Welcome to Week 45 of A 2020 Prayer Life!
What follows is a series of daily meditations and exercises to help us develop our prayer lives.
Do not short-circuit the process by reading ahead. Take one day at a time.
Do not short-circuit the process by reading only. Spend time in prayer. And allow your prayer time to be guided by each day's reflections and instructions.
What follows is a series of daily meditations and exercises to help us develop our prayer lives.
Do not short-circuit the process by reading ahead. Take one day at a time.
Do not short-circuit the process by reading only. Spend time in prayer. And allow your prayer time to be guided by each day's reflections and instructions.
November 4
The Psalmist said to God, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." (Psalm 16:2 NIV)
In your prayer time just now, make that your title for God. Call Him "Lord." Make that part of how you address Him during your prayer time this week. And as you do, talk with Him about these questions.
(1) What does "Lord" reveal about You?
(2) What does "Lord" reveal about my relationship with You?
(3) How could my calling you "Lord" impact and influence my relationship with You?
In your prayer time just now, make that your title for God. Call Him "Lord." Make that part of how you address Him during your prayer time this week. And as you do, talk with Him about these questions.
(1) What does "Lord" reveal about You?
(2) What does "Lord" reveal about my relationship with You?
(3) How could my calling you "Lord" impact and influence my relationship with You?
November 5
"Lord" is, along with "God." probably the most common title that Christians use in prayer. "Lord" and "God" are our most frequent salutations. While we have endeavored to broaden our prayer lives by using other biblical titles (Shepherd, Refuge, Rock, King, and more), one of our two go-to titles is "Lord."
In the context of a larger teaching (to which we will return later), Jesus asked, "Why do you call me, 'Lord'...?" (Luke 6:46 NIV)
Inasmuch as that is what we call Him, let us take that as a question from Him to us today. In your prayer time just now, take the opportunity to answer that question. Allow some time, give some thought, and tell Him why you call Him "Lord."
In the context of a larger teaching (to which we will return later), Jesus asked, "Why do you call me, 'Lord'...?" (Luke 6:46 NIV)
Inasmuch as that is what we call Him, let us take that as a question from Him to us today. In your prayer time just now, take the opportunity to answer that question. Allow some time, give some thought, and tell Him why you call Him "Lord."
November 6
In a 21st-century, American setting, the word "Lord" is an almost exclusively religious word. We hardly hear or use it in reference to anyone other than God. Yet in the biblical world, it was a commonly used secular term. Indeed, like "shepherd" or "father" or "king," it was arguably more often used in reference to human beings than to God.
Consider these examples:
This is only a sampling of examples, but it is enough to inform our praying.
First, walk through the list of occurrences of the word "lord," and in each case jot down a substitute for the word "lord." In other words, if you couldn't use the word "lord" in the passages cited above, how would you express the speaker's intent? Make a list of those substitute words and phrases.
Now, in your prayer time, talk with the Lord about each of those substitutes. Which ones appropriately apply to Him? What does each one teach you about Him? How might each one impact your prayer life? How might each one inform your relationship with the Lord?
Consider these examples:
- Sarah referred to her husband Abraham as "my lord." (Genesis 18:12)
- The people who lived in the land surrounding Abraham called him "my lord" (Genesis 23:6)
- As Jacob was courting his brother Esau's favor, he called Esau "my lord" (Genesis 33:8)
- The sons of Jacob bowed before the Egyptian official from whom they hoped to buy food, and they called him "my lord" (Genesis 42:10)
- Later, when reporting back to their father, those same brothers referred to that official as "the lord of the land" (Genesis 42:30)
- Hannah called Eli, the priest, "my lord" (1 Samuel 1:15)
- Ahimelech the priest called King Saul "my lord" (1 Samuel 22:12)
- David referred to a Philistine king as "my lord the king" (1 Samuel 29:8)
- Likewise, Ziba called King David "my lord the king" (2 Samuel 9:11)
- In a parable about forgiveness, Jesus included this line: "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt." (Matthew 18:27 NASB)
This is only a sampling of examples, but it is enough to inform our praying.
First, walk through the list of occurrences of the word "lord," and in each case jot down a substitute for the word "lord." In other words, if you couldn't use the word "lord" in the passages cited above, how would you express the speaker's intent? Make a list of those substitute words and phrases.
Now, in your prayer time, talk with the Lord about each of those substitutes. Which ones appropriately apply to Him? What does each one teach you about Him? How might each one impact your prayer life? How might each one inform your relationship with the Lord?
November 7
Once again this week, we remind ourselves that relational titles come with counterpart titles. Parent suggests child. Shepherd implies sheep. Potter assumes clay.
In your prayer time, talk with the Lord about your identity:
In your prayer time, talk with the Lord about your identity:
- If You are "my lord," what does that make me?
- What about that title (or those titles) appeals to me?
- What about that title (or those titles) repels to me?
- To what extent do I think of myself in those terms?
- To what extent do I live my life with that sense of identity?
- What would it look like for me to live more like that?
November 8
As we have noted, 21st-century Americans tend to use the word "Lord" in an exclusively religious context. Yet we have observed that it was a term used routinely in the Bible to address or refer to human beings. Accordingly, we may assume that there was such a thing as both "good lords" and "bad lords."
Give some thought now to the difference between a good lord and a bad lord. Make a list of what might have characterized a good one in Bible times. Make a list of what characterized a bad one.
Once you have completed your thoughtful lists, tell the Lord what you have learned about Him. Praise Him for the kind of Lord He is, and talk to Him about what that means for your relationship with Him.
Give some thought now to the difference between a good lord and a bad lord. Make a list of what might have characterized a good one in Bible times. Make a list of what characterized a bad one.
Once you have completed your thoughtful lists, tell the Lord what you have learned about Him. Praise Him for the kind of Lord He is, and talk to Him about what that means for your relationship with Him.
November 9
As we have affirmed many times, relationships carry explicit and implicit expectations. Those relational expectations depend heavily, however, upon the quality of the other person involved. We reasonably have higher expectations of a good boss or friend than we do of bad ones.
Yesterday, you contemplated what it means for the Lord to be a "good lord." Today, then, you are invited to ponder this question: What can I reasonably expect from a good lord in my relationship with Him? Jot down what comes to mind.
Now, in prayer, talk to Him about what you have learned. Talk to Him about your understanding of your reasonable expectations. Thank and praise Him for these. And talk to Him about your experience in relation to Him as your good Lord.
Yesterday, you contemplated what it means for the Lord to be a "good lord." Today, then, you are invited to ponder this question: What can I reasonably expect from a good lord in my relationship with Him? Jot down what comes to mind.
Now, in prayer, talk to Him about what you have learned. Talk to Him about your understanding of your reasonable expectations. Thank and praise Him for these. And talk to Him about your experience in relation to Him as your good Lord.
November 10
Earlier in the week, we gave thought to Jesus' question: "Why do you call Me 'Lord'?" Today, we turn our attention to the rest of the question: "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46 NIV)
In your prayer time, talk with the Lord about His question. You probably do call Him 'Lord.' Talk to Him about the extent to which you do what He says. Talk to Him about the relationship between calling Him 'Lord' and treating Him as 'Lord.'
In your prayer time, talk with the Lord about His question. You probably do call Him 'Lord.' Talk to Him about the extent to which you do what He says. Talk to Him about the relationship between calling Him 'Lord' and treating Him as 'Lord.'