Welcome to Week 33 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.
August 12
Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast." (Matthew 22:2-3 NASB)
New Testament scholar William Barclay offers this insight into the Jewish weddings of that time and place: "In Palestine a wedding was a really notable occasion... The wedding festivities lasted far more than one day. The wedding ceremony itself took place late in the evening, after a feast. After the ceremony the young couple were conducted to their new new home. By that time it was dark and they were conducted through the village streets by the light of flaming torches and with a canopy over their heads. They were taken by as long a route as possible so that as many people as possible would have the opportunity to wish them well. But a newly married couple did not go away for their honeymoon; they stayed at home; and for a week they kept open house. They wore crowns and dressed in their bridal robes. They were treated like a king and queen, were actually addressed as king and queen, and their words was law. In a life where there was much poverty and constant hard work, this week of festivity and joy was one of the supreme occasions."
Close your eyes, use your imagination, and take a few moments to reflect on the happiness, the festivity, and the enjoyment that must have surrounded a wedding feast. Moreover, contemplate the pleasure and privilege of being an invited guest.
Inasmuch as Jesus says that this is what the kingdom of heaven is like, the scene Jesus describes may involve you. In your prayer time, talk to Him about:
New Testament scholar William Barclay offers this insight into the Jewish weddings of that time and place: "In Palestine a wedding was a really notable occasion... The wedding festivities lasted far more than one day. The wedding ceremony itself took place late in the evening, after a feast. After the ceremony the young couple were conducted to their new new home. By that time it was dark and they were conducted through the village streets by the light of flaming torches and with a canopy over their heads. They were taken by as long a route as possible so that as many people as possible would have the opportunity to wish them well. But a newly married couple did not go away for their honeymoon; they stayed at home; and for a week they kept open house. They wore crowns and dressed in their bridal robes. They were treated like a king and queen, were actually addressed as king and queen, and their words was law. In a life where there was much poverty and constant hard work, this week of festivity and joy was one of the supreme occasions."
Close your eyes, use your imagination, and take a few moments to reflect on the happiness, the festivity, and the enjoyment that must have surrounded a wedding feast. Moreover, contemplate the pleasure and privilege of being an invited guest.
Inasmuch as Jesus says that this is what the kingdom of heaven is like, the scene Jesus describes may involve you. In your prayer time, talk to Him about:
- the privilege of the invitation
- the pleasure of participation
August 13
Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast." (Matthew 22:2-3 NASB)
We have a sense from other stories in Scripture about of what it looks like when a king throws a party. Most notably, the writer of Esther offers this description of a feast hosted by King Ahasuerus:
"In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his princes and attendants, the army officers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of his provinces being in his presence. And he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days. And when these days were completed, the king gave a banquet lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Susa the capital, from the greatest to the least, in the court of the garden of the king's palace. There were hangings of fine white and violet linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble columns, and couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. Drinks were served in golden vessels of various kinds, and the royal wine was plentiful according to the king's bounty. And the drinking was done according to the law, there was no compulsion, for so the king had given orders to each official of his household that he should do according to the desires of each person." (Esther 1:3-8 NASB)
Close your eyes, use your imagination, and take a few moments to reflect on the abundance, the festivity, and the enjoyment that must have surrounded a king's feast. Moreover, contemplate the pleasure and privilege of being an invited guest.
Inasmuch as Jesus says that this is what the kingdom of heaven is like, the scene Jesus describes may involve you. In your prayer time, talk to Him about:
We have a sense from other stories in Scripture about of what it looks like when a king throws a party. Most notably, the writer of Esther offers this description of a feast hosted by King Ahasuerus:
"In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his princes and attendants, the army officers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of his provinces being in his presence. And he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days. And when these days were completed, the king gave a banquet lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Susa the capital, from the greatest to the least, in the court of the garden of the king's palace. There were hangings of fine white and violet linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble columns, and couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. Drinks were served in golden vessels of various kinds, and the royal wine was plentiful according to the king's bounty. And the drinking was done according to the law, there was no compulsion, for so the king had given orders to each official of his household that he should do according to the desires of each person." (Esther 1:3-8 NASB)
Close your eyes, use your imagination, and take a few moments to reflect on the abundance, the festivity, and the enjoyment that must have surrounded a king's feast. Moreover, contemplate the pleasure and privilege of being an invited guest.
