Day 1, Monday: He Stretched Out His Hands

by Pastor Brian Petak

“Prayer is not for the purpose of getting God to help us… but for getting us in line with what God is about to do. Prayer is God’s invitation to enter His throne room so He can lay His agenda over our hearts.”
~ Henry Blackaby, Experiencing Prayer With Jesus, p. 29.

Preparation

We want to encourage you to use a journal or a notebook – something to write on as you walk through each prayer guide. Yes, it may add a few minutes to the time it takes to do the devotion, but it will also deepen your experience and shape your walk with God for years to come. This journal or notebook will be a keepsake to remind you of God’s faithfulness during this challenging season for all of us.

To learn more about the spiritual discipline of fasting, click HERE.

Meditation

Think about what Jesus did for you as you read this out loud:

“He stretched out his hands on the cross,
that he might embrace the ends of the world;
for this Golgotha is the very center of the earth.”

Cyril of Jerusalem, 4th Century

Call to Worship

Hear God call you to worship through his word:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

Adoration

Pray this praise to God:

We come, O Christ, to you,
true Son of God and man,
by whom all things consist,
in whom all life began,
In you alone we live and move
and have our being in your love.

You are the way to God,
your blood our ransom paid;
in you we face our Judge
and Maker unafraid.
Before the throne absolved we stand;
your love has met your law’s demand.

You are the living truth;
all wisdom dwells in you,
the source of every skill,
the one eternal True!
O great I AM in you we rest,
sure answer to our every quest.

You only are true life;
to know you is to live
the more abundant life
that earth can never give.
O risen Lord! we live in you:
in us each day your life renew!

We worship you, Lord Christ,
our Savior and our King;
to you our youth and strength
adoringly we bring:
so fill our hearts that all may view
your life in us and turn to you!

~ Edith Margaret Clarkson, 20th Century Canadian hymn writer

Confession of Sin

Confess your sins to God:

Cleanse me from my secret faults, O Lord, and forgive those offenses to your servant which he has caused in others. I contend not in judgment with you, who are truth; I fear to deceive myself, lest my sin should make me think that I am not sinful. Therefore I contend not in judgment with you; for if you, Lord should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall abide it? Amen.

~ Augustine of Hippo, 5th Century

Assurance of Pardon

Receive these words of comfort from God:

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Psalm 34:8

Prayer of Intercession

As you make your requests to God, pray this prayer:

My life is yours, O God; created by you, redeemed by you and mine again today, because you have remembered me. And now the calling of today is upon me, with its work and trial, and I go forth to it until the evening. Let your blessing go with me into whatever it brings. I do not trust myself at all. I am afraid to live, unless you keep me. I am afraid to act or to speak, unless I am guided by you. Hold me today, that I may not leave your peace or fall into sin. Amen.

~ Henry Wotherspoon, 19th Century, Church of Scotland

Further Petition

Pray for:

• Personal: pray for those needs in your family and personal life that cause you to depend on God.
• Church: pray for The Ascent Church – for unity, oneness, ministry effectiveness and missional impact.
• Community: pray for seekers and unbelievers in our neighborhoods, workplaces and schools.
• World: pray for the gospel to reach unreached people groups, and for churches worldwide to have great impact on their surrounding communities.

Connect the Heart

Consider the following to better connect your head and your heart:

1. What did God show you about Himself through today’s devotional?
2. What did God show you about yourself through today’s devotional?
3. What is something you need to surrender to God today as you pursue greater intimacy with Him?

Benediction

As you close your time of meditation and devotion, receive by faith this blessing from God:

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

_________________________________________

_{Content for our 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting devotionals is adapted from several sources, books on prayer, meditations and liturgies, drawing heavily from O Sacred Head, Now Wounded by Jonathan Gibson (copyright 2024 by Crossway)}