2020 Month of Prayer

Day 1

Isaiah 40:31 NASB95

Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Is 40:31

Waiting on/Hoping in the Lord has a promise! The promise is that as you wait on/hope in the Lord you will gain new strength. In verse 26 it speaks of the God who upholds the stars. It is this very same God who supports you through the things that come as you wait on Him. He knows the strength you need today and He will meet you where you are. Regardless of who you are, if you are going to move with God through this earth, it will cost you something. But God will furnish you strength whatever your condition. Wait on Him today! Hope in Him today! He will not disappoint!

Day 2

Matthew 6:6 NASB95

“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Day 2 . . . 3 Things! 1) When you pray . . . pray in private not as a spectacle in public. Unless it is in intercession with others it is to be done in the private inner room between you and God. 2) When you pray as a son/daughter you can call Him Father because you have come into new relationship with Him through Jesus. 3) When you pray in private there is once again a reward. God wants to be in relationship with you and He wants to hear those things that are in your heart spoken from your mouth.

Day 3

Psalm 55:17 NASB95

Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, And He will hear my voice.

As you read the first day out of about waiting on/hoping in the Lord, we are reminded that it means time with the Lord . . . i.e. “evening, morning, and at noon”. Here the psalmist is saying that in his time of talking with God He cried out in complaint and spoke enthusiastically with his emotions about things in his heart . . . and He (the Lord) heard his voice! God wants to hear what is on your heart, and believe me, He is a big God and He can handle it! Remember, He knows what is in your heart before you even speak it . . . but He wants to hear you verbalize it in your relationship with Him. He cares and cherishes the time you give to Him.

Day 4

Acts 2:4 NASB95

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

In the context of this we find that 120 people waited for 10 days until God poured out His Holy Spirit on the waiting people. We see that time spent waiting on God is not wasted time but time well spent. It may or may not be that you experience the same thing that these waiting people did; but when there is something that you are waiting on or hoping in, this time given to Him seeking His face and will is not wasted but invested! Make an investment of time today and see what God pours out into and on to you. He is truly faithful!

Day 5

Psalm 46:10 NASB95

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

With the knowledge of this truth you can remain calm in times of trouble. I think of even the recent storms that we have endured living in North Dakota. We can stand inside of our warm homes behind the safety of the walls and the security of our doors and windows and watch the snow fall and the winds take it and throw it until it blinds even the best of us . . . but yet sense a total peace in the midst of the storm. That’s the way God wants you to be in the midst of the storms of this world. He wants you to be still and know that He is God and in control . . . even when it seems like everything is out of control! Be Still! Know that He is God! Be at Peace!

Day 6

Philippians 2:5–11 NASB95

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

JESUS! The Son of God. Equal to God Himself! As you approach praying to Jesus and in Jesus’ name . . . approach in humility with gratitude recognizing the person of Jesus. Recognizing and understanding His attitude and obedience displayed for all to see. As you empty yourself before Him realize that He will exalt and honor you because of your humility and your servants heart. His will may not always be easy but it is always right and timely even when it isn’t understood at the time.

Day 7

Hebrews 12:5–7 NASB95

and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Discipline is never easy . . . but it is necessary! Being the parent of six children I fully understand that there are times when we need to bring correction to educate our children. Here in Hebrews we find the thought of chastening and education once again. As you approach the Lord in prayer and you commit to live a life of following Him, there will be times when He needs to bring discipline. After all, when God speaks of discipline and rebuke, it is sons (and daughters) that He is addressing. Let us not forget that it is because of that love that He has for us that He brings this.

Day 8

Luke 9:23 NASB95

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Being a Christian takes a great deal of dedication and commitment . . . it is not an easy load at any point! Making a decision to follow Christ means that we are going to deny ourselves. Our flesh desires certain things because it is flesh . . . born in sin no matter how innocent we look as babies. So, making that decision to follow Christ, to deny ourselves, we take up our crosses daily and we move ahead one step at a time being transformed more and more into the image of Christ! It is not a overnight experience but one of life-long commitment. The promise of that commitment comes in verse 24 though . . . “whoever loses his life for My sake, he[she] is the one who will save it.” God Bless You as you make that decision and commitment.

Day 9

John 14:23 NASB95

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.

One author makes this statement . . . “There are many Christians, but few disciples.” You see, we may say that we are Christians, but the reality of Jesus’ and the Father’s presence in our lives are conditioned on obedience. Obedience is not, however, the condition of God’s love for mankind but the proof of their realization of His love and their love for Him. So, our love for Him is demonstrated by our obedience to the revealed will of God . . . His Word . . . the Bible! As you commit to loving Him today, rely upon His strength to walk out this love by obeying what He leads you to do by His Spirit and by His Word! When we make this commitment we will change the world . . . for you in Him are a WORLD CHANGER!

