Scripture: Matthew
10:5a, 21-33
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 persecuted Christians that
God would sustain them, strengthen their faith, fill them with hope, and bring
them through their afflictions – in this life or the next.
Pray for those who persecute
others for their faith in Jesus that God would work through his people to bring
the Gospel to them and that they would come to faith in Jesus.
Pray for those who preach and
teach the hard truth that God’s Word proclaims that they would do their work
faithfully, courageously, humbly, wisely, and winsomely in their speaking and
by their lives.
Pray for wisdom to understand
the depth and implications of what it means to be a slave to sin and that we would
comprehend the enormity of our need for Jesus’ salvation.
Pray for faith and wisdom to
know ourselves as slaves for righteousness in Jesus’ salvation that our lives
would reflect the forgiveness and holiness God has given to his people.
Pray for those who have seen all
that is wrong in this world and those who sorrow and despair when they see
those who oppose God’s will and God’s people seem to succeed while God’s people
seem to falter that they fix their eyes on Jesus and, trusting in him, be
encouraged.
Pray for those who travel on
mission trips, service adventures, and other journeys in order to share the
Gospel and serve the Lord that their travels be safe and their work be pleasing
to God.
Pray for those who suffer from
depression and other mental illnesses.
Pray that we would not fear
those who can kill the body and cannot touch the soul, but that we would “fear,
love, and trust in God above all things.”[1]
Pray the Lord’s Prayer.
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