A YEAR OF PRAYER
GET UP, DRESS UP, SHOW UP … WITH THE “FATHER’S HEART”
The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness
I have drawn you. —Jeremiah 31:315 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. —Romans 8:15 - 172 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. —Psalms 78:2 - 4Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. —Proverbs 22:6
THE FIERCE WARRIOR FATHER’S HEART
The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name. —Exodus 15:3
These are the names of the mighty men whom David had… —2 Samuel 23:8a
11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines.
12 But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam. —2 Samuel 23:11 - 13a1 Then David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 And he said:
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn[a] of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
5 “When the waves of death surrounded me,
The floods of ungodliness [b]made me afraid.
6 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
7 In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry entered His ears.
8 “Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of [c]heaven quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
9 Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With darkness under His feet.
11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
And He [d]was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness canopies around Him,
Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
13 From the brightness before Him
Coals of fire were kindled.
14 “The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
15 He sent out arrows and scattered them;
Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered,
At the rebuke of the Lord,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17 “He sent from above, He took me,
He drew me out of many waters.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me;
For they were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.
20 He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.
21 “The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands
He has recompensed me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all His judgments were before me;
And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.
24 I was also blameless before Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
25 Therefore the Lord has [e]recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to [f]my cleanness in His eyes.
26 “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
27 With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
28 You will save the humble[g] people;
But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down.
29 “For You are my lamp, O Lord;
The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.
30 For by You I can run against a troop;
By my God I can leap over a wall.
31 As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
32 “For who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
33 [h]God is my strength and power,
And He makes [i]my way perfect.
34 He makes [j]my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.
35 He teaches my hands [k]to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your gentleness has made me great.
37 You enlarged my path under me;
So my feet did not slip.
38 “I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen under my feet.
40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
You have [l]subdued under me those who rose against me.
41 You have also [m]given me the necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They looked, but there was none to save;
Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
43 Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth;
I trod them like dirt in the streets,
And I [n]spread them out.
44 “You have also delivered me from the [o]strivings of my people;
You have kept me as the head of the nations.
A people I have not known shall serve me.
45 The foreigners submit to me;
As soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 The foreigners fade away,
And [p]come frightened from their hideouts.
47 “The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let God be exalted,
The Rock of my salvation!
48 It is God who avenges me,
And subdues the peoples under me;
49 He delivers me from my enemies.
You also lift me up above those who rise against me;
You have delivered me from the violent man.
50 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles,
And sing praises to Your name.
51 “He is the tower of salvation to His king,
And shows mercy to His anointed,
To David and his descendants forevermore.” —2 Samuel 22:1 - 51
1. We the church cannot continue to refuse to “show up” and retreat to comfort and safety at the cost of God’s harvest.
And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines. —2 Samuel 23:11
36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” —Matthew 9:36 - 382 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations. —Isaiah 61:2 - 46 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. —2 Timothy 1:6 - 7Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. —Psalm 127:3
2. “But Shammah” showed up with the “Father’s Heart” when everyone else was fleeing with fear.
But he stationed himself… —2 Samuel 23:12a
But Shammah took his stand… —2 Samuel 23:12a (NIV)
1 Then David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
2 And he said: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. —2 Samuel 22:1 -43 My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent people you save me.
4 “I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies. —2 Samuel 22:3 - 4 (NIV)16 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.
17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. —2 Timothy 4:16 - 1710 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word
of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. —Ephesians 6:10 - 18
3. Shammah “showed up” with the “Father’s Heart” in the middle of the harvest.
But he stationed himself in the middle of the field. . —2 Samuel 23:12a - b
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. —Psalm 68:5
5 “When the waves of death surrounded me, the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
6 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.
7 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry entered
His ears.
8 “Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, because He was angry.
9 Smoke went up from His nostrils, and devouring fire from His mouth; coals were kindled by it.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down with darkness under His feet.
11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew; and He was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness canopies around Him, dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
13 From the brightness before Him coals of fire were kindled.
14 “The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice.
15 He sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning bolts, and He vanquished them. —2 Samuel 22:5 - 1526 “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
27 With the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. —2 Samuel 22:26 - 2735 He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made
me great. —2 Samuel 22:35 - 3638 “I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them, so that they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose against me.
41 You have also given me the necks of my enemies, so that I destroyed those who hated me. —2 Samuel 22:38 - 41He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the
violent man. —2 Samuel 22:4928 You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down.
29 “For You are my lamp, O Lord; The Lord shall enlighten my darkness. —2 Samuel 22:28 - 29God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. —Psalm 46:1
But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” —Luke 22:33
39 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.
40 When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,
42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. —Luke 22:39 - 43
4. Shammah “showed up” representing the “Father’s Heart” to defend that which belongs to God, which could not defend itself.
But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it… —2 Samuel 23:12a - c
30 For by You I can run against a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
32 “For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?
33 God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places.
35 He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great.
37 You enlarged my path under me; so my feet did not slip. —2 Samuel 22:30 - 37Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ —Isaiah 41:10
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord. —Isaiah 54:17
3 Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked. —Psalms 82:3 - 4
5. Shammah “showed up” to fight with the fierce love of the “Father’s Heart.”
But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory. —2 Samuel 23:12
38 “I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them, so that they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose against me.
41 You have also given me the necks of my enemies, so that I destroyed those who hated me. —2 Samuel 22:38 - 41The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name. —Exodus 15:3
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. —Psalms 34:17 - 18
6. When we “show up” with the agenda of the “Father’s Heart,” He gets the victory and we win!
12 But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam… —2 Samuel 23:12 - 13a47 “ The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation!
48 It is God who avenges me, and subdues the peoples under me. —2 Samuel 22:47 - 4850 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name.
51 “He is the tower of salvation to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore.” —2 Samuel 22:50 - 5157 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. —1 Corinthians 15:57 - 5831 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? —Romans 8:31 - 3237 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 8:37 - 39