1 Samuel 2 - Praying God's Word

Please read 1 Samuel 2.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/1sa/2/1/s_238001

Meditate on verses 12 and 26.

Now the sons of Eli were worthless men;

they did not know the LORD.

Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature

and in favor both with the LORD and with men.

There are sharp contrasts between Samuel and the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. These young men were worthless and refused to know the LORD. They despised the things of God, even having sexual relations with women serving at the door of the tabernacle. God said these evil men would die because of their sin.

God held Eli accountable for his sons’ behavior. Because Eli honored his sons above God and did not make them stop sinning, his family lost the privilege of the priesthood.

While Hophni and Phinehas behaved disgustingly, young Samuel ministered before the LORD, growing in favor with both God and men. The LORD made Samuel a faithful priest.

Learn from Eli, Hophni, Phinehas, and Samuel. Even if everyone around you is behaving contrary to the heart and soul of God, stay faithful to Christ and minister true to His Word. Lead your family, even your adult children, to obey and honor Him.

Pray 1 Samuel 2:18, 26, and 35 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, let _______ and me minister before You.

 Let us grow in stature and in favor with both You and men. 

Let us do according to what is in Your heart and in Your soul.

Because we honor You above all, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

1 Samuel 1 - Praying God's Word

Please read 1 Samuel 1.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/1sa/1/1/s_237001

Meditate on verse 17.

Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace,

 and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him.”

There is much to learn about praying from Hannah, a woman of prayer, who desperately wanted a child.

·      She prayed and wept bitterly to the LORD (v. 10).

·      She promised the LORD that her son would be His all the days of his life (v. 11).

·      She continued praying before the LORD (v. 12).

·      She spoke to God in her heart (v. 13).

·      She poured out her soul before the LORD (v. 15).

·      She spoke continually to the LORD about her great concern (v. 16).

·      When she had peace that God would grant her request, she was able to eat, and she was no longer sad (vs. 17-18).

·      She worshipped before the LORD (v. 19).

Does your prayer life look like Hannah’s?  Do not cease to pray for your loved ones. As you see the LORD miraculously working, you will be thankful you persevered.

Pray 1 Samuel 1:11, 22-23, and 28 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, I give _________ and me to You all the days of our lives.

Let us appear before You and stay there forever.

LORD, confirm Your Word to us. 

Let us be dedicated to You, LORD, as long as we live.

LORD, we worship You.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 52 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 52.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/52/1/s_797001

Meditate on verse 2a.

He did evil in the sight of the LORD…

Jeremiah is a book about hearing and heeding the Word of the LORD. Preacher Jeremiah faithfully spoke God’s Word for 53 years. Some people listened, like Daniel. He was a young boy growing up in Jerusalem when Jeremiah was delivering messages from the LORD. Daniel heeded God’s Word and made up his mind not to defile himself (Daniel 1:8). Even though he was exiled to Babylon, God protected Daniel. He lived to be at least 80 years old and spent his life pleasing the LORD.

King Zedekiah heard God’s Word preached as well, but he chose to disobey the LORD (Jeremiah 34). Jeremiah 52 records the end of his life. The Babylonians took Zedekiah and his family captive when he was 32 years old. His young children were slaughtered before his eyes, and his eyes were blinded, so the last thing he saw was his children being killed. He died in a Babylonian prison.

As you read the Words of the LORD in Jeremiah, what did God say to you, and will you heed what you heard?

Pray not to do and experience Jeremiah 52:2-3.  Pray it over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, let ______ and me not do evil in your sight

like Zedekiah and Jehoiakim did.

We do not want to experience Your anger

 or be cast from Your presence.

In Your name, Jesus~

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 51 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 51.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/51/1/s_796001

Meditate on verse 17a.

All mankind is stupid, devoid of knowledge…

In Jeremiah, you have read a series of sermons that God gave preacher Jeremiah: temple sermons, street sermons, palace sermons, potter house sermons, cistern sermons, sermons to the nations, etc. Jeremiah is organized by those sermons. The last sermon series is addressed to Babylon. Some of the prophecies in the message have been fulfilled; the Medes overthrew the kingdom of Babylon in 539 BC (Daniel 5:31). The ideological kingdom of Babylon still exists and “reigns over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18). The full title of this kingdom is “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth” (Revelation 17:5)1. God’s Word is fascinating! As you read and study it, you can put the events happening around you into a Biblical perspective. You can see things the way God does.

The LORD, “who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom” (v. 15) declared, “All mankind is stupid, devoid of knowledge” (v. 17). Apart from God, indeed people are devoid of His wisdom and understanding. But God does not want people to stay stupid. If you are in relationship with God through Jesus Christ, then you have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). You are no longer “stupid and devoid of knowledge,” and you can choose not to live a “Babylonian” lifestyle.

