Day 5: Over false gods
Each one [of the Egyptian magicians] threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs (Exodus 7:12).
Jehovah God, the Great I AM, You have declared Your name and Your all-surpassing power: I AM the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols (Isaiah 42:8). You alone are God—You are from everlasting to everlasting—not bound by space or time. You declare of Yourself: I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no God (Isaiah 44:6).
Yet You know the hearts of humans, and our susceptibility to follow other "gods" even though You have commanded us, "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3). And You know the schemes (wiles) of our adversary, the devil [who] walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (Ephesians 6:10, 1 Peter 5:8 - NKJV). The Lord Jesus said of him: He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).
But You have sent us Your Chosen One (Isaiah 42:1), who Himself declared, I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Through His light You have promised to open eyes that are blind (Isaiah 42:7). And through His light You expose the fruitless deeds of darkness (Ephesians 5:11), and the devil's work (1 John 3:8).
Father You have shown Your power over the false gods of every age—Aaron's staff swallowed up the staffs of Pharaoh's enchanters (Exodus 7:12), the Philistine god Dagon lay fallen on his face on the ground, broken, before the ark of the Lord (1 Samuel 5:1-5), and the prophets of Baal were left cold at their altar of sacrifice (1 Kings 18:22-29).
Unchanging God, Your light still defeats the darkness. Your power still rises above the lies, the deception, and the false gods of our times. You still swallow up shams and imitations, illusions and falsehoods. You still distinguish Yourself as God, so that even the counterfeit powers are forced to declare, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19).
We pray for the power of Your Spirit to guide us through the overwhelming mountain of information, disinformation, half-truths, lies, deceptions, and demanding data all around us. We pray for the wisdom and discernment to recognize false narratives, false doctrines, false gods, and idols of the heart (Ezekiel 14:3).
Father, send out Your light and Your truth so they may guide us (Psalm 43:3). We pray the prayer of the prophet: Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known… (Habakkuk 3:2).
Lord, Your call still goes out to hearts, “Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! (Isaiah 42:18). Let it be heard above the din and clamor. Let souls respond. Let them know that You, whose name is the Lord—that You alone are the Most High over all the earth (Psalm 83:18).
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