Day 10

Philippians 4:13 NASB95

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

This is probably one of the most popular verses with most Christians besides . It speaks very positively of not our strength but God’s! This is so important because we cannot live the life of a Christian on our own strength . . . it will fail! How do we gain this strength? First of all by prayer (time in His presence), and secondly by time in His Word. It is so important for us to remember where this strength comes from as we are able to accomplish the things that we accomplish. Otherwise we will become puffed up (prideful) and self-righteous in our lives. Rejoice and remember today that God strengthens you in every way as you follow Him!

Day 11

Isaiah 41:10 NASB95

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Yesterday we began speaking of God’s strength and today we continue. Here in Isaiah we find the people of Israel exiled in Babylon and being threatened to fall to Cyrus . . . and therefore, there was great fear felt. These verses are God’s answer to them in this time. We can be encouraged by this because just as in this time in Babylon, God had a purpose for His people, and until that purpose is fulfilled they cannot perish. In this world there are many things taking place all around us . . . and these things can and do cause great anxiousness in many people. But, we do not have to fear and be anxious because of whom we serve. His promise to us is that He will strengthen and help us . . . and He will uphold us with His righteous right hand. This He will do until our purpose is fulfilled in Him . . . and then what shall follow will be glorious! Live by His strength today knowing that His hand is upon you and you do not have to fear!

Day 12

Ephesians 3:16 NIV84

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

Today, continuing with the topic of strength, we speak of inner strength. Paul is speaking here of the appropriation of God’s provision in Christ through the Spirit. He petitions that believer’s might be strengthened with power [might] by His Spirit in the inner being. The spiritual nature of each believer needs prayer as well as our physical. How often these days is the spiritual neglected while all the attention is given to the physical side. Here, Paul prays for the inner man because he realizes that the outward man is passing away. God’s power is needed to live the Christian life as we grow in grace and are transformed into the image of Jesus . . . which is a work accomplished by the Holy Spirit. Pray today that your inner being be strengthened by God’s provision in Christ by His Spirit.

Day 13

Genesis 32:24–30 NIV84

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.” Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

As we have spoken these last twelve days about waiting on God in one fashion or another . . . we have spoken about power, commitment/dedication, and the promises that come with each of those. Jacob’s life epitomizes all of these. Throughout Jacobs life he struggled to obtain a blessing from God. Further, he had struggled with his brother, his father, his father-in-law, and God. Here in this verse we see a graphic picture of Jacob struggling for the blessing . . . struggling with God and with man! Often we think of struggling as a negative thing . . . but when we believe in something so much, or we want something so desperately, don’t we struggle until we have received one way or another? What are you struggling with today? Continue to press in and persevere through the struggle for the reward!

Day 14

James 5:16 NASB95

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Speaking of prayer . . . there are many promises in the Bible, and with each promise there is a condition which we must meet. Here in James we see that if we confess our sins to one another, and pray for one another . . . we may be healed. Further, this is based upon the effective prayer of a righteous man [woman] . . . because it can accomplish much. Another example is . God will forgive our sins, but we must confess our sins. One more, . . . we will find God if we search for Him with all of our heart. If we meet the conditions God gives to us, He will keep His promises. God is looking for disciples who seek Him and follow. That doesn’t mean we are perfect, but we start by praying and confessing. God sees your heart and will honor your best efforts!

Day 15

Galatians 6:1 NIV84

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

Confessing our faults and shortcomings to one another is so important. Why? Most importantly is because the Bible tells us to. I believe there are many more benefits also, but none more important than doing what the Word tells us to. So, a “real” Christian will be willing to confess his/her sin and shortcomings, and forgive others too! This verse in Galatians speaks of accountability and restoration. The accountability goes both ways . . . and the restoration depends on the time and the moment. In one moment it may be you restoring someone, and the next moment it may be them restoring you. We are to carefully watch our lives so that we will not be tempted. It is a continuous process of life to confess, restore, and being watchful. Who might you have in your life that you can confidently and lovingly confess your sins to; and work with in those times of restoration? We need each other!

Day 16

James 4:17 NIV84

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

There are many sins that are committed by doing nothing! There are sins of commission and sins of omission. There are a great many people today who are sinning and don’t know it. If you know to do good in certain cases — if you know that you should do a certain thing or help a certain cause — and you do not do it, that is sin. We live such brief lives, and therefore we should live them full of the power and fruit of the Spirit . . . and if we don’t it spoils a life. The very thought that you are reading these devotions is evidence that there is a desire to do what is good and right. God puts that inside of us by giving us a conscience directed by the Holy Spirit. As we pray, thank the Lord that He speaks to us and guides us.

Day 17

Psalm 41:4 NASB95

As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”