Scripture: John
1:29-42a
Having had this reading earlier in the week, please resist
the temptation to skim it over (although if you have time for nothing more,
please skim!) and take your devotion time to re-read the Gospel Lesson slowly.
What is the message of this reading?
Which lines convict you?
Which lines comfort you?
Does this passage prompt us to act in a certain way?
What should we pray for in light of what we read here?
What should we give thanks for?
Prayer
On Fridays you will be encouraged to pray for a variety of prayer
requests. The hope is that through these prayer requests we will, obviously,
intercede for those need prayer, and that we will learn to think more broadly
in our prayers. If time is short, you could simply pray the Lord’s Prayer.
Pray:
For the Holy Spirit to teach you to pray and to guide your
heart and mind as you pray.
For persecuted Christians – for protection, certainly, but
also for boldness and courage in suffering, and that their witness to Christ
would touch their persecutors.
For the lonely – perhaps part of this prayer could be that
we as God’s people can ease their loneliness.
For those who are tempted – consider the spiritual danger
that surrounds your family, your pastor, your church. Pray for protection and
for strength to live as God calls us to.
For the sick – that God’s will be done, that they wait
patiently on the Lord, that medical professionals work with skill and wisdom,
that those who are dying do so with blessed faith.
For the love of our neighbors – that we would love them as
Christ loves them, that their love for others would grow, that people would be
cherished, cared for, protected, and helped, and that every person would be
seen as one who is loved enough by Jesus that he would die for him or her.
Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer.
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