One of the greatest things about road-trips are the occasional side adventures that crop up. In similar fashion over the next few weeks, in the midst of our life-long journey into God, we are calling one another to take on a mini-adventure of sorts. For some of us participating, this arises from a recognition that without Godʼs intervention we are on the brink of destruction. For others this is a moment of surrender - weʼre lost and weʼre tired of pretending we know how to find our way back to the main road. Others are just excited about exploring new landscape. Whatever motives are involved, Prayer and Scripture make up the landscape to be explored.
Our calendar for reading is organized in weeks. There is a daily schedule which is meant to help provide structure. But as always, structure exists to support life, not to create or define it. This is not meant to be a burden, but it is meant to be a challenge. It should take intentional focus and planning to carve out time - that is part of the point of this adventure. Together we are crying out against the temptation for faith in God to become nothing more than a convenient accessory to our comfortable lives.
This is not only a time of reading. There are three specific ways we are being called to prayer in these 40 days.
1) Throughout the course of your reading there are questions meant to aid in prayer - for those who are participants in our Sunday morning gatherings, we will also discuss these together each week. But make sure to note that these are not intellectual questions for you to consider and answer. They are prompts to assist you in approaching God in prayer through the reading of these scriptures.
2) We also encourage you to take one or two verses from each dayʼs reading and allow them to roll around in your heart and mind. As you read listen for a passage that really stands out.
From that passage choose a manageable section to read several times - just a verse or two. As you read, ask for God to allow a word or phrase to grab you. Spend time in silence and simply listen to this word.
In prayer, invite God to speak and then take time to listen.
Read the verse again asking God what this word or phrase could be highlighting in your life. Not life in general, but your life - a life that God cares about dearly.
Take your time here - donʼt rush to find an answer. Wait and attend to the Lord.
Read the verse again. Consider the area of your life being spoken into. What is God calling you to do or be...or to stop doing or being? Speak Lord for your servants are listening...
3) Finally, let us each pray that God will introduce us to others who can join us in our life long adventure. In Luke 10:2 Jesus encourages us to pray for harvesters - where will they come from? From the Harvest! In addition to your reading and prayers each day, we encourage you to read Luke 10:2 and follow Jesusʼ encouragement to pray on behalf of those whom God is inviting into this journey.
Our task, the goal of this adventure, is to seek the face of God together. Acts 17 says that it is God who has placed the desire to do so in our hearts - and he isnʼt far from any one of us! Rejoice!
“What does Jesus preaching ʻRepent for the kingdom of heaven has come nearʼ mean to us today? (4:17) How does this message relate to the Sermon on the Mount? (5-7) What things have we seen that we could report to John? (11:4) In what ways have we treated Jesus like a prophet from our home town? (13:57)”
Sat, Jan 2 Matthew 8-13
“What enemy is on our doorstep, tempting us to give in to our fears? In what ways does God need to cleanse our lips so that we can say, ʻHere we are, send usʼ? What woes and prophecies could be leveled against us and how are we to respond?”
*each day - Luke 10:2
Mon, Jan 4: Isaiah 1-6
Tue, Jan 5: Isaiah 7-12
Wed, Jan 6: Isaiah 13-20
Thurs, Jan 7: Isaiah 21-27
Fri, Jan 8: Isaiah 28-33
Sat, Jan 9 : Isaiah 34-39
Tue, Jan 12: Hosea 9-14
Wed, Jan 13: Micah
Fri, Jan 15: Mark 7-11
Sat, Jan 16: Mark 12-16
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Questions for Prayer in the Upcoming Week:
“Who are those living in exile, who need to be comforted? Who are those living in comfort who need to warned of the coming exile? What could God be saying to us through Haggai if WE are Godʼs temple? Does the way weʼre living prepare us for faithful worship, or leave our songs and assemblies detestable to God?”
Tue, Jan 19: Isaiah 45-50
Wed, Jan 20: Isaiah 51-55
Thurs, Jan 21: Haggai
Fri, Jan 22: Isaiah 56-60
Sat, Jan 23: Isaiah 61-66
“What deserts has the Spirit led us to and for what purpose? (4:1-13) How have we found ways to make following Jesus less costly? (9:57-62) ʻLord are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?ʼ (12:41) How does our own denials of sin lead to assertions of our greatness? (22:23-24) In what ways are ʻour hearts burning within usʼ as He is explaining things? (24:32)”
*each day - Luke 10:2
Mon, Jan 25: Luke 1-4
Tue, Jan 26: Luke 5-8
Wed, Jan 27: Luke 9-12
Thurs, Jan 28: Luke 13-16
Fri, Jan 29: Luke 17-20
Sat, Jan 30: Luke 21-24
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Questions for Prayer in the Upcoming Week:
“How are we guilty of “standing here looking up into the skyʼ? (1:11) Is there any persecution in our lives that could have come because we havenʼt gone as Jesus commanded? (8:1) Do we still need more conversion to see people as Jesus would have us? (10) God, how are you seeking to form us through these stories of the early church?”
*each day - Luke 10:2
Mon, Feb 1: Acts 1-5
Tue, Feb 2: Acts 6-9
Wed, Feb 3: Acts 10-14
Thurs, Feb 4: Acts 15-20
Fri, Feb 5: Acts 21-24
Sat, Feb 6: Acts 25-28
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Questions for Prayer in the Upcoming Week:
How does having just read Acts impact the jump back into Matthew? How does reading Matthew explain what we just read in Acts? Where do Paulʼs exhortations to the Ephesian Christians present the greatest challenge or critique to us today? What does the reality of Jesus ʻmaking his dwelling among usʼ (John 1:14) mean for how we view the specific things happening in our communities and larger culture today? What does it look like (practically and specifically) for us to have ʻlife to the fullʼ today? (John 10:10)”
*each day - Luke 10:2
Mon, Feb 8: Matthew 14-20
Tue, Feb 9: Matthew 21-25
Wed, Feb 10: Matthew 26-28
Thurs, Feb 11: Ephesians
Fri, Feb 12: John 1-5
Sat, Feb 13: John 6-10
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Questions for Prayer in the Upcoming Week:
“Has Jesusʼ prayer in John 17 ever been taken seriously? What will happen to our community if we do?”
*each day - Luke 10:2
Mon, Feb 15: John 11-16
Tue, Feb 16: John 17-21
Wed, Feb 17: Ash Wednesday - Lent Begins
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