GOD ANSWERS THE PRAYERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS
Thursday, 25th August 2016
2 Chronicles 13:1-22 (NKJV)
In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah.
2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3 Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor.
4 Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
5 Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?
6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord.
7 Then worthless rogues gathered to him, and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and inexperienced and could not withstand them.
8 And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and with you are the gold calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods.
9 Have you not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of things that are not gods?
10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who minister to the Lord are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties.
11 And they burn to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense; they also set the showbread in order on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps to burn every evening; for we keep the command of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him.
12 Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!” …
Prayer is ordained by God as a means of communication between God and man. Christians are commanded to depend on God completely for all their needs, hopes and aspirations by bringing their entire request to Him in prayer (Phil. 4:6).In today’s reading, Abijah prayed and depended on God for help while Jeroboam trusted on the arm of flesh. To those who trust in God, however, He sends this word of encouragement from Heb. 4: 16. ”let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we many obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”. God answers prayers because He is the One who commanded us to pray; and He cannot deny Himself. Because we have access to God through Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:12), you can ask and receive, that your joy may be full (John 16: 24). All power in heaven and on earth belongs to God. He is the owner of all things visible and invisible. He is a loving Father, and He is waiting to hear from you.
Thought: Ask and it shall be given you, seek you shall find: knock and it shall be opened unto you (Matt. 7:7)