DAY 8 - DISCIPLINE

When I was fifteen years old, I built my first unicycle.

Sure, I had to tear apart my little brothers tricycle to attach the pedal-wheel to the bike fork.  I somehow attached a seat at the top, probably with a hose clamp.  It was funny-looking, but it worked!  And yet, that was just the beginning.

To ride the contraption, I had to practice my take-off, my balance, my forward and backward pedaling.  It took days of discipline.  But I learned to ride a unicycle and would later ride one (a real one!) in a local parade, dressed as a clown - not necessarily one of my proudest achievements, but still worth the memory!

Discipline is tough to teach, tough to learn.  The Bible speaks, repeatedly, of having and practicing discipline.  The Apostle Paul instructs Timothy to discipline himself, “for the purpose of godliness.”  The Apostle Peter reminds us to be disciplined with “sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.”

The paradox is this:  although we should pray for spiritual discipline, it requires discipline to pray.  And yet the reward of such discipline is great - the Spirit is moved within!

PRAYER 8:  God, Give Us Discipline
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
Jim Rohn

Today pray for the discipline to continue on your journey of 40 days!  Pray for the spiritual discipline of prayer in your life, the discipline to offer genuine, heart-felt prayer on a regular basis.

DAY 6 - PEACE, BE STILL

When I was about nine or ten years old, I remember my uncle had fallen in love with a particular hymn, and would often lead it in church.  

Master, the Tempest is Raging was written in the late 1800s, penned by Mary Ann Baker.  It combines dramatic lyrics with dramatic melody and my uncle would lead it perfectly.  The song begins in typical hymnal fashion, but the chorus contains the real thunder, building the prelude to how an all-powerful God will respond to the raging tempest!  My uncle would build the tempo and lead with a loud, booming melody:

Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea, Or demons or men, or whatever it be, No waters can swallow the ship where lies The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies!

At the height of this climax, the song suddenly stops... and my uncle would sing the next verses softly, slowly, and purposefully:

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,
Peace, be still! Peace, be still!
They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,
Peace, peace, be still!

PRAYER 5:  Prayer of Peace.

Do you feel peaceful?  So often we allow the tempest around us to dictate how we answer that question.  All of us, to various degrees, allow ourselves to be victims of our circumstances.  And yet, as Mary Ann Baker wrote, "They all (the circumstances) shall sweetly obey Thy will."  Storms come, and winds blow (as we all experienced recently), but the "Master of ocean, and earth, and skies" will remain steadfast, always caring, always listening, always loving.

If you struggle with a lack of peace, do not look to your circumstances to provide the relief.  Pray that your eyes may open, that your faith increase, that you see Who holds you in the storm.

Today, pray for peace.

DAY 5 - BLACK FRIDAY

Today is a tough one for me.

Obviously, with the consumeristic hype of Christmas upon us, many Christian circles are bemoaning the push for spending your God-given money amidst the flurry of retail super-bargains.  Many will highlight the irony of Thanksgiving on one day, and materialism the next.

And yet, I have a difficult time blowing my referee whistle and calling "foul"!  Sure, Christmas has never been more over-materialized in our culture... but it's still a holiday where people are buying gifts - not for self, but for others.  Why would we be critical of this?  We live in America, land of the bountiful, the rich and famous, the leaders of technology and warfare.  We do not wish to become indoctrinated with a spirit of materialism in a country so blessed, but our society still believes in a holiday, in a specific Friday, where it is good to think of others by way of purchasing and giving gifts.  So our prayer should perhaps be one of wisdom... 

PRAYER 5:  Prayer of Discernment.

Today's prayer could start with something like this:

“Lord, I ask for the wisdom needed to guide me this day.  May I discern between the materialism in my heart, and the love I have for others.  May my pursuit for the things in this world be constrained by my love of You, my dedication to your glory, and my love for others..."

Black Friday gives us an opportunity to ponder.  An opportunity to filter our motives and realize the great goodness that America can show through the act of people gifting those they love.  Especially if those gifts are 75% off at Best Buy! ;)

DAY 4 - THANKSGIVING

Have a fantastic, beautiful, relaxing Thanksgiving today!  Please take a few minutes to pray for our church, Echo, and for the personal blessings you've experienced from the grace of God!

