Week 40 Day 2
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
Gen. 1:26-31 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground — everything that has the breath of life in it — I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
Reflect
This is a part of Michelangelo’s famous painting of the creation of Adam. In this portion of the painting God’s hand (on the right) is reaching out to Adam’s hand. God is taking the initiative, he is reaching decisively to Adam’s “limp” hand. Of course this is just an artist’s creative depiction of an event that defies the imagination’s ability to comprehend. The reality is God has made you in His image. This has many implications such as you are personal (versus impersonal…like a machine), volitional (you can choose freely), rational (you can think sound thoughts), emotional (you have passion, desire) and many other things. Look at your hand. “Tell” your fingers to move. They obey you. A thought “order” sent from mind to hand by your will can command fingers to move. This is amazing but it is so common that we lose sight of how profound and complex it is to live as choosing beings in physical bodies. We can command our hand to obey our will. We can command our lives to obey God’s will.
Respond
You have the ability, the choice to reach out to God. He is forever reaching out to you. Just as you can (if you have no physical disability) choose to move your hand through the power of your will…so too you can reach out to God. He has initiated so now you can respond. Perhaps you would be helped by actually reaching your hand up in the air right now… symbolizing a heart response to God. As you do this pray “God, I want to respond to you right now. I want relationship with you more than anything else. I want to want this…make it so in my heart and life.”
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:
Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.