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: Proverbs Chapter 30
Reflect:
Proverbs 30:1
1 “I am weary, God,
but I can prevail.”
Agur begins with a gut-level truth—he was tired and weary. He had tried with all of his being to fully understand the Infinite God, yet he can’t get his head wrapped around the impossibility of the infinitesimal comprehending of the infinite. Rather than quit and walk away, he concludes, “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (verse 5) It’s like we can hear him saying, “I’m tired, O God, but I will endure. I’m going to trust in what You have revealed, for it’s enough”
I think Paul would have related to how Agur was feeling. Paul calls what we as followers of Jesus have as “treasures in clay jars.” The treasure is the message of the Good News. This news is so far above our ability to fully comprehend what Jesus has done for us, yet it’s simple enough that children can know all that they need to know to experience forgiveness and have eternal life with Christ. The message of the Good News is kept in these fragile clay jars—a metaphor for our weak bodies. In other words, the message is kept in broken and fragile people like me and you.
Paul puts it like this, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 (NLT)
Despite all of this difficulty and suffering, the knowledge that we have this treasure inside us gives us the insight and purpose for suffering: God’s power dwelling in us! Relying on God’s power, not our own, will keep us from pride and motivate us to stay close to Him, our power source.
Respond:
Let Paul’s words encourage you today. Jesus has won the victory over death, and because of this fact, by faith in Him, you now have eternal life. Nothing you face today will be able to change this reality because God will never abandon you. If you’re feeling like you’re at the end of the rope, know that you are never at the end of your hope, for our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ, our righteousness.
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 Week’s Scripture Memory:
Proverbs 16:13
Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value the one who speaks what is right.