PRAYER 4:  Today We Pray Thanksgiving.

“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.”

Henry Van Dyke

What kindness have you experienced recently?  If you were to follow the impulse of thanksgiving, how might you respond?

Perhaps you’ve felt kindness from a particular person.  Write them a quick letter of gratitude.

Perhaps you’ve experienced a surprise kindness from a stranger.  Pass it on, and bless another stranger.

Perhaps a spouse, or your children, or your parents have expressed their love to you.  Hold them tight.

Or perhaps you’ve been struck by the infinite kindness of God’s grace, expressed through His gift of Jesus Christ.

Today we follow the impulse of gratitude and express ourselves to God!  Today we pray thanksgiving. 

DAY 3 - PUT ON LOVE

As you begin your day, allow yourself just five minutes of time with God.
Just five minutes...

PRAYER 3:  Help Me to Love...

"And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." -Colossians 3:14-15 

Thank God that these people are being used to make you more and more like Jesus. Difficult people are used by God to produce patience. Difficult people are used by God to take you to the end of your own strength; to take you to your need for supernatural love, patience, and forbearance. And, according to Colossians 3, the supernatural patience, love, and forbearance that comes from the Holy Spirit can and will produce peace, joy, and thankfulness. The more God uses people to produce patience, love, joy, and peace in you, the more grace you will experience as He makes you more and more like Jesus. Praise God that these difficult people are part of God’s plan to bring you peace and joy.

This Thanksgiving consider starting a new tradition. Bring the most difficult people in your life before the Father. You and your family will always have to deal with difficult people. Embrace the work of God being done in your own hearts through them. And then, by God’s love, mercy, and grace produced in you, find ways to embrace them in prayer and service. Those difficult people may just be the greatest hidden blessings of God in your life.

-Brad Russell, Lead Pastor at Old Powhatan Baptist Church

DAY 2 - SEARCH ME

As you begin your day, allow yourself just five minutes of time with God.
Just five minutes...

PRAYER 2:  Search My Heart

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" -Psalms 139:23-24
As we continue to be prayerful, even thankful, for the difficult people in our lives we begin with our own.  

Brad Russell, Lead Pastor of Old Powhatan Baptist Church in Powhatan, VA, writes the following:

Thank God that only He can change the hearts of difficult people - and then pray that He would start with your heart.
The truth is, we can all be a difficult, selfish, complaining wretch. What often annoys you about others is a vice you struggle with. How often do you find yourself complaining? How often are you quick to speak and slow to listen? How often do you have to be “right” as opposed to loving? Praise God for difficult people who often expose your own sin and weakness. And praise God that He is faithful to forgive and transform those who trust Him and submit to Him. 

Now that you have examined your own heart and exposed your heart to the cutting and healing work of the Holy Spirit, you are ready to pray for God to expose the hearts and motives of those difficult people. You are now ready to pray for the supernatural work of God to change them.

DAY 1 - MERCY SHOWN

We have forty days, from today until January 1st of the New Year!  What would happen if our church, Echo, would lift up individual prayers for each of those forty days?  How might God move us, use us, grow us?  In a way, we could consider this a spiritual experiment.

Let's begin with the tough stuff - prayers of grace!

How can you be obedient to Jesus’ words in Luke 6:28 and “bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”? How can you pray for those for whom you are not thankful this Thanksgiving?

Over the next three days, as we move toward Thanksgiving, you will be challenged with three prayers you can pray:

PRAYER 1:  Mercy Shown to Us

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8

Thank God that while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you. Remind yourself of the good news of the Gospel this Thanksgiving. The mercy that was shown to you is the mercy you are called to show to your enemies. As Jesus said in Luke 6:35, when you love your enemies, you “will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” 

Praise God for loving you when you were (and are) ungrateful. 
Praise God that when you were evil, He set His love on you. 
Praise God that those people for whom you are not thankful are a perfect reminder of the mercy shown to you by an infinitely loving God.