SONGS FOR PRAYER

reading for: Tuesday Night, 6 JUNE

Matthew 9:9-13,18-26

God is at work healing the sick

• READ

  Our reading for today is Matthew 9:9-13 which narrates the call of Matthew and Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners. Then we jump ahead a few verses to Matthew 9:18-26 which tells the stories of 2 healings, one the women with the flow of blood and Jairus’s daughter. Let us first look at Matthew 9:9-13.

  Matthew 9:9–13 (ESV)

  9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

  Jesus was walking by and saw Matthew sitting at the tax booth. Matthew was a tax collector whose role was to collect taxes for the Roman government from his own people. This was a job that was disliked by his own people and was commonly seen as traitors by the Jews. Jesus knew the baggage involved but he still chose to call Matthew to follow him and be his disciple. The text tells us that Matthew rose and followed Jesus. Later on, Jesus reclined at table in the house with many tax collectors and sinners. Perhaps, Matthew called his friends and follow tax collectors for dinner with Jesus and his disciples. This is highly irregular in those days as tax collectors were not well liked and in fact were hated by the regular people. This sentiment is made clear by the Pharisees, who asked the disciples why Jesus ate with tax collectors? Jesus replied that it was not the well who need a doctor but the sick and that he desires mercy and not sacrifice. He came not to call the righteous but sinners.

  The work that Jesus did was the work of a doctor to heal the sick. He came to heal Matthew from his spiritual blindness and call Matthew to follow him. He gave acceptance to the tax collectors and sinners by eating with them. He showed mercy to them. When the pharisees sought to stop him from doing this work, he rebuked them by saying that his work was to the sick and sinners. As the pharisees did not recognise that they were sick and sinful, the doctor can’t do anything for them.

  Matthew 9:18–26 (ESV)

  18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district.

  After a section where the disciples of John asked him about fasting, a ruler named Jairus came and begged Jesus to raise his dead daughter. Jesus rose and followed him and on the way, a women who suffered from a discharge of blood for 12 years touched the fringe of his garment. She perceived that if she only touch his garment, she will be made well. Jesus turned, seeing her said to her that her faith has made her well. Shortly, Jesus came to Jairus house there was funeral proceedings in the crowd which Jesus commanded them to leave, for the girl was not dead but only sleeping. Jesus went in and took by her hand and she arose.

  In this two stories, Jesus was the doctor who healed the women who suffered from a discharged of blood for 12 years. Furthermore, he raised the girl who people saw as dead. This was the work that Jesus was doing.

  Jesus is doing the work of a doctor, coming to heal from all kinds of sickness, whether spiritual or physical. He does not desire that the sick continue to suffer but that they receive mercy and be healed.

• REFLECT

Jesus is the doctor who has worked and is working as the doctor to heal the sick. Matthew, the tax collectors, the women with the discharge of blood, Jairus’s daughter received healing from Jesus. The pharisees who did not think they were sick did not receive healing from Jesus.

Are there sick people around us, both physically sick and spiritually sick. Will we go to them and bring the healing of Jesus to them. Pray that God will help us to go to them and bring the presence of Jesus to them.

reading for: Wednesday Night, 7 JUNE

Genesis 12:1-9

God is at work in blessing the families of the earth

• READ

  Genesis 12 comes in the story after the tower of Babel though numerous generations has passed. At the tower of Babel, humanity was united against God and wanted to build a tower to the heavens leading God to confuse the people with multiple languages and disperse the people.

  Genesis 12:1–10 (ESV)

  1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. 10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.

  The Lord said to Abram and commanded him to leave his country and his family and go to the land that the Lord will show him. This is a difficult task because Abram had to leave his family and his familiar country. To make it more difficult, Abram did not know where he was going, day by day he had to trust God who will direct him where to go. The Lord’s promise to Abram if he obeyed was that the Lord will make him a great nation, he will be blessed, and his name will be great. The Lord will bless those who bless Abram and those who curses Abram will be cursed. Abram obeyed the Lord and took this difficult journey with his wife and nephew and their entourage.

