Proverbs 2 - Praying God's Word

Please read Proverbs 2

Meditate on verses 4-7a

If you seek her as silver

and search for her as for hidden treasures,

then you will discern the fear of the Lord

and discover the knowledge of God. 

For the LORD gives wisdom;

from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright.

The treasure hunt continues!  Every verse in this chapter could be a prayer for yourself or someone you love.

Many people are seeking truth but have not found the open treasure chest of God as their source.  Believers in God are often searching for His will for their lives.  Proverbs 2 is full of answers and hope for anyone who is seeking truth.

The Bible is very clear that God is the source, owner, and distributor of wisdom.  James 1:5-6 and 17 says, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But he must ask in faith without any doubting.  Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.”

When you pray a promise of God, such as the promise to give wisdom, pray with faith.  One of the key ways God reveals His wisdom to you is in His Word.  Read Proverbs 2 again and focus on the value of wisdom in the life of the upright.

Pray Proverbs 2:1-7 over yourself and those you know needing wisdom, as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7)

“LORD, help  ___________ and me

to receive Your Words and

treasure Your commandments within us.

Make our ears attentive to Your wisdom;

incline our hearts to understanding.

We cry for discernment and ask for understanding.

Help us seek wisdom as silver and as hidden treasures.

Help us discern the fear of You, LORD,

and discover Your knowledge.

Please give us Your wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

Store up sound wisdom for us; make us upright. 

Be our shield as we walk in integrity.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Proverbs 1 - Praying God's Word

Please read Proverbs 1.

Meditate on verse 7.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Over the month of May, you will read through the book of Proverbs.  Proverbs is packed with verses you can pray to the Lord concerning issues in your life and in the lives of those you love.  A proverb is a short sentence that expresses a truth.  Each chapter of Proverbs is a treasure chest of truths for following God and growing in character.

True wisdom is best defined as having God’s perspective about something.  If you have God’s perspective, then your mind is being transformed to think like God thinks (Romans 12:2).  

Pray Proverbs 1:2-7 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, help  ___________ and me

to know wisdom and instruction,

to discern the sayings of understanding,

to receive Your instruction in

wise behavior, righteousness, justice, and equity;

to give prudence to the naive,

to give the youth knowledge and discretion.

Make us wise so we will hear and increase in learning.

Make us understanding so we will receive wise counsel.

Help us understand these proverbs. 

Help us understand the wise and their riddles.

Help us to fear You, Lord, as the first step in knowledge.

Let us not be fools who despise wisdom and instruction.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Colossians 3 - Praying God's Word

Please read Colossians 3.

Meditate on verse 1.

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ,

 keep seeking the things above,

 where Christ is,

seated at the right hand of God.

You have concluded praying through the book of Isaiah, and on this last day of April, I have asked you to read Colossians 3. It begins by making you ask yourself a question: Have you been raised up with Christ?

Jesus Christ your LORD was raised up 2,000 years ago. With His miraculous resurrection came the miraculous opportunity for you to be a child of God, a child of the resurrection (Luke 20:36).

Jesus presented Himself alive by many convincing proofs (Acts 1:3). If you have been raised up with Christ, there will be evidence to prove the fact. Reread Colossians 3 and find the convincing proofs that “you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Pray for the evidence of resurrection to be apparent in your life and the lives of those you for whom you are praying as a faithful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

Pray Colossians 3:1-17.

“LORD, as people raised up with You,

let _______ and me keep seeking the things above,

 where You are seated at the right hand of God.

Help us to set our mind on the things above,

 not on the things that are on earth. 

Our life is hidden with Christ in God. 

Christ, You are our life.

Help us consider the members of our earthy body as dead to: 

immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed. 

Do not let us be sons of disobedience!

Let us put aside:

 anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from our mouths.

Do not let us lie to one another,

since we have laid aside the old self with its evil practices,

and have put on the new self,

 who is being renewed to the true knowledge according to Your image, God.

 As those who have been chosen of You, holy and beloved,

 let us put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other,

whoever have a complaint against anyone;

just as You, Lord, forgave us. 

Beyond all these things, let us put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

 Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts,

to which indeed we were called in one body, and let us be thankful. 

Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within us,

with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another

with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,

singing with thankfulness in our hearts to You, God. 

Whatever we do in word or deed,

let us do all in Your name, LORD Jesus,

giving thanks through You to God the Father.”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 66 - Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 66.

