Week 44 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
“Death and hell are never satisfied and neither are the eyes of man.”
Proverbs 27:20
“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Psalm 34:8
Reflect
“Death and hell are never satisfied” is an intentionally dramatic way of getting your attention. Once the writer has your attention he makes his point…”Neither are our desires.” This is not stated merely as a truism like “The skies are blue.” It is a challenge, a warning…and in context…a clear motivation for us to find our satisfaction in Christ. If we attempt to satisfy our desires by merely giving in to them we will never find satisfaction. On the other hand if we attempt to deny our desires in order to make them less powerful we will become more disciplined but largely unchanged. We must let our desires…all of them…drive us to Christ.
Respond
Your physical body is demanding. “Feed me, give me pleasure, stop this pain…!” You should do all you can to take care of it but you must not be ruled by its tyranny. Jesus is Lord of you…what does that mean for how you use your body? Stand up, lift up your hands, and your eyes/face to heaven…say to God…”I give myself to you…body and soul.”
(Don’t do this unless you mean this or want this to be true)
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:
Habakkuk 3:17-18
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.