Pray Jeremiah 51:45 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, help _______ and me come forth from the midst of Babylon.

Save us from Your fierce anger, LORD!

In Your name, Jesus~”

1. Read Revelation 16-19 to recognize the kingdom of Babylon that still exists today.

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 50 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 50.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/50/1/s_795001

Meditate on verse 24.  God is talking.

I set a snare for you and you were also caught, O Babylon,

while you yourself were not aware;

 you have been found and also seized

because you have engaged in conflict with the LORD.

Jeremiah 50 and 51 contain the sermon God gave Jeremiah concerning Babylon. Babylon has existed since the beginning of nations (Genesis 10:6-10). Their first ignoble act was trying to make a name for themselves (Genesis 11:1-9). The geographic location of Babylon is present-day Iraq. Babylon is also an ideological place, the dwelling of demons and every unclean spirit (Revelation 18:2). “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her (Babylon’s) immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality” (Revelation 18:3).

The LORD describes Babylon as arrogant against Him; therefore, He is against her (vs. 29-31). God declares, “the arrogant one will stumble and fall with no one to raise him up” (v. 32a).

Hear and heed the Word of the LORD and examine your life. Is the LORD of hosts your strong Redeemer (v. 34), or are you ensnared by Babylon—pride, sensuality, wealth, immorality ...?

Pray Jeremiah 50:7 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, ________ and I are guilty; we have sinned against You.

 LORD, be the habitation of righteousness for us.

You are the hope of our fathers.  We make You our hope.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 49 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 49.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/49/1/s_794001

Meditate on this phrase from verse 16.

The arrogance of your heart has deceived you.

Jeremiah 49 contains more messages from the LORD for the nations surrounding Israel. Ammon and Edom are present-day Jordan (vs. 1-22). Damascus is still Damascus today (vs. 23-27). Kedar and Hazor are present-day Saudi Arabia (vs. 28-33). And Elam is in present-day Iraq and Iran where their borders touch on the northern end of the Persian/Arabian Gulf.

It is fascinating to understand God’s Word in light of current events. Notice what the LORD says in this chapter:

“Behold, I am going to bring terror upon you.”

—Jeremiah 49:5

“I will bring the disaster of Esau upon him at the time I punish him.”

—Jeremiah 49:8

“I will set fire to the wall of Damascus.”

—Jeremiah 49:27

“So I will shatter Elam before their enemies and before those who seek their lives;

and I will bring calamity upon them, even My fierce anger,

 and I will send out the sword after them until I have consumed them.”

—Jeremiah 49:37

Appraise and filter what you read and hear in the news through the Word of God. Remember that He is in charge, and ALL of His plans have and will come to pass.

Trust in the LORD, and pray Jeremiah 49:16 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, do not let the arrogance of _______ and my hearts deceive us.

Bring us down from our high places.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 48 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 48.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/48/1/s_793001

Meditate on verse 42.

Moab will be destroyed from being a people

because he has become arrogant toward the LORD.

Moab was part of present-day Jordan.  The Moabites originated as the result of the incestuous relationship between Lot and his oldest daughter (Genesis 19:30-37). 

The LORD’s message to Moab was one of calamity and destruction, not because of their shameful beginnings, but because of their pride.

For because of your trust in your own achievements and treasures,

 even you yourself will be captured…

—Jeremiah 48:7a

Make him drunk, for he has become arrogant toward the LORD;

 so Moab will wallow in his vomit, and he also will become a laughingstock.

—Jeremiah 48:26

“I know his fury,” declares the LORD,

“but it is futile; his idle boasts have accomplished nothing.”

—Jeremiah 48:30

Does the LORD’s message apply to you, your family, your nation?  Hear and heed the Word of the LORD!  God will not leave the arrogant unpunished. 

Pray Jeremiah 48:29 in confession to the LORD for yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, please forgive the pride of ________ and me—we are very proud.

Let our haughtiness, pride, arrogance, and self-exaltation cease.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 47 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 47.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/47/1/s_792001

Meditate on verse 3b.

The fathers have not turned back for their children

because of the limpness of their hands.

When Jeremiah received his calling from God, he was appointed to be a prophet, not only to Judah, but also to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5). Jeremiah 47 contains the prophecy the LORD gave him concerning the Philistines (v. 1).

The Philistines were one of the nations used by God to test Israel to find out if they would obey His commandments (Judges 3:1-4). Has God allowed some “Philistines” to be part of your life to test your faith and ability to handle situations with Christ-control and obedience to Him?

Observe that God controlled the Philistine situation in Jeremiah 47. He knew what would happen in the future (v.2). He caused the future (v.4). The LORD gave the orders and the assignments (v. 7). When you know these truths about God, your hands can stop being limp; you can be “strong in the LORD and in the strength of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).

