Twenty-One Days of Prayer and Scripture
What if God wants to change us in this time? Not just protect us, not just carry us through it, but change us? What if that is part of how he wants to redeem all this wrong? What if this is a time we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds as we move closer to him?
I am convinced this time of suddenly staying home can create an opportunity for us to draw closer to God through reading Scripture and prayer—that we will commit to opening the Bible, that we will pray to a God that wants to hear from us, that we will grow closer to him, and that we would do so for the sake of others. When hope may seem in short supply, we can grow in faith and hope in Jesus and allow that hope to be borrowed by others.
When there are dramatic shifts in our lives, such as in this season, we are invited to seek the Lord to remember what doesn’t change. After the death of Moses—the man who led God’s people out of Egypt and through the desert—Joshua was appointed leader with the charge to take the Israelites to a new land. Everything in their world was changing. And God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous in the unknown, and: “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).
In uncertainty, read, recite, talk about, and pray through God’s word daily. This echoes Moses’ earlier call to God’s people as they traveled through the desert. “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-9).
“As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
‘Where is your God?’”
Why keep the scriptures close to us? Why read them and think about them?
Because God’s word “is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105).
And because, as the apostle Paul says, “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17).
And the word about Christ instructs us in how to live and reminds us of how loved we are, as it says in 1 John 2:1, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”
When we are fearful, God has given us his word for comfort.
When we are unsure, God has given us his word for direction.
When we are alone, God has given us his word for relationship.
When we are made aware of our need, our shortcomings, our lack of control,
God has given us his word to remind us of the savior who loves us.
So, we need God’s word.
Read God’s Word
It can be intimidating to read the Bible if you aren’t already in the habit of doing so. How do we get started?
Find a time and a place that works for you to limit distractions as much as possible and commit to open your Bible daily.
We are creatures of habit. God created us to function well when there is some structure to our lives, and in this season, almost everything about our rhythm has been thrown off. So, maybe it is time for a new rhythm!
Don’t get discouraged if your daily rhythm of reading the Bible gets thrown off.
1 Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” The Bible is likened to food. If you miss a meal, you don’t say, “Well, I can’t do it! I’m no good at eating. I guess I should give up eating.” No, you pick it up at the next meal.
Start with a plan. I encourage you to join me in reading one chapter from the Gospel of John each day.
The Gospel of John is an account of Jesus’ life written by one of his followers by the same name. This book will help you understand the basics of the gospel and salvation.
The Bible tells us what God is like. Ask these three questions as you read:
What does this say about God?
What does this teach me about who I am?
What does this teach me about how to live?
Spend Time in Prayer
Along with reading God’s word to see him and ourselves more clearly, we are encouraged in the Scriptures to pray.
Prayer is simply talking with God—either with our words or by directing unspoken thoughts to him. As simple as it is, prayer can be challenging. In our busy lives, prayer can often get crowded out by other demands, and many of us may be unsure of how to do it right, if it works, or what we should say.
But the Bible says, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
God wants to hear from you. The Bible teaches that each of us has unfettered access to the very throne room of heaven—the throne room of God’s grace. You and I can have an audience with God whenever and wherever we so choose!
If you want an outline for what to say, Jesus actually gave us this in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). If you start there, I encourage you to resist the urge to recite the words and move on but sit in them for a moment as you pray.
Another suggestion I have for you on creating a habit of prayer is to turn to the Psalms.
Take a few minutes to pray in the pattern of Psalm 13 (find the recent sermon on this passage here).
pray honestly about your pain,
pray for a bigger perspective of what is happening around you, and
as you can, take time to praise God
Repeat daily.
That will get you started!
In this time that is so different than we may want, or certainly different than we expected, let’s connect with God through prayer and Scripture. My invitation and challenge for us all is to commit to read Scripture and pray daily for the next 21 days. This 21-day period calls to the 21 chapters in the Gospel of John, but also to the time it takes to create a habit in your life. I’ll be committing to this and I hope you will join me.
Where to Next?
After 21 days, if you’re wondering where to go in your Bible next, turn to Acts. This book is the exciting story of how Jesus’ first disciples told others about how he died and rose again. Next, read the letters that Christ’s apostles wrote to his first followers—all who were new in their faith. These letters consist of the Book of Romans continuing in order through the Book of 3 John. Then, go back and read one of the other three Gospels: Matthew, Mark, or Luke. That will give you an outline of who Jesus is and what that means for his followers. It will also give you some grounding before you read the Old Testament, which is about the same God you find in the New Testament.
I believe it is worth it for you to find time and space every day for prayer and Scripture.
I believe it is worth it for you, for your peace, for your relationship with God, but I believe it is also worth it for the sake of others. This is about being transformed into the image of Christ for the sake of others. My hope is that we would move toward relationships where we can bring hope, comfort, and sacrificial service and gospel because God, through his word, has shown us how to live—that we could be closer with God and a closer representation of Jesus for others.
And that starts with connecting with the God who loves you through prayer and reading his word.
Garry Abbott is the Waterford Campus Pastor at Summit Church. Garry started feeding birds a year or so ago and feels like his transformation into becoming his grandfather is nearly complete, though he does still hate squirrels because they are unpredictable. He also enjoys cleaning and watching his son run track.