PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Thursday

Scripture lesson: 2 Kings 5:1-14 Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord

Time to reflect: This is an amusing story of the king of the most powerful country visiting the hut of a person in a subservient country, and having to be humble enough to accept being treated like just any old person.

Moving through the day: How often do we expect special treatment because of our “status?” How easy is it for us to be humbled?

Scripture:

Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

  Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."

  Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."

  As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"

 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."

  But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.

  Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

PrayerBits for Wednesday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Wednesday

Scripture lesson: Lamentations 3:24-33 Hope

Time to reflect: Lamentations is a series of Psalms written during the Babylonian captivity, after the destruction of Jerusalem. The situation of the Psalmist(s) was the worst possible. But in the midst of the misery, the writer of Lamentations 3 could still sing with confidence these verses!

Moving through the day: When you are down and out and thoroughly discouraged can you feel the way of the writer of these verses? Save these verses for one of these times of misery and pray them.

 Scripture:

I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
       therefore I will wait for him."

  The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
       to the one who seeks him;

  it is good to wait quietly
       for the salvation of the LORD.

  It is good for a man to bear the yoke
       while he is young.

  Let him sit alone in silence,
       for the LORD has laid it on him.

  Let him bury his face in the dust—
       there may yet be hope.

  Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
       and let him be filled with disgrace.

  For men are not cast off
       by the Lord forever.

  Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
       so great is his unfailing love.

  For he does not willingly bring affliction
       or grief to the children of men.

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Proverbs 13:12 Hope

Time to reflect: To add a little background to this proverb, which is otherwise self explanatory, “hope” in English is equivalent to “wish” but in the Biblical languages, it was a much stronger word. I usually translate it as “an absolute confidence in something yet to happen.” For a delayed hope there is the possibility of wavering in our confidence.

Moving through the day: We have hope in the resurrection. Are there times when your hope fades into wishing or even doubt? Pray for confidence in the promises of Scripture.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
       but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Monday

Scripture lesson: Psalm 33:18-22 Our Soul?

Time to reflect: The word often translated as “soul” as in verse 20, is a lot bigger and important word that it appears to be in English. The soul is NOT some spiritual thing crammed into our bodies. Instead soul (“nephesh” in Hebrew) is everything about us that makes us who we are: personality, history, genes, relationships, mind, emotions, physical characteristics and so forth. Everything except the physical molecules (what Paul refers to as our earthly “tent” that can be taken down without affecting the person living in the tent). At the Resurrection, it is this that is resurrected. Not the molecules, but so much more than some “spiritual being.”

Moving Through The Day: Meditate on praying to God with our Nephesh – out total being, and not just our mind or our emotions.

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
       on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

  to deliver them from death
       and keep them alive in famine.

  We wait in hope for the LORD;
       he is our help and our shield.

 In him our hearts rejoice,
       for we trust in his holy name.

  May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
       even as we put our hope in you.

PrayerBits for Sunday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Sunday

Scripture lesson: Mark 1:29-39 Demons?

Time to reflect: “Demon” was the first century word for an invasive illness, they had another word, commonly translated as “weakness” for internal illnesses. They had no way of knowing or understanding “virus” or “bacteria” but they instinctively recognized that some illnesses came from the outside, were “catching” and could leave. Demons are not little monsters but illnesses. “Casting out” means curing such an illness (“making whole” was a common term for healing a “weakness”).

Moving through the day: In this passage we see the two callings of the church: proclaiming the message and taking care of the sick. How well are we, Christ's Church and Body, doing these two things today?

Scripture:

As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place

 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"

 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.