PRAYER

· Thank the Lord that He still does marvelous things through His people-things that make the world stand up and take notice:

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods. . . .
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand
(Psalm 95:1-3, 6-7).

· Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. Pray this confession as you seek to keep your life free from sin:

Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips
(Isaiah 6:5).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pray this affirmation to the Lord who blesses the work of His people:

God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

· greater faithfulness in evangelism,
· the church's impact on the world,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned (Revelation 11:17).

[Judy Harder]

June 11

1 Kings 11

Solomon takes wives from (and makes allegiances with) foreigners, and God judges him.

INSIGHT

Not long after the Lord reminds Solomon of the blessings of obedience and the cataclysmic consequences of disobedience, Solomon disobeys. After taking foreign wives who turn his heart from the Lord, Solomon begins to worship Ashtoreth and builds a "high place" of worship for Chemosh and Molech, detestable pagan gods. True to His word, the Lord raises up an adversary, Hadad, to plague Solomon. God's purpose is not to punish. He wants the adversity to turn Solomon's heart back to Him. When you suffer adversity, examine yourself to see if there is sin in your life. That is not always true, but it is something to which we must be sensitive.

PRAYER

Bless the Lord and praise Him for His goodness because He forgives our sin:
Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like You, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11).

You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You,
nor is there any God besides You, according to all
that we have heard with our ears (2 Samuel 7:22).

Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face
to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads,
and our guilt has grown up to the heavens (Ezra 9:6).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus,
and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For the Scripture says,
"Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame" (Romans 10:9-11).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
-- Greater love for the lost
-- The work of missions in Africa
-- Your activities for the day

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:6).

[Judy Harder]

June 12

1 Kings 12

After Solomon's death, Rehoboam splits the kingdom.

INSIGHT

Because Solomon drifts from the Lord during the latter part of his reign, he does not leave to his successor a healthy, vibrant nation. Israel struggles for moral and political leadership. Rehoboam inherits the throne but places foolish and inordinate financial demands on the nation on the heels of what Solomon had demanded—to build the temple and his palace. The people rebel and the nation divides. The northern part of the kingdom (Israel) follows after Jeroboam while Rehoboam retains control over the southern part (Judah); neither man leads the nation in righteousness and the disintegration that began with Solomon continues. Sin is taking its toll. It always does.


PRAYER

Praise the Lord that when we confess our sin, He removes the eternal penalty:

O Lord God of Israel,
The One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God,
You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth.
You have made heaven and earth
(2 Kings 19:15).

Lord God of Israel,
there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You,
who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants
who walk before You with all their hearts
(1 Kings 8:23).

Pause for personal praise and pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:

O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;
O Lord heal me, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled
(Psalm 6:1-3).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:

Having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God
(Romans 5:1-2).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

-- Greater faithfulness with your talents
-- Your state and local leaders
-- Whatever else is on your heart

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

[Judy Harder]

June 19

2 Kings 5

Naaman is healed of leprosy when he obeys Elisha's directives.

INSIGHT

It is God who has power to move in the realm of the spiritual and miraculous—not man. So whether God asks us to do something difficult or simple, it doesn't matter. He will do the work behind our faith. Naaman learns this the hard way. His heart is open to God, for he goes to Elisha hoping that God will heal his leprosy. But when Elisha tells him to wash in the Jordan seven times, Naaman roars: "Are not . . . the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel?" (v. 12). He misses the point. The point is not clean water or unclean. The point is: Does he believe God? The Jordan is merely a test of his faith in God. When Naaman realizes that, he washes and is healed.

PRAYER

By faith, we offer our praise to the Lord and thank Him for the power that makes us clean:

Blessed be Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
You alone are the Lord;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You
(Nehemiah 9:5-6).

Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession as you seek to keep your life free from sin:

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit
(Psalm 34:17-18).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:

For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed,
for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep
what I have committed to Him until that Day.
(2 Timothy 1:12)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

-- Faithfulness with your finances
-- Revival among Christians in America
-- Your activities for the day

Finally, offer this closing prayer:

To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (1 Timothy 1:17).

[Judy Harder]

June 20

2 Kings 6

When the Syrians threaten Elisha, they are struck blind.

INSIGHT

We often have no idea what is going on around us in the spiritual realm. Spiritual battles explode before our very eyes, but we neither see them nor hear them (Daniel 10:13). Guardian angels minister to our needs (Hebrews 1:14). We entertain angels "unwittingly" (Hebrews 13:2). How real and alive is the spiritual realm; yet without the Scriptures, we would know little about it. The Syrian army is camped around Dothan, but Elisha is not concerned because an army of the angels of the Lord encircles the horizon. We walk by faith and not by sight.


PRAYER

Thank the Lord that He can turn our failures into successes, and offer Him your praise in this psalm:

I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies. . . .
The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God of my salvation be exalted
(Psalm 18:1-3, 46).

Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:

Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
The humble He guides in justice,
And the humble He teaches His way. . . .
For Your name's sake, O Lord,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great
(Psalm 25:8-9, 11).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:

"I am the living bread which came down from heaven.
If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;
and the bread that I shall give is My flesh,
which I shall give for the life of the world"
(John 6:51).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

-- Greater wisdom in decision making
-- The needs of personal friends
-- Whatever else is on your heart

Finally, offer this closing prayer:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen (2 Corinthians 13:14).

[Judy Harder]

June 21

2 Kings 7

Israel is delivered from Aram.

INSIGHT

While we must be careful about "spiritualizing" what we read in the Old Testament and making it say something it doesn't, there is at least an excellent illustration in the defeat of the Aramean army relating to the message of the Gospel today. The lepers are lost and starving and come upon abundance adequate for their own welfare as well as the welfare of all others. They realize it is wrong to keep it to themselves, and they go out to tell others. The same is true of the Gospel of Christ. Those of us who have had our needs met by Him cannot be satisfied keeping it to ourselves — we must tell others.


PRAYER

Thank the Lord for the miracle of the "new birth," and praise Him for His grace:

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
(Psalm 32:11).

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
Praise the Lord with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings
(Psalm 33:1-2).

Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession as you seek to keep your life free from sin and its effects:

Sing praise to the Lord, You saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning
(Psalm 30:4-5).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord who protects you:

"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

-- Spiritual victory over temptation
-- Opportunities to serve the Lord
-- Your activities for the day

Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:21).

[Judy Harder]

June 22

2 Kings 8

The king restores the Shunammite widow's land.

INSIGHT

Nothing happens in our lives or in the world apart from divine appointment or permission. Behind every event and incident, there is divine providence. The Shunammite widow, who has done so much for Elisha, is remembered and cared for years afterward. The Lord has a wonderful memory for those who feed Him when He is hungry and minister to Him when He is in need (see Matthew 25:37). The conversation between Gehazi, Elisha's servant, and the king might seem an accident, but it is providential. When we abide in the will of God, life is sown with divine coincidences.


PRAYER

For the Lord's sovereignty and goodness to us, offer this praise:

He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He
(Deuteronomy 32:4).

Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:

I said, "Lord, be merciful to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You. . . ."
But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up,
That I may repay them. . . .
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen
(Psalm 41:4, 10, 13).

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength
(Isaiah 40:28-29).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

-- A stronger desire to be like Christ
-- Local churches across the nation
-- Whatever else is on your heart

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

[Judy Harder]

June 23

2 Kings 18

Hezekiah institutes a reign of righteousness.

INSIGHT

It is wonderful that such a wicked man as Ahaz had such a righteous son as Hezekiah. It is difficult to stand against moral disintegration—especially when it is all around you and generally accepted. It is also likely the fall of the Northern Kingdom is a great incentive to root out idolatry. God richly rewards Hezekiah for his moral courage and leadership, demonstrating the validity of 2 Chronicles 16:9: "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."


PRAYER

Praise the Lord that He richly blesses those who seek to follow Him with all their heart:

Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul keeps them.
The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple.
I opened my mouth and panted,
For I longed for Your commandments.
Look upon me and be merciful to me,
As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.
Direct my steps by Your word,
And let no iniquity have dominion over me.
(Psalm 119:129-133)

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:

"Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord,
"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
(Isaiah 1:18)

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
(Psalm 138:7)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

-- A heart more tender to the things of the Lord
-- The work of a specific ministry that has had an impact on your life
-- Your activities for the day

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
(Psalm 121:

[Judy Harder]

June 24

2 Kings 19

When Sennacherib attacks Jerusalem, Hezekiah calls upon the Lord.

INSIGHT

In spite of all the trouble that comes upon Israel and Judah, God wants to bless them. It is only as He is blessing them that His desire for the world is advanced. All that is needed is obedience. Hezekiah demonstrates just how quickly everything can turn around. He is looking into the jaws of an Assyrian military machine one minute, and the Assyrians are routed the next. God is not reluctant to bless us. But we must be sure we are eligible by being faithful to Him.

PRAYER

Praise the Lord; for He controls the universe and does all things for our good:

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes them also skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth,
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everyone says, "Glory!"
The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood,
And the Lord sits as King forever.
The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.
(Psalm 29:5-11)

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:

"Now, therefore," says the Lord,
"Turn to me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning."
So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
(Joel 2:12-13).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:

"God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,  but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

-- Greater faith in God's goodness
-- Those who've never heard the Gospel
-- Whatever else is on your heart

Offer this prayer to the Lord:

Jesus, You are the door. If anyone enters by You, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture (based on John 10:9).