Week 50 Day 5
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:
“And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.” (Daniel 2:44-45)
Reflect:
In order that Daniel might interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, God gave Daniel the ability to see what was coming in the future. What Daniel saw was a Kingdom set up by God: a Kingdom that would never be destroyed; a Kingdom that would never be given over to another people; a Kingdom that would break in pieces all worldly kingdoms and bring them to an end; a Kingdom that would stand forever.
Jesus came as the King of that Kingdom. But, wait, He didn’t bring all the worldly kingdoms to an end. We still tarry here on earth. Was Daniel wrong? No. One day, Jesus will return again and the vision of Daniel will become our final reality.
Jesus, in His first Advent, came as a Suffering Servant to inaugurate the Kingdom. But Jesus, in His second Advent, will come as a Warrior-King to consummate it. And, at that time, He will execute complete righteousness and justice. He will establish complete healing and redemption and restoration. The broken present age will dissolve like chaff and be blown away. We will live forever in the presence of God. And He will wipe away every tear. (Revelation 21:1-8)
For the believer in Christ, this is a promised future reality. The work has been finished by Christ on the cross. The deposit has been made in the Holy Spirit. Rest assured, one day your “not yet” will become your “already”. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.
Respond:
Thank God for the future He has made for you. Ask Him to help you live, today, with the end in mind.
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:
Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid him the iniquity of us all.