Isaiah 38 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 38.

Meditate on verse 14b.

O Lord, I am oppressed;

 be my security.

King Hezekiah was sick and about to die. Just as he spread out the threatening letter from the Assyrians before the LORD (Isaiah 37), he spread his life out before the Almighty and begged God to heal him. Hezekiah knew to whom he must go if he was really going to get the help he needed.

Just as God was his security against the Assyrian threats, God was his security for all of life. The LORD heard King Hezekiah’s prayer and added 15 years to his life.

What oppression are you or someone you love facing today? Go to your only real security and pray Isaiah 38:3, 17, and 20 as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, it is You who has kept _______ and my soul

from the pit of nothingness,

for You have cast all our sins behind Your back. 

Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You,

how we have walked before You in truth

and with a whole heart,

and have done what is good in Your sight. 

LORD, I know You will surely save us.

For Your name’s sake, Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 37 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 37.

Meditate on verse 21.

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying,

“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,

 ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria…’”

“Because you have prayed to Me ...” Does prayer make a difference? God tells you in Isaiah 37 that it does. The LORD handled Hezekiah’s difficult situation because he prayed. God told Hezekiah the reason He spoke against King Sennacherib was because Hezekiah spread out the threatening letter before the LORD and prayed, asking God for deliverance.

What situation is threatening you or someone you love? In your human eyes, what looks impossible? God takes great delight in doing the impossible for His own sake, so everyone will know the LORD alone is God.

As a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7), spread out the impossible before the LORD praying Isaiah 37:16–20.

“O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel,

who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God,

  You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. 

You have made heaven and earth. 

Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear;

open Your eyes, O LORD, and see;

and listen to all the words of my impossible situation. 

Truly, O LORD, I feel devastated, and it looks like we will be destroyed.

Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from ________________

that everyone may know that You alone, LORD, are God.
In Your Name, Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 36 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 36.
Meditate on verse 18.

But they were silent and answered him not a word;
for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.”

Enter Rabshakeh, the Assyrian bully. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent him to Judah. Rabshakeh seized the fortified cities of Judah and taunted the people about trusting in God. He bragged about coming up against Judah without the LORD’s approval. He threatened the people not to believe King Hezekiah.
Do you have a Rabshakeh in your life? Someone who tries to “shake” your confidence in Christ? Someone who wants you to question the LORD’s miraculous provision and care for you and your family? Someone who tells you that God is not trustworthy, and you need to be doing something different rather than waiting and depending on the LORD?
Sometimes Rabshakeh is a person who is trying to talk you into doing something that is not God’s will for your life. Sometimes Rabshakeh is the voice in your head that doubts God and His promises.
Rabshakehs need to be ignored. You do not owe them an answer, and if Rabshakeh is in your head, stop conversing with him. Pray without ceasing to the One who is your only source of strength and provision.
Pray Isaiah 36:7 and 21 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“Father, may ________ and I say,
‘We trust in the LORD, our God.’
Give us the wisdom not to answer
the Rabshakehs in our lives.
We only have to answer to You, Jesus,
In whose name I pray~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 35 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 35.

Meditate on verse 4.

Say to those with anxious heart,

“Take courage, fear not.

Behold, your God will come with vengeance;

the recompense of God will come,

but He will save you.”

Isaiah 35 tells about a time when the wilderness and the desert will have pools and springs of water and will blossom profusely. There will be a roadway called the Highway of Holiness, and the redeemed will walk on it. Everlasting joy will radiate from the faces of the redeemed.

This chapter is like a breath of fresh air in the midst of God’s burdens and woes for people. You may have someone in your life who is a burden and a woe to you because you do not know for sure they are counted with the redeemed who will be walking the Highway of Holiness. Pray for them to ask Christ, the Living Water (John 7:38), to come and forever change their desert of a life.

Pray Isaiah 35:5-6 and 10 over those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 “LORD, ________________ is spiritually

blind, deaf, lame, and mute. 

Let Your waters break forth

in the wilderness of their life. 

Open their eyes, unstop their ears,

let them leap like a deer, and shout for joy.

 LORD, ransom them. 

May everlasting joy be upon their head. 

Let them find gladness and joy,

and let sorrow and sighing flee away from them.

In Your name, Jesus~”

Isaiah 34 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 34.

Meditate on verse 5.

For My sword is satiated in heaven,

Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom

and upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.

