Welcome to Week 3 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.
January 15
We considered last week the importance of salutations -- how you address another person, what you call someone else. The salutation reveals something about that other person's identity. And the salutation also reveals -- and perhaps determines -- something about your relationship to that other person.
And so we want to give closer attention and thought now to what we call God.
Many of the terms used in Scripture for God as relational terms. By "relational," we mean terms that have an automatic counterpart. So, for example, when we call Him "Father," we automatically also have a relational term to apply to ourselves. For if He is my "Father," then I must be His "child."
In prayer, refer back to the lists that you made last week of the salutations you use for God and the salutations you recall that people in the Bible used for God. Talk with Him about each. Identify before Him the counterpart term for each.
And so we want to give closer attention and thought now to what we call God.
Many of the terms used in Scripture for God as relational terms. By "relational," we mean terms that have an automatic counterpart. So, for example, when we call Him "Father," we automatically also have a relational term to apply to ourselves. For if He is my "Father," then I must be His "child."
In prayer, refer back to the lists that you made last week of the salutations you use for God and the salutations you recall that people in the Bible used for God. Talk with Him about each. Identify before Him the counterpart term for each.
January 16
When Paul wrote to the Christians in Thessalonica, he included this astonishing instruction: "Pray constantly." (1 Thessalonians 5:17 RSV)
The same verse is also translated "pray continually" (NIV), "pray without ceasing" (NASB), "pray at all times" (GNT), and "never stop praying" (CEV).
For the next few moments, use each of those translations in prayer. Say to the Lord, "Lord, help me to pray constantly." Then say, "Lord, help me to pray continually." And so on.
Don't just say it; pray it. Make it a genuine request. Meditate on the words and think carefully about what you are saying.
Talk candidly with the Lord about what you think and feel as you pray those prayers.
The same verse is also translated "pray continually" (NIV), "pray without ceasing" (NASB), "pray at all times" (GNT), and "never stop praying" (CEV).
For the next few moments, use each of those translations in prayer. Say to the Lord, "Lord, help me to pray constantly." Then say, "Lord, help me to pray continually." And so on.
Don't just say it; pray it. Make it a genuine request. Meditate on the words and think carefully about what you are saying.
Talk candidly with the Lord about what you think and feel as you pray those prayers.
January 17
How we respond to the instruction to "pray without ceasing" likely reveals what we think about prayer.
If we think of prayer as an arduous thing, then the instruction seems quite undesirable. If we think of prayer as stopping to kneel with eyes closed and hands folded, then the instruction seems impossible.
Talk to the Lord about how you respond to the idea of "pray without ceasing." If it sounds undesirable, ask Him why that is. Ask Him to help you understand prayer better and experience it differently. And if Paul's instruction sounds impossible, ask the Lord to help you catch a vision for what praying without ceasing should look like.
If we think of prayer as an arduous thing, then the instruction seems quite undesirable. If we think of prayer as stopping to kneel with eyes closed and hands folded, then the instruction seems impossible.
Talk to the Lord about how you respond to the idea of "pray without ceasing." If it sounds undesirable, ask Him why that is. Ask Him to help you understand prayer better and experience it differently. And if Paul's instruction sounds impossible, ask the Lord to help you catch a vision for what praying without ceasing should look like.
January 18
The instruction to "pray without ceasing" came from the Apostle Paul, and we do well to remember that he did not isolate himself on some hilltop, living a kind of monastic existence. No, he traveled, he preached, he wrote, and he ran a business. Clearly, therefore, to "pray without ceasing" is not to live life with your eyes closed and your hands folded. It must mean something else.
Perhaps Daniel can help us understand.
We remember that Daniel was arrested and thrown to the lions for his faithfulness in praying to the Lord God. We discover in that story that Daniel prayed "three times a day" (Daniel 6:10). While the text does not reveal Daniel's exact schedule, it's easy to imagine that "three times a day" might have meant praying each morning, praying at noon, and praying each night.
In our day, we use the expression "morning, noon, and night" to refer to something constant, something ongoing. "The phone was ringing morning, noon, and night." "It snowed morning, noon, and night." "The baby cried morning, noon, and night."
As a way of moving toward Paul's counsel to "pray without ceasing," perhaps establish a Daniel-like pattern of praying "morning, noon, and night." Talk to the Lord about what that would look like in your daily schedule and how it would impact your relationship with Him.
Perhaps Daniel can help us understand.
We remember that Daniel was arrested and thrown to the lions for his faithfulness in praying to the Lord God. We discover in that story that Daniel prayed "three times a day" (Daniel 6:10). While the text does not reveal Daniel's exact schedule, it's easy to imagine that "three times a day" might have meant praying each morning, praying at noon, and praying each night.
In our day, we use the expression "morning, noon, and night" to refer to something constant, something ongoing. "The phone was ringing morning, noon, and night." "It snowed morning, noon, and night." "The baby cried morning, noon, and night."
As a way of moving toward Paul's counsel to "pray without ceasing," perhaps establish a Daniel-like pattern of praying "morning, noon, and night." Talk to the Lord about what that would look like in your daily schedule and how it would impact your relationship with Him.
January 19
The instruction to "pray without ceasing" came from the Apostle Paul, and we do well to remember that he did not isolate himself on some hilltop, living a kind of monastic existence. No, he traveled, he preached, he wrote, and he ran a business. Clearly, therefore, to "pray without ceasing" is not to live life with your eyes closed and your hands folded. It must mean something else.
Perhaps Nehemiah can help us understand.
As we read the Book of Nehemiah, we are struck by the frequency of what we might call 'quick prayers.'
Right in the midst of a conversation Nehemiah is having with his boss, the emperor of the Persian Empire, we read, "I prayed to the God of Heaven, and then I said to the emperor..." (Nehemiah 2:4 NIV) Clearly that was a quick, under-his-breath sort of a prayer.
In the face of opposition, Nehemiah prayed a quick prayer about the troubles and his enemies (4:4-5). In the middle of recounting some of his choices as a leader, we read, "I pray you, O God, remember to my credit everything that I have done for this people" (5:19). When enemies were trying to frighten him and his co-workers, he prayed, "But now, God, make me strong!" Later, he called out his enemies by name in prayer: "God, remember what Tobiah and Sanballat have done and punish them. Remember that woman Nodiah and all the other prophets who tried to frighten me" (6:14). And in the midst of Nehemiah recalling some of the reforms that he instituted, we hear him pray, "Remember, my God, all these things that I have done for your Temple and its worship" (13:14).
This is not a comprehensive record of all the praying reflected in the Book of Nehemiah, but it's enough to give us a sense. And the sense we get is that Nehemiah did not feel the need to go off by himself to some secluded spot in order to pray. No, he prayed on the spot. He prayed in the moment.
Perhaps Nehemiah's example gives us a glimpse of what it looks like to "pray without ceasing." Talk to the Lord about Nehemiah's example and his prayers. Ask the Lord to help you feel free to pray at any time in any place, even if it is only a very brief prayer. Ask Him to help you share your thoughts, your needs, and your heart throughout the day every day.
Perhaps Nehemiah can help us understand.
As we read the Book of Nehemiah, we are struck by the frequency of what we might call 'quick prayers.'
Right in the midst of a conversation Nehemiah is having with his boss, the emperor of the Persian Empire, we read, "I prayed to the God of Heaven, and then I said to the emperor..." (Nehemiah 2:4 NIV) Clearly that was a quick, under-his-breath sort of a prayer.
In the face of opposition, Nehemiah prayed a quick prayer about the troubles and his enemies (4:4-5). In the middle of recounting some of his choices as a leader, we read, "I pray you, O God, remember to my credit everything that I have done for this people" (5:19). When enemies were trying to frighten him and his co-workers, he prayed, "But now, God, make me strong!" Later, he called out his enemies by name in prayer: "God, remember what Tobiah and Sanballat have done and punish them. Remember that woman Nodiah and all the other prophets who tried to frighten me" (6:14). And in the midst of Nehemiah recalling some of the reforms that he instituted, we hear him pray, "Remember, my God, all these things that I have done for your Temple and its worship" (13:14).