Pray Jeremiah 47:3 over yourself and fathers for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, do not let _________ and me be afraid of

the noise, tumult, and rumbling going on around us. 

Cause ________ to turn back to his children.

 Let his hands no longer be limp.

Because of Your strength, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 46 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 46.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/46/1/s_791001

Meditate on verse 13.

This is the message which the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet

about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to smite the land of Egypt.

Jeremiah 46 begins a sermon series the LORD gave Jeremiah concerning the nations surrounding Israel. The first message was addressed to Egypt. The LORD was going to thrust down the mighty Egyptians and make them prostrate. They could not stand against the King. God makes even powerful oppressors stumble and fall (vs. 15-18).

Be encouraged by the Word of the LORD. God avenged Himself in the past, and He continues to avenge Himself on His foes; the day of vengeance belongs to the LORD God of hosts (v. 10). But, if you belong to Jesus Christ, you need not fear that day. The LORD promises to save you (Romans 5:8-10).

As a servant of the LORD, pray Jeremiah 46:27 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, let _________ and me not fear or be dismayed.

Save us!  Save those we love from the land of their captivity to sin.

Let us return to You and be undisturbed and secure,

 with no one making us tremble.

For the sake of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 45 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 45.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/45/1/s_790001

Meditate on verse 5a.

“But you, are you seeking great things for yourself?

 Do not seek them …” declares the LORD.

“Ah, woe is me!” Have you ever thought that? Baruch, Jeremiah’s faithful scribe said those words; he felt sorry for himself. He had carefully written all the Words of the LORD as dictated by Jeremiah only to have them burned in the fire by King Jehoiakim. Jeremiah gave Baruch another scroll, and for a year, he rewrote those Words plus many others as directed by God through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36).

The LORD put a stop to Baruch’s pity party. God was going to bring disaster on the people, but He would spare Baruch. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, Baruch needed to be thankful for the life God gave him.

The LORD says something similar to you in Luke 17:10.

“So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you,

say, ‘We are unworthy slaves;

 we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”

What has the LORD called you to do? What kind of attitude do you have for serving Him? Do you serve with thankfulness for the life Christ has given you?

Pray Jeremiah 45:5 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, let _______ and me stop seeking great things for ourselves.

Let us be thankful for the life You give us in all the places we go.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 44 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 44.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/44/1/s_789001

Meditate on verse 23.

Because you have burned sacrifices and have sinned against the LORD

 and not obeyed the voice of the LORD

 or walked in His law, His statutes, or His testimonies;

 therefore, this calamity has befallen you, as it has this day.

In disobedience, the Jews fled to Egypt hoping for safe haven. Their wickedness provoked God to anger, yet they refused to fear God and walk in His ways (vs. 7-10). The preacher God had given them for the past 41 years was still with them proclaiming the Word of the LORD. Yet in total defiance, the people said to Jeremiah, “As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you! But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths ...” (vs. 16-17).

As you read the words in Jeremiah 44, does it remind of people today? The Word of the LORD is proclaimed, yet often ignored. Many choose to heed their own words instead of God’s. God still proclaims that His Words will surely stand (vs. 28-29).

Hear the Word of the LORD and use the words from Jeremiah 44:5 and 9-11 to pray over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, let _______ and me listen and incline our ears

 to turn from our wickedness.

Do not let us forget our wickedness,

 but let us be contrite and fear and walk in Your law

and statutes which You have set before us. 

We do not want You to set Your face against us.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 43 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 43.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/43/1/s_788001

Meditate on this phrase from verse 4.

The people did not obey the voice of the LORD…

The people promised to obey the whole message from God (Jeremiah 42:5). Jeremiah told “all the people all the words of the LORD their God—that is, all these words—” (v. 1). All the arrogant men accused Jeremiah of lying, so “all the people did not obey the voice of the LORD” (vs. 2, 4).

God told the people to remain in Judah. Instead, they fled to Egypt. Jeremiah went with them; he had another sermon to deliver. He preached the Word of the LORD at the entrance of one of Pharaoh’s palaces. The Jews thought the Egyptians would save them from King Nebuchadnezzar; however, he was about to destroy Egypt; there would be no salvation for the Jews in that country. The LORD God was their only hope for salvation (vs. 8-13).

Ask God to search your life. What do you hope will save you from a difficult situation? Is your hope in God? Do you ignore the lies that would cause you to doubt God? Trust the LORD and obey His Word.

Use Jeremiah 43:1-2 and 4 to pray over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).  Pray not to be like those who disobeyed the LORD.

“LORD our God, tell _______ and me all Your Words.

