Seize the Moment – Day 1281
The Importance of Evening Prayers!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, September 19.
“There was evening and there was morning, one day.” Did you notice the rhythm of the refrain from the six days of creation? If I expect to rise early to spend time with the Lord, of first importance to my day, then I need to make God my priority in the evening. My day doesn’t begin with how I wake up, but with how I go to bed. Psalm 141 invites you into the rhythm of offering God an evening prayer, as David said in verses 2-4:
May my prayer be counted as incense before You; the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering. Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men who do iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.
David was comparing his prayers to the work of a priest, who was the only authorized person allowed to burn incense in worship. Therefore, around this priority of offering his evening prayers to God, David petitioned God to help him live every aspect of his life as holy unto the Lord – in his speech, the inclinations of his heart, the company he kept, and the activities he participated. The implication for us today, as a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), is that our very prayers, rightly offered to God in the name of Jesus, are burning incense unto the Lord (Revelation 8:3-4); therefore, we must live every aspect of our lives holy unto the Lord (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:5).
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.