Day 11 (17 Aug 2017, Thursday)
In Jeremiah 29:4-9, Jeremiah comforted the exiled Jews in Babylon. He exhorted them to take Babylon as their home, multiplying their descendants and establishing their businesses and praying for the city they dwelt in. But they were warned to reject the words of the false prophets. God destined their period of exile to be seventy years. When the days finally came to its fullness, God would show His favour by bringing them home.
The Jews were puzzled by the letter as they thought that their captivity would end soon but Jeremiah told them to wait for seventy years. They were instructed to devote themselves like the locals, and contributed their effort in the infrastructural work of Babylon. They were told to flourish in the homeland of their enemy, and later to return to their own homeland which was devastated and destitute.
Nobody in their right mind would think that this could amount to something “hopeful”.
However, God’s thoughts and His ways are higher than ours. The Lord said through Jeremiah in verse 11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Our hope lies not on the amount for knowledge that we have, but on the premise that “God knows.” He has predestined and He has a plan. When we place our hope on God who is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient, we shall enjoy peace and be able to do our work well and hope for the mighty deeds of our Lord.
Pray for the States of Malaysia : Johor
Johor has the second highest rate of reported illegitimate births by teens aging from 10 to 19 years old based on year 2012-2015 statistics. Pray against the underlying spirit of immorality behind this and pray that the many affected teens and their offspring will receive adequate attention and help.
Pray for the plight and wellbeing of the Orang Seletar, one of the people groups residing along the coast overlooking the Tebrau Straits, as they have been forced to relocate several times due to the development plans there.
Johor’s eastern coast between Kota Tinggi, Penggerang and Mersing is one of the major entry and departure points for illegal Indonesian immigrants. Pray for the police patrolling the area to apply measures and solutions to curb all forms of illegal incursions.
Necf Malaysia
Download 2017 NECF Malaysia 40Days Fast & Prayer (Prayer Booklet)
No comments:
Post a Comment