Do not let us be arrogant and call Your Words a lie.

Help us to obey Your voice.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 42 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 42.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/42/1/s_787001

Meditate on verses 2-3.

Please let our petitions come before you,

 and pray for us to the LORD your God,

 that the LORD your God may tell us

the way in which we should walk

 and the thing that we should do.

The remnant in Judah said they wanted to know God’s will for their lives. They asked Jeremiah to pray for them, so they could hear the Word of the LORD. They promised to do everything God said (vs. 5-6).

Jeremiah prayed. God faithfully answered with instructions to remain in Judah and NOT go to Egypt. The people chose to ...

You will find out the rest of their story tomorrow in Jeremiah 43.

Do you desire to hear God’s will for your life? When He reveals it to you through the Bible and the Holy Spirit inside of you, do you obey what He says? What will be the rest of your story?

Pray Jeremiah 42:5-6 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, be a true and faithful witness against us

if _______ and I  do not act in accordance with Your whole message.

 Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to Your voice

so that it may go well with us when we listen to Your voice, LORD our God.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 41 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 40:13-41:18 to keep the story in context.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/40/1/s_785001

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/41/1/s_786001

Meditate on verse 10a.

Then Ishmael took captive all the remnant of the people who were in Mizpah …

Gedaliah was appointed by the king of Babylon to care for the remnant in Judah. Johanan warned him about an enemy named Ishmael. Johanan wanted to kill Ishmael for Gedaliah, but Gedaliah forbade him and accused him of lying about Ishmael (Jeremiah 40:13-16). Gedaliah’s refusal to heed Johanan’s warning resulted in his death and the deaths of many other people, enough to fill a cistern with their corpses. Ishmael took the survivors captive to Ammon (Jeremiah 41:1-10).

Heed the warning of this story. Satan wants sin to capture and destroy you and your family. God’s Word tells you what sin is and that it brings death. Do not ignore God’s warnings and make excuses to do things contrary to God’s will. Sin is not to be toyed with; sin must be destroyed before it destroys you and those you love.

Use the words from Jeremiah 40:14-15; 41:10 and 12 to pray over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, please kill the sin that wants to take the life of __________ and me.

Do not let it take us captive, so we have to fight against it.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 39 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 39.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/39/1/s_784001

Meditate on verses 17-18.

“But I will deliver you on that day,” declares the LORD,

 “and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread.

 For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword;

 but you will have your own life as booty

because you have trusted in Me,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 39 records important events which occurred in 588 BC, during the third and final siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. King Zedekiah and his family were captured. His young children were slaughtered before his eyes, and his eyes were blinded by the Babylonians. The last thing he saw was his children killed. God punished Zedekiah for breaking covenant promises and rebelling against Him (Jeremiah 34).

Jeremiah was released from prison and moved freely throughout Judah. God left His faithful preacher in Judah to shepherd the ones who appeared rejected by God but were still loved by Him.

Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian slave who rescued Jeremiah from the cistern (Jeremiah 38), was delivered from the disaster that occurred in Jerusalem. Life was his reward because he trusted and obeyed God (vs. 16-18).

With whom do you most relate in this chapter? Is God disciplining you because of disobedience? Do you feel rejected by God and need assurance of His love? Is God asking you to care for the rejected? Do you trust God to deliver you?

Pray Jeremiah 39:17-18 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, please deliver _______ and me from the hand of the men we dread.

Rescue us and do not let us fall; give us life.  We trust in You!

For the sake of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Jeremiah 40 - Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 40.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jer/40/1/s_785001

Meditate on verse 10.

Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay at Mizpah

 to stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us;

but as for you, gather in wine and summer fruit and oil,

 and put them in your storage vessels,

and live in your cities that you have taken over.

Gedaliah was appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar to be in charge of the remnant left in Judah (v. 7). God gave the people favor and compassion in the sight of Gedaliah, and he allowed them to gather “wine and summer fruit in great abundance” (v. 12).

Gedaliah was speaking in the meditation verse. He went to Mizpah to represent the people before the Babylonians (Chaldeans). Mizpah means “watchtower.” Gedaliah was at a place where he could watch over the people put in his care.

Who has God placed in your care? Have you stationed yourself at Mizpah, a place where you can discern the physical and spiritual needs of those you love? Do you bring those needs to the LORD and ask Him to provide from His abundance?

God has appointed you to be a Gedaliah for at least one person, and He wants you be faithful in the watchtower.

Use the words from Jeremiah 40:10 and 12 to pray over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, I will stay at Mizpah to stand in prayer for ___________.

Let them gather in wine, summer fruit, and oil

To put them in storage vessels.

Let them live in You, Jesus!

Let them gather in the fruit of Your Spirit in great abundance.

For Your name’s sake, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell