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@Livingwater Study 10A THE PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE FROM TROUBLE GREAT PRAYERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Scripture Portion: Jonah 2: 1-9 The key verse to this concluding study in our series is Jonah 2:1. In chapter 1 we read the sad record of the prophet’’s disobedience and doubt, and of the consequent trouble that befell him. It was after this, and only when he was in real trouble, that he prayed. We all experience trouble, and the fact that we are Christians does not give us any immunity from trouble. Indeed, the fact that we are Christians ensures trouble, as we learn from Philippians 1:29; Hebrews 12:5-12; 1 Peter 1:7. But sometimes trouble comes upon us because of our own foolishness and sin. This was so in the case of Jonah. The story is moving and heart-breaking, but also challenging and very practical in its application to us. Notice first of all:- 1 . Jonah’’ s great trouble Read through chapter 1 carefully and notice how Jonah’’s trouble increased with mounting intensity, ...

@Livingwater Study 9B..Revival.. Isaiah 641:-3 One unanswered prayer that every committed Christian should be praying is that God would send revival to our country. It is as of yet unanswered because nothing that is being described as revival today even comes close to the many examples of true revival that God has sent in times past. True revival is not a matter of hanging a banner in front of the church that announces, “Revival This Week, 7 p.m.” True revival is not a superficial, emotional response that results in a temporary experience, but no long-term fruit of righteousness. 3 . The secret of Revival is revealed . Notice in this chapter some of the conditions which must be met if revival is to come. We are not forgetting that God is sovereign and that He can send revival or withhold it, but we are emphasising that because the need is great, the responsibility rests on us to do all we possibly can to make it possible. Revival cannot be worked up; the language of our verse m...

@Livingwater Study 9A THE PRAYER FOR GOD TO REND THE HEAVENS GREAT PRAYERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Scripture Portion: Isaiah 64: 1-3 The great need on every hand is for spiritual revival, for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church, for God to come in power; and in this study we are to consider whether such a reviving is possible and what we must do on our side to open the channels through which God may pour out such a blessing. Of course revival is always the sovereign act of God. Scripture and experience prove that He can give it or withhold it, but it is also true that revival comes in response to certain human conditions. The Bible teaches this, and so does experience, and the words on which this study is based help us to see this truth. What do they tell us about revival? 1 . The meaning of Revival is explained . What is spiritual revival, revival in a Church? –- it is the Lord God rending the heavens and coming down among His people (Isaiah 64:1). In other words, r...

@Livingwater Study 9B...Perfect will,God's will Psalm143:10. The perfect will of God is God’s divine plan for your life. This is what He has divinely arranged – the kind of man or woman to marry, career, ministry, and so on. The permissive will of God is what He permits. A point to note is that the fact that He permits something does not mean it is His will. For instance, if God wants a person to get married at the age of 30, He knows the exact reason why. If the person is obedient and waits for God’s timing, he will receive all the blessings God has for him. Suppose when the person reaches the age of 25 he finds a woman and decides to marry her. It will not be God’s perfect will. If the person continues to pray about it over and over, God will give him a go –ahead. But it will be God’s permissive will. He will still bless them but they will not enjoy the full blessings that come with His perfect will. 4 . It indicates the conditions to be met if we are to know and do His wi...

@Livingwater Study 8A THE PRAYER FOR GOD’’S WILL TO BE DONE GREAT PRAYERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Scripture Reference: Psalm 143: 10 What a beautiful prayer this is –- ““Teach me to do your will””! It occurs in the last of the seven penitential psalms and it is the heart-cry of the psalmist for grace to know and to do God’’s will. The late Dr G. Campbell Morgan says in his book “”God’’s Perfect Will””, that ““there is no phrase more often in use among Christians than that of the will of God””, and he closes the same book with the words, “”There is but one thing that matters, knowing and doing God’’s will.”” This was the important thing in the life of the Lord Jesus –- look up and compare Psalm 40:7-8; Matthew 26:39; John 4:34; John 17:4. What does David’s prayer –- ““Teach me to do your will”” –- tell us? 1 . It states the first heart-cry and longing of the truly born again soul . Before we become a Christian we are not particularly interested in God’’s will because we’’re concer...

@Livingwater Study7B... Search my heart ,oh God Psalm139:23-24 David is quick to understand and admit that he is prone (as we all are) to hidden sins (see Psalm 19:12), errors of heart of which we are not yet aware. Once we become aware of them, we need to deal with them, and it is David who sets an example of being proactive in this process. Rather than waiting for sin to happen and the consequences to result, David asks God to show him where his faults might lie. 2 . When we should pray this prayer (1) When we come to the Lord’’s Table. Turn to 1 Corinthians 11:28. (2) When we are experiencing prosperity. Why? Because at such a time we are likely to become spiritually slack –- read Psalm 62:10 and Psalm 119:67. (3) When we are experiencing adversity. Why? Because it could be the Lord’’s loving chastening in order to bring us back into the line of His will –- look up Hebrews 12:6-11. (4) When our service seems fruitless and barren. The Lord’’s will is that we should bring ...

@Livingwater Study 7A. THE PRAYER FOR SEARCHING OF HEART GREAT PRAYERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Scripture Portion: Psalm 139: 23-24 Have you ever prayed the prayer which forms the theme of this study –- ““Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting””? Notice four things about David’’s prayer:- (1) He addresses God. God is the only one who really knows our hearts (Psalm 139:1-4). No psychiatrist knows our hearts or our minds, but the Lord Himself is the searcher of hearts and knows us intimately and accurately. (2) He asks God to search him through and through. He prays for searching of his heart, his thoughts and for such an intimate inspection that if there is any ““offensive way”” this will be revealed. The word ‘‘search’’ means ‘to ‘ransack’’; it reminds us of a policeman with a search warrant, the searching look of a loved one, or of the searchlight which penetrates the...

@Livingwater Study6B..how do I illuminate through prayer... Psalm119:18 All of us know what it is like to read without seeing “wondrous things.” We have stared at the most glorious things without seeing them as glorious. We have seen unspeakable love without feeling loved. We have seen immeasurable wisdom and felt no admiration. We have seen the holiness of wrath and felt no trembling. Which means we are seeing without seeing (Matthew 13:13). 2 . ““Open my eyes that I may …” …” see the love of God and His mercy and grace in the Lord Jesus Christ . We know the story of the grace of God so well, which is declared in John 3:16. How all-embracing is the love of God! Read again Luke 15:11-24 and revel in verses 20-24! The great proof of God’’s love is seen at Calvary, and when my eyes are opened to see the Lord Jesus dying there for me I cry out, “”the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”” (Galatians 2:20), and humbly say, ““My Lord and my God!”” (John 20:28). Have y...

@Livingwater Study 6A. THE PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION GREAT PRAYERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Scripture Reference: Psalm 119: 18 In this study we are to examine this prayer of David: ““Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”” Our object will be to see exactly what it tells us and then to suggest ways in which we should pray this prayer, for it is a prayer which should arise from our hearts every time we read God’’s Word. If we consider Psalm 119:18 carefully we shall see that this one petition embodies five truths. First of all we learn that:- (1) The Bible is a unique book. In this section of the psalm it is described as “”your word”” (verse 17); ““your law”” (verse 18); ““your commands”” (verse 19); ““your laws”” (verse 20); “”your statutes”” (verses 22 and 24); ““your decrees”” (verse 23), and the emphasis in each case is upon the word ‘‘your’’. The Bible is unique because it is God’’s Book; He is the Author. David’’s Bible was much smaller than ours, b...

@Livingwater Study5B..Holy Spirit quickens us Psalm 80:18 HELPLESS FLESH, BORN IN SIN, CAN BE TRANSFORMED AND MADE DYNAMIC BY THE LIFE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD. The Holy Ghost was not sent to give you an emotional high, He came to flood you with life, even abundant spiritual life far beyond just emotions. Apostle Paul said it plainly, “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (Romans 8:11) The church world is hopelessly sick and empty and searching the empty cisterns of flesh for something to revise their flock. This is the very reason that the modern church has turned to rock music, the psychologist’s couch and multiple schemes of sociology for resuscitation. 4 . It is through God’’ s Word that the Holy Spirit quickens us when we are in bondage and sets us free. How easy it is to get into bondage to sin (Romans 6:12); to self (Ro...

@Livingwater Study 5A THE PRAYER FOR DIVINE QUICKENING GREAT PRAYERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Scripture Reference: Psalm 80: 18 The word we shall consider in this study is the word “”quicken”” (or ““quickening””). It means “”to give life and to preserve life”” and “”to be made alive””. This covers our basic needs, because we need to receive life and to be preserved by life; we need to receive life initially, which takes place at the time of conversion, but we also need to be preserved by life continually, which refers to God’’s work of sanctification. From the scriptures we learn two things:- (1) The HOLY SPIRIT is the one who GIVES LIFE (quickens) –- look up and compare John 6:63 and 2 Peter 3:18. (2) The WORD OF GOD is the INSTRUMENT the Holy Spirit uses to accomplish this work –- we learn this from many references in the Scriptures and Romans 4:17 and Romans 8:11 illustrate this. 1 . It is through God ’’ s Word that the Holy Spirit quickens us with new life, so that we bec...

@Livingwater Study4B..qualities of Jabez prayer 1chronicle4:9-10 These, then, are the four characteristics of this amazing prayer that Jabez offered for himself. Now notice from this prayer of Jabez how to pray that God will give you true prosperity. In verse 10 we are told that Jabez prayed for four things. They are clearly mentioned, and we cannot do better than follow this man’’s example and pray as he prayed:- 1 . We should pray for Grace . Jabez prayed, ““Oh, that you would bless me……!”” What did he mean by this request? Every believer is already wonderfully blessed (Ephesians 1:3); but surely Jabez was praying for God’’s blessing that he might be the man God wanted him to be –- see what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:10. We can only be what God wants us to be by His grace; therefore let us pray for grace, and there is plenty of grace available (2 Corinthians 9:8). In 1 Chronicles 4:9 there is the hint of a possible reason why Jabez needed special grace, for his name means...

@Livingwater Study 4 THE PRAYER FOR TRUE PROSPERITY GREAT PRAYERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Scripture Portion: 1 Chronicles 4: 9-10 In 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 we read of Jabez who was a man of prayer. There is no doubt at all that he prayed for others, but the particular emphasis that is made in these two verses is that he prayed for himself. It is not selfish to pray for ourselves, for it is only as we are blessed that we can be made a blessing to others. It was when Jabez prayed for true prosperity, and the Lord answered that prayer, that he could be made a great blessing to other people. A careful study of the prayer of Jabez shows us that it contained four characteristics. (1) Jabez prayed intelligently. We are told that he “”cried out to the God of Israel”” –- that is to say, the Covenant God, the true and living God. It is quite evident that Jabez had been instructed in the school of prayer, and therefore his prayer was informed and intelligent. Very much prayer is unintelligent ...

@Livingwater Study3B..The Assurance that God will speak 1chronicle4:9-10 A Christ follower should spend daily time reading the Bible, mulling over the message, and praying for ways to make scripture’s lessons into a lifestyle. Setting aside time for reading and reflection immerses a Christ follower in God’s purposes and nature. By adding prayer for others and himself to this daily quiet time, the Christian will find it easier to turn away from their own self-focused desires, and advance God’s priorities to first place. 3 . In this prayer we see the expectation that God will speak. When Samuel lay down he expected that the Lord would say something to him. When you go to the House of God do you expect to hear the Lord’’s voice? Do you say, in the words of David –- look up Psalm 85:8? If you are expecting God to speak to you, you can be quite sure that He will not disappoint you. If you need guidance He will give it (Proverbs 3:5-6); if you need comfort, He will supply it (Isaiah...

@Livingwater Study 3A.. THE PRAYER FOR GOD TO SPEAK GREAT PRAYERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Scripture Portion: 1 Samuel 3: 3-10 It was a tremendous experience for Samuel when the Lord spoke to him and when he was led humbly to pray, ““Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening”” (verse 9). It is also a tremendous experience for us when we meet together with other Christians for worship, or when we come alone before God at the Throne of Grace. At such times there is a two-way traffic of words: first, we speak to the Lord and our hearts go out to Him in adoration, praise and thanksgiving. This worshipping of the Lord is the quiet and humble expression of our hearts as we sit in His presence and meditate upon His love and goodness. But not only do we speak to the Lord, the wonderful thing is that He speaks to us! –- look up Acts 10:33. Whenever we draw near to God He speaks to us. To place the whole matter in right perspective, it is God who first speaks to us. He takes the initiative,...

@Livingwater Study 2B..special Guidance Genesis 24:10-27 A failure to yield our possessions. …if there is something you own which you can’t give away, you don’t own it, it owns you!Matthew 25:21…If God doesn’t get your attention on the ‘one-talent’ propositions in life, you’ll never get a chance at the ten talent ones! Our sinful nature…”All we, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6) The ‘self-made man’ usually worships his creator…self! We stopped from point 2  in the last part ..... 3 . Abraham’ ’ s servant asked God to give him special guidance . In verse 12 we have the servant’’s prayer. It is simple and direct, and it reveals the fact that this man was certainly in close fellowship with God. Alexander Maclaren says that, ‘‘The first condition of securing real guidance in our daily life is to ask for it, the next is to look for it, and the third is to be willing to accept it, whether the finger points down the broad road tha...

@Livingwater Study 2A. THE PRAYER FOR SPECIAL GUIDANCE GREAT PRAYERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Scripture Portion: Genesis 24: 10-27 In this chapter we have the account of Abraham’’s commission to his chief servant to go in search of a bride for Isaac. Abraham was getting very old (Genesis 24:1) and Isaac at this time was over forty years of age and still unmarried. Please read verses 2-9 carefully. In verses 9 and 10 we have the record of the way this chief servant prepared for his journey and then set out to go to the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia, to look for a bride for Isaac. Abraham was much in prayer about this, as is suggested by the words at the end of verse 7; but so was Abraham’’s servant, as verse 12 tells us. How could he possibly choose the right girl unless he received some special guidance in the matter? He not only needed guidance in a general sense, but he needed it in a very special sense, and here it is important to notice that the guidance that God gives to His chi...

@Livingwater Study1B...Urgent call for winning the lost soul...through prayer Genesis18:23-33 But more, their future prospect is a terrifying one (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9), and compare Matthew 8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 24:51; 25:10-12 and Luke 13:25-28. As you consider the need of those who are without Christ do you not feel as the queen felt, of whom we read in Esther 8:6? –- look up and compare Exodus 32:32; Luke 19:41 and Romans 9:3. 4 . It must be offered with a firm belief in God’’ s willingness to hear and answer prayer for their salvation. It is moving to read Genesis 18:23-26 and to realise how willing God was to hear and to answer Abraham’’s prayer! Each time Abraham made the request God said, ‘‘Yes…’…’, until Abraham stopped making a request. Why did he not go on praying? There is an element of mystery here and yet there were less than ten in Sodom who loved and belonged to the Lord. God’’s judgment must fall upon sin and upon the sinner if he will not turn from his sin (Isa...

@Livingwater Study 1A THE PRAYER FOR A WICKED CITY GREAT PRAYERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Scripture Portion: Genesis 18: 23-33 There is little doubt that our first parents must have prayed, especially before the Fall. In Genesis 4:26 we read that in the year of the birth of Enoch ““men began to call on the Name of the Lord””. Probably this refers to some form of united prayer. In this first study we are to consider Abraham’’s great prayer for the people who lived in the city of Sodom. Our study is based upon three facts: (1) Sodom was a very wicked city (Genesis 13:13; 18:20; Isaiah 1:9 and 3:9; and Lamentations 4:6. (2) God said that His judgment must fall upon Sodom (Genesis 18:20-21). (3) Abraham, moved with the desire for God’’s glory and a love for the people of Sodom, prayed to the Lord and pleaded with Him to spare the people. We live in a city like Sodom, in a world that is full of sinners, and just as Abraham interceded for the people of Sodom so we are to plead for the mu...

@Livingwater Study 12B...Christian responsibility towards backsliders... James5:19-20 Life as a Christian can be quite an adventure. ... He may simply fall back through neglect by not praying, reading the Bible, and keeping his focus on living for God. ... It can bring dishonor to the One who laid down His life for us, Jesus Christ... We stopped from point 2...in the part A. 3 . When a believer backslides it is our responsibility to care for him and to seek his recovery . This is the burden of James’’ message. He is writing about the Christian being concerned for his brother. When a brother in Christ backslides we are not to abandon him, criticise him, talk about him, accuse him, condemn him, ostracise him –- we are to go after him and seek to restore him, and in Galatians 6:1-2 we read of some of the qualifications required if we are to be successful in this. 4 . The recovery of a backslider needs to be undertaken with love and humility , and by someone who is filled with th...