Scripture: John
14:15–21
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.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to teach you as you read the
Scripture lesson, and ask him to teach you to pray, opening your heart and mind
to pray according to God’s will.
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 who 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 compassion for those
who are deceived by the gods of this age and for courage to share the unknown –
but only true – God by proclaiming Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Pray for those who love
considering all kinds of ideas and philosophies to have discernment and to know
the truth through Jesus and the working of the Holy Spirit.
Pray that God’s people will be
filled with Christ like “agape” love
which is selfless, sacrificial, and concerned for others’ well-being – including
spiritual well-being.
Pray that we would keep Jesus’
commandments; that the Word of God would be held as sacred in our hearts and
lives, that we would live according to it, and that we would not seek to change
it to fit our thoughts or feelings.
Pray that all people would come
to bless the Lord and that we would speak humbly but boldly of all his benefits
to us and, especially, or his salvation.
Pray for confidence that God
does indeed hear our prayers and answer them.
Pray that God’s love and
salvation would motivate us to faithfully do good to others in our lives and
that our lives would testify of Jesus’ forgiveness.
Pray that all Christians would recognize
the work God does in Baptism and that they would rejoice in this blessed gift.
Pray for those who are sick, for
the grieving, for the unemployed and under-employed, for victims of violence,
for the abused and their abusers, and for all who need God’s mercy and
intervention.
Pray that God would provide for
the daily needs of all people.
Pray the Lord’s Prayer.
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