Devotional Prayers for October 2025

  Praying the Promise

 Then Jesus told them this story: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep but loses one of them. Then he will leave the other ninety-nine sheep I the open field and go out and look for the lost sheep until he finds it. And when he finds it, he happily puts it on his shoulders and goes home. He calls to his friends and neighbors and says, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep.’—Luke 15:3-6 (NCV) 

Gracious and Loving God, sometimes we lose or misplace things: car keys, eyeglasses, paperwork, money… Sometimes the things we misplace don’t necessarily have great value and won’t keep our day or life from moving forward or keep us from being productive, but at other times, the things we misplace are crucial to something we are working on or keep us from conducting business or completing a task. When we read Luke chapter 15, we learn three people who lost something that they valued and were important to locate: the shepherd lost a sheep, the woman lost a coin, and the father lost his son. You gave each of these the wisdom to know how to retrieve their lost possessions and You returned the son to his father.

Thank You for not being satisfied that I was lost. Thank you for sending Your Son Jesus to find me and bring me back to the fold. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit who assists me whenever I have lost something of great value. Thank you that I can call on Him to help me find things that matter to me and my life, and He will direct me. 

Every lost sheep matters to You heavenly Father and every time someone comes back to the fold all of heaven rejoices. Today I pray for those who are lost. I ask You for spiritual discernment to see those that have lost their way. Grant me the wisdom to know how to point them to Christ, to let them know they matter and are valuable to You. Show me how to reach them and pray for them and help show them the way. By my witness and example may they know even though they feel lost in their circumstances or situations or sin, Jesus will show them the way. He is that Shepherd who seeks lost sheep and He will personally care for and lead them home. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen     

For Those Who Journal 

Who’s on your radar as one of Jesus’ lost sheep?       

  Praying the Promise

It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown—I Corinthians 15:52 (NLT)

God, sometimes, when we blink at the wrong time we miss something big.  We blink and miss that final scoring shot or play that won the game. We can hardly believe it happened so fast, and that we missed the whole thing.  

That’s how Jesus said He will return, in the blink of an eye! The Scriptures say Jesus will appear so quickly there won’t be time for anything else. No time to run to where our loved ones are gathered. No time to put things in order. Not even time to say prayers of repentance or suddenly confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. It will be all over in a flash, and there will be no warning or advance notice.  

Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful plan of redemption. Help us to grasp the magnitude of this transformation and to live in a constant state of readiness. As far as we know, we only have today to live with purpose and to live with our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. 

Father, in our day-to-day life and activities we can feel we have more pressing and urgent things to deal with. There are appointments to keep, family and home to look after, errands to run and jobs to go to. But Your Word assures us nothing is more important than getting ready for our eternity and preparing for Christ’ return. 

I pray; may Your Words stir my heart and mind to contemplate the promise of future glory that surpasses all earthly understanding. I don’t have to understand it all to believe it’s really going to happen, and I don’t have to be a religious fanatic to believe you’ll return any day. Let this truth inspire me to reflect Your light everywhere. Amen

For Those Who Journal

How will your life change when you believe with all your heart that Jesus is coming back and it could be any day…    

  Praying the Promise

 The master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes, and urge the people there to come so my house will be full. I tell you, none of those whom I invited first will eat with me—Luke 14:23-24 (NCV)

Lord of Grace, this is especially one of the times I’m not going to take offense at not being among the first to be invited somewhere and feel insulted or slighted that my name was not put at the top of the list or among the first batch of invitations to go out, but I rejoice that I was one of the street people, one of those on the back roads, country lanes and alleys, handpicked at the last minute before the banquet doors closed.

The Apostle Paul said, “we have been grafted in” (Rom. 11:17). I am not ashamed to be grafted in Lord, in fact, I praise You. Thank You Jesus for grafting me in and making room for me in the kingdom of God. I may not be among the 144,000 that have been sealed in heaven (Rev. 7) but I have a place among the multitude.

Jesus, I’m blessed to know my eternal destiny. Blessed that I don’t have to spend my time on earth worrying, fretting, or wondering what will happen to me after death. I’m blessed that Your work on the cross was enough, and I don’t have to do anything other than believe on You as my Lord and Savior during my life to be there for all eternity. 

Everything I do to serve You Lord can now be a love response instead of work-righteousness. My heart can be at ease. Thank You for this mighty spiritual provision. Thank You for Your provision, Lord. Thank You that my name is written in the book of Life (Rev. 20:15). Thank You for the good works I can accomplish in Your name that have been prepared in advance for me to do; and I can do them happily and easily. In Your Name I pray. Amen       

For Those Who Journal

“My guarantee of heaven is not based upon a “performance-based” lifestyle…”   

  Praying the Promise

 Looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”—Mark 734 (WEB)

Heavenly Father, just as Your Son, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Ephphatha,” opening the ears and loosening the tongue of the man in need, I come before You today with (my burdens, my struggles, my fears, my pain, my exhaustion, ,my ongoing, unrelenting situation, my physical condition, my weakness, my lack, my emotional and mental turmoil, my need in every area of my life), seeking Your miraculous touch that will open my life. I pray that I am fully opened, and that the storehouse of heaven is opened over me. I ask You to:

Open my eyes that I will see Your truth as I read Your word and recognize godly answers and solutions for my life’s problems

I ask You to open my ears that I will hear and recognize Your voice as You guide me through this day and in my life

I ask You to open my lips that I might speak kindly to others and over myself as I journey through this day

I ask You to open my heart that I will be filled with compassion and understanding for others

I ask You to open my hands, so they are uplifted in praise and generous to others

I ask that You will open my soul that it is filled up with Your Holy Spirit and my will is to do Your will always.

 Lord God, I recognize when I am closed off, I cannot hear Your voice, recognize Your answers, feel Your healing touch or be receptive to Your Spirit's working.  

I ask You to remove all barriers that keep me from hearing Your voice clearly and ask that Your healing power follow through every part of my life so I can experience the renewal, peace, and restoration I need. Thank You for blessing me with Your daily compassion and grace and, thank You for performing miracles in my life and for continuing to work in my life daily. I pray and ask all these things in the name of Jesus Your Son. Amen  

  For Those Who Journal

What need do You present to Jesus as He stands before You today

  Praying the Promise

I will send you the Helper from the Father. The Helper is the Spirit of truth wo comes from the Father. When He comes, he will tell about me.—John 15:26   

Sometimes heavenly Father, we are helpers by nature. We see someone in distress, someone who needs a hand and its instinctive for us to step in and give a hand, step in and help in any way we can. We understand this part of our nature—even as sinful as we are—is inherited from You, given to us at the time of creation when You, Jesus and the Holy Spirit made us in Your image. 

Being a helper is a great way to be, and we enjoy sharing this trait with You, it makes us feel good when we can be of help to others, even in the smallest way, and we are disappointed when we can’t be of help; when we can’t lift someone’s burden, or make things better for them, or help solve a dilemma. Sometimes situations and things people are going through are beyond our resources, power or abilities. When that happens, we turn to pleading prayers, seeking Your help. 

As much as we want to help others, help bring change and help make things better the truth in Your Word reminds us that at times the help of humans is useless (Psalm 108:12); sometimes our only true and effective help comes from heaven, not any power on earth.

Thank You heavenly Father, for the Helper You sent to earth. The Holy Spirit is our true and highest Helper. He has more qualities that we can name or count. Just like You and Jesus, there isn’t anything He cannot accomplish on earth and in our lives. He is here to help us with any and all of life’s troubles. He is here to help us figure things out when we are in a dilemma or quandary, but we don’t have to be in trouble for Him to help, He is with us to help even in everyday tasks; from the smallest to the biggest things. We can call on Him and He is with us to help. Like You and Jesus He wants to befriend us, and we can desire to be filled up with Him. We can ask for more of Him and You will make that happen. 

Because our perfect, heavenly Helper is with us day and night, from the start of our lives to the very last breath we can make it through this journey and make it home to You. 

Today, I especially ask that I become perfectly sensitive to His stirrings and how He communicates with me personally. I ask for greater and deeper awareness of His presence and movement. I ask to be filled up to overflowing with Him. I pray for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit and power in my life; I pray to receive a fresh anointing of Him. I pray to possess every one of His beautiful qualities. I pray for His wisdom to fill me. I pray to hear His whispers in my ear and His nudges in my spirit. I pray that He will take my hand and lead me all the way through my day and all the way through this life until I can make it home to be with You and Jesus, Your Son, my Lord and Savior. Amen      

For Those Who journal

How are you aware to the Spirit's helping and presence in your life and person?           

Praying the Word

 Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy—Exodus 20:11(ESV)

LORD God, in both the Old and New Testaments there were strict laws about what could and could not be done on the Sabbath and there were severe consequences for breaking and violating those laws. Thank You God, for sending Your Son Jesus who came to fulfill the Sabbath’s day purpose for us. Though He was criticized and judged for the things He did on the Sabbath—because they did not receive nor believe Him to be from You—they could not realize that Jesus was actually fulfilling the purpose of the Sabbath which was to provide blessings for Your people.

To this day, Father, even with our busy lifestyles and there is so much to do we are to observe a Sabbath day (Heb. 4:9); we are to observe the Sabbath and keep it (Deut. 12:5), and we are to delight in the Sabbath day (Isa. 58:13) and not deplore or disdain it. 

Today, we are challenged to etch out time to spend with You on this special day You provided and it’s tempting to let so much interfere and come in between us, yet there are still special blessings You reserve for us when we spend time in worship. May we also look forward to the time in our week where we can stop and draw close to You, no matter what our House of Worship looks like. Whether it be in a traditional place or from our sickbed; in the woods under a camper shell or sitting beneath a cross in the sanctuary.  

