Author: Aaron Hufty

Re:Verse passage – Luke 11:1-4 (day two)  Give us each day our daily bread. Vs. 3

Just enough; sufficient. That is how Jesus teaches us to pray. Before we read a list of must-haves, we simply need to take stock of what is necessary. We talk a lot about gratitude in our house. It has become a recurring joke when my children ask me what I want for a birthday they know my response will be, ‘grateful children.’ When we are so cared for, and we truly are, things like breath, health, shelter are expectations rather than blessings. How quickly any of those can change is evident all around us, and yet our tendency is to forget to acknowledge how much of a blessing they are. Jesus prays specifically for what is required for that day. He isn’t saying don’t make plans for the future, but he is clearly saying don’t make them at the expense of this day and all that God has provided for it.

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 1:1-11 (day two)

‘but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’ Vs. 9

Isn’t this a powerful text? I love Nehemiah’s boldness as he prays. Often as we come before the Lord, the Spirit will remind us of his promises. The Prophet Nehemiah is using the promises of deliverance given by the Lord as a catalyst for repentance. The Lord surely did not need reminding, but as we pray it is always good to cleave to scripture as a signpost for where we need to be. The picture of corporate repentance is also one that we can learn from. We must daily pray for our individual walk, but we should also be a people who acknowledge sin on a larger scale. The call to turn back should indicate that we have moved away from the purposed path as a people. This picture of a repentant people is a great model for the contemporary church.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 11:22-25 (day two) And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God.

Take an opportunity to set your focus before you make your request. The first answer Jesus gives isn’t ask for the moon. It is have faith in God. Set your priorities with where the Lord is leading. Trust his plan before your own. Understand that he has designed you for a purpose, and then make your requests in line with that purpose. The Lord wants to bless you, there is no doubt, but he wants you to be rooted, grounded, unshaken in your faith in the Lord.

Re:Verse passage – John 17:20-26 (day two)

That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. Vs. 21

Jesus’ words in this prayer are not a condition for salvation, but a desire for a blessing beyond imagining. His call for unity is not a call for conformity. We don’t see him saying he wants everyone to look alike, talk alike, and be the same. Paul would later remind us that we are all made uniquely, and that each has a part to play in the symphony of the Lord. Jesus wants us to experience the beauty of unity that can only come from union with the Lord.  Then, all those differences that we see in each other fade in comparison to the light that shines from our being in step with Jesus. He speaks so beautifully about wanting this for all of us. If he had such a desire for this unity, shouldn’t we?

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 3:14-21 (day two)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, Vs. 14

Bow (14) – repent, submit                                                                                                   He would grant (16)…to be strengthened                                                                 That Christ may dwell (17)                                                                                                   So, you may comprehend (18)                                                                                         And know the Love of Christ (19)…and be filled

Where does it all begin? It begins with a submitted and repentant heart. The wonder and majesty that follow vs. 14 are predicated on a heart that cannot receive blessings if filled with confusion, distraction, and sin. Paul is demonstrating this process on behalf of the people of Ephesus, but the script is the same for an individual believer. Want to be filled with the goodness of God? Want to enter into a relationship that exceeds anything that you have ever imagined? Begin with an attitude of repentance.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 18:1-8 (day two)

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, vs. 1

Our re:verse passages these last two weeks have included some interesting parables from Jesus. A casual reading may lead one to believe that we can pester God to granting our requests. Jesus uses characters that are not beacons of virtue to illustrate his point about boldness and persistence. I also think there is another lesson to be gleaned from these passages. It is found in verse one of this week’s reading. Not only are we to be bold and persistent, but in so doing we create a discipline of prayer. Jesus is reminding of us of our absolute need to stay tethered to the father. We must have a pattern and routine of dialogue. We must speak, and we must listen. This regularity will change our hearts as we constantly seek audience with the divine.

As you celebrate Independence Day today, take time to thank God, in prayer, for the freedom to worship and share your faith.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 11:5-13 (day two) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” vs. 13

Do you ever reach a point with your friends or family where you stop asking for help? You don’t want to be ‘that guy’ where everyone runs for cover when they see you coming. Maybe you have things going on in your life that are just not quite right, but you you think you have gone to the well one too many times. When we think this way about the Lord we have sorely misjudged his capacity to listen. This kind of thinking leads to a skewed relationship with the Lord. If this passage says anything, it speaks to the demand that we be persistent. God understands our situation, but he also requires us to be honest and completely trusting in his ability to hear and act according to his great will.

As an aside, let me add my request before my church family. Today, the Youth Worship team begins day three of ministry in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We will be serving all week long in missions, food banks, and other ministries that serve the underprivileged. Yesterday, they led worship for a church in Calgary and sang for a retirement community. We will sing in several other places along the way. I am asking you to pray for their strength, rest, endurance, and boldness.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 8:26-27 (day two) 

for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; vs. 26b

Places where we are weak are often areas where we simply don’t know how to advance, grow, or get better. Where we lack a vision to move beyond weakness, we become stuck. If we are faithful to pray, even in our lack of clarity and understanding, the Spirit begins to provide to traction to move. We begin, because we were faithful, to grow out of complacency or despondency. Our words begin to grasp our situation and we understand our dependency on the power of the Spirit. What begins with confusion will produce spiritual fruit if we will commit to pray…even when we don’t know the words.

Re:Verse passage – Acts 2:42-47 (day two) 

Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, vs. 46

Breaking bread is mentioned twice in this passage that we are studying. It is likely that one referred to the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, and the other to simply spending time together at a dinner table. Don’t you find it easier to pray for people that you spend time with? Isn’t it more natural to lift up needs of others that you have had an opportunity to actually hear their heart? Is there a better activity to get to know others than eating a meal together? And, hey, it’s food! In a church like ours which represents a very large geographic area, it is incumbent on us to find ways to get to know our brothers and sisters, so that we may better pray for them. You don’t need to wait for an Area Fellowship. Everybody eats, find a friend, share a meal, and pray.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 (day two) May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. vs. 5

Perhaps you have seen greetings and salutations taken from scripture that make their way into our Christian vernacular. Pastor Chris signs his emails with ‘grace and peace’ which is a phrase you will read in many of Paul’s letter. Verse 5 should perhaps become a benediction for believers as we communicate with one another. Our prayer should constantly be to help others know and experience the love of God. To walk in the knowledge that they were created and known by the creator of the universe. This blessing further admonishes them to be steadfast like Christ. To be true to the call; unswerving in devotion, and pure in intent. Let’s all learn this prayer, and begin blessing others with it.