Lamentations 3 - Praying God's Word

Please read Lamentations 3.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lam/3/1/s_800001

Meditate on verses 55-56.

I called on Your name, O LORD, out of the lowest pit. 

You have heard my voice, “Do not hide Your ear

 from my prayer for relief, from my cry for help.”

While many Bible scholars believe Jeremiah penned Lamentations, you do not see his name in the text. God did that on purpose, so the book is not the lamenting of any one person. They can be your lamentations, too, on hard days, when you want to put difficult feelings into words.

So, when you feel torn to pieces and it seems God is using you for target practice, tell Him about it (vs. 11-13). Then, use the words from Lamentations 3:21-25 and 55-58 to appeal to Him as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

 “LORD, this I recall to mind; therefore, I have hope.

 Your lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for

Your compassions never fail. 

They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

 LORD, You are my portion; therefore, I have hope in You.

 LORD, You are good to those who wait for You,

to the person who seeks You.  I am waiting for and seeking You!

  I call on Your name, O LORD, out of the lowest pit.

 Hear my voice!  Do not hide Your ear from my prayer for relief,

from my cry for help!  Draw me near when I call on You;

I hear You say, ‘Do not fear!’

 O LORD, plead my soul’s cause and redeem my life.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Lamentations 2 - Praying God's Word

Please read Lamentations 2.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lam/2/1/s_799001

Meditate on verse 14.

Your prophets have seen for you false and foolish visions;

 and they have not exposed your iniquity so as to restore you from captivity,

but they have seen for you false and misleading oracles.

Israel’s prophets preached what the people wanted to hear, leading them to believe that God would not punish their sin and idolatry. The results were deadly as God poured out His wrath on His sinful nation, condemning the false prophets for leading the people astray.

"My hand will be against the prophets who see

 false visions and utter lying divinations.

They will have no place in the council of My people.”

—Ezekiel 13:9a

Sadly, some preachers and teachers still tickle people’s ears instead of proclaiming all of God’s Word (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Examine your teachers. For example, when was the last time you heard a sermon on God’s anger and wrath? God’s wrath is mentioned in the New Testament as well as the Old. Romans 1:18; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6; Revelation 6:16-17 and 19:15 are a few of the many New Testament verses that talk about the wrath of God and Jesus.

God’s wrath was poured out on the people of Judah over 2500 years ago, and He promises to pour it out again on those who refuse to obey Christ (John 3:36). The need is urgent! “Arise and cry aloud in the night; pour out your heart like water before the presence of the LORD; lift up your hands to Him for the life of your little ones” (v. 19).  Start by pouring your heart out to God with Lamentations 2:20a as His faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“See, O LORD, and look!

Please look at ____________.

(Tell God about those who need to be saved from His wrath.)

For the sake of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Lamentations 1 - Praying God's Word

Please read Lamentations 1.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lam/1/1/s_798001

Meditate on these phrases from verses 5 and 9.

For the LORD has caused her grief

because of the multitude of her transgressions.

She did not consider her future;

therefore, she has fallen astonishingly.

Earlier this year (January 22-April 25), you read the 1 & 2 Kings and Ezekiel devotionals, which helped you understand why God punished Judah and Jerusalem by exiling the people to Babylon. Lamentations is another book, written in a more poetic style, clearly revealing the consequences   of unchecked and unrelenting sin. God, the righteous judge, reveals His fierce anger in His condemnation of sin.

As you observe this chapter, notice the people of Jerusalem trying to restore their lives on their own (v. 11). Their futile attempts leave them hopeless, desperately needing a comforter (vs. 16-17, 21).

Thankfully, through Jesus Christ, you are saved from the wrath of God and delivered into His eternal comfort and hope (Romans 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). Take time to consider God’s incredible gift of salvation, thanking Him for saving you from His fierce anger and for giving you the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.

Pray Lamentations 1:5 and 9 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, do not let ____________  and

my adversaries become our masters.

Do not let our enemies prosper.

 Keep us from a multitude of transgressions;

 we do not want to grieve because of sin in our lives.

 Do not let our little ones be taken away

 as captives before the adversary.

 Let us consider our future so we do not fall astonishingly.

 LORD, You are our Comforter; see our affliction;

do not let the enemy magnify himself!

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Song of Solomon 8 - Praying God's Word

Please read Song of Solomon 8.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/sng/8/1/s_679001

Meditate on verses 13-14.  Notice how the bride answers her groom.

"O you who sit in the gardens, my companions are listening for your voice—

 Let me hear it!"

"Hurry, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag

 on the mountains of spices."

The groom wanted to hear his bride call for him to come into her. His companions had no right to hear that call; it was only for the groom.

