Prayer Guide
- Sunday May 31st:Lord God, You alone are the Giver of every good and perfect gift. There is no variation or shifting shadow with You. We can always trust Your character, because You never change. You are always good, always loving, always compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in mercy, truth, forgiveness, and justice. We can come to You with every concern, knowing that You will alwaysrespond quickly in the best possible way for Your glory, others’ gain, and our good. Thank You for Your faithfulness towards us. Amen.
- Monday June 1st: Prayerfully read or listen to John 2:1-12. This wedding occurred at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He was not yet well-known as a preacher or teacher, let alone as a miracle worker. The people at the wedding simply knew Him as a family friend. Imagine yourself as a wedding guest. Do you think you would know what was going on as you took a glass of this amazing wine? What do you suppose the guests were saying to one another? Do you think “word got around” as to what happened, or do you think the guests never found out? What would you think if you had known Jesus your whole life (perhaps their family and yours were friends), and then found out what He had done?
- Tuesday, June 2nd: Prayerfully read or listen to John 2:1-3. Some scholars speculate that there are a couple of possibilities as to why the wine gave out: a) Jesus brought His disciples and the family wasn’t expecting the extra people or b) they were rather poor and couldn’t afford very much. Regardless, the wine gave out, and in that culture, this would result in a massive humiliation for the family. Jesus’ mother comes to Him with this problem. Compare her statement of the problem to your prayers. How is her statement the same/different? Are you able to simply and succinctly state your need before the Lord? How does her statement encourage you?
- Wednesday, June 3rd:Prayerfully read or listen to John 2:4-5. Note how Jesus addresses His mother. Does it bother you that He did not call her “Mother,” or “Mom” or something along those lines? What do you think He might have been trying to convey to her by NOT referring to her in that way, even if there was affection in His voice? What do you think He meant by telling her, “My hour is not yet come (NIV)?” Even with all of this, why did Mary feel comfortable enough to tell the servants, “Do whatever He tells you to?”
- Thursday, June 4th: Prayerfully read or listen to John 2:3-9. Note carefully the sequence of events. Mary went to Jesus and told Him what the problem was (prayer). Then Jesus told the servants what to do, and they did it (obedience). They took it to the headwaiter, who tasted “the water turned to wine…” Does Scripture say exactly when the water was turned to wine? What is the connection between prayer and obedience? How have you seen this play out in your own life?
- Friday, June 5th: Prayerfully read or listen to 2 Kings 5:1-14. How does this story also fit with Mary’s admonition, “Do whatever He tells you?” (John 2:5) Have there been times in your life when you thought the Lord was telling you to do something, but it seemed so crazy, you did NOT do it? How does Naaman’s story fit with that? Do you think the servants at the wedding thought it was crazy taking water to the headmaster? What are ways you can learn to trust the Lord’s voice and follow in obedience in the future? Spend some time praying through this with the Lord.
- Saturday, June 6th: Review each of these Scriptures, questions, and prayers that you have worked through this week. Which one, or which theme, resonated with you? Pray through these things again as the Spirit leads you!
- Sunday June 7: Almighty God, You alone are our Healer. You heal us in every way, and by every means. All healing comes from You, Lord. Please help us not to be like Naaman, who scorned the means of healing given to him because he wanted something grander. Grant us Your Holy Spirit, so that we will be obedient to You, and we will do as You command us so that we might be healed and whole, which is Your will for us. We ask this in the Name of Jesus, Who was obedient even to the cross, and by Whose stripes we are healed, Amen.
- Monday June 8:Prayerfully read or listen to John 5:1-5. Note in v. 3 how many people were by the pool. The Greek word for this is “plethos,”which is where we get our word “plethora.” It means, “a large number, a throng, populace, multitude.” Why do you suppose John writes about how many people were by the pool? Why do you think he thought it was necessary for his audience to know all of this, especially since Jesus did not heal them? What do you think about this point?
- Tuesday, June 9: Prayerfully read or listen to John 5:4 (it might be in the margin of your Bible). Even though this verse isn’t in the original text, there is something here for us to consider. What did the people at the pool wait for before entering the pool? How much of this goes on in our society today? When is “stirring up” necessary, and when is it not? When do you think it brings healing, and when is it simply more chaos? Can you name specific times in history when “stirring up” was necessary, and when was it not?
- Wednesday, June 10:Prayerfully read or listen to John 5:5-8, and compare it to Mark 10:49-52. Compare these two conversations that Jesus had with the two men. What is similar about the two men? What is different about them? What made each man’s situation unique (*note – the Scripture does not say the man at the pool was paralyzed; we only infer that from the text but it doesn’t say that explicitly)? What is similar or different about Jesus’ questions to each man? Which question would Jesus ask you today?
- Thursday, June 11: Prayerfully read or listen to John 5:7-8. Do you think there is a problem with the man’s response/explanation to Jesus’ question, or do you think he was being honest about his situation? Can you think of a better way that he could have stated his case? How do you think that being there for 38 years affected his perspective? In what ways do your outward circumstances affect your perception of whether or not you can be healed?
- Friday, June 12: Prayerfully read or listen to John 5:14. Jesus found the man after he spoke with the Jewish leaders. What sort of comment/warning did Jesus give him? Why do you think Jesus said this to the man? If Jesus had healed you miraculously from something, is this the sort of “follow-up” conversation you would expect to have with Him? What do you think the Lord wants you – and us – to learn from this interaction?
- Saturday, June 13: Review each of these Scriptures, questions, and prayers that you have worked through this week. Which one, or which theme, resonated with you? Pray through these things again as the Spirit leads you!
How's Your Prayer Life?
Are you praying on a regular basis? Are you meeting Him and sharing your heart? Whether you are or you aren't, we all need help when it comes to a consistent and meaningful prayer life.
Prayer is one of the most important things a Christian can do. It is a time we are communicating with God, and while there is deep theological meaning in prayer, it doesn’t have to be something that is complicated or difficult. It’s something anyone can do anywhere at any time.