Isaiah 34 describes the LORD’s coming day of vengeance. It is a time when the LORD’s indignation and wrath will be poured out on all of mankind. God hates it when people, like Edom (Esau), despise the birthright He has given them to become a child of His and sell it for a bowl of the world’s “red stuff” (Genesis 25:30-34; Malachi 1:3). People who choose the way of the world rather than the way of Jesus Christ are forewarned in Isaiah 34:2 that they will be utterly destroyed and given over to slaughter.

Yet God desires for all men to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4). Salvation is why the LORD invites all people to hear and listen in Isaiah 34:1.

Pray Isaiah 34:1 and 16 over those in your life who are Edoms and need to be saved from the coming wrath of the LORD. Pray for them as their faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, please let _______________ hear and listen to You.

Holy Spirit, gather them.

May they seek and read from Your Book.

In Your name, Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 33 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 33.

Meditate on verse 6a.

And He will be the stability of your times.

You live in a world that appears unstable. Just reading a news article can cause your heart to race with anxiety.

Reread Isaiah 33. Isaiah’s words penned 2,700 years ago are intended to comfort and encourage you, today. The world 2,700 years ago appeared as unstable as it does today, perhaps even more so.

Here is the truth:
The LORD is still our judge.

The LORD is still our lawgiver. The LORD is still our king. He will save us (Isaiah 33:22).

Stop being afraid when you read the news; instead pray Isaiah 33:2 and 6 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 “O LORD, be gracious to ________ and me

as we wait for You. 

Be our strength every morning,

our salvation also in the time of distress.  

You will be the stability of our times,

a wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;

the fear of You is our treasure.

In Your name, Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 32 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 32.

Meditate on verse 17.

And the work of righteousness will be peace,

and the service of righteousness,

quietness and confidence forever.

Isaiah 32 described the desolate wilderness that was Jerusalem. Her only hope was for the Spirit to be poured out on the people. This is the description of your life without the Holy Spirit, an abandoned, forsaken wilderness.

When the Spirit is poured out upon you, your wilderness of a life becomes a fertile field, a forest. Justice and righteousness dwell in you bringing peace, quietness, and confidence forever.

Being in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ is amazing! You do not have to remain in your wilderness.

Pray Isaiah 32:3-4 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, pour Your Spirit upon _____________ and me.

Let our eyes not be blinded and let our ears listen.

Let our hasty mind discern the truth

and our stammering tongue hasten to speak clearly.

In Your name, Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 31 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 31.

Meditate on verse 1.

Woe to those who go down to Egypt

for help and rely on horses,

and trust in chariots

 because they are many

and in horsemen

because they are very strong,

but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel,

 nor seek the LORD!

In the first part of Isaiah, God declared oracles (His burdens) for the people. In this section of Isaiah, the LORD pronounced woes on them. A “woe” from the LORD implies great disapproval. You do not want to get “woe-d” by God.

Take heed to the Word of the LORD. Placing your trust, reliance, and confidence in anyone or anything more than Almighty God will always be met with a “woe” from Him. Trusting in anything besides God to save you is idolatry, and the LORD will not put up with it.

Examine your life. In whom or what do you put your trust? From the salvation of your soul to the decision of what to do in the next five minutes, on what or whom are you relying?

Pray Isaiah 31:6 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, may ________ and I return to You

from whom we have deeply defected.

In Your name, Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 30 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 30.

Meditate on verses 1, 9, and 10.

“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD,

“who execute a plan,

but not Mine,

and make an alliance,

but not of My Spirit,

in order to add sin to sin.”

For this is a rebellious people, false sons,

sons who refuse to listen

to the instruction of the LORD;

who say to the seers,

 “You must not see visions;”

and to the prophets,

“You must not prophesy to us what is right,

speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions.”

God’s Word is timeless. Isaiah was prophesying 2,700 years ago, yet these words describe people living today. How often do you execute a plan without making sure it is God’s plan for your life? Do you listen to the LORD’s instructions? Do you want to hear what is right in the sight of Almighty God, or would you rather hear teaching that is pleasant to your ears, so you can continue in the illusion you are doing okay with God? Would God describe you as a true child of His or as a rebellious, false child?

Pray Isaiah 30:15 and 21 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD God, the Holy One of Israel,

in repentance and rest ________ and I will be saved,

in quietness and trust is our strength.

Make us willing to live that truth. 

Tune our ears to hear and obey Your Word when it says,

‘This is the way, walk in it,’

whenever we turn to the right or to the left.

In Your name, Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 29 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 29.

