Monday
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE ...
For most who can read this Internet message, the sentiments of this verse seem foreign. But among those who closely study persecution, believers in Christ are enduring perhaps the greatest amount of persecution in the history of Christianity. For those of us who live in cozy places where belief is tolerated and Christians are just considered "unhip" or a bit out of touch, we need to be thankful that our lives make enough of a distinction from our culture to be noticed, even if it's a bit unfavorably. But at the same time, we need to pray for other believers throughout the world who are undergoing the wrath of hell for the faith.
MY PRAYER ...
Great Deliverer, we have many who call on your name with faith in Jesus who face persecution and hardship every day. I pray that they will not lose heart and give up their confidence. I pray that you will bring deliverance from this time of persecution. I pray that their sufferings will be the source of powerful witness so others will come to see the great value of Jesus and our allegiance to him. This I pray in his precious and holy name. Amen.
Tuesday
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE ...
Fear is such a paralyzing emotion. It robs us vitality, decision-making ability, and strength. Courage helps us step out of fear's paralysis and turn its nervous edge into power. But this kind of courage comes to us fully only when we know that all that Satan and his allies can really have of us is our bodies. He cannot take our mind, our attitude, our faith, and most of all, he cannot take our relationship with God, given to us through Jesus.
MY PRAYER ...
O Savior, my Great Redeemer, thank you for triumphing over all that I fear through Jesus. You have not only given me a hero I trust, but a hope by which I can live victoriously. Through my Conquering King I thank you. Amen.
Wednesday
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE ...
The great truth about Jesus' empty tomb is not that he is risen, but that he is living! His victory over death wasn't short-lived, it was ultimate. He now lives to make intercession for us until he can return and bring us to his home. Our life is hidden with him so that no one and nothing can take it from us. When he appears, we will get to share in his never-ending glory. How can we not praise God for such grace?
MY PRAYER ...
Almighty God, I praise you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible and glorious grace that has brought eternal victory out of mortal anguish. Thank you for paying the price to make it so. You are marvelous beyond my words and worthy of more praise than all your children's voices together can tell. My Hope will live forever because he is risen and reigning as Lord. To you be all honor, glory, and majesty forever, and ever, Amen!
Thursday
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE ...
Don't you have your hands full with today? Don't you find yourself distracted from the urgent and important things of today by worrying about the problems of tomorrow and fantasizing about all the possibilities down the road? Isn't it a waste of time to be anxious about those things you have no influence over? So why ...?
MY PRAYER ...
God, give me the strength to seize the moment and live the life today that will please you and bless others. Help my heart feel the urgency of today and act with boldness, kindness, and salvation instead of worrying so much about what may happen. Give me the immediacy of the moment I see in your son's ministry. Through whom I pray. Amen.
Friday
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE ...
In truth, God is always close to those who genuinely seek after him. The real problem is that we drift away from him, lose interest, and leave his presence. So let's seek him and receive his grace and his help while we recognize that he alone is the one who truly saves.
MY PRAYER ...
Father, I seek you with all my heart. While I seek to know about you through your Word, I long to know you and be known by you as a tender father knows his child and as a child feels complete trust toward his tender father. Be not only my God, but be real to me in ways that transcend explanation. Help me sense your nearness and to know your presence. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.
Saturday
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the Rock Eternal.
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE ...
When we see mountains we feel small, knowing not only how much larger they are than we are, but also how much longer they have been here than we have been. But the Lord existed long before any mountain and will exist long after it has melted into nothing. The only rock of security, and all the forevers we have, are found in him.
MY PRAYER ...
Eternal I Am, who is and was and will be forever, I trust that you are and will always be my God, my Redeemer, my Savior, my Shepherd, and my Father. I commit all my tomorrows to you. Through Jesus my Lord. Amen.
Sunday
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
New International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE ...
Addiction has been defined as "God-hunger directed to the wrong source of soul satisfaction." Psalm 63 reminds us this is true. Deep in us is a desire to seek after God because he is not far from us and longs to be known by us (see Acts 17). But often when our soul-craving need for God is greatest, he is the last place we turn for satisfaction.
MY PRAYER ...
Holy Father, fill my heart with longing for you and my head with understanding that it is your presence I crave. I confess that I have often sought relief for my hunger in things that do not satisfy. I pledge today to recognize all other sources of satisfaction to be temporary and false. I promise to pursue you and your will through your word and your Spirit until I rest in your presence and grace. In the power of Jesus my Lord, Amen.
