By Joseph Ametepe
Patient and Precious Father, we revel and rejoice in Your goodness and grace toward us. For, in Your goodness and grace, You have brought us into the new month of May 2024! We thank You for giving us “life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:25). Not only that, our hearts overflow with gratitude to You for keeping us in life (see Psalm 66:9) all throughout April 2024 until now.
We owe our life to You, our Maker
Indeed, we owe our life to You, our Maker (see Psalm 100:3). In fact, at the beginning of creation, it was You who breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life (see Genesis 2:7). Truly, “If [You] should gather to [Yourself Your] spirit and [Your] breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust” (Job 34:14-15). Certainly, we are totally dependent on You for life and being kept in life.
We acknowledge that You always have our best interest at heart
Patient and Precious Father, we acknowledge that You always have our best interest at heart. Indeed, You want Your very best for us in this life and in the life soon to come. All this is because Your unceasing and unconditional love motivates You to seek Your very best for us. Oh how can we thank You for such a love, freely, fully and faithfully bestowed on us! Truly, “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16).
We know that You have a purpose for us
Since You are love and willingly give us life, we know that You have a purpose for us to fulfill in our sojourn on earth. In other words, our existence on earth is to serve a divine plan. In fact, Your word affirms that You have plans for our lives, “plans formed long ago” (Isaiah 25:1b). “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
We know that You made this promise to the people of Judah
Patient and Precious Father, we know that You made this promise to the people of Judah who were in captivity in Babylon. But the principle applies to all believers in Jesus Christ today, Jews and Gentiles alike! Surely, You have plans for our individual lives. And yes, You want us to know them and seek You to fulfill them in our lives. Therefore, enable us by Your Holy Spirit, to seek You to reveal Your plans for our lives in this month of May 2024. Empower us to search for You with all our heart – with confident expectation that You will be found by us (see Jeremiah 29:13-14).
Your plans for our lives are revealed in Your Word
Indeed, Your plans for our lives are revealed in Your Word for us. Since You know that we are sinners who cannot save ourselves, You planned from eternity past to send to earth Your only Begotten Son. Through His sacrificial death on the Cross and resurrection from the dead on the third day, salvation is offered to all who believe in Him. In fact, this is not just a plan but also a passion of Yours. Your desire is for sinners to be saved and enter into a genuine born again relationship with You through simple and sincere child-like faith in Jesus.
Salvation of sinners is not Your only plan for our lives
But salvation of sinners is not Your only plan and passion for our lives here on earth. Your plans for our lives also include knowing You personally and intimately. Among men, a wise man boasts of his wisdom. A mighty man boasts of his might. And a rich man boasts of his riches. But You detest such boastings (see Jeremiah 9:23). However, You delight in the boasting of knowing You personally.
Let him who boasts boast of this
“But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth…” (Jeremiah 9:24; NASB). Patient and Precious Father, what a blessing You have graciously and generously bestowed upon us! To know You, the only true God, personally and intimately! Yes, we have the privilege of knowing You personally and intimately in this life! Oh how sad it is, that man is pursuing all kinds of knowledge, but not the precious and personal knowledge of You! The God who is knowable!
You give us life and keep us in life
Because You give us life and keep us in life and desire for us to know You, we believe that our lives in May 2024 is precious to You. Indeed, You want our lives in May 2024 to count for eternity. It’s Your desire for us to serve Your purpose in our generation, even as David did in his generation (see Acts 13:36). We thank You that You have already even prepared good works for us to walk in them (see Ephesians 2:10) in May 2024.
We heartily and humbly commit the month of May 2024 to You
As such, Patient and Precious Father, we heartily and humbly commit the month of May 2024 to You. Please bring to pass what concerns our families, friends, fellow-believers and us! Also, “O LORD, the Hope of Israel” (Jeremiah 17:13), accomplish Your divine purposes for the nation of Israel – Your chosen ones. Please, Lover and Leader of the Church, perform Your predestined desires for the Church – Your called-out ones.
We fervently implore You
Also, “Lord of the whole earth” (Psalm 97:5; Zechariah 4:14; NASB), we fervently implore You on behalf of Your world. Please carry out Your godly purposes for Your world. Made up of all the nations and peoples You created under the heavens! We affirm that, You, the LORD, are high above all nations (see Psalm 113:4a). Indeed, You are the Ruler of the nations. You reign. In fact, this is a message You want Your people to announce in the nations. “Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns’” (Psalm 96:10a).