  When they reach the land of Canaan, the Lord appeared and told Abram that this was the land that the Lord will give Abram’s offspring. Abram journeyed through the land of Canaan and build many altars to the Lord. Abram did not see the promises of God in his own lifetime, he hardly owned any land in the promise land, nor was his descendants the channel of blessing for all the families of the earth. It is only in Christ that this promises has come to pass and will come to pass. It is in Christ that all the families of the earth will be blessed and the good news is that he is doing it through us.

  Hebrews 11:39–40 (ESV)

  39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

  Abraham was commended for his faith and did not receive what was promised, he lived in tents for the rest of his life. He did not receive since God has provided something better for us, that all the families of the earth would not be blessed apart from Christ and his body.

• REFLECT

  God gave a promise to Abraham that he will be a blessing and that through his descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed. This fulfilment of this promise is not through the numerous descendants of Abraham, but it is in Christ and his body which Christ chooses to work through. This is the work that Christ is doing, and we must do. Will we join in the work of Christ as his body so that all the families of the earth will be blessed? What is one thing that we can do this week to bless others?

reading for: Thursday Night, 8 jUNE

Romans 4:13-25

God is at work in raising a people of Faith

• READ

  Today, we continue to look at Abraham and how he was the Father of Faith looking at Paul’s reflection on Abraham.

  Romans 4:13–25 (ESV)

  13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

  Paul declares that the promise to Abraham and his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the law but the righteousness of faith. Abraham natural descendants later on would go into slavery, be led out of slavery by the hand of God, meet God on mount Sinai and be given the law. Many generations have passed since then to the time of Paul and the natural descendants of Abraham were insistent on law observance and saw themselves as the channel of the blessings of Abraham. Paul was telling them that they were wrong and that it is not through the law, but it depends on faith so that the promise may rest on grace to all the offspring of Abraham. Abraham was the Father of faith having walked in faith throughout his life and that faith was counted to him as righteousness. Paul instructs us that it is those who are like Abraham who believed in the Father who raised Jesus from the dead that will be righteous. God is doing a work in Christ raising up a people who like Abraham will believe in him and walk in faith and obedience. This is how the promise of the God to Abraham that he would be heir of the world will be fulfilled for it is fulfilled in Christ through his body.

• REFLECT

  Abraham was a hero of faith and continually chose to believe in God and walk in obedience. The descendants of Abraham are not merely the natural descendants of Abraham but those who believe in God who raised Jesus from the dead. Will we believe in Jesus and choose to obey him? Will we join Christ and Abraham being people of faith so that the promises of God to Abraham might be fulfilled.

reading for: Friday Night, 9 JUNE

Psalm 33:1-12

Praise the God who is the worker

• READ

  Psalm 33 starts with a shout for joy in the Lord. The psalmist gives thanks to the Lord with the lyre and the harp. The psalmist sings to him a new song. This song of praise is not just a song that a individual psalmist sings but a community that praises and sings to the Lord. Let us know look at what do they praise God for?

  Psalm 33:1–12 (ESV)

  1Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.

  2Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!

  3Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

  4For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

  5He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

  6By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

  7He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.

  8Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

  9For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

  10The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

  11The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

  12Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

  The psalmist and his community praise God for the word of the Lord is upright and all his work is done in faithfulness. God is a faithful worker and he does his work in faithfulness. He is a God that loves righteousness and justice, and he works in the earth to bring about righteousness, love and justice. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth and all in it.

  The psalmist continues to praise God for he is the one who gathers the waters of the sea as a heap, putting the deeps in storehouses. God is the maker of the heavens and the earth, bringing the counsel of the nations to nothing, frustrating the plans of the people. Blessed is the nation who God is the Lord!

  The Lord in this psalm is not passive but is constantly shown as the worker. He is the one that creates the heavens and the earth and is working to bring about righteousness, justice and love in the world.

• REFLECT

  Praise the Lord! God the worker is worthy of our praise for he is the one that made the heavens and the earth. He is the one that brings about righteousness and justice, frustrating the plans of the wicked to bring about his purposes. Praise the Lord!