Daily Devotionals for the 40 Day Discovery

Each day you will find a Scripture passage, a quote on prayer and space for you to write your reflections on the Word and your own conversations with Christ.  Our daily study will span the breadth of the Scriptures in order to glean insights into how people prayed. Our goal is to ask how Christ might pray for the people and events unique to you in your situation.  Each day’s devotional, reflection, and prayer should take approximately 15 minutes.  Try to spend that much time over the course of the 40 days.  I think you’ll like the new habit of hearing from the Lord and speaking back to him.  You may be surprised at how God uses these verses in your life over the weeks to come.

Scripture
Every day you will read a short passage from the Scriptures that provides some illustrations, examples, or teaching on prayer.  As you read the larger daily passage ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to a specific verse or phrase.  Write it out in your journal.  It may seem strange since you already have your Bible open.  But somehow God will speak to you when you slow your mind to the speed of the pen.  Learn to listen to the heart of Christ as he speaks directly to your heart.

Observation
This is the part where you get to do some research on the passage.  Who is praying?  What were the circumstances?  What did they say?  How did God respond?  Why do you think they prayed that way?  Etc.  Your goal here is to quickly get a handle on the verse that you’ve written.  Why do you think that verse was included in the Bible?  Don’t try to get too personal just yet.  Simply try to understand the verse in its original context.  Feel free to have some Bible Study resources on hand and use them if you find them helpful.

Application
This is where you get to the personal stuff in the text – developing a dangerous prayer life.  What is God saying to you through the text?  Is there an attitude you should adopt?  An action that you need to take?  A truth that you need to consider?  A prayer that you need to pray? A thought that you want to meditate on?  In short, how does God want to direct your prayers? Think through some of the responses that the Holy Spirit directs to your mind here and jot them down.

Prayer
Take your thoughts from the text and write a brief prayer.  It might be a prayer of thanksgiving, a prayer of confession, a prayer of dedication, or a prayer in which you ask for God’s help.  It’s your prayer based on what God is telling you through the text.  Be personal and be honest.  God longs to engage in conversation with you!  What is his heart longing to tell you?  What is your heart longing to tell him?

Schedule of Texts (hover over the veses to read or click to jump to biblia.com - highly recommended!!)

3/16/11                John 16:22-24
3/17/11                Exodus 33:7-11
3/18/11                Daniel 10:8-11
3/19/11                Ephesians 1:15-23
3/20/11                John 17:3
3/21/11                Lamentations 3:24-25
3/22/11                Philippians 3:7-11
3/23/11                Ephesians 1:15-19
3/24/11                Psalm 95:1-7
3/25/11                Colossians 1:9-10
3/26/11                Matthew 6:25-34
3/27/11                John 17:23
3/28/11                Psalm 63:1-4
3/29/11                Psalm 34:1-3
3/30/11                Ephesians 3:14-19
3/31/11                Romans 15:30-32
4/01/11                2 John 4-6
4/02/11                Philippians 2:1-11
4/03/11                John 17:11
4/04/11                Psalm 27:4-8
4/05/11                Psalm 5:11-12
4/06/11                Psalm 91:14-16
4/07/11                1 John 5:18-20
4/08/11                Proverbs 18:10
4/09/11                Revelation 7:9-14
4/10/11                John 17:17
4/11/11                John 15:1-4
4/12/11                Romans 10:8-11
4/13/11                Colossians 4:2-6
4/14/11                Psalm 19:7-8
4/15/11                Psalm 19:9-11
4/16/11                Psalm 119:9-16
4/17/11                John 17:18-19
4/18/11                Luke 10:2
4/19/11                Matthew 28:16-20
4/20/11                Isaiah 6:1-8
4/21/11                Luke 11:9-10
4/22/11                Psalm 24:1-10
4/23/11                Psalm 67:1-7
4/24/11                John 17:3

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