1 The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
2 Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.
3 The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the LORD on high is mighty.
5 Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O LORD.
Area: 30,244,000 sq km
20.3% of the world's surface area. Of this, 20.6 million sq km are in countries south of the Sahara, and 9.68 million in the nations of North Africa. Population: 1,033,042,510 Annual Growth: 2.30% Urbanites: 40%
Third Wave Pentecostal groups,strongly evangelical, have become a major element in the African Church. They are strong on the Scriptures and outreach, expectant of miracles, fervent in prayer and courageous against the powers of darkness. The Redeemed Christian Church and Deeper Life Bible Church were both started in Nigeria and have planted churches in dozens of countries. Groups such as the Church of Pentecost (Ghana), the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God, and others in Kenya, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire and elsewhere continue to grow and plant new churches. For an additional 6 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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African democratic institutions remain vulnerable,but are strengthening with time. Authoritarian, autocratic leadership that suppresses opposition and robs from its own people still exists, but in many parts of the continent, there are signs of it being replaced by more responsible governments. Pray for more Christian politicians who are undefiled by corruption and resolute in transparency and righteousness. Sub-Saharan Africa is majority Christian – surely its elected officials should likewise be. Some Christian leaders have lost credibility in the past decade, but others have maintained a good testimony. The increased involvement of women in politics, both grassroots and leadership, should help to point the way forward to more egalitarian and accountable political structures. Pray that a revolution in African power structures might occur as communication and information technologies spread, empowering local movements to keep leaders accountable. For an additional 5 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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1 Hear this word, O house of Israel, this lament I take up concerning you: 2 "Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again, deserted in her own land, with no one to lift her up."
3 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "The city that marches out a thousand strong for Israel will have only a hundred left; the town that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left."
4 This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live;
5 do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing. [a] "
6 Seek the LORD and live, or he will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire; it will devour, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.
7 You who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground
8 (he who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns blackness into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land— the LORD is his name-
9 he flashes destruction on the stronghold and brings the fortified city to ruin),
10 you hate the one who reproves in court and despise him who tells the truth.
11 You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
13 Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times, for the times are evil.
14 Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says: "There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail.
17 There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst," says the LORD.
The Day of the LORD
18 Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD ? That day will be darkness, not light. 19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him.
20 Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light— pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?
21 "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, [b] I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
25 "Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god [c]— which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus," says the LORD, whose name is God Almighty.
A member of the church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was ...a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, 'Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I will be back in church next Sunday.' We live in a world today, which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.
Area: 30,244,000 sq km
20.3% of the world's surface area. Of this, 20.6 million sq km are in countries south of the Sahara, and 9.68 million in the nations of North Africa. Population: 1,033,042,510 Annual Growth: 2.30% Urbanites: 40%
Evangelical growth has been even more spectacular.In 1900, evangelicals numbered 1.6 million (1.5%), but in 2010, they were 182 million (17.7%). This is nearly as much as all evangelicals in the Americas combined and is the largest evangelical population of any continent. African evangelicals are also increasing at a faster rate than any other continent. For an additional 6 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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Sudan’s civil strifehas been the norm for decades. It became somewhat of an international pariah due to the persistent violence and oppression endorsed by the regime. Pray for peace. a)The north-south tensionshave plunged the country into outright civil war for 38 of the last 55 years. These are intensified by the racial and religious divide between north and south, the Arabization agenda of the regime, with its Islamic jihad overtones, as well as the oil wealth in the south. b)Darfur,despite being overwhelmingly Muslim in composition, has also been subject to horrific oppression by the government-sponsored Janjawid militia. These troubles have in turn spilled into Chad and, to a lesser degree, Central African Republic, affecting millions in both countries. For an additional 4 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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Dear Father,
We invite you back in to our Schools to walk the school property to walk the halls and to provide YOUR PEACE, PROTECTION, PROVISION, PURITY and your very PRESENCE in Every School -- over every administrator, teacher, student and the families associated with this school, in Jesus Name, Amen.
1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring us some drinks!" 2 The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks.
3 You will each go straight out through breaks in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon, [a] " declares the LORD.
4 "Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. [b]
5 Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings— boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do," declares the Sovereign LORD.
6 "I gave you empty stomachs [c] in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.
7 "I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up.
8 People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.
9 "Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.
10 "I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.
11 "I overthrew some of you as I [d] overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.
12 "Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel."
13 He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth— the LORD God Almighty is his name.
Area: 30,244,000 sq km
20.3% of the world's surface area. Of this, 20.6 million sq km are in countries south of the Sahara, and 9.68 million in the nations of North Africa. Population: 1,033,042,510 Annual Growth: 2.30% Urbanites: 40%
Christianity has grownto become the religion of almost half of Africa’s population, and nearly two-thirds of sub-Saharan Africa. From 1900 to 2010, Christian numbers grew from 9.1% of the population to 48.8%, and from 7.5 million to 504 million. For an additional 6 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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1 Hear this word the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: 2 "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins."
3 Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?
4 Does a lion roar in the thicket when he has no prey? Does he growl in his den when he has caught nothing?
5 Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground where no snare has been set? Does a trap spring up from the earth when there is nothing to catch?
6 When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?
7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
8 The lion has roared— who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken— who can but prophesy?
9 Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt: "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people."
10 "They do not know how to do right," declares the LORD, "who hoard plunder and loot in their fortresses."
11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "An enemy will overrun the land; he will pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses."
12 This is what the LORD says: "As a shepherd saves from the lion's mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites be saved, those who sit in Samaria on the edge of their beds and in Damascus on their couches. [a] "
13 "Hear this and testify against the house of Jacob," declares the Lord, the LORD God Almighty.
14 "On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished," declares the LORD.
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. 2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn men back to dust, saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men."
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning-
6 though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan.
10 The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span [a] is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Relent, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor [b] of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.
The gospel took root within hundreds of the world’s least reached peoples.In many cases, peoples with no known believers ten or twenty years ago now have churches within them, some of them thriving, growing churches now involved themselves in the Great Commission! The 1990s saw the most concerted attempt to analyze the need of the world – a process in whichOperation Worlditself played a part. And 1995 saw the beginning of the Joshua Project List (JPL), originally a list of 1,583 of the world’s least reached peoples. While this is expanded to now include all peoples in the world (16,350), the original list served as a catalyst for the Church to pray for, adopt and engage with every one of these least reached peoples. It also inspired national-level research in many countries where the 1,583 were found; this missiological and people group research by Majority World Christians has been a major step toward completion of the Great Commission. Much pioneering work remains, but praise God for miraculous opening of doors and receptivity to the gospel in new places – some once considered all but impossible to reach. For an additional 7 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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Discipleshipis regarded by many Christian leaders as the greatest challenge facing the Church today. In regions such as Africa, Latin America and parts of Asia, where the Church has grown remarkably fast, there are literally millions of new believers who need to learn the Word and the Christian walk. Shaping their worldview and lifestyle biblically will form growing, mature followers of Christ; failing to do so will cause many to fall away into unbelief, false teaching or spiritual lukewarmness. While this is an urgent crisis in places where the Church is rapidly increasing, it is no less important in areas with a long Church history. There is, as ever, a genuine need for effective Bible study and teaching in Christians’ heart languages, genuine fellowship and a commitment to involvement in ministry. For an additional 9 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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1 This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Moab, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. Because he burned, as if to lime, the bones of Edom's king,
2 I will send fire upon Moab that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth. [a] Moab will go down in great tumult amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet.
3 I will destroy her ruler and kill all her officials with him," says the LORD.
4 This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. Because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, [b] the gods [c] their ancestors followed,
5 I will send fire upon Judah that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem."
Judgment on Israel
6 This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.
8 They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines.
9 "I destroyed the Amorite before them, though he was tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks. I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below.
10 "I brought you up out of Egypt, and I led you forty years in the desert to give you the land of the Amorites.
11 I also raised up prophets from among your sons and Nazirites from among your young men. Is this not true, people of Israel?" declares the LORD.
12 "But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
13 "Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.
14 The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life.
15 The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life.
16 Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day," declares the LORD.
1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. 2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. 3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, 4 ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’”[c]
5 The heavens praise your wonders, Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. 6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings? 7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. 8 Who is like you,Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them. 10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies. 11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it. 12 You created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name. 13 Your arm is endowed with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. 15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. 16 They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness. 17 For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn.[d] 18 Indeed, our shield[e] belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: “I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have raised up a young man from among the people. 20 I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him. 21 My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him. 22 The enemy will not get the better of him; the wicked will not oppress him. 23 I will crush his foes before him and strike down his adversaries. 24 My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn[f] will be exalted. 25 I will set his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers. 26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’ 27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth. 28 I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail. 29 I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.
30 “If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes, 31 if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands, 32 I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging; 33 but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. 34 I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered. 35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness— and I will not lie to David— 36 that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun; 37 it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.”
38 But you have rejected, you have spurned, you have been very angry with your anointed one. 39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust. 40 You have broken through all his walls and reduced his strongholds to ruins. 41 All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors. 42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice. 43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword and have not supported him in battle. 44 You have put an end to his splendor and cast his throne to the ground. 45 You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame.
46 How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? 47 Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all humanity! 48 Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave? 49 Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David? 50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has[g] been mocked, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations, 51 the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked, with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.
52 Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.
Footnotes:
Psalm 89:1 In Hebrew texts 89:1-52 is numbered 89:2-53.
Psalm 89:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 89:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 37, 45 and 48.
1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash [a] was king of Israel.
2 He said: "The LORD roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up, [b] and the top of Carmel withers."
Judgment on Israel's Neighbors
3 This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath . Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth, 4 I will send fire upon the house of Hazael that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.
5 I will break down the gate of Damascus; I will destroy the king who is in [c] the Valley of Aven [d] and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden. The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir," says the LORD.
6 This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath . Because she took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom,
7 I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza that will consume her fortresses.
8 I will destroy the king [e] of Ashdod and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn my hand against Ekron, till the last of the Philistines is dead," says the Sovereign LORD.
9 This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Tyre, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath . Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,
10 I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre that will consume her fortresses."
11 This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Edom, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath . Because he pursued his brother with a sword, stifling all compassion, [f] because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked,
12 I will send fire upon Teman that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah."
13 This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Ammon, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders,
14 I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah that will consume her fortresses amid war cries on the day of battle, amid violent winds on a stormy day.
15 Her king [g] will go into exile, he and his officials together," says the LORD.
