Quiet Walk

[Judy Harder]

June 2

1 Kings 2

David charges Solomon with the urgency of living for the Lord.


INSIGHT

Parts of the Old Testament tax our understanding and our acceptance.

First, we do not understand much about Judaism, the Law, and Old Testament

culture and customs. Second, many of the events are violations of God's desires-though that is not explained to us. And finally, God deals with men differently in the Old Testament than in the New Testament.

While not all things are easily explained, in chapter 2, Solomon takes vengeance only upon all those people who had already committed acts that were punishable by death. This doesn't answer every problem we might have with this difficult chapter, but it is a beginning.

PRAYER

· The Lord will guard and care for those who want to follow Him with their whole heart:

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears
(Psalms 34:1-4).

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

The Lord answered Job, and said:
"Shall the one who contends with the
Almighty correct Him?
He who rebukes God, let him answer it."
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
"Behold, I am vile;
What shall I answer You?
I lay my hand over my mouth"
(Job 40:1-4).

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

"Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him" (John 6:27).

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

· a friend to believe in Christ,
· greater understanding and love for God's Word,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Finally, offer this 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 3

1 Kings 1

God grants Solomon wisdom.

INSIGHT

Solomon's heart is manifested by the purity of his prayer. He could have asked for a long life; he could have asked for riches and honor. But instead Solomon asks simply for wisdom. What an honest and unselfish prayer.

Being honest with God is not as easy as we might think. We all tend to live life with masks on-behind which the real "us" hides-to make a better impression on people.

How foolish! God sees behind the mask-as do most people. We can learn from Solomon. God is pleased with honest, transparent prayers.

PRAYER

· Offer your praise to the Lord for His wisdom to all generations of those who love Him:

Thus says the Lord:
"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight," says the Lord
(Jeremiah 9:23-24).

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

Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer
(Psalms 19:12-14).

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

In you, O Christ, are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (based on Colossians 2:3).

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

· greater wisdom in your daily life,
· wisdom for political leaders,
· your activities for the day.

· Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:

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 6

1 Kings 6

Solomon oversees the temple construction, making it a work of art glorifying God.

INSIGHT

The temple that Solomon builds for the Lord is spectacular. The stonework is magnificent; the tapestry work is glorious; and nearly everything inside is overlaid with gold.

Why such opulence? Because the temple is to be a physical representation of the beauty and glory of God. One is supposed to be able to look at the temple and be reminded of the beauty of God. It is not beauty for beauty's sake, but for the glory of the God of beauty.

PRAYER

· Offer God your praise in the words of this Scripture:

Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him
(Daniel 2:20-22).

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

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9).

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

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17).

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

· greater wisdom for living,
· the needs of your immediate family,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer
(Psalms 19:13-14).

[Judy Harder]

June 7

1 Kings 7

King Hiram of Tyre supplies artisans and craftsmen to finalize the glorious temple.

INSIGHT

Not only is the work of the temple designed to reflect the splendor and glory of God, but also the layout of the temple is designed to reflect His work in atoning for our sin. The bronze laver, the candlesticks, the tables of showbread, the Holy of Holies-all are designed to picture for us the atoning work of Christ. All this is in keeping with what Paul wrote in Romans 15:4: "Whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."

PRAYER

· The Lord knows us totally and loves us completely, and for this we offer Him our praise:

Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation" (Luke 1:46-50).

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

Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
According to Your mercy remember me,
For Your goodness' sake, O Lord
(Psalms 25:6-7).

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

"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep" (John 10:9-11).

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

· greater insight into Scripture,
· the hungry around the world,
· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever (Psalms 23:6).

[Judy Harder]

June 8

1 Kings 8

Solomon leads the people into a grand dedication ceremony for the new temple.

INSIGHT

The phenomenal blessings that God pours out on Israel have a purpose beyond merely blessing them. In fact, God wants other nations to see His favor on Israel and desire to know Him because of what they witness in the lives of His people.

This truth is reflected when Solomon prays that "the Lord our God be with us . . . [so] that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other" (vv. 57, 60). David understands this principle also when he writes in Psalms 67:7: "God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him." And today God wants to bless us spiritually that others may see Christ in us and be drawn to Him.

PRAYER

· Praise the Lord who blesses us that we might draw others to Him because of His mark in our lives:

"You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created"
(Revelation 4:11).

I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the
Lord Most High
(Psalms 7:17).

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

Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful,
And have forgotten the God who fathered you
(Deuteronomy 32:18).

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

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2).

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

· greater commitment to the Lord,
· the work of specific Christian ministries,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands
(Psalms 90:17).

[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
(Psalms 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
(Psalms 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
(Psalms 95:1-3).

· 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 13

1 Kings 17

After Elijah prophesies drought, the Lord hides him and later uses him to heal a child.

INSIGHT

Drought is a devastating natural disaster, and when it comes to the children of Israel, it does not come by accident. It is always divine judgment. From the beginning of his reign, Ahab, who is king when Elijah begins his ministry, violates the Lord's name. He encourages idolatry and the worship of Baal, a pagan god. He "did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him" (1 Kings 16:30). Elijah's name means "Jehovah is my strength," and the Lord sets about to prove the significance of Elijah's name as He brings judgment on Israel and destroys the worshipers of Baal.

PRAYER

The Lord longs to bless us. Offer Him your praise for His goodness and mercy:

Tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations,
"The Lord reigns." . . .
Oh, give thanks to the Lord for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever. . .
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
(1 Chronicles 16:30-31, 34, 36).

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

Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22).

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

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2).

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

-- The renewing of your mind
-- The needs of your extended family
-- Your activities for the day

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).