PRAY: Lord, I want to see people and places as you see them. Show me what you see when you look at my three people and at their surroundings.
Tuesday – Day 14
Approaching God – God, in his immeasurable grace, has given us the gift of his son, Jesus. As you come to God today, remember with gratitude that Jesus is: “our only High Priest, who by the one sacrifice of his body has redeemed us, and who continually intercedes for us before the Father.” (Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 31)
Listening to God – The Old Testament teaches us about the unique responsibility of a priest as one who cares for the spiritual well-being of their community. In the New Testament, we read that Jesus is our only High Priest, and we, God’s people, are “a royal priesthood.” Read these verses slowly three times, and ask God to help you reflect on how we are to live out our role as priests.
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)
Talking to God – Begin by thanking God for his grace and mercy that brought you out of darkness and into his wonderful light. Ask God to send his light into the lives of the three people for whom you are praying.
Ministering in God’s Name – Prayerfully walk through the community where at least one of the persons you are praying for lives or works. For example, if one of the people you are praying for is a neighbor, then take a walk through your neighborhood. Try to see this community as God sees it. Where are the joys? Where are things being restored? Where do you see brokenness and pain? How is God bringing light into the darkness? How is he asking you to join him in this work of redemption?
Surrendering to God – Take note of any feelings of fear or anxiety that fill your soul as you pray. Remember what God has already done for you, and surrender to the work that God is doing in our world.
By Amy Schenkel
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Dear friends, nothing obviously significant has happened since I started using this devotional. However, I am grateful for it because it keeps bringing me back to the discipline of prayer and caring for my three people. It also shows me how lax I am, and forgetful, and distracted. So I am grateful and hope that I will keep the habit of praying for outsiders, as Scripture calls the Lost, and I pray that he will work miracles in their lives, bringing them out of Darkness into His wonderful light. Even if I do not see decisive movement toward God, I pray that seeds are being planted by all of us who are trying to Faithfully pray.