ICS Daily Devotions
Cultivate a Habit of Studying the Word and Praying

We need to cultivate a good habit of studying God’s Word and praying in order to develop theological convictions in our lives. Whenever we face crises or tribulations in our lives, how we respond in faith towards God will be based on our core theological convictions.

King Jehoshaphat in the Old Testament was a good example who obeyed God and his people prospered under his reign. When he was facing enemies of great multitudes coming against him, he called for the whole nation to fast and pray.

2 Chronicles 20:6-9,20 And said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’….. So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

This is what we see in King Jehoshaphat’s prayer:
• A proclamation of God’s sovereign authority and power
• A remembrance of how God had delivered them in the past
• An acknowledgment of their helplessness apart from God’s divine hand

King Jehoshaphat was walking in the ways of God. Therefore, he was full of faith and confidence when he prayed. He was convinced that God would deliver and save them when they were faced with enemies who had formed a great alliance against them.

Jehoshaphat was also convinced that God would provide in times of famine as long as they walked in obedience.

Deuteronomy 28:5-6, 8 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out….The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses…..God is giving you.

And he was also convinced that God would fight on their behalf against their enemies.

Deuteronomy 28:7 The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

We are now blessed with the full counsel of His Word and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We need to cultivate a habit of studying the Word and praying so that we will develop theological convictions which will determine how we respond in faith to God during our times of crises. Can we pray like King Jehoshaphat did when we are facing our crises and tribulations and have the conviction that God will bless, protect and deliver us?

Sermon Series: Spiritual Habits 2020