PrayerBits for Sunday

PrayerBits

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

Sunday

Scripture lesson: John 16:4b-15 Mourn or rejoice?

Time to reflect: There is a lot in this long passage. To focus on one thing, Jesus comments on how is friends seem to be focused on his impending death and their sorrow about this. He wants them to instead focus on the salvation that that comes with his death and resurrection.

Moving through the day: Picture in your mind a visual image of the details of your current life and trials, “pan” back away to see more and more of your life, past and present – seeing the “big picture.” Continue to pan back until you visualize your resurrection and move to be with God.

Scripture:

I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

 "Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

PrayerBits for Saturday

PrayerBits

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

Saturday

Scripture lesson: Romans 8:22-27 Hope

Time to reflect: The ancient word translated as “hope” is not a weak word like our word “hope.” It was not a vague synonym for “wish,” as we tend to use it. I would define it as “an absolute confidence in something that hasn't yet happened.” When we “hope” for the Resurrection we are not wishing or “hoping, maybe, that it is true.” Instead we know, without question that it is going to happen. Read this passage with this understanding of the word “hope.”

Moving through the day: Meditate on how it changes your thinking to speak of hope in this fashion.

Scripture:

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

PrayerBits for Friday

PrayerBits

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

Friday

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b Praising God's good creation

Time to reflect: Psalm 104 is a simple straightforward song of praise for every aspect of God's creation. We know so much more about how the creation works – about microscopic organisms and other solar systems, sub-atomic particles and evolution. The more we know the more marvelous it all becomes.

Moving Throughout the day: Read, pray and meditate on verse 24.

 Scripture:

How many are your works, O LORD!
       In wisdom you made them all;
       the earth is full of your creatures.

 25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
       teeming with creatures beyond number—
       living things both large and small.

 26 There the ships go to and fro,
       and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

 27 These all look to you
       to give them their food at the proper time.

 28 When you give it to them,
       they gather it up;
       when you open your hand,
       they are satisfied with good things.

 29 When you hide your face,
       they are terrified;
       when you take away their breath,
       they die and return to the dust.

 30 When you send your Spirit,
       they are created,
       and you renew the face of the earth.

 31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
       may the LORD rejoice in his works-

 32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
       who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

 33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
       I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

 34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
       as I rejoice in the LORD.

But may sinners vanish from the earth
       and the wicked be no more.
       Praise the LORD, O my soul.
       Praise the LORD. [a]

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

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

Thursday

Scripture lesson Acts 2:1-21 Pentecost

Time to reflect: A very familiar story. Three points that sometimes get overlooked: the “gathered” probably included the women mentioned in chapter 1; the passage from Joel, which is quoted from the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, speak of both sons and daughters prophesying; this is not Glossolalia in the traditional sense since everyone was hearing in their own language This is not matter of people being special but of the proclamation of the Gospel. The “in group” was opening the doors to everyone without restriction.

Moving through the day: When do we speak in a language that excludes rather than clearly expressing the Gospel? Pray that God's Spirit descend on today's church so that we speak clearly to all.

Scripture:

He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."

 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

The Ascension

 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

PrayerBits for Wednesday

PrayerBits

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

Wednesday

Scripture lesson: Ezekiel 37:1-14 Dem Bones

Time to reflect: This wonderful image. This is, of course, not about the resuscitation of corpses, but a “vision” of the restoration of Israel after its destruction. This restoration occurred shortly after this vision, when Persia conquered Israel's conqueror, Babylon and allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem.

Moving through the day: A part of the message of this passage is “never give up hope – God can work wonders.” What do you despair about these days? Gain a vision of what a restoration would be like. Pray to God about this.

 Scripture:

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
      I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "

  So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

  Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

  Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.' "

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

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

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Psalm 8:3-9 A Green Psalm

Time to reflect: This Psalm has become a favorite for environmentalism, because “dominion” in verse 6 doesn't mean “domination” but “responsible control.” The ancient Psalmist would have been surprised by this modern usage, but would also have been surprised by the need for concern about the survival of the planet. I doubt that if the Psalmist was fully informed of the situation would have be content with the “re-purposing” of the Psalm.

Moving through the day: Meditate on what you can be doing to help preserve our planet and all creatures living on it.

When I consider your heavens,
       the work of your fingers,
       the moon and the stars,
       which you have set in place,

 what is man that you are mindful of him,
       the son of man that you care for him?

  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
       and crowned him with glory and honor.

 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
       you put everything under his feet:

 all flocks and herds,
       and the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air,
       and the fish of the sea,
       all that swim the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,
       how majestic is your name in all the earth!

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

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

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Psalm 47 Overconfidence

Time to reflect: Key to understanding this Psalm is verse 7. The people of Jerusalem, just before the fall of Jerusalem were so sure of God's love and protection they didn't feel any obligation to do anything in return. They were convinced that they were invincible. Which made their coming destruction all the more shocking to them.

Moving through the day: Meditate on the concern that we, too, sometimes can take God's love for granted and that God will actively protect us no matter what.

Clap your hands, all you nations;
       shout to God with cries of joy.

  How awesome is the LORD Most High,
       the great King over all the earth!

  He subdued nations under us,
       peoples under our feet.

  He chose our inheritance for us,
       the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
       Selah

  God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
       the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.

  Sing praises to God, sing praises;
       sing praises to our King, sing praises.

  For God is the King of all the earth;
       sing to him a psalm of praise.

  God reigns over the nations;
       God is seated on his holy throne.

  The nobles of the nations assemble
       as the people of the God of Abraham,
       for the kings of the earth belong to God;
       he is greatly exalted.

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

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

Monday

Scripture lesson: Genesis 2:4b-7 The 2^nd Creation Story

Time to reflect: With the 2^nd half of verse 4, we get the creation told again, but from a different perspective and and different organizational principle. Whereas chapter one is very linear and orderly, moving from chaos to the most complex – humans – the 2^nd story has the creation built around and for the humans. Both of these perspectives are important.

Moving Through The Day: What does it mean to you to speak of the universe being created “around and for humans?” What are the implications in how we live and how we relate to God?

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
      When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens- and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground- the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.