Help us, O Lord to continue to keep the Sabbath day, to set apart one day in our week and make it holy: a time to worship You. Thank You for the blessings You deliver to us through our time of worship; the blessing of peace, strength, renewed relationship, forgiveness of sins, hope and healing for our body, mind, and spirit; every blessing that comes to us as we are reminded of Jesus’ victory over sin and death. 

Thank You Father God, for the great privilege to enter Your presence in worship. Thank You for making provision through Your Son Jesus, that we, an unholy people can enter Your holy presence. May the lyrics of the old, old hymn ring in our heart each Sabbath and refresh us, 

Open now Your gates of beauty;

Zion, let me enter there;

Where my soul in joyful duty 

Waits for Him who answers prayer.

Oh, how blessed is this place;

Full of solace, light and grace!

I pray, bless me through the Sabbath worship Lord. In Jesus’ most holy and gracious name I pray. Amen 

For Those Who Journal

How do you observe the Sabbath? What is most meaningful to you?  

Praying the Word

 From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. And from the one trusted with much, much more will be expected—Luke 12:48b (NCV)

Heavenly Father, I come before You with a humble heart today as I reflect on Your Word of truth: “To whom much is given, much will be required.” I know You are talking to me too! 

Truly, I have been given “much,” Lord. Today, I stand in awe of Your trust in me, for You have poured out blessings, talents, and opportunities beyond measure. I thank You for the privilege of carrying these gifts, and for the purpose You have woven into my life. Help me to always be clear about what I have been blessed with from You and have wisdom and clarity of my purpose on earth. Help me to steward every gift and opportunity wisely and use them to Your glory.

I pray, Lord, inspire me to rise to the calling You have placed on my heart. Fill me with courage to embrace my responsibilities with joy and determination. May I use all that You have given me to serve others, to bring hope, and to reflect Your love in a world that so desperately needs it.

I pray, when I feel overwhelmed, remind me that You are my strength and I can do all things—even the difficult things—because You are with me. When I falter, lift me with Your grace. Let my life be a testimony of faith, a beacon of light, a vessel of goodness. 

Lord Jesus, I trust Your guidance as I walk this path, knowing that with You all things are possible and when I fall short, I pray, guide me back to Your grace and remind me of the purpose You have for me so on the day You return for me I will be found faithfully serving You. 

May I always reflect Your humility and goodness and bring light to those around me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen  

For Those Who Journal

Take inventory of your gifts, talents, and opportunities. Are you using each one to it's fullest?

Praying the Word

 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also—Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

Jesus, thank You for the lessons that cause us to be uncomfortable and to make us search our heart and come face to face with our inner convictions and core values. Thank You for lessons that emphasize the importance of prioritizing spiritual wealth over material possessions and for teaching us that true value lies in heavenly treasures rather than earthly ones. 

Jesus, You gave Your all and You resisted attachment to earthly possessions. You kept a healthy perspective concerning earthly goods and money and knew there was no need to hoard or store up treasures in a place that was not Your lasting city or eternal future. You saw the grip that earthly wealth can have on people and You knew that “where our treasure is, there will our heart be also,” which is precisely why You commanded Your followers “Do not lay up treasures on earth”.

Thank You Jesus, for making me uncomfortable and for making me examine my heart to expose the things I believe in my heart and spirit are important in life. 

Thank You for revealing what causes me to be selfish and greedy at times, what things I don’t trust God to provide and why it’s important for me to guard against greed. 

The world wants me to be comfortable with selfishness and greed, but You know it’s important that I am aware of my true thoughts concerning earthly wealth even if it my true beliefs make me uncomfortable. 

Thank You Jesus, for teaching me that God’s faithfulness far exceeds my needs. My fallen nature makes it difficult for me to accept, trust, and believe this truth wholeheartedly; makes it difficult for me to look past myself and depend on God. 

I pray, transform my heart of doubt and fear of not having more than enough and help me trust my heavenly Father wholeheartedly. Trust in God will help me share with others freely and to see what’s most important and know the best and most valuable treasure cannot be found on earth but comes from heaven and is waiting for me in heaven. I pray, loosen my grip on earthly possessions that I may live to store up heavenly treasure. In Your holy name I pray, Amen    

For Those Who Journal

Do you struggle with selfishness or greed? What necessities do you have a hard time believing God will provide? How can you guard your inclination to hoard earthly possessions and wealth?         

Praying the Word

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain    

in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave—I Kings 19:11-13 (NIV) 

Almighty God, sometimes we’re looking for You to come by way of something dramatic or thunderous. Like a powerful wind or mighty earthquake that shakes the earth or turns our circumstances upside down and inside out. From Genesis to Revelation, we learn how You often revealed Yourself through dramatic and unmistakable ways. While the drama happens all around us, mostly You choose to enter into our lives and this world gently and quietly. 

The New Testament opens with You coming to earth quietly, as a tiny baby. If it hadn’t been for the angel choir announcing Your birth in a stable to the shepherds, no one would have known outside of Mary and Joseph. The same divine heavenly presence that could have wiped everyone out with one word or by commanding an army of angels through a mere look, chose to take the path of being gentle.

The prophet Elijah wasn’t the only one who expected You to reveal Yourself dramatically, we do it all the time. I thank You Jesus that You’re constantly surprising us. I thank You for Your gentle presence. You prove You don’t have to be harsh and dramatic to accomplish Your will and purposes in my own life or in the world around me. Your gentleness also helps me know I am safe to share and open my heart to You without fear of judgment or meeting harshness. Your gentleness imparts strength and courage to my soul.  

Father, the more I realize You have included me and my life as part of Your plan for humanity, the more I am humbled. Help me to decrease in every area of my life and entrust all circumstances to You so that You can increase.

Something to Journal

How has God’s gentle ways both surprised and comforted you? 

Praying the Word

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful—Luke 6:35-36 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, Your kindness is perfect and as difficult as it may be to admit, we’ll struggle with being kind all our earthly life. We have so much we can learn about kindness from reading Your Word. We have miles to go before we can be as kind as You and on earth, we’ll never reach this level of perfection in kindness. We may get a passing grade when it comes to being kind to those we love and care about (but even then, we have times we are not as kind as we should be), but when it comes to being kind to our enemies that’s another matter altogether. If we are honest, we’ll admit that more often than not we don’t even try to show kindness to those who are considered to be our enemy. It’s much easier to turn away from them than toward them. 

Your kindness, Lord, compels sinners to repent and leads the lost in the direction where they are saved (Rom. 2:4). It’s amazing what kindness can do! Lord, I need Your help and constant companionship to be kinder to others. 

Personally, Your kindness has lifted me out of depressions, helped me through sorrows, and encouraged me on my journey more times than I can count. It’s helped me be assured, despite my flaws, my sin, my doubts, my incorrigible behavior and wicked ways at times—that I am truly Your child. I praise You and am truly thankful that even when I don’t deserve it, You are so very kind to me. I’m sure Your inclination and nature to be kind has kept You from wiping us all from the face of the earth more times than we will ever know!

As I read Your Word help me to see the lessons I can learn from Your example of kindness and apply them to my own relationships with others. Let Your grace work mightily in my heart in a significant way so I can develop a kind heart and disposition. Let me possess the grace of goodness that is flawless and will compel me to be kind to others for this is what pleases You! In Jesus’ name. Amen

For Those Who Journal

What are your thoughts about kindness? How well do you do in this area? What do you want to talk to God about when it comes to being kind to others? Is there someone in particular you need to be kinder to? 

Praying the Promise

  But God even knows how many hairs you have on your head—Luke 12:7 (NCV)

Omniscient God I very often forget how well You know me. Perhaps it’s this age I live in where I have so much technology and scientific knowledge at my disposal that I have stopped seeing or remembering that You are all-knowing and there is nothing You don’t know perfectly, including me! Like David wrote, “You have knit me together in my mother’s womb and I am wondrously and fearfully made” (Ps. 139:14)

You know when I rise and when I lay down. You know what is on my mind and in my heart. You know my thoughts, if they are pure or corrupt. You know my secret yearnings, and You know my dreams and desires that I’ve never expressed to anyone on earth. You know me inside and out. To be reminded that You even know the number of hairs that are on my head gives me goosebumps! For this kind of knowledge is impossible for any human to possess!

There’s nothing about me that is or can be hidden from You, God. You see and know the things that make me tremble and cower; the things that I fear and am troubled by the most. 

Loving God, I pray, don’t let my fears or secret worries triumph over me. Keep me honest—both with You and with myself. Don’t allow me to do anything for outward show that does not match my inner disposition, countenance and heart. Cleanse my heart so my motives are always pure. Whatever I do outwardly—whether it’s going to church, putting in my tithe’s, or bowing my head in prayer—let it always be from a pure heart. When my heart is clean and my motives are sincere, I don’t have anything to fear. 

Thank you, God, for Your perfect and vast knowledge of me.  Thank You that not even You perfect knowledge of who I am--the good and the bad) keeps You from loving and accepting me. Thank You for giving me worth and value and sending Jesus to die in my place so I can have a place in heaven for all eternity. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen     

For Those Who Journal

How do you feel being reminded that God knows you so well, He even knows the number of hairs on your head? (note: The condition of baldness does not alter this knowledge of God )    

Praying the Promise

 Is there anyone among you, who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to those who ask him!—Luke 11:11-13 (NCV)

Thank You, Gracious God for this promise that You will never give us anything that’s bad or harmful to us! It’s not in Your character or heart of love to do anything that will end up being detrimental to us. Even when we pray out of ignorance or shortsightedness, it’s comforting to know that You never abandon Your ways of wisdom or heart of love and only answer our prayers in a way that is beneficial for our life or wellbeing—either now or in the future. 

Thank You God that You won’t fulfill a misdirected request but instead will use Your Fatherly wisdom and eternal knowledge to answer our prayer in a different way; after all You alone know what’s good, perfect and beneficial for our lives.

Loving Father, You are a good and loving God and far more generous than any earthy parent. You are the giver of every good and perfect gift. Just as earthly parents care for their children You care for me with even greater love and wisdom. I come to You today, trusting in Your goodness. I ask for Your Holy Spirit—to fill me, guide me, and transform me. Help me to walk in Your truth, to love as You love, and to seek Your will above all else.

Thank You for hearing my prayers and for never turning away from me or turning me away, and for always giving what is best. Grant that I will have patience to wait on Your good and may I have perfect trust and in Your wisdom and timing. Thank You for never giving me snakes and scorpions when I’ve asked for fish and eggs!  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen

For Those Who Journal 

What prayer requests are you praying presently? Has God answered any of your prayers that you wondered at the time why He answered them in such a way? How does today’s prayer verse make you think about your prayer request differently?   

Praying the Promise

 “Whenever you are able, do good to people who need help. If you have what your neighbor asks for; don’t say, “Come back later. I will give it to you tomorrow—Proverbs 3:27-28 (NCV)

Lord Jesus, one day our eyes will be opened fully, and we’ll be able to see fully all the ways we don’t obey Your commands, all the ways we’ve looked for the loophole, looked for excuses, looked for the small print that excused us from fulfilling the law of mercy and kindness towards others. We may not like the truth, but we’ll see we have been more like the Priest and the Levite in the gospel story You illustrated where it was the kindhearted Samaritan who aided the man lying in the road, stopping to bandage his wounds and care for him (Luke 10:30-37). Our own hard-heartedness will incriminate us. 

How often we ask the question, Lord, how often we beg the point, “who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29), and how often You remind us our neighbor is any person we become aware of that has a need. Our neighbor could be in our own household, he or she could be next door, around the corner, someone we pass on the way to work every day. Oh, Lord, modern technology has made it so our neighbor could be halfway across the world! The moment we become aware of a need is the opportunity You provide for us to be neighborly, to fulfill what’s written in Your word, to do good to people who are in need. Forgive us our closed eyes and heart, Lord!

May we grow in mercy, Lord. May we have a sincere desire to advance the happiness, safety and well-being of others; even those we don’t care much for. And more than that, grant that we will become more like the Samaritan, and show concern for those whom we consider to be enemies. Grant that we will have kind dispositions and become sensitive to others and truly desire to help them when they have a need that is within our scope and ability to supply. 

Forgive us for making excuses and turning our backs. Jesus we cannot claim to be like You until we become like You in Your heart and actions of mercy towards others. 

Thank You, Savior, for letting us be Your neighbor, for becoming our Good Samaritan and laying down Your life for us even while we were Your enemy. Make us more like You that we grow in faith and love for our neighbor so that others see You in our actions of love and mercy toward them. Because we have such a long way to go in becoming merciful and kind, we pray for Your continued patience toward us. In Your name we pray, Amen  

For Those Who Journal

What contemporary parallels of the good Samaritan from Luke 10:30-37 come to mind and what does it mean to you to show mercy or do good to those in need?   

Praying the Promise

 “Whenever you are able, do good to people who need help. If you have what your neighbor asks for; don’t say, “Come back later. I will give it to you tomorrow—Proverbs 3:27-28 (NCV)

Lord Jesus, one day our eyes will be opened fully, and we’ll be able to see fully all the ways we don’t obey Your commands, all the ways we’ve looked for the loophole, looked for excuses, looked for the small print that excused us from fulfilling the law of mercy and kindness towards others. We may not like the truth, but we’ll see we have been more like the Priest and the Levite in the gospel story You illustrated where it was the kindhearted Samaritan who aided the man lying in the road, stopping to bandage his wounds and care for him (Luke 10:30-37). Our own hard-heartedness will incriminate us. 

How often we ask the question, Lord, how often we beg the point, “who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29), and how often You remind us our neighbor is any person we become aware of that has a need. Our neighbor could be in our own household, he or she could be next door, around the corner, someone we pass on the way to work every day. Oh, Lord, modern technology has made it so our neighbor could be halfway across the world! The moment we become aware of a need is the opportunity You provide for us to be neighborly, to fulfill what’s written in Your word, to do good to people who are in need. Forgive us our closed eyes and heart, Lord!

May we grow in mercy, Lord. May we have a sincere desire to advance the happiness, safety and well-being of others; even those we don’t care much for. And more than that, grant that we will become more like the Samaritan, and show concern for those whom we consider to be enemies. Grant that we will have kind dispositions and become sensitive to others and truly desire to help them when they have a need that is within our scope and ability to supply. 

Forgive us for making excuses and turning our backs. Jesus we cannot claim to be like You until we become like You in Your heart and actions of mercy towards others. 

Thank You, Savior, for letting us be Your neighbor, for becoming our Good Samaritan and laying down Your life for us even while we were Your enemy. Make us more like You that we grow in faith and love for our neighbor so that others see You in our actions of love and mercy toward them. Because we have such a long way to go in becoming merciful and kind, we pray for Your continued patience toward us. In Your name we pray, Amen  

For Those Who Journal

What contemporary parallels of the good Samaritan from Luke 10:30-37 come to mind and what does it mean to you to show mercy or do good to those in need?   

Praying the Promise

One who walks with wise people will be wise—Proverbs 13:20

Dear God, as a disciple of Jesus I am a learner and I am determined to learn as much as I can through Your Word and through the wisdom of others who are seasoned in their walk of faith and have understood Your Word is also practical where it can be applied to every day life on earth.

Thank You for sending others into my life that I can learn from just by the way they live their life and practice their faith; I admire them, and they inspire me to live a more Christ-centered and God-pleasing life. Help me to form relationships with those who share are humble, patient, and kind and in moments when I am tempted to associate with people who don’t share my values I pray for the strength and courage to step back and reassess.  

Through Your word I’m reminded that wise people rub off on each other. If I hang around wise people, I’ll become wise also. The benefits of staying close to those who rely upon Your wisdom and guidance are numerous and pays off.     

I pray, help me to stay consistent and determined; I pray to stay disciplined about pursuing the godly wisdom that provides peace and good fruit. 

God, the more I increase in knowledge and understand the blessing of grace, the more I stop shying away from helping others grow in their faith. Thank You that I don’t need to be perfect—which is impossible anyway—all I need to be is willing and available to You and others and You will do the rest. In Jesus’ name. Amen  

  Praying the Promise

 But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you. Speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea tell you. Every one of these knows that the hand of the LORD has done this. The life of every creature and the breath of all people are in God’s hand.”—Job 12:7-10 (NCV)

God of heaven and earth, even the earth and all that You have made have much to teach us about Your greatness, sovereignty, and power. If we stop and look, pause and listen, watch to see, we can learn from all of creation increasingly about You. We may not be able to comprehend with our limited, human minds what You are capable of or how You accomplish things beyond our knowledge, but the earth and all that is in it help us learn the things too big for us are controlled by Your hand and voice.

Heavenly Father, Your ways are far above the puny insights and efforts of mortal man. We often draw conclusions about You based upon our human experiences and reality as we see it. You teach us, O Lord, that even human suffering is beyond our control; it cannot be understood or whittled down to cause and effect, or having to do with righteousness and sinfulness. You do not do right by us based upon our goodness and You do not allow misfortune to come our way based upon our wickedness; our lives can be turned upside down in an instant, this earthly life is unpredictable, we live in a fallen world and human nature is not constant or trustworthy,  yet You never change and Your care for us never wavers nor diminishes. 

You are great and Your hand is upon us to help us. Every inch of the earth knows how You are faithful in Your care; every bird of the air and fish of the sea knows You are a great and gracious God, unmatched in Your love and in Your care for all You have created by Your own hand or voice. All creation tells us the story of You and shows us the goodness of You. 

We pray, through the accumulation of experience may we gain not only wisdom and understanding, but may we humble ourselves to learn from all You have created on earth, in the sky and sea, that You are a great God and greatly to be praised and trusted in all Your doings. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen 

For Those Who Journal, Write About 

a). A part of creation that teaches you about the presence, care and justness of God. b). Like job, your understanding of how God is in control of everything, or, c) an experience in your life or image from nature that tells of God’s sovereign control.  

  Praying the Promise

  As they were going along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you anyplace you go.”—Luke 9:57 (NCV)

Jesus, some people follow You easily. They don’t need to be persuaded. They don’t need for You to do something miraculously or extraordinary in their life or circumstances. They seem to recognize right away who you are, and they want to belong to You and follow you. Praise God in heaven when this happens!

Then, there are others who don’t want to make that kind of commitment, they are more hesitant. Perhaps they feel they have things they want to do I the world, first. Or they view Christianity as something boring or stifling and restrictive and being in a committed relationship with You would be stifling. They do not want to say “yes” to You right now, maybe later…

Then, there are those who do not even consider or pause in mind or spirit. They do not want anything to do with you or any of the Godhead. They do not care about now or eternity and there is nothing anyone can say that will make them change their mind or heart. We continue to pray for the hard-hearted and spiritually stubborn and resistant. 

Lord, may we have no hesitancy of heart or mind when it comes to following you. May we always be open and willing and desiring to follow You wherever You lead us. We realize that following you demands that we reorder our priorities. We cannot do this willingly or on our own: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41). But, with the help of God, we can!  

Jesus, just as You have said before and remains the same to this day, “There are a great many people to harvest, but there are only a few workers. So we should pray to God who owns the harvest, that He will send workers to help gather His harvest (Luke 10:2). We pray, may we always respond favorably when You call us Jesus so we can add to the workers that are needed!      

Journal Prompt for Journaler's:

When Jesus walked on earth, He literally called His disciples to follow him. How does He call people today? How do you sense Godcalling you through your prayers and bible reading to follow Him more faithfully or into new areas? 

  Praying the Promise

 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD—Geneses 4:26 (NIV)

Dear God, prayer is a direct line to heaven; a direct line to talk with You anytime we want; day or night. Thank You for this mode of communication. It’s free of charge and we never get a busy signal or are put on hold. Prayer is a wonderful tool for the Christian to utilize, and too often we don’t pray nearly as much as we could or should. 

Father, there is something else about prayer we may not realize but learn as we continue to return to Your Word, and that is there is the peril of prayer. As we begin to talk to You and hear You speak to us, life may never be the same. When we pray life takes on all kinds of perils that we never had before. We always think things will get better when we pray, but sometimes we are ushered into the uncomfortable. Perhaps that’s because our spiritual eyes and senses are awakened through prayer. We begin to see and hear and notice things from a different perspective; our spiritual antennas are alert. 

It’s as though when we start to pray regularly not only does our level of intimacy with Father, Son and Holy Spirit deepen and increase, our eyes are opened to all kinds of conditions we never noticed before. We see the suffering, we hear the hurt and pain, we notice the unspoken, we’re more aware of the struggles people around us are having, we don’t even watch the evening news the same as before, we are no longer looking at the world through rose-colored glasses or through a me-only lens, but we see the world as You see it: dark, lost, in need of knowing Jesus’ saving grace that is available for everyone, everywhere. We become like Abraham, whose life changed drastically after he began to pray, or, like Moses whose life changed after he had a conversation with You beside the burning bush, or like the disciples who responded to Your invitation to follow You and began an intimate, life-changing journey. All of these got more than they gave. All of these gained heaven but lost the comfort of their previous earthly peril innocence.

Thank You for stirring our heart to pray, Father. Thank You for waking up our senses and opening our spiritual eyes. 

Thank You for the blessing of a deeper relationship with You and being put to work and used by You on our journey home, through the practice of prayer. Thank You for opening us up to the deeper things of life that make us draw even closer to You each day. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen       

  Praying the Promise

 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path—Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

Lord God, thank You for the guidance and illumination Your word provides in our lives. Your word helps us navigate through darkness and uncertainty. Thank You for Jesus who is the living Word that became flesh and lived among us (John 1:14); the Word came close to shine light so those living in darkness could know they have seen a great light (Isa. 9:2).

The Scriptures instruct us that Your Word is a lamp for our feet and a light that lights our path, so we don’t stumble. It keeps us from walking in darkness. Your Word is sufficient to guard and keep our souls heaven-bound. It is profitable for teaching, for correcting, and for training us up in godliness and righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). 

God, Your Word is powerful, it’s even sharper than a double-edged sword, it is alive and active and penetrates even to the point of dividing sou land spirit. It can judge our thoughts and sift out the attitude of our heart (Heb. 4:12). Every word that comes from You proves to be true (Prov. 30:5) and will stand forever (Isa. 40:8), and whatever You have spoken, written and declared over us will not return void but it will fulfill the purposes for which You sent it to us (Isa. 45:29).

God of heaven and earth, we prosper when we hear Your Word and accept it (Mark 4:20). When we hear it and accept it with joy (Luke 8:13) our souls are set free, when we abide in Your Word we will be like fruitful trees, and You abide in us (John 8:31). No wonder we are to let Your Word dwell in us richly (Col. 3:16) so we are made holy by Your Word (I Tim. 4:5). 

We praise You God that Your Word lives forever (I Peter 1:5), so every generation can know and cling to Your Word and be guided by it. Thank You for blessing us with Your Word! 

We pray, open our eyes that we will see truth in Your Word and recognize Your answers for our life. Open our ears that we may hear Your Word clearly as we journey through our day and life. Open our heart that we will be transformed by and through Your Word so we can have a pure heart. 

Open our mouth that we may speak Your word which is love and reject all hateful and evil speech. 

Open our mind so that we will believe Your Word and not be full of doubt. Open us up, God so we may love Your Word and never detest it. In Jesus name, who is the Living Word, we pray. Amen         

  Praying the Promise

  John answered, “Master, we saw someone using your name to force demons out of people. We told them to stop, because he does not belong to our group.” But Jesus said to him, “Don’t stop him, because whoever is not against you is for you.”—Luke 9:49-50 (NCV)

Jesus, You admonished Your disciples for having a poor attitude about ministry. That was way back then and to this day You still have to admonish us for having that same misdirected attitude concerning ministry. The law may have been used by the religious elite to exclude people and make them feel even more unworthy, but when the Gospel came to live among them, they were set free and learned they were accepted.  

We are guilty Lord, of being religious elitists and snobs. We’re guilty of keeping the Kingdom to ourselves or making others jump through hoops even though we didn’t have to. We’re guilty of keeping and withholding certain privileges and opportunities for ourselves. So much we’re guilty of Lord. Were it not for grace and mercy we would be doomed. 

This impulse and attitude run contrary to God’s mercy. The same mercy He shared with all people—not just those in our preferred inner circle or closeknit group—when He sent You to earth.

Lord Jesus, save us from these selfish impulses that would keep others out and inhibit them from enjoying the same blessings and benefits we enjoy. Forgive us for being stumbling blocks—whether we intend to or not—that keep others from learning about salvation that is free to all people. May we always rejoice when we learn someone wants to live eternally with You in heaven and do all we can to help them in their walk of faith down here.  

May we always seek and pray about ways to include others in Kingdom grace and love and never seek to keep others out. When we are tempted to make Christianity a club or our little secret, help us remember those who are not against us are for us. 

Help us to welcome and embrace all who seek to follow You even when their backgrounds are not the same as ours. There are no walls in heaven to keep people out so we pray, remove the walls of our heart and mind that try to prevent anyone from being there with us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen       

  Praying the Promise

 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord—Psalm 27:14

Dear Jesus, everything on this earth is going at such a fast pace. While, on one hand, it’s amazing and so convenient to be able to receive so much information and products in real time; we barely have to wait on anything anymore! Yet, on the other hand it’s not good, there’s no time to breathe or pause or consider. Which also means we can make lot of mistakes that wouldn’t otherwise be made. 

Sometimes I’m caught up in the fastness of this world too. Sometimes I find myself making quick decisions that I need to be taking my time about. Sometimes I’m too quick to judge, too quick to answer yes or no when I should be taking the slower route and path of “maybe, let’s give it a moment”.

Jesus, help me remember to slow down. I’m not on the world’s fast-track or timetable. The devil wants me to hurry through everything. He promotes quick decisions and declarations. He pushes me to hurry just like he tried to push You into his timetable, but You did not allow him to determine how fast or quickly You moved. He knows the quicker I move the more likely I am to end up in a place I regret or move away from Your will for my life. 

I pray, in all earnestness, slow me down, Lord, I’ve got time to wait on You. I’ve got time to hear heaven’s answer. I’ve got time to test things out. I’ve got time to sense the Spirit’s certainty and to be filled and directed by heavenly peace. I’ve got time to pray and be sure of what God is saying to me. What I don’t always have time for is backtracking to get something right which isn’t always possible anyway.

Today I cling and rely on the Word of God that directs me from beginning to end; I trust in the Bible promises that direct and guide me:

Those that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up on wings like eagles they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint (Isa. 40:31)

Wait on the Lord and be of good cheer (Ps. 27:14)

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me (Micah 7:7)  

Slow me down, Lord. There’s no harm or loss in waiting on You! Being slower, moving slower, answering more slowly isn’t an excuse for delaying as some may think, it’s the wisdom of heaven leading me in the right direction and causing me to pause until I know for sure what I am to do. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen    

  Praying the Promise

Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him—Luke 9:28-32 (ESV)

Jesus, Savior, faithful Companion and Friend, when we hang out with You, accompany You in Your travels and invite You to accompany us in ours, we will witness some amazing things! We will see things that dumbfound us. We will witness miracles and wonders; things that we know in our heart of faith only our God in heaven could accomplish. We’ll also be like the disciples, heavy with sleep and it may take us a while to become fully aware and spiritually awake and astute to see and understand with spiritual eyes and heart what we are witnessing.

You’re so understanding of us Lord! So gracious toward us even though we’re so slow of heart and eyes to recognize You and Your glory! Just as You were transformed and became dazzling white on the Mount of Transfiguration, transform us Lord that we too may become dazzling white with discernment and understanding! 

May we not desire to live one day of this life without being in Your presence and inviting You to be with us in ours. O Savior, Messiah, the Christ, live this day with us! Accompany us on our journey today and let us accompany You in Yours! 

From this point forward, Lord, may we never miss another miracle You are performing right before our eyes, may we be completely and fully aware we are in the presence of Greatness and holiness and that we are seeing something none other can do! 

Jesus, You invite us and strategically position us so we can see and learn and hear; giving us a front row seat so our witness and testimony of what we have witnessed and been part of is authentic and believable. Remove our spiritual dullness, Lord! Take the sleep of night away and open our eyes so we can see and learn and witness You at work in our own lives, in the lives of those we care and pray about and in the world around us. In Your glorious, transformative Name we pray, Amen.