“He will protect his faithful ones,

but the wicked will disappear in darkness.

No one will succeed by strength alone.

10Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered.

But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me.

“It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.”

Lord God my Father,

Help me to surrender all of me to your desire. Protect me from greed and laziness. I need you to fight for me, I am too weak alone. I wish to only honor you in all ways. Have your way in me.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

“Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?”

Lord God my Father,

Help me to trust in your plan especially when I struggle to understand. Help me to be obedient no matter the circumstances.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”

And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech.

“Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. 12May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”

Now don’t worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman.

Lord God my Father,

Your plan is better than anything I can imagine, help me to accept it without changing it to my desire. Help me to submit to your plan wholeheartedly and do what you desire for me. Help me to move past the strongholds I cling on to and allow your restoration to have it’s way. It is for your glory my desire is to act.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

Everyone who saw it said, “Such a horrible crime has not been committed in all the time since Israel left Egypt. Think about it! What are we going to do? Who’s going to speak up?”

But the people of Benjamin would not listen. 14Instead, they came from their towns and gathered at Gibeah to fight the Israelites.

the men of Israel turned and attacked. At this point the men of Benjamin became terrified, because they realized disaster was close at hand.

Lord God my Father,

Open the eyes of your people, cause us to truly see the evil that is running wild in our nation. Open the ears of all of us to hear your Truth and give courage to those who know you. Allow your battle to restore your design in our hearts to be successful today.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it.

Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.” 

Lord God my Father,

Protect me from poor decisions and keep me strong in this evil world to represent you well.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

You’ve brought disaster on me! For I have made a vow to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.”

36And she said, “Father, if you have made a vow to the Lord, you must do to me what you have vowed, for the Lord has given you a great victory over your enemies, the Ammonites. 

Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.

 At last, on the seventh day he told her the answer because she was tormenting him with her nagging.

Lord God my father,

Keep my heart in good standing so I don’t bring disaster to myself. Help me to trust in your plan even when it is beyond my understanding. Keep me from doing evil in your sight and give me strength against the attack of darkness.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They abandoned the Lord and no longer served him at all. 7So the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites, 

The Lord replied, “Did I not rescue you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? When they oppressed you, you cried out to me for help, and I rescued you.

But the Israelites pleaded with the Lord and said, “We have sinned. Punish us as you see fit, only rescue us today from our enemies.” 16Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the Lord. And he was grieved by their misery.

 Let the Lord, who is judge, decide today which of us is right—Israel or Ammon.”

Lord God my Father,

Keep me on the path you desire and protect me from the deceiver. Allow your Peace to guide me and give me strength to stand against evil. Rescue us and make us yours again.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you.” 

So on that day Israel saw God defeat Jabin, the Canaanite king. 24And from that time on Israel became stronger and stronger against King Jabin until they finally destroyed him.

“Lord, may all your enemies die like Sisera!

But may those who love you rise like the sun in all its power!”

“Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

14Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the Lord is peace”).

“It is all right,” the Lord replied. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.” 

Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. 

Lord God my Father,

Give me the confidence to trust in your victory today. Give me strength to stand on your word today without compromise. Protect me from the enemy and love as you desire. Keep me from seeing the obstacles and see only your strength, you are enough for me to overcome temptation as I surrender to your plan. You are God!

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

When the men of Judah attacked, the Lord gave them victory over the Canaanites and Perizzites,

Every time Israel went out to battle, the Lord fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress.

But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them. 

Lord God my Father,

Give me victory over the enemy and cause me to be powerful against evil. Fight for me and show your glory ahead of me and use me for your will.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies. 45Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.

We have not built the altar in treacherous rebellion against the Lord. If we have done so, do not spare our lives this day. 23If we have built an altar for ourselves to turn away from the Lord or to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings, may the Lord himself punish us.

This land will be yours, for the Lord your God will himself drive out all the people living there now. You will take possession of their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.

Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them. 8Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.

“All right then,” Joshua said, “destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

24The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone.”

Lord God my Father,

Give me the strength I need to stand against evil, help me with words and actions that please you. Keep me from misunderstanding and allow me to live close to you. Keep me from false gods and idols and break any strongholds I still carry.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen