Mountain Ridge Bible Chapel

Turning Back Devotion 071326 “Ezra Prayed and Made Confession”

No matter how grievous our sin may seem to us, God longs to hear the penitent heart pour out prayer and confession. He is willing to forgive and restore us to fellowship with Himself. Ezra mourned the mixed marriages to foreign wives that Israel had practiced in his absence. His immediate reaction was to pray and confess their sins. “While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly.” Ezra 10:1.

Nehemiah upon hearing of the burned walls of Jerusalem immediately sought to pray and confess the sins of himself and of his people. He pleaded with God to hear his prayer and confession. “And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.” Nehemiah 1:5-7.

Daniel prayed and confessed the sins of himself and his people. He hoped in the steadfast love of the Lord that their sins would be forgiven. “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.” Daniel 9:3-5.

“John (the Baptist) appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” Mark 1:4-5. Notice that John led the people out to the Jordan in an act of national repentance, to prepare them for the arrival of the Messiah.

Our hearts need to be turned in prayer and confession to the Lord. We must seek His mercy, for we need forgiveness daily. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9. Beloved brother and sister in Christ, let us often pray and make confession to our Lord. Every work of God depends upon having a clear conscience and willing hearts to do as He commands. If there is to be any kind of revival in our lives, our homes, our churches, our neighborhoods, it will begin with prayer and confession to God.

For His glory!

Doug Tremper

Turning Back Devotion 070826 “We Are the Servants of the God of Heaven and Earth”

After twenty years, the elders and leaders of Jerusalem were goaded into action to begin again to complete the rebuilding of the temple by Haggai and Zechariah, the prophets of the Lord. They gained a new perspective of who they were. So that when the people of the land threatened to accuse them to Darius the king, instead of giving them their names, they simply stated, “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth.

The letter that was written to Darius reported it this way. “Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus: ‘Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?’ We also asked them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of their leaders. And this was their reply to us: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt.” Ezra 5:9-13.

Others have taken a similar stand when confronted by kings and those in authority. Nebuchadnezzar made an idol of himself and commanded the entire kingdom to fall down and worship it or be thrown into a burning fiery furnace. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-17. These young men were servants of the God of heaven and earth!

After the death and resurrection of Jesus, His followers continued to proclaim the gospel and do miracles in the name of Jesus. The Jewish council had Peter and John arrested. The brothers refused to stop preaching in Jesus’ name and were beaten. They returned to the believers gathered in Jerusalem and reported to them how they were treated. Notice the response of the gathering, ‘So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them... Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word...” Acts 4:24-29. You see, they were the servants of the God of heaven and earth. They prayed for boldness to do and to speak even more!

Dear beloved Christian, do we know Whose we are and Whom we serve? Let us take no thought for ourselves but rather entrust our souls to Him as to a faithful Creator. We have an unspeakable privilege to share the gospel and to be called the servants of the God of heaven and earth! Amen!

Doug Tremper