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Joshua |
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| Chapter 1 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 13 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 2 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 14 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 3 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 15 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 4 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 16 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 5 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 17 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 6 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 18 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 7 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 19 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 8 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 20 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 9 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 21 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 10 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 22 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 11 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 23 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 12 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 24 | Prayer | Devotional |
Father God, help us to see the greatness of our leader Jesus, our new Joshua. No man is able to stand before Him and resist Him. He will lead us into the Promised Land. He will speak to us through Your Word. He is with us wherever we go. We will take possession of the land that You are giving us to possess. Make us to be men of valor as we follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Here we have One who is better than Moses. We will obey Him in all that He has commanded us. Make us strong and courageous in the face of every obstacle by Your wonderful grace.
Lord God, You are the Protector of Your people. By many a Rahab You are well able to hide those who have been sent out in Your Name. You placed surprising grace within her, and she became a woman of faith. She rightly considered the greatness of Your acts of redemption. You alone are the Lord God Almighty. Through Your Son Jesus, You have delivered our lives from death. Grant us hope again in Him. We will follow Your every instruction. You have given us signs of redemption through baptism and communion. May we believe You as You speak to us through Your Word. Dangerous enemies would want to stop You and Your church, but You will rescue us and accomplish all Your holy will.
Sovereign Leader, You are God. We follow You and the ark of Your presence. You have appointed One great High Priest to lead us forward. We will listen to His Word, and will follow this King and Head of the Church. Your tribes crossed over the Jordan on dry land. This was a great miracle, and a sign that they were on a holy mission. You gave them a wonderful victory. Father, what is the mission ahead of us in our day? Please speak to us and lead us.
Lord of the Nations, You have loved Your people with an everlasting love. When You brought the tribes of Israel across the Jordon, You instructed them to build a memorial of twelve stones from the midst of the Jordon, to be a sign for the people forever. Help us to remember Your holy works of powerful deliverance. We have no ark to carry, no holy garments, and no priests to offer sacrificial animals. Yet we have One great High Priest who has offered up Himself as a sacrifice, and in Him we are all priests by faith. We have together become Your ark, for we are the temple of Your Holy Spirit. May Your church throughout the nations be a living sacrifice and a holy reminder forever, with Your Son Jesus as our solid Cornerstone.
Father God, when the world hears about Your power and Your love for Your people, there is something of a fear that passes over the hearts of many. We too need to fear You, but we also love You as our Father. We must obey Your voice. We want to live with You in the land flowing with milk and honey. Circumcise our hearts and roll away the reproach of sin far from us through the cross of our Redeemer. May we remember that Christ, our Passover lamb, is our righteousness. We follow this one great Commander of Your army, O Lord, and we move forward on holy ground.
Great God, You gave Jericho into the hand of Joshua, and You have given all lands and all power and authority to our new Joshua, Your Son Jesus. The walls of Jericho seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle to Your conquest of the land. Yet those walls would fall at Your command and through the ministry of the people under the command of Your servant. May we move forward at the order of Your great Son Jesus. May we be an army of love and service. May no wall be able to hold back Your church, and may those who hear Your voice and turn to You be saved from the judgment that is coming upon the world. One day, the world will be handed over to Your righteous wrath, but there will be a new heavens and a new earth by Your command. We long to be in the number of Your Israel when Your Son returns for His bride, for there is no future left for us in the city of destruction.
Strong Deliverer, You have brought down the walls of Jericho. Will You not also defeat the enemy within our hearts, that indwelling sin that so quickly besets us? We have brought great trouble upon ourselves by our transgression of Your commandments. We have coveted what was devoted to destruction. A wedge of gold and a Babylonian garment have been more precious to our depraved flesh than the incomparable glories of Your great promises. Restrain our wickedness, O Lord, lest more trouble come upon our homes. We cannot bear Your wrath. Remember the full atonement that we have through the blood of Jesus. We have sinned against You. Thank you for the forgiveness that is ours through our Redeemer. He has faced the verdict that was against us. Though we have surely brought trouble upon ourselves through our covetousness and evil, You have turned from Your burning anger because of the sacrifice of Jesus, our Lord.
