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, April 27th: Lord God, how great and mighty You are, for You have overcome death by death! You died, yes but then You rose again and live forever and have given us the promise that we who are alive in You will never die! Holy is Your Name! Thank You that we who are in Christ are new creatures – we live in mortally frail bodies, yet we also enjoy eternal life right now in Christ Jesus! Blessed be Your Name forever, Amen.
- Monday, April 28th: Prayerfully read or listen to Luke 24:9-12,33-40. If you had been in the Upper Room that night, and had also heard all that the apostles heard from various people, would you also have been “startled and frightened” when Jesus suddenly appeared in the room? What do you think you would have done as you first heard and saw Jesus yourself? What would have been your actual reaction?
- Tuesday, April 29th: Prayerfully read or listen to Luke 24:38. Jesus asks His followers, “Why do doubts rise up in your ___?” The Greek word is kardia. The NASB translates this as “hearts,” but the NIV translates it as “minds.” It literally means “innermost being.” We might say, “Why do doubts arise within you?” Why did Jesus ask them why they doubted His presence among them? Other than from the enemy, where else do our doubts come from? How are we to deal with doubts? See Mt. 17:20, 21:21 and James 1:5-6 for a beginning.
- Wednesday, April 30th: Prayerfully read or listen to Luke 24:39-43. Consider all the ways Jesus proved that it was truly Himself in the flesh, but it was clearly His resurrected form. Would all of these ways have been enough for you? Would these ways be enough for someone you know who doesn’t believe in Jesus’ resurrection? Why or why not?
- Thursday, May 1st: Prayerfully read or listen to Luke 24:44-47 and review 24:25-27,31-32 (when He was walking with the two people on the Road to Emmaus). Even though these events take place in different contexts, how are they similar? What is Jesus doing with His disciples, even at this early stage after His Resurrection? How might you be feeling at this point if you were one of the disciples?
- Friday, May 2nd: Prayerfully read or listen to Luke 24:48-49. Jesus even here gives a strong hint as to what His plans are for the disciples. After all that has happened in the past 72 hours or so, do you think they were able to comprehend what this meant? How do you imagine some of their conversations went in the following days? When you look back on your life, and you see some of the things the Lord has done in your life, would you have believed it if He had told you ahead of time? Why is there power in reflecting back over a season of life?
- Saturday, May 3rd: 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, May 4: Lord God, there are so many days, so many times we go through life and we don’t see You or feel that you are with us. But then, when we look back on those experiences, Your Presence is so obvious! Lord, we truly want to see You and know You day by day. Help us to have eyes and ears, hearts and minds to know You in our daily lives. Amen.
- Monday, May 5th: Prayerfully read or listen to Luke 24:13-21. What is the attitude of the two people as they walk along the road to Emmaus? How do they seem to be feeling as they walk and talk to their “new companion” (see v. 17b)? When have you been in a similar situation, or with what can you compare this? What was that like, and what sort of conversations did you have with your friends?
- Tuesday, May 6th: Prayerfully read or listen to Luke 24:19-24. Jesus inquires of them as to what has been going on in Jerusalem. In v. 22-24, these two followers act as though the empty tomb was a brand-new concept to them; as if Jesus had never spoken of rising from the dead. Has the Lord ever given you a verse or passage that you “knew” previously, but when He gave it to you again, it was as if it was a completely new thought that you had never heard before? What did that feel like? How did that change you? How does this help you identify with these disciples?
- Wednesday, May 7th: Prayerfully read or listen to Luke 24:25. What words does Jesus use to describe these followers in this verse? The Greek words indicate a strong rebuke, and mean unwise, senseless, or dense. How would you feel if Jesus used these words to describe you? These men were followers of Jesus, so they had been close to Him, heard Him preach and teach, etc., yet here He was strongly rebuking them! How can we seek to avoid this in our lives?
- Thursday, May 8th: Prayerfully read or listen to Luke 24:26-27. This passage says Jesus (in effect) gave a multi-hour Bible study during their walk. What does this indicate about our need to be well-versed in the Old Testament? How comfortable are you with this part of Scripture? If you only had this part of the Bible, would you be able to see Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, ascension, and future reign in it? What do you need to do to become more comfortable with this aspect of Scripture?
- Friday, May 9th: Prayerfully read or listen to Luke 24:28-35 and also Luke 9:12-16, with 22:17-19. What are the four steps Jesus repeats at these meals? Note especially Luke 24:30-31a. Why was it easier for the two men to recognize Jesus at this moment than at any other? When else do you see these steps repeated in our context today, and how can we see Jesus in that event?
- Saturday, May 10th: 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!
