“Jesus is our tutor and example in all things, and nowhere is that more clear than in our prayer lives. It is no exaggeration to say that prayer undergirded and preceded and empowered everything that our Lord did while He walked on this earth. He frequently spoke about prayer and even more frequently taught by example.”
David Jeremiah, Prayer: the great adventure, p. 1.
Daily Devotionals: As we step into this next season in the life of our church, we are asking the Lord to help us “Make Room in our Hearts” – for the people Jesus loves, and the people Jesus brings. During these 21 Days, our whole church will be reflecting and meditating on these same thoughts and prayers together, with one mind, guided by and depending on one Spirit.
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Engage the Word: Making Room in our Hearts
Read Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Connect the Heart
All your heart. That’s a tall order, isn’t it? Not just the Sunday part, the “spiritual part”, or the parts where we want peace. Trust is what we give the chair—we plop down without worrying it will collapse; the dollar we hand the cashier—we believe it is legit for payment; and God—for the really important things like our very soul and our eternal destination.
Yet the verse continues, “In all your ways acknowledge him.” Again, not just some ways… In ALL your ways.
I have to admit, this second part seems harder for me since I can more easily give God the big things that are out of my control than the smaller things. I often feel like I should worry about little things like my finances, my relationships, and my daily agenda because they are within my control, right? But are they really?
Reflect on the Truth
- What things are hard for me to trust God for that keep my heart from being “all-in”?
- When is it easier to trust, when times are good or hard?
- Are all my ways acknowledging God? Would my family members, business partners, neighbors, and Jesus agree? How might I turn those difficult areas over to God “with all my heart?”
Depend on the Spirit
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see the deeper longings, desires or motives in your heart that these thoughts are pointing to. (For example: you may write down, “I do trust you Lord, but my mind can get in the way from being “all-in”. Help me act out more trust. I’ve got some habits that don’t acknowledge you. Please help me bravely be all-in with the room you want inside my heart.”) The Lord can help us discern the path forward – through His word, His Spirit, His people.
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For Prayer
As you conclude your devotional time, pray that everyone who calls Ascent Church home would be “all-in”, first in our hearts, overflowing into every aspect of our lives. Pray that we would be known as a people who holds nothing back.
Fasting
Please read the first blog post entitled “Why Fast?” This explains what fasting is and why we follow Jesus in this spiritual discipline as together we seek the heart of God.
Previous Posts
To read yesterday’s blog post devotional, please click here.
To read our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting Introduction, please click here.
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Some parts of our 21 Days devotionals are adapted using various resources on scripture and prayer like The Bible Exposition Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, The New Bible Commentary, Logos Bible Software and other resources.
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