Our city is strong!
We are surrounded by the walls of God’s salvation.

Many who were dying in exile in Assyria and Egypt will return to Jerusalem to worship the Lord on his holy mountain.

Lord God,
Help me to use your power, not my own to be strong. To do what is rite in your site above my own. Help me to be one of your children who want to do only your daily task and help me to see your majesty and not the wrongs of this world. When I struggle I search for you, help me to stay with you in all things and submit to your discipline. Help me to live with you in complete surrender and joy.

In Jesus name,
Amen

The Egyptians will lose heart,
and I will confuse their plans.

you survey the houses and tear some down
for stone to strengthen the walls.
11Between the city walls, you build a reservoir
for water from the old pool.
But you never ask for help from the One who did all this.
You never considered the One who planned this long ago.
12At that time the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
called you to weep and mourn.
He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins
and to wear clothes of burlap to show your remorse.

Lord God,
I am confused and weak, I have lost my motivation. Lift me up and restore me to a good place with you in complete control. I am unable to overcome my weakness, I need your passion and power to drive me forward. Help me to survey my life and identify the weak areas so I may surrender them to you and your care. I am unable to do this alone.

In Jesus name,
Amen

“We cannot afford to add to our sins and guilt. Our guilt is already great, and the Lord’s fierce anger is already turned against Israel.”

Yes, they worshiped idols,#17:12 The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung. despite the Lord’s specific and repeated warnings.

Lord God,
Clean me from my past and deliver me to today pure and fresh so I may avoid disaster I am driving to. Set my path on your desire and deliver me from my sinful way. Expose my sin and give me courage to see and offer it to you so your grace can find the deepest areas I hold onto. May I please you from the deepest parts of my being.

In Jesus name,
Amen

when I, the Lord, did everything I could
to teach you about my faithfulness.”

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.

Lord God, my Father,
I plea with you to open my heart to your truth and protect me from the lies of this world. May I be faithful only to you and deny my sinful desires. You have been guiding me since my birth and I have struggled with you, filled with my will. Bring a peace to my spirit that will only hear your voice, use me to release your delightful Joy within and outward to those around me.

In Jesus name,
Amen

King Jotham became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God.

“Thank the Lord! Praise his name!
Tell the nations what he has done.
Let them know how mighty he is!
5Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things.
Make known his praise around the world.

Lord God,
Be with me and guard my heart. Give me power over my sin so I may be obedient to you. May I delight in you in all things. May this day’s struggles reveal your wonder. Allow me to be your light to the world and praise you at all times. Deliver me from my sinful outlook and fill me with amazing Joy.

People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from border to border#8:12 Hebrew from north to east.
searching for the word of the Lord,
but they will not find it.

From the ruins I will rebuild it
and restore its former glory.

Lord God,
Present yourself to me in all your glory, restore your relationship with me so I may live in your inspiration. Lord God, I am a sinner who can do nothing without our power driving me, I am weak on my won, weak and lazy. I need your power to bring wisdom and action to my hands.

In Jesus name,
Amen

Away with your noisy hymns of praise!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice,
an endless river of righteous living.

Lord God,
I pray that my praise and worship will be acceptable to you. I pray for you to remove my hypocrisy and restore my soul to how you created it. Remove my lifetime of “filtering” your desire and allow me to See you desire thru me and be obedient to you.

In Jesus name,
Amen

lyre and harp, tambourine and flute—
but they never think about the Lord
or notice what he is doing.

“My care for the people of Judah is like the gently flowing waters of Shiloah, but they have rejected it.

Lord God, my Father,
I pray that you may keep my eyes open to See you at all times, Lord remove my desire so I may see your awesome, perfect vision for this broken old sinner. Use me to release your glory to this place. I am nothing and stupid on my own, I strain to understand what is not important and am so impressed with my self. Lord God, I surrender to your will and desire. May I serve and delight in you.

In Jesus name,
Amen