Meditate on verses 1-2.

Thus says the LORD,

“Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.

Where then is a house you could build for Me?

And where is a place that I may rest?

For My hand made all these things,

thus all these things came into being,”

declares the LORD.

“But to this one I will look,

to him who is humble and contrite in spirit,

and who trembles at My Word.”

God concluded Isaiah by offering you a choice. Humbly choose God and see His glory, or choose your own way and experience His fiery judgment. God will not force Himself on you. Christ died and rose again, so you can live eternally with Him. But He will not force you to live with Him forever. You must humbly come to the LORD broken because of your sin and revering His Word, then He will show you His favor and glory.

Examine your life. God already knows your works and thoughts (Isaiah 66:18), so you can be honest with yourself and Him. Will you endure before the LORD, or will He say, “You have transgressed against Me, so your worm will not die, and your fire will not be quenched, and you will be an abhorrence to all mankind” (Isaiah 66:22, 24)?

Pray Isaiah 66:2 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, Your hand has made all things,

thus all these things came into being.

God, You will look to _________ and me

when we are humble, contrite of spirit,

and tremble at Your Word.

Make us that way.

Because of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL - Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 65 - Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 65.

Meditate on verses 1-2.

I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me;

I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.

I said, “Here am I, here am I.”

to a nation which did not call on My name.

I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people

who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts.

Jesus Christ became your sin, so you could become His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). He did that for you because it was a life or death situation. If Jesus had not willingly become your sin, you would be eternally dead. But because of His great love for you, He died for you, so you could be eternally living.

God said in Isaiah 65, He came to you even though you were not seeking Him, asking for Him, or calling on His name. That is how much the LORD loves you. In the midst of your rebellion, God spread out His hands on the cross so you do not have to walk in a way, which is not good, following your own thoughts.

“How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure,

that He should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure.”

 —Stuart Townend

Thank the LORD for what He did for you 2,000 years ago. Pray for someone who needs to know Christ became their sin, so they can become His righteousness. Pray Isaiah 65:1, 13, and 14 over yourself and them as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, thank You for seeking me

before I even knew I needed You.

Please let ______________ find You.

Make us Your servants,

so we can eat and not be hungry.

Make us Your servants,

so we can drink and not be thirsty.

Make us Your servants,

so we can rejoice and not be put to shame.

As Your servant, I shout joyfully with a glad heart.

I no longer cry with a heavy heart,

 nor wail with a broken spirit.

Only because of You, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 64 - Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 64.

Meditate on verse 6.

For all of us have become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment,

and all of us wither like a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Two thousand years ago, your Savior literally sweat blood for you. Why did He sweat blood as He prayed in agony for God’s will to be done? Was it because He dreaded the beatings? Was it because He dreaded death by crucifixion? Or did another reality torment Him?

Memorize and meditate on this verse for the rest of eternity:

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf

so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

—2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus, the perfect, sinless Son of God did not just wear your sin 2,000 years ago; He literally BECAME your sin. No wonder God the Father had to forsake Him. He actually WAS your sin, shame, and guilt. Why? Why would the God of the universe BECOME everything that is detestable about you? So that you could literally, actually, in reality, BECOME righteousness! If you are in Christ, you ARE the righteousness of God. Just like Christ did not simply wear your sins on the cross, you do not simply wear God’s righteousness; you ARE His righteousness!

Live this truth for the rest of your days. You ARE the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. There should be no doubt by the way you think, talk, and act who you ARE.

Pray Isaiah 64:5 and 9 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, You meet _______ and me

 who rejoice in doing righteousness,

who remember You in Your ways.

You were angry when we sinned

and continued in them a long time.

Thank You for saving us.

Thank You for not being angry beyond measure.

Thank You for not remembering our iniquity forever.

Thank You for making us Your people.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 63 - Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 63.

Meditate on verse 8. 

For He said, “Surely, they are My people,

sons who will not deal falsely.”

So He became their Savior.

There are two interesting time phrases in Isaiah 63:4: “the day of vengeance” and “God’s year of redemption.” Thankfully the LORD’s anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a lifetime (Psalm 30:5). Two thousand years ago, your Savior was preparing for the greatest act of lovingkindness and compassion in history; dying for your sins so you could enter into His year of redemption and not have to face His day of vengeance.

As you meditate on your Savior, thank Him that His own arm brought salvation (Isaiah 63:5). Thank Him for being your Savior (Isaiah 63:8). Thank Him for putting His Holy Spirit in the midst of you (Isaiah 63:11).

Pray Isaiah 63:7-8 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“I will make mention of Your

lovingkindness and praises, LORD,

according to all that You have granted us,

and Your great goodness which You have granted

according to Your compassion

and the abundance of Your lovingkindness.

Thank You that _______ and I are Your people,

sons who will not deal falsely.

Thank You for becoming our Savior.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 62 - Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 62.

Meditate on verses 6-7.

On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;

all day and all night they will never keep silent. 

You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves,

and give Him no rest until He establishes

and makes Jerusalem a praise in the Earth.

Today marks the 116^th devotional in The Watchman on the Wall, 116 days of tirelessly praying for God to establish you and yours.  How are you doing?  Are you remaining steadfast in prayer?  Are you talking to God day and night?  Is your faith in your faithful God increasing? 

On day 116, please read Psalm 116.  It starts like this:

I love the LORD, because He hears my voice and my supplications. 

Because He has inclined His ear to me;

therefore, I shall call upon Him as long as I live.

Do not grow weary and lose heart!  As you continually remind the LORD of those He needs to establish, He continually hears your voice; He hears your cry.  Spend this day loving Jesus because He hears you.  Because He hears you, recommit to call upon Him as long as you live.

Pray Psalm 116:1-2, 5-9, 12-13 as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“I love You, LORD, because you hear

my voice and my supplications. 

You have inclined Your ear to me;

therefore, I shall call upon You as long as I live.

Gracious are You, LORD, and righteous.

Yes, God, You are compassionate.

You preserve the simple.

I was brought low, and You saved me.

Return to your rest, O my soul,

for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

For You have rescued my soul from death,

my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 

I shall walk before You, LORD, in the land of the living.

What shall I render to You, LORD,

for all Your benefits toward me?

I shall lift up the cup of salvation

and continue to call on Your name, LORD.”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 61 - Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 61.

Meditate on verse 10.

I will rejoice greatly in the LORD.

My soul will exult in my God;

for He has clothed me with garments of salvation;

He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

This is a chapter filled with good news. The LORD is able to take all of your hopeless situations and turn them into victories: freedom for prisoners; comfort for those who mourn; rising up from former devastations; a double portion replacing shame and humiliation.

God even calls you an oak of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. What an amazing God you serve!

Pray Isaiah 61:3 over those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7). Then pray Isaiah 61:10 in thanksgiving for what God has done.

“LORD, grant comfort to __________ who is mourning. 

Give them a garland instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. 

Let them be called oaks of righteousness,

 the planting of the LORD, that You may be glorified.

I rejoice greatly in You, LORD.

My soul exults in You, my God;

for You have clothed us with garments of salvation.

You have wrapped us with a robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Thank You, Jesus, for all You have done for us.”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 60 - Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 60.

Meditate on verse 1. 

Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

Isaiah 60 contains prophecy about the coming of Christ; both His first coming and His future return to earth. A key day in Christ’s first coming, was the Sunday before Christ’s crucifixion. It is often called Palm Sunday, but it was actually Lamb Selection Day. 2,000 years ago Jesus came into Jerusalem on the day thousands of people were there to select their Passover lambs. They would choose a lamb and watch it for four days to make sure it was acceptable for sacrifice (Exodus 12:1-6). It was no accident Jesus arrived on Lamb Selection Day. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world came into Jerusalem on the day people chose their lambs to die for their sins. God asked, “Will you choose My Lamb; the only Lamb that can take away your sins?”

Isaiah announced that the glory of the LORD had come. God announced that He is the LORD, the Savior, the Redeemer (Isaiah 60:1,16).

Which lamb do you choose? Choose the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Pray Isaiah 60:16, 19, and 21 over those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, please let _____________ know

You are their Savior, Redeemer, and Mighty One.

Let them choose You to be their everlasting light and glory.

Make them righteous.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 59 - Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 59.

Meditate on verses 1-2.

Behold, the LORD’s hand is not so short that it cannot save;

nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear.

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,

and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

Isaiah 59 is your story. It is the story of every person who has and who will ever live on earth. Sin separates you from God. Sin in your life means no righteousness, no hope, no salvation, only darkness and gloom.

God saw your hopeless situation, and it was displeasing in His sight. He saw there was no man to intercede on your behalf. So the LORD Himself brought salvation. He put on righteousness, salvation, zeal, and vengeance. The LORD came as your Redeemer. All you have to do is turn from your transgression to your Redeemer LORD and fear His Name (Isaiah 59:15-20).

Reread this chapter. It is your salvation story.

Pray Isaiah 59:21 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, Your covenant is with _______ and me.

Let Your Spirit be upon us.

Put Your Words in our mouth.

Do not let Your Words depart from our mouth,

nor from the mouth of our offspring,

nor from the mouth of our offspring’s offspring now and forever.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL by Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 58 - Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 58.

Meditate on verse 6.

Is this not the fast which I choose,

to loosen the bonds of wickedness,

 to undo the bands of the yoke,

 and to let the oppressed go free

and break every yoke?

Isaiah 58 is a soul-searching chapter. God spoke to people who used religious ritual in hopes of manipulating Him to give them what they wanted. They gave up eating food so God would notice them. However, God knew what was in their hearts; the people fasted to find their own desires, not God’s. Fasting made them “hangry,” so they were mean to their workers, striking them with a wicked fist, and creating contention and strife (Isaiah 58:3-4).

God gave His definition of fasting in Isaiah 58. Fasting is giving up wickedness. Fasting is freeing and loosening. Fasting is not depriving yourself of something to make God feel sorry for you in order to get you what you want. God’s fast is:

1.     Loosen the bonds of wickedness

2.     Break every yoke

3.     Let the oppressed go free

4.     Share your bread with the hungry

5.     Bring the homeless poor into your house

6.     Cover the naked

7.     Do not hide from yourself – get honest about yourself before God

Who or what in your life does God want you to give freedom? What could you fast; what could you give up that would bring life to those around you? Do you need to fast anger, abusive speech, and selfishness?

Get honest before the LORD and pray Isaiah 58:9-11 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, help ________ and me remove the yoke from our midst.

Let us stop pointing the finger and speaking wickedness.

When we do, then You will answer when we call.

We will cry, and You will say, ‘Here I am.’

Help us give ourselves to the hungry

and satisfy the desire of the afflicted.

Then let our light rise in the darkness

and our gloom become like midday.

LORD, continually guide us and satisfy our desire in scorched places.

Give strength to our bones. Let us be like a watered garden

and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL  ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 57 - Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 57.

Meditate on verse 21.

“There is no peace,” says my God,  “for the wicked.”

There are precious promises and dire warnings in Isaiah 57. God said in the first two verses that the righteous man is taken away from evil and enters into peace. The high and exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy, also said, “I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite” (v. 15).

It is amazing to think the God of the universe resides with you when you are humble and sorrowful about your sin. He stays with you to revive you, so you can live for and with Him forever.

But with those who continue in the pride of their sin, God is angry and hides His face from them. The LORD says they will have no peace (Isaiah 57:21).

Pray Isaiah 57:14-15 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“High and exalted One, who lives forever, whose name is Holy,

 please build up and prepare the way for ________ and me.

As Your people, remove every obstacle out of our way.

Give us a contrite and lowly spirit,

so we will dwell with You on a high and holy place.

Revive our hearts.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL - Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Isaiah 56 - Praying God's Word

Please read Isaiah 56.

Meditate on verses 6 and 7.

Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,

to minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD,

 to be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath

and holds fast My covenant;

 even those I will bring to My holy mountain

and make them joyful in My house of prayer. 

Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

will be acceptable on My altar;

for My house will be called a

 house of prayer for all peoples.

God caused the iniquity of all people to fall on Jesus (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus was pierced through and crushed for the transgressions and iniquities of everyone (Isaiah 53:5). Because of Jesus, even foreigners (those who are not Jewish) can join themselves to the LORD. When you join yourself to Christ, you become the house/temple of God (Hebrews 3:6; 1 Corinthians 6:19).

As a house of prayer, spend this day talking to God. Ask Him to examine your life in light of the Truth, which is His Word.

Pray Isaiah 56:1-2 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, let ________ and me preserve justice and do righteousness.

Let us accept Your salvation and righteousness.

Bless us as we do this,

 as we take hold of Your salvation and righteousness.

Keep us from profaning Your sabbath,

and keep our hands from doing any evil.

In Your name, Jesus~”

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