Meditate on 13.

Then the LORD said,

“Because this people draw near with their words

and honor Me with their lip service,

but they remove their hearts far from Me,

and their reverence for Me consists of

tradition learned by rote…”

It is time to ask yourself some questions. How would you describe your Christianity? Is it going to church, saying the Apostle’s Creed, and the LORD’s Prayer then returning home to do your own thing the rest of the week? Or is it walking every moment of every day in love and in conversation with the Savior of your soul?

Is your Christianity a relationship with Jesus Christ, or is it merely the traditions of your church?

God does not like tradition without relationship. In Isaiah 29, God pronounced a woe to Ariel (Jerusalem). The people performed their religious rituals, but they were not reading and understanding the Word of God. They removed their hearts far from the LORD.

Are you like the people of Jerusalem? Do you know someone who is like the people God is addressing in Isaiah 29?

Pray Isaiah 29:18 and 24 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, remove spiritual deafness from ____________ and me.

 Let us hear the Words of Your Book. 

Out of our gloom and darkness, let our blind eyes see.

Let us not err in mind but know the truth.

Help us not criticize but accept instruction. 

In Your name, Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 28 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 28.

Meditate on verse 15.

Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,

and with Sheol we have made a pact.

 The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by,

for we have made falsehood our refuge

 and we have concealed ourselves with deception.”

This is a powerful chapter from God’s Word. God addressed people who, in their pride, made covenants with death instead of the God of Life. They were deceived and full of lies; they thought they could escape God’s judgment. They were so overcome with wine and strong drink they were reeling, and their tables were full of filthy vomit without a single clean place (Isaiah 28:7-8).

Without being in a saving covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, your life is nothing more than confusing, staggering, and vomit filled. Why would anyone choose to make a covenant with death when God offers everyone the covenant with LIFE through Christ Jesus the LORD?

Pray Isaiah 28:21, 26, and 29 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7) to put an end to the covenant of death in your lives.

“LORD, rise up and be stirred up to do your task,

Your unusual task, and to work Your work,

Your extraordinary work in ___________ and me. 

Instruct and teach us properly. 

Your counsel is wonderful and Your wisdom is great.

In Your name, Jesus~”

Isaiah 27 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 27.

Meditate on verse 5.

Or let him rely on My protection.

Let him make peace with Me.

Let him make peace with Me.

Isaiah 27 tells you about the future destruction of the serpent/ dragon (Satan, see Revelation 12:9; 20:2, 10), God’s forgiveness and restoration of Israel, and the gathering of people from the nations to worship Him. It is exciting to read and think about end time prophecies. It is also sobering because like the dragon, the end of time will be a day of destruction for those who do not know the LORD.

Pray Isaiah 27:5 and 9 over those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, I pray for _______________ to come to You

to forgive their iniquity.

Jesus, thank You for paying

 the full price for pardoning their sin.

May they rely on Your protection.

Let them make peace with You.

Let them make peace with You.

In Your name, Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 26 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 26.

Meditate on verses 3-4.

The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace

 because he trusts in You.

 Trust in the LORD forever, for in God the LORD,

we have an everlasting Rock.

In Isaiah 26:3, steadfast means to lean upon, brace yourself, rest yourself. God promises perfect peace to those who rest upon Him. Would you describe yourself as a person who leans and rests on God? Do you trust in yourself to accomplish tasks or do you trust in the LORD? Isaiah confesses in verse 12, “LORD, You will establish peace for us, since You have also performed for us all our works.”

Keep your mind steadfast on the LORD today. Recognize it is Christ in you who performs all your works.

Pray Isaiah 26:7-9 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:7-9).

“LORD, make ________ and me righteous and may we say:

‘The way of the righteous is smooth;’

O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.

Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, O LORD,

we have waited for You eagerly;

Your name, even Your memory, is the desire of our souls.

At night my soul longs for You,

indeed my spirit within me seeks You diligently;

for when the earth experiences Your judgments,

the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

In Your name, Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 25 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 25.

Say verse 1 to your LORD.

O LORD, You are my God;

 I will exalt You,

I will give thanks to Your name;

For You have worked wonders,

plans formed long ago,

with perfect faithfulness.

Isaiah 25 is a sigh of relief. God is in control! His plans were formed long ago in perfect faithfulness. His plans will prevail!

This chapter of Isaiah gives you a glimpse into some of God’s future plans: the silencing of the ruthless, a lavish banquet being prepared for you and all believers, the swallowing up of death for all time, the LORD Himself wiping away your tears ... Reread these precious 12 verses of Isaiah 25 and rest in God’s promises.

Pray Isaiah 25:9 as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7). You will be saying the very words you are going to say that day you see the LORD face to face.

“LORD, please bring ___________

 into a saving relationship with You,

so together we will say,

 ‘Behold, this is our God for whom

we have waited that He might save us. 

This is the LORD for whom we have waited;

 Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.’

In Your name, Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 24 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 24.

Meditate on verses 4 and 5.

The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers,

the exalted of the people of the earth fade away.

 The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants,

 for they transgressed laws, violated statutes,

broke the everlasting covenant.

Isaiah 24 gives a vivid description of God’s coming judgment on all the inhabitants of the earth who do not know Him as LORD and Savior. “Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left” (Isaiah 24:6).

The party is over in verses 7-13; the worldly party will end and glorifying the Righteous One will fill the earth (Isaiah 24:14-16). Isaiah 24 is a great chapter to share with people about the coming wrath of God; the only way of escape is through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Pray Isaiah 24:16 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, let ______ and me be singing this song,

‘Glory to the Righteous One.’

In Your name, Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 23 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 23.

Meditate on verse 9.

The LORD of hosts has planned it,

to defile the pride of all beauty,

to despise all the honored of the earth.

Isaiah 23 was addressed to Tyre, present-day Lebanon.  Read Ezekial 28 for a description of the king of Tyre, the ultimate example of pride. 

This chapter concludes the oracles, the burden God has for people who refuse to acknowledge Him.  Isaiah 13-23 teaches you these things:

1.     God reigns supreme.

2.     God has and will judge the nations that have oppressed Israel.

3.     The nations all bow and bend the knee to the LORD.

4.     Do not look to world powers or fear them.

5.     Fear God.

Use Isaiah 23:9, 12, and 18 to pray for the humility God desires in your life as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, I do not want to exult in myself. 

You defile the pride of beauty

and despise the honored of the earth.

I want to dwell in Your presence, Lord.

In Your name, Jesus~” 

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 22 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 22.

Meditate on verses 5a and 11b.

For the Lord God of hosts has a day of panic,

subjugation, and confusion in the valley of vision. 

But you did not depend on Him who made it,

nor did you take into consideration

 Him who planned it long ago.

Isaiah 22 is a prophecy concerning Jerusalem that was fulfilled over 2,500 years ago. The LORD made sure it was written down for you to take to heart today. The people of Jerusalem depended on weapons, resources, and other people to meet their needs instead of depending on God. They refused to repent and return to the LORD. It resulted in panic, confusion, and destruction.

History does not have to repeat itself in your life. Are you in the process of creating a vision for your future? Have you taken into consideration Him who already has the plan for your life and will reveal it to you if you depend on Him? If you are experiencing a day of panic and confusion, repent and turn to the LORD for His vision.

Pray for yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7) to have the opposite of an Isaiah 22:11-13 attitude.

 “LORD, remove the attitude from ________ and me of

‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’

May we come to You in repentance

as You call us to weeping and wailing over sin in our lives. 

LORD, we depend on You. 

We want to live Your plan for our lives.

In Your name Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 21 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 21.

Meditate on verse 10.

O my threshed people

 and my afflicted of the threshing floor!

What I have heard from the LORD of hosts,

 the God of Israel, I make known to you.

God gave Isaiah a harsh vision, which caused his loins to be full of anguish, for him to have pains like a woman in labor, and for him to be so bewildered and terrified he could not hear or see. Isaiah was overwhelmed with horror at the vision of God’s impending judgment.

The watchman in Isaiah 21 announces that morning is coming but also night. God’s final judgment is coming. It will bring morning for believers, but it will bring the darkest night to nonbelievers. The LORD’s judgment will be horrific for those who do not know Jesus.

Who has God placed in your life that is threshed and afflicted? Will they be in trembling, eternal darkness when Christ returns? Pray for God to give you the opportunity to make known to them what you have heard from the LORD of hosts.

Pray Isaiah 21:10 and 14 over yourself as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, I want to bring water to

the thirsty and bread to the fugitive.

Jesus, You are the Living Water, the Bread of Life.

Give me the courage and the opportunity

 to say to the threshed and afflicted,

‘What I have heard from the LORD of hosts,

the God of Israel, I make known to you.’

In the name of Jesus~”

From The Watchman on the Wall by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell