EACF 40 Days of Prayer - January 28, 2020

EACF 40 Days of Prayer 2020
Day 28: Pray for Growth in Knowledge of God's Word

"I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. ...I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. - John 17:6-10, 14-17

After the Last Supper and before Jesus went to the cross, He prayed for His disciples. John, perhaps Jesus' dearest disciple, relayed some of that prayer. Jesus says He gave the disciples God's word, and that the disciples kept it. Then Jesus prays for that word to be used to sanctify the disciples.

This is how it works: God's Word has been given to us and that Word makes us wise for salvation by identifying our Savior, showing us our sin, and deepening our awareness of God's grace calling us from sin and into new life. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly (Colossians 3:16); His Word guides us into right living in Christ. Without God's Word, the path is dark, but His Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105). Thank God for His good Word and pray for growth in knowledge of His Word, that through it we would encounter God, be transformed in His presence, and understand how to live. This is Jesus' own prayer for us!

Pray for a deeper appreciation and understanding of the gift of God's Word. Pray for two others who need to get into His Word more. Write down their names, and encourage them to by sending them a note! This is day 28 of praying for good.