Welcome to Week 14 of A 2020 Prayer Life!
What follows is a series of daily meditations and exercises to help us develop our individual prayer lives. This represents a one-day-at-a-time process. Don't short-circuit the process by reading ahead. Simply read and do each day what is offered for that day.
What follows is a series of daily meditations and exercises to help us develop our individual prayer lives. This represents a one-day-at-a-time process. Don't short-circuit the process by reading ahead. Simply read and do each day what is offered for that day.
April 1
Our goal during this year is to improve our prayer lives by learning to focus more clearly on God. And our specific method for learning to focus on Him is to meditate deliberately on who and what He is. To that end, we are praying through the various titles for God found in Scripture.
This week, we turn to the title "Judge." While interceding for the residents of Sodom, Abraham says to the Lord, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?" (Genesis 18:25 NASB)
Have you ever addressed the Lord as "Judge"? Have you ever called Him that in prayer?
In your prayer time right now, make that your title for God. Call Him "Judge." Make that part of how you address Him during your prayer time all this week. And as you do, talk with Him about these questions.
(1) What does "Judge" reveal about You?
(2) What does "Judge" reveal about my relationship with You?
(3) How could my calling you "Judge" impact and influence my relationship with You?
This week, we turn to the title "Judge." While interceding for the residents of Sodom, Abraham says to the Lord, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?" (Genesis 18:25 NASB)
Have you ever addressed the Lord as "Judge"? Have you ever called Him that in prayer?
In your prayer time right now, make that your title for God. Call Him "Judge." Make that part of how you address Him during your prayer time all this week. And as you do, talk with Him about these questions.
(1) What does "Judge" reveal about You?
(2) What does "Judge" reveal about my relationship with You?
(3) How could my calling you "Judge" impact and influence my relationship with You?
April 2
While God is the ultimate Judge, He is not the only judge. Indeed, when we hear the word "judge," we are apt to think of various human beings before we think of Him. And so we have some sense, quite apart from God, of what it means to be a "judge."
Borrowing from our human understanding of what it is to be a "judge," then, list some differences between a good judge and a bad judge. (As we have noted in previous weeks, it is important not to hurry through this, lest we shortchange the insight available. Take two full minutes to contemplate and list the differences.)
When you have finished the previous list, now write a brief paragraph of how you would describe a good judge. What would be his/her attributes? What would characterize his/her conduct?
Now with those written items before you in prayer, tell the Lord what you have learned about Him as a Judge.
Praise Him for the kind of Judge He is.
Call Him "Judge" in prayer, and talk to Him about what that means for your relationship with Him.
Borrowing from our human understanding of what it is to be a "judge," then, list some differences between a good judge and a bad judge. (As we have noted in previous weeks, it is important not to hurry through this, lest we shortchange the insight available. Take two full minutes to contemplate and list the differences.)
When you have finished the previous list, now write a brief paragraph of how you would describe a good judge. What would be his/her attributes? What would characterize his/her conduct?
Now with those written items before you in prayer, tell the Lord what you have learned about Him as a Judge.
Praise Him for the kind of Judge He is.
Call Him "Judge" in prayer, and talk to Him about what that means for your relationship with Him.
April 3
The Psalms speak often of God as judge. In Psalm 7, we read this: "God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day." (Psalm 7:11 NASB)
The original text was in Hebrew, of course, and so the verse quoted above is a translation. Different English translations employ different vocabulary, but this one is striking because of the connection made between "righteous" and "indignation." It is evidently because God is a righteous judge that He has indignation. Meanwhile, in our vernacular, we often link "righteous" and "indignation" together.
Talk to the Lord, the Judge, about this verse.
What do I learn about You when I read that You are a "righteous" judge?
What is it that makes You indignant?
What is the significance of the fact that You feel that indignation "every day"?
