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.
Prayer Guide
- Sunday, September 28th: Lord, You never cease to amaze us! Just when we think we might have a handle on one aspect of Who You are, You then reveal something else entirely, and we are astonished all over again! Thank You for this. Thank You for being YHWH; the great “I AM.” We thank You for not hiding Yourself from us, but for coming to us as Jesus and showing us the Father and Holy Spirit in our Savior personally. Amen.
- Monday, September 29th: Prayerfully read or listen to John 10:1-21. Pastor Rick talked about Jesus as “The Good Shepherd” from this passage at the Round-Up. As you review this passage (and more of it) today, are there any more insights you can gather? What does Jesus point out about the hireling/hired hand? What does Jesus explain about the relationship between Himself and His Father?
- Tuesday, September 30th: Prayerfully read or listen to John 10:14-15a, along with John 17:21, 23,26. What does Jesus say in John 10:14-15a that is further amplified in the John 17 verses? Do perceive that these truths pertain to you – personally? Why or why not? How does all of this affect you and your relationship with Jesus? Pray and ask the Lord to help you gain additional insights about all of this.
- Wednesday, October 1st: Prayerfully read or listen to Matthew 9:35-38. Matthew described the people as harassed and helpless, “like sheep without a shepherd,” and Jesus had compassion on the people. This is described in the Greek as coming from His guts. Have you ever felt compassion for a person or a group of people like this? What caused it in you? Were you able to do something about it, and if so, what did you do?
- Thursday, October 2nd: Prayerfully read or listen to the first four “I am” statements Jesus declared in the Gospel of John: John 6:35, 8:12, 10:7 & 11. Write down your thoughts and ideas about these. Read the verses before and after each statement to get an idea of the context of them – why did Jesus say these when He said them? What do you suppose the people thought when He claimed these things about Himself? Do any of these statements mean something particular to you? Pray and ask the Lord to speak one of them to you specifically.
- Friday, October 3rd: Prayerfully read or listen to the rest of the “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John: John 11:25, 14:6, 15:1. Write down your thoughts and ideas about these. Read the verses before and after each statement to get an idea of the context of them – why did Jesus say these when He said them? What do you suppose the people thought when He claimed these things about Himself? Do any of these statements mean something particular to you? Pray and ask the Lord to speak one of them to you specifically.
- Saturday, October 4th: Review each of these Scriptures, topics, and questions that you have worked through this week. How does all of this resonate with you? Pray through these things as the Spirit leads you!
- Sunday, October 5th World Communion Sunday: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of this sacred day, where believers around the world gather to break bread and share the cup. We are humbled by the diversity of Your people and the beauty of Your creation. We confess Lord that we have failed our sisters and brothers around the world, because we have not always prayed faithfully for them, and we have not always given sacrificially for their needs. Help us Holy Spirit to remember Your promises and empower us to be instruments of your grace. May this day remind us that we are already in Your Kingdom, and to serve one another with compassion. Amen.
- Monday, October 6th: Prayerfully read or listen to Luke 22:14-20. Author Henri Nouwen notes that every time Jesus was at table, He went through four steps: He would take bread, bless it (give thanks), break it, and share it. If you have time, go through the Gospel accounts and note the times Jesus serves bread (include the miracle of the 5,000 and after His resurrection). What do you make of Jesus’ four-step process? Why didn’t Jesus just pass one loaf or piece around and let people break it off as they wanted?
- Tuesday, October 7th: Prayerfully read or listen to Luke 22:19, and return to Nouwen’s point of “Taken, Blessed, Broken, Shared…” He points out that first, this is what the Father did with Jesus, as HE is the Bread of Life, and now this is what Jesus does with each of us. Can you see this process in your life? How has the Lord “taken” you; “blessed” you; “broken” you; and “shared” you?
- Wednesday, October 8th: Prayerfully read or listen to Deuteronomy 8:1-6. What are the key words in this passage? What is the Lord revealing about Himself? If you had to remember one thing about this passage, what would it be? Take time to pray about that one thing.
- Thursday, October 9th: Prayerfully read or listen to Deuteronomy 8: 7-14. Again, note the key words in this passage, and things God is revealing about Himself. Why are there warnings in these verses? Do you think they still apply to the Church today? Why or why not? Pray through this passage, and ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you as you pray.
- Friday, October 10th: Prayerfully read or listen to Deuteronomy 8:15-20. What does the Lord say He did for the people? What does He want them to remember? Can you rewrite these verses and instead, put elements of your life story in the verses? What would that look like? What is the final warning, and why is it there? What is the Lord reminding you about Himself and about you?
- Saturday, October 11th: Review each of these Scriptures, topics, and questions that you have worked through this week. How does all of this resonate with you? Pray through these things as the Spirit leads you!