Your reign is to be declared among the nations
Since Your reign is to be declared among the nations, we lift up the nations to You. Please, “Lord of the whole earth” (Psalm 97:5), reign in the nations of our day that they may call upon Your name! For Your word says: “Everyone who calls upon the name of LORD will be saved” (Acts 2:20b; NASB). Reveal Yourself and “[Your] righteousness in the sight of the nations” (see Psalm 98:2b)!
Restore, O Lord, the fear of You among the nations of the world
Restore, O Lord, the fear of You among the nations of the world! For Your word declares that: “the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7a). Remove the heart of stone (see Ezekiel 36:26) from the nations that they may come to know You, the loving and living God. For Your desire for the nations is that they know God (see Psalm 79:6)! O “ruler of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5b), we pray; “rule in the midst of Your enemies” (Psalm 110:2b).
We specifically pray for the nation of Israel
Now, Patient and Precious Father, we specifically pray for the nation of Israel, Your people and Your heritage (see Psalm 94:5). On April 13th, 2024 Iran launched 300 drones and missiles against Israel. It was an unprecedented attack that came as a response to an Israeli raid on the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1, 2024. On April 19th, 2024, Israel struck back at Iran, a strike which was controlled and calculated. Since then, the world has been on edge, fearing an all-out-war between these two countries and their allies.
You are not taken by surprise by these events
“O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel” (2 Samuel 7:27), You are not taken by surprise by these events in the month of April 2024! You are fully in control of the affairs of all the nations. In fact, when it comes to Israel and her enemies and adversaries, You have a very simple and straightforward plan. That is, You only want Israel to obey You. And as they do, You will take full responsibility for their defense and the defeat of their enemies.
You…gave Israel this conditional promise
Through, Your prophet Moses, You, “the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel” (1 Samuel 17:45), gave Israel this conditional promise. “But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries” (Exodus 23:22; NASB). Also, through Asaph, the psalmist, You also heartily exhorted Israel to simple and sincere obedience to You. “Oh that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would quickly subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their adversaries” (Psalm 81:13-14)!
We earnestly pray
Therefore, we earnestly pray that Your Spirit would enable Israel to listen obediently to the Lord their God! Also, empower them to learn from their history. That is, how You took full responsibility in defending them and defeating their enemies; when Israel walked in obedience to You. Also, in all their battles, enable them by Your Spirit to look to You, their Maker, not to their military might! Above all, we pray for Your Spirit’s empowerment for Israel to long for You Yourself in such a time as this (see Isaiah 26:9)!
Patient and Precious Father, we beseech You
Also, Patient and Precious Father, we beseech You on behalf of Your Church among the nations. We confess that apart from Christ, the True Vine, we can do nothing (see John 15:1, 5). Please, by Your Spirit enable Your Church to depend wholeheartedly on You (see Isaiah 22:11)! Desire You above all else in such a time as this (Psalm 73:25)! Delight in You Yourself (see Psalm 37:4) and in the law of the LORD (see Psalm 1:2)! Draw near to You with confident expectation that You will draw near to us (see James 4:8)!
We call upon You to reveal more of Yourself to us
As well, we call upon You to reveal more of Yourself to us in the storms of life even as You did for Your disciples (see Mark 4:35-41)! By Your Spirit, restore our first love for You Yourself (see Revelation 2:4)! Rekindle our passion for sharing Your good news to a lost and dying world in such a time as this (see Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 9:16)! We humbly acknowledge that we are not gathering in summer, but are sleeping in harvest time (see Proverbs 10:5). Also, through Your Holy Spirit, enable us to repent of being lukewarm (see Revelation 3:15-19)!
In this month of May, Your Church will celebrate two significant events
In this month of May, Your Church will celebrate two significant events in the history of the Church. First, we will celebrate the Ascension of Christ on Thursday May 9, 2024. Then on May 19, 2024, we will celebrate the Day of Pentecost. These two events hold so much value for our faith. Therefore, Lord and Lover of the Church, enable us to take time to refresh our hearts and minds of their importance for our holy faith.
Patient and Precious Father, we thank You
O Patient and Precious Father, we thank You that “You are good and do good” (Psalm 119:68). You have done much good for us in times past. And we are confident that in May 2024 and beyond; You will in Your grace do us much good. Oh yes, May 2024 may bring into our lives painful struggles as well as pleasant surprises; trials as well as triumphs. But one truth remains unchanged. “You are good and do good.” It is with that confidence and conviction that we present our praises, penitence, prayers, and petitions to You. And it is in the blessed and beloved name of Jesus Christ that we pray! Amen!