Welcome to Week 51 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.
December 16
At this time of year, we recall the familiar scene in the fields outside of Bethlehem, when an angel said to a group of shepherds, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10 NIV)
In your prayer time, talk with the Lord about these Christmas truths:
In your prayer time, talk with the Lord about these Christmas truths:
- That the "good news of great joy" is about a Savior
- That the good news about the Savior is "for all the people"
- That the Savior was "born to you"
December 17
Jesus was criticized by many for associating with the tax collector Zacchaeus. Nevertheless, Jesus went to be a guest in Zacchaeus' house. What follows looks very much like a conversion. Jesus declares that "salvation has come to this house," and then explains, "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10 NASB)
In your prayer time, talk to the Lord about what this episode -- and His words on that occasion -- reveal about Him and His relationship with you.
In your prayer time, talk to the Lord about what this episode -- and His words on that occasion -- reveal about Him and His relationship with you.
- What does Your seeking tell me about Your saving?
- What does Your seeking and saving show me about Your nature?
- What does Your seeking and Your saving reveal to me about "that which was lost"?
December 18
The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all." (1 Timothy 1:15 NASB)
In your prayer time, talk with the Lord about this word from Paul:
In your prayer time, talk with the Lord about this word from Paul:
- What is the difference between sinners who are saved by You and sinners who are not?
- Why did You want to make that difference?
- What does it mean that You "came into the world" in order to save sinners? Could You have saved sinners some other way? Could You have saved from a distance?
- What does it mean for me to have "full acceptance" of that statement about You?
December 19
"Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.' And He said, 'Come!' And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!'" (Matthew 14:28-30 NASB)
Peter calling out to Jesus as he was sinking is perhaps the most succinct and to-the-point prayer in the Bible: "Lord, save me!"
That is just the right prayer to pray to the One who is the Savior. And sometimes it is liberating for us not to try to put into words our need in a lengthy prayer; sometimes it is best simply to cry out, "Lord, save me!"
In your prayer time, identify the circumstance, the situation, the need from which you cry out today. Name it before Him, and from that place, pray, "Lord, save me!"
Peter calling out to Jesus as he was sinking is perhaps the most succinct and to-the-point prayer in the Bible: "Lord, save me!"
That is just the right prayer to pray to the One who is the Savior. And sometimes it is liberating for us not to try to put into words our need in a lengthy prayer; sometimes it is best simply to cry out, "Lord, save me!"
In your prayer time, identify the circumstance, the situation, the need from which you cry out today. Name it before Him, and from that place, pray, "Lord, save me!"
December 20
In his second letter, the Apostle Peter refers several times to Jesus Christ as "our Lord and Savior" (see 2 Peter 1:11, 2:20, 3:18). The combination of those three titles (Christ, Lord, and Savior) is reminiscent of the good news declared by the Christmas angel: "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10 NIV)
In your prayer time, talk with the Lord about the significance of the pairing of "Christ" with "Savior."
("Christ" comes from the Greek and has the same meaning as "Messiah," which come from the Hebrew. The Christ or the Messiah came to mean to a promised one especially anointed by God to fulfill His purposes, and for centuries the people of Israel had pinned their hopes on the promise and prospect of the Messiah.)
Ask the Lord about the connection between Jesus being "Christ" and Jesus being "Savior." How does each term explain and advance the other?
Ask Him about how Jesus continues to be the fulfillment of God's promises and people's hopes?
Ask Him how people in 21st-century America (as opposed to 1st-century Palestine) still need the Christ? Still need the Savior?
In your prayer time, be deliberate about calling Him both Christ and Savior, thanking and praising Him for who and what He is.
In your prayer time, talk with the Lord about the significance of the pairing of "Christ" with "Savior."
("Christ" comes from the Greek and has the same meaning as "Messiah," which come from the Hebrew. The Christ or the Messiah came to mean to a promised one especially anointed by God to fulfill His purposes, and for centuries the people of Israel had pinned their hopes on the promise and prospect of the Messiah.)
Ask the Lord about the connection between Jesus being "Christ" and Jesus being "Savior." How does each term explain and advance the other?
Ask Him about how Jesus continues to be the fulfillment of God's promises and people's hopes?
Ask Him how people in 21st-century America (as opposed to 1st-century Palestine) still need the Christ? Still need the Savior?
In your prayer time, be deliberate about calling Him both Christ and Savior, thanking and praising Him for who and what He is.
December 21
In his second letter, the Apostle Peter refers several times to Jesus Christ as "our Lord and Savior" (see 2 Peter 1:11, 2:20, 3:18). The combination of those three titles (Christ, Lord, and Savior) is reminiscent of the good news declared by the Christmas angel: "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10 NIV)
In your prayer time, talk with the Lord about the significance of the pairing of "Lord" with "Savior."
In your prayer time, be deliberate about calling Him both Lord and Savior, thanking and praising Him for who and what He is.
In your prayer time, talk with the Lord about the significance of the pairing of "Lord" with "Savior."
- What is the relationship between "Lord" and "Savior"? How does each role impact the other?
- In terms of my relationship with You, can You be my Savior without being my Lord? Can You be my Lord without being My Savior?
In your prayer time, be deliberate about calling Him both Lord and Savior, thanking and praising Him for who and what He is.
December 22
Two of the verses of Joseph Mohr's cherished Christmas carol, Silent Night, end with this phrase: "Christ the Savior is born."
In your prayer time just now, close your eyes and hear that familiar tune in your mind. Meditate on the truth conveyed in those simple, familiar words: "Christ the Savior is born." Give your soul several minutes to ponder the news.
Then talk with the Lord about what you have discovered -- thought and felt -- while reflecting on that truth. Thank and praise Him accordingly.
In your prayer time just now, close your eyes and hear that familiar tune in your mind. Meditate on the truth conveyed in those simple, familiar words: "Christ the Savior is born." Give your soul several minutes to ponder the news.
Then talk with the Lord about what you have discovered -- thought and felt -- while reflecting on that truth. Thank and praise Him accordingly.