Check out this guide for daily devotional practices. Select whether you are beginning in the morning, afternoon, and evening and continue on from there. Feel free to go off script and make it your own. This is your time with the LORD! Take joy in His presence.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE: June 14 - 20
-
Morning
-
Afternoon
-
Evening
<
>
Oh LORD let my soul rise up to meet you,
As the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
As the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
LISTEN
Still yourself before the LORD. Set a timer for an amount of time in silence of your choosing (we recommend at least 1 minute for beginners, but it can be as long as you like). Try using a prayer phrase to center your thoughts on Jesus (see example below, but you can choose your own). In silence, listen for anything the Holy Spirit might want to reveal. If a stray thought enters your head, give it to Jesus and ask if he has anything to say about it. If not, let it pass.
(Breathe in): Jesus (Breathe out): have mercy.
Listen in silence.
Thank you, LORD.
(Breathe in): Jesus (Breathe out): have mercy.
Listen in silence.
Thank you, LORD.
Draw us into your love, Christ Jesus;
and deliver us from fear.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
and deliver us from fear.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
CONFESS
Practice the art of confession. Say:
I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do;
and I plead the blood of Jesus for my forgiveness.
Take time to confess to God or to others either out loud, in a prayer journal, or in silent prayer. If someone speaks a confession out loud to you, listen patiently and assure them of Christ’s forgiveness. Conclude by speaking the truth of forgiveness:
LORD Jesus, through your cross you have forgiven us, and we have new life in you.
I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do;
and I plead the blood of Jesus for my forgiveness.
Take time to confess to God or to others either out loud, in a prayer journal, or in silent prayer. If someone speaks a confession out loud to you, listen patiently and assure them of Christ’s forgiveness. Conclude by speaking the truth of forgiveness:
LORD Jesus, through your cross you have forgiven us, and we have new life in you.
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
REFLECT ON THE DAY
Invite the Holy Spirit to make you aware of God’s presence. Review the last 24 hours, and note wherever you see God at work. Take note of the emotions that surface as you reflect. Choose one feature of the day and pray for God to speak to you from it. Look toward tomorrow: What is God inviting you to do in preparation for what is ahead?
GIVE
Share a word of thanks as an offering to God.
INTERCEDE
Share prayer concerns and pray for others.
BIBLE READING
-
Praying Scripture
-
Let God Speak
-
Study
<
>
Choose a group of psalms by taking whatever the day of the month it is and adding thirty to it four times (If it’s the 1st of the month, your psalms are 1, 31, 61, 91, and 121). Set a timer for the amount of time you’d like to dedicate to prayer. Open your Bible to the first psalm of the list and start reading. If it doesn’t seem to speak to where you are at the moment, you can jump to the next one on the list until you find one that feels right. Let the words guide your prayer. Wherever your mind goes as you read and pray, give that to God as prayer. If a word or phrase reminds you of a person or an incident, pray about that. If something strikes you as confusing, make a note to return to it for study at a later time. For now, simply let the psalm serve as a guide.
Find a short passage to reflect upon, preferably a narrative text, around 1-8 verses. Choose one of the following practices to guide a time of reflective prayer using the text.
Contemplate
Read the passage aloud four times, setting a timer for a short time of silent reflection between each reading. The first time through, simply read the text slowly and deliberately for a basic understanding. On the second reading, listen for a specific word or phrase that stands out to you and ponder its meaning. For the third reading, bring that word or phrase before God in prayer - asking what God wants to say through it. In the final reading, contemplate how you might live differently or experience God differently in light of what you have heard.
*This practice is known as Lectio Divina (divine reading).
*This practice is known as Lectio Divina (divine reading).
Enter the Text
Read the passage aloud three-to-four times, setting a timer for a short time of silent reflection between each reading. As you read, first listen for the broad strokes of the passage: What is taking place? Who is there? Etc. As you continue to read, allow your imagination to fill in other details as you enter into the world of the text: Where are you in the narrative? What are the sounds, smells, sights, and other details that you notice? What emotions surface for you as you interact with the events of the text? Finally, listen for what God wants to say to you based upon this reading and experience.
*This practice was developed by a Spanish priest named Ignatius of Loyola in the 1500s.
*This practice was developed by a Spanish priest named Ignatius of Loyola in the 1500s.
Select a passage of scripture to study. With a group or on your own, reflect on the scripture texts provided using the five questions below.
1. What do you like? Why?
2. What do you dislike? Why?
3. What is confusing or strange?
4. What do you learn about God?
5. How will you live differently in response to this scripture?
Do your best to reflect upon questions and answers using the text itself. If you get stuck on questions about definitions or cultural context, it can be helpful to consult commentaries and Hebrew/Greek resources, such as biblehub.com.
1. What do you like? Why?
2. What do you dislike? Why?
3. What is confusing or strange?
4. What do you learn about God?
5. How will you live differently in response to this scripture?
Do your best to reflect upon questions and answers using the text itself. If you get stuck on questions about definitions or cultural context, it can be helpful to consult commentaries and Hebrew/Greek resources, such as biblehub.com.
monday - Haggai 1:1-11 (NIV)
In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest:
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”
Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”
Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”
tuesday - HAGGAI 1:12-15 (NIV)
Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.
Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.
Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.
wednesday - HAGGAI 2:1-9 (NIV)
In the second year of King Darius, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
thursday - HAGGAI 2:10-14 (NIV)
On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’”
The priests answered, “No.”
Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”
“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”
Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.
The priests answered, “No.”
Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”
“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”
Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.
friday - HAGGAI 2:15-19 (NIV)
“‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the Lord. ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”
saturday - HAGGAI 2:20-23 (NIV)
The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
“‘On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
“‘On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
sunday - john 5:8 (NIV)
Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
PRAY
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever.
Let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, our rock and our redeemer (Ps 19:14). Amen.
Let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, our rock and our redeemer (Ps 19:14). Amen.
HEART VERSE
"Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” - Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV)