Today's Readings: New Testament -
Mark 1:35-45
2 Peter 2:10-16
Old Testament -
Job 4
Ezekiel 13-15
Click on Text Links to Read Online
Focus Verses: Mark 1:35-37
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Insight:
The demands and distractions of life make it hard to have consistent and uninterrupted prayer times. Jesus made it his practice to pray early in the morning before most people were up. He also found a quiet and private place to pray.
Response and Action:
I will set aside time for prayer and find a place where I can be alone with God. If Jesus needed to commit himself to prayer, how much more do I! Faithfulness to make prayer a mainstay in my life will require intention and routine.
O Lord, thank you for hearing my prayers. Thank you for the ways Jesus teaches me to pray and models commitment to prayer. Help me to make daily prayer a priority. Help me to be consistent and wholehearted in my prayers. Help me to find the right times and the right places for prayer. Amen.
Spiritual Formation Verses: Psalm 5:1-3
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. 2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. 3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
Resources:
Praying: Finding Our Way Through Duty to Delight
by J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom
