Quiet Walk

[Judy Harder]

May 11

Judges 7

God uses Gideon's 300 men to rout the entire Midianite army.

INSIGHT

"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit" is the work of the Lord accomplished (Zechariah 4:6). Few stories illustrate that principle more clearly than that of Gideon and his army of 300. God wants prepared men to fight His battles with His weapons in His way. His weapons are not earthly but spiritual. His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We want to offer God our strength and our weapons and our insight but He does not need them. We need Him. Rather than trying to get God to accept our plans, strategies, and goals, we ought to strive to understand His. His way is the way of victory.

PRAYER

· Because the Lord is our victory, we praise Him and rest in His care:

Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works.
Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord
(Psalm 105:1-3).

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

"The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings. . . ."
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For You are my praise
(Jeremiah 17:9-10, 14).

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

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love" (John 15:10).

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

· greater commitment to the Lord,
· the work of specific Christian ministries for which you are concerned,
· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

This is the day which the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it
(Psalm 118:24).

[Judy Harder]

May 12

Judges 14

Samson desires a Philistine wife.

INSIGHT

Some people are strongly gifted and seem to see results, regardless of their personal worthiness. This is true of Samson. It is difficult to imagine a more unworthy vessel for the work of God. It is a challenge to decide if he carelessly disregards wisdom and the Word of God or whether his decision-making ability is somehow impaired. Nevertheless, in spite of his exceedingly foolish escapades, God uses him to bring judgment on the Philistines who have flaunted their hostility toward Jehovah.

PRAYER

· Give God praise that He uses His people even though we are all unworthy vessels:

O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
(Psalm 8:1-4).

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

O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
O Lord, correct me, but with justice;
Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing
(Jeremiah 10:23-24).

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

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:19-21).

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

· greater appreciation of God's mercy,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Finally, offer this closing prayer:

Teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom
(Psalm 90:12).

[Judy Harder]

May 13

Judges 15

Samson uses foxes to burn the Philistines' crops and kills 1,000 men.

INSIGHT

A list of the sins of Samson:

1. Fraternizing with pagans
2. Marrying an unbeliever
3. Disobeying his parents
4. Touching a dead animal
5. Murdering innocent people
6. Visiting a harlot
7. Lying

We are often tempted to disregard the truth. We weary of being good and fighting natural inclinations. But one look at Samson's life reveals the consequences of giving in to that weariness. We must wait on the Lord and have our strength renewed.

PRAYER

· Give praise to God that He forgives our sins and uses us to accomplish His purposes despite our iniquities:

The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works,
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them. . . .
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord;
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever
(Psalm 145:17-19, 21).

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

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared
(Psalm 130:1-4).

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

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).

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

· greater appreciation of God's mercy,
· a favorite ministry,
· your activities for the day.

· Finally, offer this closing prayer:

Set me as a seal upon your heart,
As a seal upon your arm
(Song of Solomon 8:6).

[Judy Harder]

May 14

Judges 16

Samson is subdued and later dies in his final act of resistance.

INSIGHT

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Galatians 6:7). Samson's lustful foolishness finally catches up with him, and in a profound example of bad judgment, he discloses the secret of his strength to a woman who had betrayed him repeatedly.

He violates his Nazarite vow, and all his power leaves him. His eyes are gouged out and he dies, not avenging the Lord against the Philistines but avenging the loss of his own eyes. It is a heartbreaking conclusion to a life that is tragic-tragic not only because of what it was, but even more for what it could have been.

PRAYER

· Thank the Lord and give Him your praise. By His grace, we can escape consequences similar to those Samson experienced by living for Him:

I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. . . .
His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever
(Psalm 111:1, 3, 10).

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

Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed
(Isaiah 53:4-5).

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

"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3).

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

· greater love for the lost,
· mission work in Africa,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Finally, offer this closing prayer:

Now 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]

May 15

Ruth 1

A Jewess, Naomi, and her two daughters-in-law lose their husbands.

INSIGHT

In Ruth, we see one of the most stirring examples of loyalty in the Bible. In spite of Naomi's urgings to the contrary, Ruth stays with her, looking not for personal fulfillment or material comfort but longing merely to maintain the relationship with one whom she loves. This loyalty comes from a pure heart, and it is not surprising that it extends not just to Naomi but also to the Lord.

In stark contrast to Samson, Ruth's selflessness leads to beauty, fulfillment, and seeking the good of others. We should take instruction for our own lives and live as Ruth, not as Samson.

PRAYER

· Because we can have the beauty of the Lord in our lives, give thanks and praise to Him:

Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its going down
The Lord's name is to be praised. . . .
Who is like the Lord our God,
Who dwells on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth? . . .
He grants the barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
(Psalm 113:2-3, 5-6, 9).

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

Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord;
Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me
(Psalm 40:11-12).

