Praying the Names of God - April 12
From Praying the Names of Jesus Week Seventeen, Day Five
The Name
In the last book of the Bible, Jesus reveals himself as "the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Present at the world's beginning, Jesus will also be present at its end, when he and his work are finally and fully revealed. When you pray to Christ as the Alpha and the Omega, you are praying to the One who is, who was, and who is to come. He is our all-sufficient Lord, who will not fail to complete the good work he has begun in us.
Key Scripture
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Revelation 22:13
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Friday
Promises Associated with His Name
On October 29, 1941, Winston Churchill delivered a speech, at Harrow, a prestigious boarding school in northwest London, in which he uttered these now famous words: "Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." The speech was given against the dark backdrop of World War II. Churchill's spirit of defiance helped to bolster the faith of a nation under siege.
This kind of never-give-up attitude should characterize our lives as Christians, because Jesus himself never gave up. His last words on the cross were not about surrendering in the face of overwhelming opposition but about finishing — "It is finished!" he cried. This determination to finish what he had begun is still true of Christ, who is Alpha and Omega, the Lord of both beginnings and endings.
What good works has he begun in your life, in your marriage, in your children, in the church? All these may at one time or another
come under siege, but if you hold fast to Christ through perseverance, you will not be overcome.
Promises in Scripture
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:3-6
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty — yet you are rich! . . . Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. Revelation 2:8-11
Continued Prayer and Praise
Praise the Lord from beginning to end. (Psalm 113:1-3)
Remember Daniel's vision of the Ancient of Days. (Daniel 7:9-13)
Consider how Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, preexisted creation. (John 1:1-3; 8:54-58)
Rejoice because Jesus is the Beginning and he is the End. (Revelation 21:1-7)
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Meet your spiritual ancestors as they really were: Less Than Perfect: Broken Men and Women of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them.