A marriage between one man and one woman is such a sacred thing. Satan and the world want to destroy that holy union because ultimately, it is the amazing picture God gave for intimacy between Christ and His church (Ephesians 5:31-32).

If you are blessed to be in a marriage, take care of it, for your marriage is precious in the sight of God. Encourage others to stay faithful to their spouse and not grow weary and lose heart.

Continue to pray Song of Solomon over marriages and use it to encourage married couples.

Pray Song of Solomon 8:6-7 over the marriages you guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, let _________ put __________ as a seal over their (our) heart,

like a seal on their arm.  Let their (our) love be as strong as death. 

Make them (us) jealous for their (our) marriage.

 Let their (our) passion be flashes of fire, the very flame of You, LORD.

 Let no waters quench their (our) love,

nor rivers overflow it.  If a man were to give

 them (us) all the riches of his house

 for their (our) love, his riches would be utterly despised.

Because their (our) marriage if for the glory of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Song of Solomon 7 - Praying God's Word

Please read Song of Solomon 7.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/sng/7/1/s_678001

Meditate on verse 10.  The bride is talking about her groom.

“I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me!”

Oh the joy of reconciliation!  After pondering the positives of his bride, the groom returns, wooing and romancing his wife into blessed intimacy.  “How beautiful and how delightful you are, my love, with all your charms” (v. 6)!  He is captivated with her, and despite past difficulties, their relationship is in the springtime of intimate passion.

How amazing is God who wrote this book into His Holy Word!  God loves marriage—the union of one man and one woman.  God wants marriages to thrive, so He wrote Song of Solomon to intimately show the amazing power of marital love that keeps pursuing in the midst of heart-wrenching difficulty, resulting in a fruitful and passionate relationship. 

Nothing is too difficult for the LORD (Jeremiah 32:17).  Give Him the marriages you guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7), asking Him to bless them with Song of Solomon 7:13.

“LORD, the mandrakes have given forth

fragrance; may all choice fruits, both old and new,

 be over the doors of ___________. 

Let them(us) save those fruits only for each other.

  May they (we) only be beloved to each other.

For the sake of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Song of Solomon 6 - Praying God's Word

Please read Song of Solomon 6.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/sng/6/1/s_677001

Meditate on verse 5a.  The bridegroom is talking to his bride.

“Turn your eyes away from me, for they have confused me.”

The lovers’ spat from chapter 5 lingers into chapter 6. The groom went to his garden (v. 2).  The bride wants her groom; he is her beloved, and she is his (v. 3). The groom can’t look her in the eyes, yet, but he is thinking about her, thinking about all her positive qualities (vs. 4-9).

This couple gives a good example to follow when marriage is tough—and there will be tough times—let the tough times strengthen your marriage. Do not allow Satan to use the tough times to destroy your marriage. When you are in the midst of difficulty with your spouse, say these words over and over:

“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.

I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.

I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine…”

If you need to, go to a quiet place, perhaps a garden, and recall all the positive things about your spouse. Say them aloud; write them down; think about them. Dwell on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praise-worthy about your spouse (Philippians 4:8).

Let God get glory from your tough times.

Pray Song of Solomon 6:13a over the marriages you guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, please let ____________ come back, come back,

 come back, come back,

for the sake of their marriage and their family.

For the sake of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Song of Solomon 5 - Praying God's Word

Please read Song of Solomon 5.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/sng/5/1/s_676001

Meditate on verses 2-3.

I was asleep but my heart was awake.

 A voice! My beloved was knocking:

“Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my perfect one!

For my head is drenched with dew,

 my locks with the damp of the night.”

“I have taken off my dress;

 how can I put it on again?

I have washed my feet,

how can I dirty them again?”

Excuses, excuses, excuses. Everyone is guilty of making them— “I’m too tired.” “I’m too busy.” “I don’t feel well.” “I don’t want to…”. Here, in God’s Holy Word, is a wife making excuses for not letting her husband into the house and engaging in marital intimacy—she doesn’t want to get her feet dirty! Before you judge the woman, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal excuses you are making for not obeying His will for your life.

When the bride came to her senses and got out of bed to open the door for her man, he was gone. Ugh—delayed obedience is disobedience—with consequences that follow! What could have been a lovely evening spent with her husband turns into a wretched night of being beaten by street thugs as she searches for him. She ends up wistfully telling the daughters of Jerusalem all about her husband instead of intimately whispering those words to him (vs. 8-16). Oh, how different the night could have been, if only….

Live your life without regrets. Stop making excuses. Love wholeheartedly. Follow the LORD completely. Let Him make your marriage all He wants it to be.

Pray Song of Solomon 5:1b over the marriages you guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, let __________ and __________ hear You say,

‘Eat, friends; drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers.’

For the sake of their (our) marriage

and for the glory of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell