SONGS FOR PRAYER

reading for: Tuesday Night, 22 AUGUST

Matthew 16:13-20

A mission to build his Church

• READ

  Matthew 16:13-20 is a famous passage and much ink has been spilled on this passage. There are numerous things that one can say about this passage, but I believe it has a simple message for us to hear today.

  Matthew 16:13–20 (ESV)

  13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

  As Jesus was coming to Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples who they thought he was. His disciples replied that some say he is John the Baptist or Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Jesus asked the disciples again, clarifying what he meant in his previous question, that he wanted an individual answer of who they thought he was. Peter answered that “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. This is the revelation of Christ that Peter had. Jesus responded to Peter’s revelation by declaring to Peter that this revelation is not from Man but from the Heavenly Father. He then declares to Peter that “on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The keys of the kingdom of heaven and the authority to bind and loose have also been given to Peter. Jesus then charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

  Jesus wanted to know who the disciples thought he was. In fact, all four gospels (which are biographies of the life of Jesus) are concerned with this very question. The question of Jesus’ identity and who he claimed to be, and how people responded to this revelation is the central concern of all four gospels. His signs and wonders, his healings his parables engaged his listeners with the mystery of his identity. The revelation of his divine Messiahship brought the charge of ‘blasphemy’ by the high priest (Matt 26:65-68) and that was what they wanted and eventually did crucify Jesus for.

  It is only when Peter answered that he was the Christ that Jesus declared that he would build his church on this rock. This was a revelation that Peter did not receive from Man but from God. We read a few verses down where this time Peter did not listen to God but to Man.

  Matthew 16:21–23 (ESV)

  21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

  Jesus was teaching his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer, be killed and rise on the third day. Peter did not want this and rebuked Jesus. Jesus then issued the harshest words to Peter seeing him as Satan. It is cleared then when Peter was listening to the voice of God, he is the rock on which the church will be built and when he was not listening to God, he is in effect Satan. The message is that it is not Peter or John or James but it is about building the church on the voice of God. We must each individually hear the voice of God and contribute to the building of the church.

• REFLECT

Who do you say Jesus is? Can you hear Him asking you this question? Is your answer the same as Peter’s? – that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Messiah, the King?

Also, are you listening to the voice of God? Or are we listening to the voice of Man. Are we seeking to obey the voice of God or are we seeking to pursue our own interests and desires? This story challenges us to learn to hear the voice of God and respond in obedience to him.

Take the time to hear the words of the Lord to you. Ask him to speak and reveal Himself to you. Pray that we will hear and obey him. Share with each other how the Lord is speaking to you and pray for each other that we will walk in obedience to God.

reading for: Wednesday Night, 23 AUGUST

Exodus 1:8-2:10

A mission of obeying God rather than our earthly kings

• READ

  There arose a new King over Egypt who did not know Joseph. The people of Israel grew in number and the King was afraid of them. Thus he set out to control their numbers. He made them work as slaves with heavy tasks. He commanded the Hebrew midwives to let daughters live but to kill all sons.

  Exodus 1:8–2:10 (ESV)

  8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 13 So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves. 15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20 So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.” 1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. 4 And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. 5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

  The midwives did not do as he requested for they feared God and the people of Israel continued to multiply. The King of Egypt did not stop there but decided to take further action to cast all sons into the Nile. Moses was hidden for a time and when he could not be hidden any longer, he was placed in a basket floating on the Nile when he was rescued by the King’s daughter.

  The Hebrew midwives feared God and did not obey the King even though the King could kill them for disobedience. They were blessed by God with families because of their obedience. Yesterday, we read of Peter’s obedience to the voice of God. Similarly, the Hebrew midwives also feared and obeyed God. They knew that it was wrong to obey the King in this matter.

• REFLECT

  Who will we obey? The Hebrew midwives obeyed God rather than the King of Egypt. God was their King and he was worthy of their obedience. When our “kings” ask us to do something in which we know is wrong, will we do it? Perhaps our jobs and livelihoods depend on obeying the instructions of our “kings”. Let me be clear, not every command from our “kings” is wrong and when they are giving us tasks that are good, surely we should execute them to the best of our abilities. But sometimes, some tasks that they give are in conflict with the will and character of God, will we obey God or will we obey our “kings”? Pray that we will obey God.

reading for: Thursday Night, 24 AUGUST

Romans 12:1-8

• READ

• REFLECT

reading for: FRIDAY Night, 25 AUGUST

Psalm 124

• READ

• REFLECT