Week 14 Day 4
I. Prayer to enter the Lord’s presence:
Be still for a moment. “Lord, I give the day that is now past to you. It is yours. I give the day that is to come to you; help me to see where you are working and to join you there. Speak to me during these moments. I commit them and myself to you.”
II. Prayer of Confession:
“Lord, you are faithful to forgive me and cleanse me of my sin when I confess it to you. I confess my sin(s) of ______________. Thank you for forgiveness.” (1 John 1:9)
III. Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Choose to be thankful, speak out loud of what God has done.
“Thank you, Father, for _________________. Fill my heart and my mouth with gratitude throughout this day.”
IV. Scripture Reflection
Read:
John 9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
Heb. 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Reflect:
Today we look at how God reveals his glory in suffering by sometimes removing the suffering. The common perspective on suffering in Jesus time (and ours) is that when bad things happen you deserved it. Now we don’t “deserve” good but it’s also not true that every bad thing that happens to us is because we did something sinful. We can clearly see from this passage that the man’s blindness was not the direct result of anyone’s sin. Jesus said its “purpose” was that “God’s glory would be revealed in his life.” But remember, those eyes that Jesus healed for that man would eventually go dark again in death. This, like all physical healings, was temporary. The one permanent factor in this healing was the glory of revealed. God sometimes chooses to reveal his glory through healing, whether he does it directly or uses a doctor and medicine. Then there are other times when he reveals his glory through grace in suffering.
Respond:
You are free (and encouraged) to ask God for whatever you want. God, of course, is free to give you whatever he thinks you need. He may choose to remove trouble or suffering from your life, it is important that you continually ask him to do so. He may choose to not remove it, it is important that you trust him either way. Have you stopped praying for “rescue”? If so resume again right now. No telling what God might choose to do. Ask him for what you want, trust him for what he gives.
V. Prayer for others:
Pray specifically for the concerns of your life and the lives of others.
VI. Prayer of commitment:
“Lord God, I commit to love you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind and to love my neighbor as myself. Empower me today to love you and others with everything that I am.” (Luke 10:27)
This Month’s Scripture Memory:
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.