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Written Prayer

> April 4-10

> What?

Each day, read a pre-written prayer or write a prayer of your own.

> Why?

The earliest Christians devoted themselves to consciously communing with God, trusting that by going before him in prayer, his kingdom of love and peace and joy would take root in their hearts and spread out into all the world. The Lord answered their prayers mightily. And he would answer our prayers today as well, but we frequently find our prayer life stunted by distracted minds and a weak, thin vocabulary of prayer. Written prayers, whether composed by others or ourselves, can counter these impediments to our walk with God and can deepen and enlarge our life of prayer.

> How?

The desire to grow in prayer is good, but it is an empty desire if we do not create some plan of action. Start by answering these simple questions:

• When will I pray each day?

• Where will I pray each day?

• Will I write down my prayer, or will I adopt the written prayer of another in my daily time of prayer?

> Writing a Prayer> . Writing down a prayer especially helps to curb the tendency we all have to let our minds wander off while praying. We are forced to say something specific to God rather than allow some vague ideas and prayers to float around in our minds without ever really getting at anything. One’s pen or pencil can capture those prayers and set them before the Lord. Your written prayer could take many forms or cover various topics.

• Simply jot down whatever prayer comes to mind in the moment.

• Write a prayer in response to your Scripture reading.

• Focus on one particular kind of prayer: adoration, confession, petition, thanksgiving, or intercession. (See > Matthew Henry’s> helpful breakdown.)

• Center your prayers around the needs of those in your sphere of influence.

• Pray for the church and all who are called to witness to Christ (which is all of us!).

• Craft a poem of praise; create something beautiful for God.

We could create an endless list of topics. The idea is that you might find it helpful to pick one topic or idea and construct your prayer around that.

> Reading a Written Prayer> . Like Jesus’ original disciples, we often don’t even know what to pray (Luke 11:1). We can enlarge our vocabulary of prayer, however, by taking up the prayer that another believer has recorded for the benefit of the faithful. We can read these prayers as they are written, using our imagination to step into the thoughts and feelings of the original author and make the prayer our own. Or we can use these prayers as a template, summarizing and elaborating the writer’s words with our own.

The first place one might start, of course, is the Bible. Besides the Psalms, which function like the Bible’s prayerbook, God led many of his prophets and apostles to write down their prayers. One attempt at cataloging all these prayers may be found > here> .

We may also learn from the saints of old who have demonstrated faithfulness or the liturgies of various churches across time, space, and tradition.

Feast

> April 11-17

> What?

Gather some close friends or family together for a feast to celebrate the goodness of God.

> Why?

Nehemiah encouraged the people of Israel that “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Similarly, Paul charged the church at Philippi to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). They direct us to live with joy because, together as God’s redeemed people, we have the ability to delight in the fellowship of the most glorious, beautiful Being in the universe. But in a world of anxiety and insecurity, guilt and shame, licentiousness and legalism, we must purposefully practice the joy of the Lord in community with other believers. Holding a feast is one avenue towards cultivating that joy.

> How?

First, we have to distinguish a feast from a party. For a party, the hosts often fret about pulling together all the preparations and entertaining their guests. And for some, partying simply means over indulging (usually with alcohol). A feast, on the other hand, is about cultivating an anxiety-free, safe, and hospitable environment in which some celebration, some thanksgiving, and some simple enjoyment can take place to the glory of God.

Second, Paul’s words in Philippians 4:4-8 can guide our feasting:

1. Be reasonable; don’t go crazy (v. 5).

2. Actively reduce stressors and anxiety inducers (v. 6a). Share the load with meal preparation, don’t worry about dieting, give the kids a little more freedom in what they eat, etc.

3. Invite the peace of God with prayer and thanksgiving (vv. 6b-7). That doesn’t mean you need to prepare a devotional, but at least draw attention to the fact of God’s goodness evident among you.

4. Enjoy what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or worthy of praise (v. 8) Let these things guide your conversation more than the general cares of life. Focus on future dreams, hobbies, exciting life events, or any good gift of God

In his book > Recapturing the Wonder> , Mike Cosper draws up eight “ground rules” for feasting. (1) Turn off your phones. (2) Do not count calories, carbs, or “any other nonsense.” (3) Make some buttered noodles (or something simple) for the kids. (4) Conversations should be driven by joy. (5) Plan for abundance. (6) Don’t worry about place settings, tidying up just right, or impressing. (7) Call attention to the feast as a gift from God. (8) Give yourself grace because this is a practice.