By Joseph Ametepe
Heavenly and Holy Father, we are thankful and thrilled for blessing us with the privilege of entering the new month of February 2025. As the Lord of life, You are pleased to bestow upon us, Your gift of life for February 2025. We gladly and gratefully appreciate You for all You’ve done for us since the beginning of the New Year of 2025. Indeed, there is no one like You, who selflessly loves us and sincerely longs to bestow Your blessings upon us. Yes, Your very best!
Your word affirms
Surely, Your word affirms that, Your blessing makes rich and You add no sorrow to it (see Proverbs 10:22). Therefore, we, like the sweet psalmist of Israel, David, would like bless You for Your many blessings and benefits. Yes, we want to bless You for all Your benefits, bounties and blessings freely bestowed on us. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all [our] iniquities, who heals all [our] diseases; who redeems [our] life from the pit, who crowns [us] with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies [our] years with good things, so that [our] youth is renewed like the eagle” (Psalm 103:1-5; NASB).
We acknowledge that these benefits cannot be bought
Indeed, we acknowledge that these benefits cannot be bought by the riches and resources of this world. Neither, do we deserve them on our own merit, No! Not at all! Rather, O Lord, You have lavished these blessings upon us out of Your great love with which You love us. For Your word says: “See how great a love the Father bestowed on us, that we would be called the children of God; and such we are” (1 John 3:1a; NASB). Truly, we are a blessed people. Yes, blessed beyond belief!
Heavenly and Holy Father, we are truly grateful
O Heavenly and Holy Father, we are truly grateful for all You’ve done for us. Also, we appreciate You for all You continue to do for us out of Your love for us. Indeed, eternity itself will not suffice to express our heartfelt gratitude to You for the blessings You lovingly lavish upon us. O Lord, be magnified! Be glorified! Be exalted! For You said: “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in all the earth” (Psalm 46:10b; NASB). Surely, You are the God who is exalted in Your power (see Job 36:22a). Moreover, it is written of You: “The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high” (Isaiah 33:5a; NASB).
You are and will be exalted in all the earth
Since You are and will be exalted in all the earth, we heartily and humbly commit our way to You. Specifically, we commit our way to You in the new month of February 2025. You alone, O Lord, knows its end from its beginning. Yes, You alone, will be directing our steps in it, in order to accomplish Your divine purpose for our lives. Also, You alone will be in total control of all that will be happening in it. Indeed, only what You permit or predestined, will happen in it. Indeed, You are the self-existing, the self-sufficient, the self-sustaining, the sovereign and the supreme deity of the universe.
We dedicate February 2025 to You
As such, with bold and blessed assurance, we dedicate February 2025 to You. Please, accomplish what concerns our family, friends, and us. Also, divinely carry out Your predestined plans and purposes for the nation of Israel – Your chosen and cherished people. As well, diligently perform Your appointed desires and designs for Your Church – Your consecrated and called-out people. Furthermore, Lord, be pleased to bring to pass all Your divine intentions and ideas for Your world. A world, that’s made up of all the nations and lands You created under the heavens.
Heavenly and Holy Father, we pray for...Israel
Heavenly and Holy Father, we pray for Your chosen and cherished people – Israel. We give the glory to You for bringing about the Israel – Hamas ceasefire deal in Gaza on January 19, 2025. Indeed, this is a fulfillment of what’s written of You. “He makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire” (Psalm 46:9; NASB). Certainly, without Your working behind the scenes, this ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, could not have been reached. Similarly, without Your divine help, the ceasefire agreement cannot be maintained, let alone made to last. O Lord, we pray that Your hand will prevail over the ceasefire, so that all its objectives will be achieved.
We pray for the release of the Israeli hostages
Especially, we pray for the release of the Israeli hostages, who have been held hostage for over 15 months. We are grateful and glad for the hostages who have been released after the ceasefire agreement. O Lord, we thank You for Your hand of protection upon their lives. We also bless You for preserving them throughout their captivity. Indeed, You preserved their spirits, souls and bodies and granted them compassion in the sight of their captors. We therefore celebrate their release from captivity.
We cry out to You for those who are yet to be released
While we celebrate the hostages released from captivity, we cry out to You for those who are yet to be released. We thank You, Lord, for watching over them till this very day. To You alone, be all the glory for all that You’ve done behind the scenes to preserve them in life. Having preserved them in life till this day, we are confident that, they too will be celebrating the joy of being released from their captivity. For we believe that, You’ve not brought them this far, only to abandon them to their captors.
We pray
We pray that, in Your grace and goodness, You will bring them out of their place of bondage to a place of blessed freedom. But Lord, our hearts deeply grieve that some of the hostages, though promised release, sadly did not make it to freedom. O God of all comfort, please, comfort their grieving families with Your own comfort (see 2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Heavenly and Holy Father, we lift up...the people of Palestine to You
Also, Heavenly and Holy Father, we lift up the plight of the people of Palestine to You. Yes, it’s true that thousands of the Palestinians have lost their lives in Israel’s war with Hamas. Your word makes it clear to us that You have no pleasure in the death anyone who dies (see Ezekiel 18:32a). Heavenly Father, You did not rejoice or take pleasure in anyone’s death. No, not at all! If others on earth rejoiced in the death of the thousands of the Palestinians, You did not. Your great desire for them is that they will repent and live (see Ezekiel 18:32b; cf. 33:11).