This is not a comprehensive record of all the praying reflected in the Book of Nehemiah, but it's enough to give us a sense. And the sense we get is that Nehemiah did not feel the need to go off by himself to some secluded spot in order to pray. No, he prayed on the spot. He prayed in the moment.
Perhaps Nehemiah's example gives us a glimpse of what it looks like to "pray without ceasing." Talk to the Lord about Nehemiah's example and his prayers. Ask the Lord to help you feel free to pray at any time in any place, even if it is only a very brief prayer. Ask Him to help you share your thoughts, your needs, and your heart throughout the day every day.
January 20
The instruction to "pray without ceasing" came from the Apostle Paul, and we do well to remember that he did not isolate himself on some hilltop, living a kind of monastic existence. No, he traveled, he preached, he wrote, and he ran a business. Clearly, therefore, to "pray without ceasing" is not to live life with your eyes closed and your hands folded. It must mean something else.
Perhaps Enoch can help us understand.
Enoch is a mysterious character who appears briefly in a genealogy in the Book of Genesis. In the midst of a report of the basic information of lifespan and firstborn of a variety of characters, we suddenly read this:
"Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." (Genesis 5:21 NASB)
"Enoch walked with God." That's a lovely image. It suggests a person whose relationship with God had both an intimacy and a constancy to it. The person we walk with, after all, is someone we are at peace with, someone who is our companion, and someone with whom we automatically share all of the experiences that come along the way as we walk together.
Perhaps Enoch gives us insight into what it looks like to "pray without ceasing." Talk to the Lord about Enoch's example and the image of walking with Him. Ask Him to show you what it might look like for you to walk with Him. Ask Him to show you how that is possible and to help you do it.
Perhaps Enoch can help us understand.
Enoch is a mysterious character who appears briefly in a genealogy in the Book of Genesis. In the midst of a report of the basic information of lifespan and firstborn of a variety of characters, we suddenly read this:
"Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." (Genesis 5:21 NASB)
"Enoch walked with God." That's a lovely image. It suggests a person whose relationship with God had both an intimacy and a constancy to it. The person we walk with, after all, is someone we are at peace with, someone who is our companion, and someone with whom we automatically share all of the experiences that come along the way as we walk together.
Perhaps Enoch gives us insight into what it looks like to "pray without ceasing." Talk to the Lord about Enoch's example and the image of walking with Him. Ask Him to show you what it might look like for you to walk with Him. Ask Him to show you how that is possible and to help you do it.
January 21
As we come to the conclusion of Week 3, think and pray about this insight from the early 17th-century Bishop of Geneva, Francis De Sales:
“Make frequent, short little prayers to God. Express your appreciation for His beauty. Ask Him to help you. Fall at the foot of the cross. Love His goodness. Give your soul to Him a thousand times a day. Stretch out your hand to Him like a child... Many little prayers like this...are essential. Without them, rest is mere idleness and labor is pure drudgery.”
Lord, when have I experienced the helpfulness and importance of "many little prayers"? When do I experience rest as mere idleness, and what difference would prayer make? When has labor been pure drudgery for me, and what would be different if I talked to You?
“Make frequent, short little prayers to God. Express your appreciation for His beauty. Ask Him to help you. Fall at the foot of the cross. Love His goodness. Give your soul to Him a thousand times a day. Stretch out your hand to Him like a child... Many little prayers like this...are essential. Without them, rest is mere idleness and labor is pure drudgery.”
Lord, when have I experienced the helpfulness and importance of "many little prayers"? When do I experience rest as mere idleness, and what difference would prayer make? When has labor been pure drudgery for me, and what would be different if I talked to You?