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

"He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24).

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

· faithfulness with your talents,
· your state and local leaders,
· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

To Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began . . . to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen (Romans 16:25, 27).

[Judy Harder]

May 16

Ruth 2

Ruth and Naomi return to Bethlehem in hopes of fostering a livelihood.

INSIGHT

When Boaz, a noble and godly man, hears of Ruth's noble and godly actions, he is moved with appreciation for the kind of person she is.

When he finds her gleaning in his fields, he bestows kindnesses on her. Ruth asks why he should take notice of her since she is a foreigner. Boaz replies that it is because of all that she has done for Naomi. The way we live our everyday lives communicates a "life message" to others. When we live for the Lord, that message is a beacon of light to others.

PRAYER

· Praise the Lord for His sovereignty and for the fact that He works His will regardless of the failures of His children:

Praise the Lord!
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?
Who can declare all His praise?
Blessed are those who keep justice,
And he who does righteousness at all times!
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, "Amen!"
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 106:1-3, 48).

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

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities
(Psalm 51:7-9).

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

Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him" (John 14:23).

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

· the renewing of your mind,
· the needs of your extended family,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
(Psalm 103:21-22).

[Judy Harder]

May 18

Ruth 4

Boaz marries Ruth and restores the fortunes of both Ruth and Naomi.

INSIGHT

What a happy ending. Because of Ruth's faithfulness and circumspection, all the broad acres in which she once gleaned as a destitute alien are now hers, for she has become one with the owner.

When we are one with Christ, we are no longer aliens in another's fields; and being one with Christ, all that is His is now also ours. As Ruth is translated from isolation and poverty to union and wealth in Boaz, so we become fellow heirs of the riches of Christ and the grace of God. It is likely that the story of Ruth is intended by God to picture our redemption in Christ. And our story is even greater than Ruth's story.

PRAYER

· Ruth is such a beautiful story of redemption. Praise the Lord for His redemption for us:

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth. . . .
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield. . . .
We will bless the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!
(Psalm 115:1, 11, 18).

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

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us
(Psalm 103:10-12).

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

Unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
(Isaiah 9:6).

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

· greater passion for moral excellence,
· Christian education institutions,
· your activities for the day.

· 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]

May 19

1 Samuel 1

God gives a child to Hannah and Elkanah, after Hannah's years of praying for a son.

INSIGHT

The grief of being childless drives Hannah to God. In Him, she finds her only resource for consolation.

Even though children may cry when they are taken to a doctor by their parents, they still trust their parents in spite of fear and pain. Similarly we must still trust and cling to the Lord even though we do not understand why He does not deliver us from our pain. Just as children will someday understand about the doctor, we will someday understand about the pain.

PRAYER

· Offer your praise to the Lord who will one day make all things in heaven and on earth right:

With righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat. . . .
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea
(Isaiah 11:4-6, 9).

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

Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions
(Psalm 51:1).

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

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

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

· greater faith in the Lord,
· a world-wide revival,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Finally, offer this closing prayer:

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]

May 20

1 Samuel 2

Hannah dedicates Samuel to the service of the Lord.

INSIGHT

We rarely give God sufficient thanks and praise for the things He does for us, and we rarely give Him adequate worship for who He is and for His significant answers to prayer.

By contrast, notice Hannah's song of thanksgiving. She prays earnestly for a child, and when the Lord gives her one, she expresses her gratitude in full-blown poetic praise. Her response is fitting for the gift.

PRAYER

· Because the Lord is so merciful to us, we give Him heartfelt praise and thanksgiving with the psalmist:

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
The Lord has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God
(Psalm 98:1-3).

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

No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed (Hebrews 12:11-13).

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

The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26).

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

· greater thankfulness to the Lord,
· unsaved family members,
· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

A day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness
(Psalm 84:10).

[Judy Harder]

May 21

1 Samuel 3

The Lord speaks directly to Samuel, and all Israel recognizes Samuel as a prophet.

INSIGHT

For all the glory of speaking directly with the Lord, Samuel is given a very difficult task: He must deliver to Eli a troubling message from the Lord. With a pure heart and nothing to gain or lose by the encounter, Samuel tells Eli the truth.

We too must sometimes confront people with truth, knowing that the truth will hurt. Ephesians 4:15 instructs us to speak the truth in love. Speaking the truth without love is destructive.

Samuel's example is a difficult one but a good one. Like Samuel, we can only fulfill such a task if our hearts are pure and we do not manipulate the situation for our own benefit.

PRAYER

· Because we can know the truth and the truth can set us free, offer your praise to the Lord:

I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts
(Psalm 145:1-4).

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

"For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.
With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,"
Says the Lord, your Redeemer
(Isaiah 54:7-8).

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

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).

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

· greater love for your family,
· the work of missions in North and South America,
· 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).