Inasmuch as Jesus says that this is what the kingdom of heaven is like, the scene Jesus describes may involve you. In your prayer time, talk to Him about:
- the privilege of the invitation
- the pleasure of participation
August 14
Jesus said:
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ (Matthew 22:2-4 NASB)
In your prayer time, meditate on the scene that Jesus portrays. Talk with the Lord about these questions:
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ (Matthew 22:2-4 NASB)
In your prayer time, meditate on the scene that Jesus portrays. Talk with the Lord about these questions:
- Why would the invited guests turn down the king?
- What were they missing?
- What does it say about the king that he repeats the invitation even after being declined?
- What does the parable reveal about me?
- What does the parable reveal about You
August 15
Jesus said:
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. (Matthew 22:2-6 NASB)
In your prayer time, ponder the additional details that Jesus shares in today's excerpt. The invitees show two different ways of rejecting the king's invitation. The first group is negligent, while the second is violent. The first ones turn their backs on the invitation and go about their own business. The second ones are fiercely antagonistic toward the king's servants. In the end, though, neither group responds properly to the invitation, and neither gets to enjoy the king's feast.
Ask the Lord about first group. Who are they? Why do they do what they do?
Ask Him about the second group. Who are they? Why do they do what they do?
Ask Him to help you see His invitations and how best to respond to them.
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. (Matthew 22:2-6 NASB)
In your prayer time, ponder the additional details that Jesus shares in today's excerpt. The invitees show two different ways of rejecting the king's invitation. The first group is negligent, while the second is violent. The first ones turn their backs on the invitation and go about their own business. The second ones are fiercely antagonistic toward the king's servants. In the end, though, neither group responds properly to the invitation, and neither gets to enjoy the king's feast.
Ask the Lord about first group. Who are they? Why do they do what they do?
Ask Him about the second group. Who are they? Why do they do what they do?
Ask Him to help you see His invitations and how best to respond to them.
August 16
Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests." (Matthew 22:2-10 NASB)
In your prayer time, ponder the additional details that Jesus shares in today's excerpt:
Ask the Lord about the judgment. What is the judgment? Who is it for? What does it reveal about Him?
Ask Him about the broadened invitation. Who is it for? What does it reveal about Him?
Ask Him to help you identify yourself in the parable.
In your prayer time, ponder the additional details that Jesus shares in today's excerpt:
- the judgment
- the broadened invitation to others
Ask the Lord about the judgment. What is the judgment? Who is it for? What does it reveal about Him?
Ask Him about the broadened invitation. Who is it for? What does it reveal about Him?
Ask Him to help you identify yourself in the parable.
August 17
Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:2-14 NASB)
In your prayer time, ponder the additional character and developments that Jesus shares in today's excerpt:
Talk to the Lord about these questions:
In your prayer time, ponder the additional character and developments that Jesus shares in today's excerpt:
- the man "who was not dressed in wedding clothes"
- the response of the king to that man
Talk to the Lord about these questions:
- Who does the man represent?
- What is the difference between those who reject the invitation altogether and the one who accepts but does not come appropriately?
- What does the king's response reveal about You?
- What is the relevance of that man to me?
August 18
As we come to the end of Week 33, we want to meditate on these verses from Charles Wesley's reflections on the great, heavenly banquet:
Come, sinners, to the gospel feast,
let every soul be Jesus' guest.
Ye need not one be left behind,
for God hath bid all humankind.
Do not begin to make excuse;
ah! do not you His grace refuse;
your worldly cares and pleasures leave,
and take what Jesus hath to give.
Sent by my Lord, on your I call;
the invitation is to all.
Come, all the world! Come, sinner, thou!
All things in Christ are ready now.
In your prayer time, talk to the Lord about these verses. Tell Him what new insights strike you as you meditate on these words. Tell Him what words and images bring you comfort and encouragement. Tell Him what words and images challenge or trouble you. Tell Him what you learn about Him. Tell Him what you learn about yourself. And tell Him what you understand to be your best response to the parable and to Him.
Come, sinners, to the gospel feast,
let every soul be Jesus' guest.
Ye need not one be left behind,
for God hath bid all humankind.
Do not begin to make excuse;
ah! do not you His grace refuse;
your worldly cares and pleasures leave,
and take what Jesus hath to give.
Sent by my Lord, on your I call;
the invitation is to all.
Come, all the world! Come, sinner, thou!
All things in Christ are ready now.
In your prayer time, talk to the Lord about these verses. Tell Him what new insights strike you as you meditate on these words. Tell Him what words and images bring you comfort and encouragement. Tell Him what words and images challenge or trouble you. Tell Him what you learn about Him. Tell Him what you learn about yourself. And tell Him what you understand to be your best response to the parable and to Him.