We pray
Therefore, we pray that You will grant the people of Palestine “repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18; NASB). Lord, You did that for the Gentiles in Cornelius’s house in Caesarea when they heard the gospel message (see Acts 10:24-48; 11:18). Moreover, You have done it countless other times. As such, we are very confident that You will do it among the Palestinian people when they hear the gospel. Please Father, open their hearts to believe in Jesus, “the Savior of the world” (John 4:42b; NASB) for the forgiveness of their sins. Also Father, grant that they will embrace in their heart of hearts this blessed truth. That is, Jesus is “the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through [Him]” (John 14:6; NASB).
Their lives have been devastated by Israel's war with Hamas
Also, there is no denying that their lives and land have been devastated by Israel’s war with Hamas. Therefore, we pray that You will in Your grace and mercy rebuild their lives and restore them to their land. Indeed, Lord, You are in the rebuilding and restoration business. You rebuild broken lives, both spiritually and physically. You restore the soul (see Psalm 23:3) and You also restore lands devastated by war (see Isaiah 52:8). The destruction wrought across the Gaza strip by Israel in the 15 months since the massacre of Israeli and other citizens by Hamas on October 7, 2023 is massive.
Most of the health facilities have been damaged or decimated
Millions of Palestinians are without homes. Most of the health facilities have been damaged or decimated. Schools have been destroyed or turned into shelters for the newly homeless. Since Father, You care for the Palestinians, we pray for Your divine assistance in the post-war reconstruction and recovery of Gaza. For Your word says: “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1a; NASB).
Heavenly and Holy Father, we now pray for Your world
O Heavenly and Holy Father, we now pray for Your world. In this month of February, the world will be celebrating Valentine’s Day (February 14). Although it originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, it has become a significant cultural and commercial celebration of romance and love in the world. Thank You, Heavenly Father, for Your love for the world. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16; ESV).
Your love for the world is selfless
Your love [agape] for the world is selfless, not snobbish. It’s sacrificial, not showy. It’s supernatural, not superficial. Also, it’s special, not shallow. It’s steadfast and strong, not shaky and soft. Your love for the world is secure and safe, not self-doubting and shy. Indeed, Your love for Your world is sure, not suspect. It’s sound, not shady. O yes, Father, Your love [agape] always seeks Your very best for us, not Your worst for us. This is the love the world desperately needs today. And You, Father, have made this love available to all.
How can this love...be experienced by the people of the world?
But how can this love that’s special and supernatural be experienced by the people of the world today? You made it simple and straightforward. Simply, by believing in Your only Son, Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29; NASB). Therefore, we earnestly pray for the people of the world today. O “Lord of all the earth” (Joshua 3:11, 13,) open their hearts to respond to the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Lord, You opened the heart of Lydia to respond to the message of the gospel spoken by Paul (see Acts 16:14). You have done that throughout the centuries for many people in the world. And we are confident that You will do it for the people of the world today.
Heavenly and Holy Father, grant that they will confess...that Jesus is Lord
Therefore, Heavenly and Holy Father, grant that they will confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord. And that they will believe in their heart that You raised Him from the dead, and they will be saved (see Romans 10:9). For Your word says: “With the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:10; ESV). Thank You for the blessed assurance that no one who sincerely believes in Jesus will be disappointed (see Romans 10:11). Why? Because that person will experience Your selfless and sacrificial love. Embrace it in his or her heart and express it in his or her life. Moreover, the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ will be his or her possession, now and forever. O how wonderful!
O Lord, we lift up Your Church...to You
And now, O Lord, we lift up Your Church – Your consecrated and called-out people - to You. We thank You for Your great love for Your Church. For Your word says: “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God” (1 John 3:11; NASB). Father, the great love which You have lavished upon us is to motivate us to fulfill Your mandate. That is, to share and spread the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world in such a time as this. Indeed, as You Yourself said: “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37; NASB).
Lord of the harvest, we earnestly beseech You
Therefore, Lord of the harvest, we earnestly beseech You to send out workers into Your harvest (see Matthew 9:38). We acknowledge that the success of Your workers in Your harvest depends on You. Therefore, we pray that You will open up to them a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ (see Colossians 4:3) Also, we pray that words may be given to them in opening their mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel (see Ephesians 6:12). As well, we pray that their gospel will not come to people “in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5; NASB).
Heavenly and Holy Father, we pray
Heavenly and Holy Father, we pray that as a result of their work, “everyone calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13; ESV). And Lord, be pleased to add to their number day by day those who are being saved (see Acts 2:47b). For Your workers plant and water, but it is You who gives the growth (see 1 Corinthians 3:6). O Father, grant that Your Church, will be renewed, revived, and refreshed in such a time as this! That when Christ “appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming” (1 John 2:28b; ESV). We pray all this in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ. Your only begotten Son! Our only blessed Savior! Amen!