The original text was in Hebrew, of course, and so the verse quoted above is a translation. Different English translations employ different vocabulary, but this one is striking because of the connection made between "righteous" and "indignation." It is evidently because God is a righteous judge that He has indignation. Meanwhile, in our vernacular, we often link "righteous" and "indignation" together.
Talk to the Lord, the Judge, about this verse.
What do I learn about You when I read that You are a "righteous" judge?
What is it that makes You indignant?
What is the significance of the fact that You feel that indignation "every day"?
April 4
ACTS is a common acronym for prayer. Each initial represents a fundamental part of prayer. A is for Adoration. C is for Confession. T is for Thanksgiving. S is for Supplication.
Consider the first two parts of an "ACTS" prayer in light of this verse: "God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day." (Psalm 7:11 NASB)
Let these questions inform your prayer time just now:
How does God's role as a righteous judge and His indignation make Him worthy of your praise?
What does His role as a righteous judge and His indignation prompt you to confess?
Consider the first two parts of an "ACTS" prayer in light of this verse: "God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day." (Psalm 7:11 NASB)
Let these questions inform your prayer time just now:
How does God's role as a righteous judge and His indignation make Him worthy of your praise?
What does His role as a righteous judge and His indignation prompt you to confess?
April 5
We continue today to be informed by the ACTS acronym for prayer (A is for Adoration. C is for Confession. T is for Thanksgiving. S is for Supplication) and Psalm 7:11.
Consider the second two parts of an "ACTS" prayer in light of this verse: "God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day." (Psalm 7:11 NASB)
Let these questions inform your prayer time just now:
Why are God's role as righteous judge and His indignation a cause for giving thanks?
What do His role as righteous judge and His indignation prompt you to ask of Him?
Consider the second two parts of an "ACTS" prayer in light of this verse: "God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day." (Psalm 7:11 NASB)
Let these questions inform your prayer time just now:
Why are God's role as righteous judge and His indignation a cause for giving thanks?
What do His role as righteous judge and His indignation prompt you to ask of Him?
April 6
"God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day." (Psalm 7:11 NASB)
The acronym "ACTS" covers several major parts of prayer, but does not necessarily reflect the whole scope of prayer. One type of prayer, for example, that is very common in the Psalms is the lament or complaint. This is where the individual expresses to God the (often undeserved) trouble or suffering that he or she is experiencing, affirms God's power and righteousness, and cries out for help.
With that in mind, let these questions inform your prayer time just now:
What is my lament or complaint today?
How does the truth that God is a righteous judge influence my lament?
How does His role as judge inform my praying?
How does His attribute of righteousness encourage my praying?
The acronym "ACTS" covers several major parts of prayer, but does not necessarily reflect the whole scope of prayer. One type of prayer, for example, that is very common in the Psalms is the lament or complaint. This is where the individual expresses to God the (often undeserved) trouble or suffering that he or she is experiencing, affirms God's power and righteousness, and cries out for help.
With that in mind, let these questions inform your prayer time just now:
What is my lament or complaint today?
How does the truth that God is a righteous judge influence my lament?
How does His role as judge inform my praying?
How does His attribute of righteousness encourage my praying?
April 7
As we conclude Week 14, consider this affirmation from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah:
"For the LORD is our judge, The LORD is our lawgiver, The LORD is our king; He will save us." (Isaiah 33:22 NASB)
Make this verse the basis for your prayer time just now. Talk to the Lord about the relationship between these several roles that are combined together.
Lord, what is the significance that You are both Judge and Lawgiver?
What are the implications of Your being both Judge and King?
What does it mean for us that You are both our Judge and the One who saves us?
"For the LORD is our judge, The LORD is our lawgiver, The LORD is our king; He will save us." (Isaiah 33:22 NASB)
Make this verse the basis for your prayer time just now. Talk to the Lord about the relationship between these several roles that are combined together.
Lord, what is the significance that You are both Judge and Lawgiver?
What are the implications of Your being both Judge and King?
What does it mean for us that You are both our Judge and the One who saves us?