Mighty God, we serve You with gladness in our day, because You have given us a great victory over a powerful adversary. We are ready for battle, O Lord. Give us wisdom and love. Give us the city, O God. We will be satisfied with nothing less than a victory in the battle before us. Help us to estimate the struggle rightly. Let us turn to You in prayer. Grant to us holy desires worthy of Your Name. May many be drawn away from wicked affections, and may they be surprised by Your gospel of grace, and the beauty of our Leader, the Lord Jesus Christ. Overwhelm the arguments of wickedness with the truth of Your glory. Give us eyes to see Your decisive victory for us, and grant to us a great day of faith. We thank You for the offering of Your Son, through whom we have peace with You. We hear Your word, and we will follow You. Bless us and our families because of Christ, we pray.
Father, You have given us a mission that is uncompromising, but we are easily deceived. Those who would come into Your church through some other way than through the gate which is Christ may speak with smooth and persuasive words, distracting us from the tasks before us. Even still, we trust Your wisdom and strength. You are able to overrule our weakness. We should always seek Your counsel in the mission You have given us, but what will we do on that day when we have followed our own understanding? Bring about some good result for the glory of Your Name despite our foolishness and the lies of our enemies. Cause even impure impulses and actions to somehow yield praise for You and deliverance for men because of Your powerful electing love.
O Lord of Righteousness, You have a plan for Your Jerusalem which has been accomplished at the cost of a great battle. Your Son’s blood was shed for us, and a victory was secured for Your eternal city of peace. Long ago the sun in the sky stood still at the word of Your servant Joshua. Through this sign You demonstrated Your favor upon Your servants in the day of their warfare. Yet greater than this, the cross of Your Son Jesus is a sign of victorious love. He has fought for us and has defeated dangerous enemies. The demonic host that would have ruled over us has been consigned to defeat. Your Son has put His feet on the neck of all of our foes, through His own death on the cross. By this great battle, we have strength for the contest ahead of us. Your victory, O Lord God, is complete and glorious.
God of Our Fathers, the battle before us seems substantial, and we wonder whether we have the strength to keep on going. Take away our fear, and help us to believe Your Word that there is a great tomorrow coming. In that great tomorrow the enemy will be captured and devoted to destruction. That day will be better than any other moment of victory that we have enjoyed in this past. Take all that is Yours, Lord Jesus. Grant to us help, and strengthen us for the challenges that are before us. Cut off enemies that would be too strong for us. Secure our promised inheritance and give us rest from war soon, lest we faint with weariness in our hearts, and die.
Our Lord and King, there are many kings in this world, and they all have their territories and their scope of authority. We have You as our King. There is none better than You. No king is wiser, more powerful, or more devoted to His people. We will not turn to these lesser kings. We will follow Your Son, the true King of Heaven, who together with You and Your Holy Spirit is one God forever. We see the riches and armies of other men, but no one can compare with You, O Lord.
Eternal Father, there remains yet much for Your church to do. You have told us that the gospel must be preached throughout all the earth, and only then will Your Son return. We who seek Him and long for the fulfillment of all things have a duty before us. Together with Your church throughout the world, we must be diligent to do the work that You have assigned to us. We must preach and teach. We must worship You, and extend Your worship to places where Your Name is not clearly proclaimed. We long for Your strength in battle, for we face devious enemies, like Balaam, who would have destroyed Your people with the filthy deception of immorality. We need You now. Fight for us, O Lord. We are the inheritance of Your Son Jesus, and we call upon Your Name.
God of Hope, we thank You for our promised inheritance in the ultimate land of the living. We would take possession of all that You have for us. Give us the courage of Caleb when he expressed His confidence in battle even as an older man. Grant us necessary resources of strength for spiritual warfare and for faithful Christian living. Give us a blessed expectation, so that we will follow You where You lead, O Lord God of Israel.
God of Justice, You know the right allotment of gifts for Your people. Any good claim that we might make upon Your justice is centered entirely in Christ, our representative. If we were to stand before You without the excellence of His mediation, there could be no inheritance for us in the land. Because of His willing service and love, we now have the justice that was due Him for His great obedience, and He has taken the justice due to us for our ungodliness. Now we have a delightful future, and many good gifts, even in this land of sorrow. We have wives, children, water, food, and useful work. Give us joy for the mission You have for us day by day, knowing that we live and serve at Your holy pleasure. Well in advance of our lives, You have prepared for us good things to do that we should walk in them. You have made cities and villages for us where we may live, love, and serve. How happy is the man who trusts in You! Help us to figure out our lives and our missions. Send angels to keep the adversary at bay in the battlefield of our minds. Take full possession of us, for we are Yours.
Lord of the Church, we have brothers and sisters everywhere. We are not all the same, but we are all one body in Christ. May we serve You together with joy. Help us to avoid unnecessary criticism and discouragement within this family. There is one battle before us, and You are granting us the strength together for the victory of love.
Father God, the generations move forward. The day of fathers comes to an end, and sons and daughters move ahead with the strength that You supply. Make us diligent in the tasks that You have passed on to us from earlier generations of faithful men and women. Your Son forever lives to intercede for us. Even those whose bodies rest in the grave, if they are in Your Son, are yet alive in Him. Use all Your saints for the praise of Your glorious grace. The adversaries who stand against Your church may seem to be too strong for us with their chariots of iron, but we have the strength of men and angels in Your Son Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead.
Lord, the work yet ahead of us is substantial. How long will we excuse ourselves from the tasks that we have been commanded to perform? We would settle into comfortable homes, and forget that we are to seek first Your Kingdom. So few of Your servants seem to be on pilgrimage to a better land. We have become satisfied in the comforts of the flesh and the things of the world. Have we utterly forgotten Your Son? Awake Your church, O God! There is a world that is still waiting for the gospel. There are children yet to be born. Will there be no new generation for Your people because of our unwillingness to serve?
Father God, You have not abandoned Your plans. For this we are very grateful. You announce the mission that is ours to perform. It seems too large for us, so You invite us to ask You, that You might provide others to gather in the harvest, for the yield that You have planned is abundant. There is hope for the future because of Your covenant faithfulness. There should be no confusion concerning the boundaries of Your church today. No nations can claim the right to keep the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ out of their lands, for they exist at His pleasure. All power and authority has been given to Your Son. Every tribe and clan, every nation and people group must hear Your Word. Why do we set out on strange new missions, when we have not taken possession of the territory You have given to us? You will not let us forget Your Word and Your call upon our lives. You will raise up faithful workers and shepherds for the glory of Your name, and You will gather Your flock.
God of Mercy, is there a place of refuge for the willful sinner? Father, we understand that in former days You had a city for the man guilty of manslaughter, but is there any place of hope for the murderer who repents? We thank You that Christ has become our place of refuge, for He gave His life for the ungodly.
Lord God, You own all things, and everything that we have is a gift from Your hand. Your Son has given us those who would be devoted to the work of preaching and teaching, so that the worship of Your church would be undertaken with decency, order, passion, and excellence. Thank you for the gift of people who teach, as well as the gift of elders and deacons for the orderly care of Your Kingdom. It is a joy to see Your work move forward as we serve together. We thank you for the privilege of supporting those who are called to these positions of trust and service. You are the One who provides homes and lands for those who are devoted to Your church. All of Your good promises shall surely come to pass, and Your Kingdom shall be blessed.
Sovereign Lord, make us careful to keep the charge that Your Son has given to us. May we love You, and be kind to one another. Help us to run the race that You have marked out for us to the end. Let us look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others. We have a family connection with one another. Give us wisdom to understand how we can rightly care for others in the body of Christ. Give us courage to speak when we should speak, and to hold our peace when there is nothing that we can say. You are the Mighty One. You are the Lord. Teach us to trust You and to love one another. Help us to remember what we have in common with all who proclaim the Name of Your Son. Our portion is in You. Far be it from us to rebel against You and to unjustly turn against our brothers in Christ. May all who love You with an undying love rejoice in the Word of truth.
Father God, as the day of our fathers has come to an end, our day to leave this place will also come. Let us be able to honestly confess that we have run the race that You have given us to run. Make us cleave to Your Son, for our Savior fights for us in every good battle. Each of us will one day go the way of all the earth. Every good promise and solemn warning from Your mouth is true and worthy of our meditation and obedience.
O Lord Our God, we are so very weak, though we may seem strong to others. How shall we stand in an age of spiritual weakness? Be our strength. Our father Abraham was taken from the world of idolatry beyond the river. The land of Canaan was also filled with false gods. How can we return to the gods of paganism? Teach us how to serve You with integrity. We have no realistic hope that we will fulfill Your Law. You are a holy god. It is right for us to serve You in truth. Our consciences bear witness against us. Nonetheless our acceptance in Your sight has come through the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. He is our only hope. When our days are over, we will yet find peace in Him, and we will hope in the promise of the resurrection, for our Lord is risen.