Quiet Walk

[Judy Harder]

March 1
Matthew 1

Matthew records Jesus' miraculous conception and birth.

INSIGHT

The birth of Jesus splits time and space like a lightning bolt in a hot July sky. The stage is set for the most important event in history. It has been planned before the foundation of the world. It is promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. The prophets have heralded it, the people long for it, and the culture is ripe for it.

The Messiah is coming to establish His kingdom. More importantly, He is coming to effect a new relationship between God and man.

Jesus is not just another world leader. He is God in the flesh. God, who has previously made Himself known through a nation, and through a law, is now coming to make Himself known through a man, a God-man, Jesus.

PRAYER

· Continue your time with the Lord by offering your praise to the God of history through these words:

You are my praise and You are my God,
who has done these great and awesome
things for me which my eyes have seen
(based on Deuteronomy 10:21).

· As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me...
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You
(Psalm 51:10, 12-13).

· As you confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, submit yourself to His will:

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

· As you make your requests known to God, pray for
· laborers for the harvest,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.
· As your closing prayer, pray this passage to the Lord:

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night
(Psalm 92:1-2). 

[Judy Harder]

Matthew 2

Mary and Joseph flee with Jesus to escape Herod's murderous attack.

INSIGHT

When Herod asks the scholars where the Messiah is to be born, they answer without hesitating: "Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet."

The odds against anyone other than Jesus being the Messiah are staggering. There are 60 major prophecies that are fulfilled in the life of Christ.

Josh McDowell writes in Evidence That Demands a Verdict that, by using the science of probability in reference to all 60 major prophecies, the chances that any man might have fulfilled all 60 is humanly impossible. Reason demands that we accept Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah.

PRAYER

· As you rest in the security that Jesus is the Messiah, offer the Lord praise:

O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth (2 Kings 19:15).

I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High
(Psalm 7:17).

· As you seek to keep your life free from sin and its awful effects, pray this confession to the Lord:

Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him; and to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray to the Lord this affirmation of His mercy in your life:

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust" (Psalm 91:1-2).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater sensitivity to sin,
· the ministry of your church in the local community,
· your activities for the day.
· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

I will remember the works of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds
(Psalm 77:11-12). 

[Judy Harder]

March 3
Matthew 3

After His baptism by His forerunner, John, Jesus' ministry is validated by God the Father.

INSIGHT

No matter when, no matter where, repentance is necessary when meeting God for the first time. To repent means to change your mind.

If you have been living your life without God, you must change your mind about Him. You must stop thinking of Him as something less than Sovereign Lord of the universe. You must acknowledge His right to define what is right -- and wrong -- for you. And you must trust Him to reconcile you to Himself through His only begotten Son.

If you were transported back to John's time and heard his message, would you repent?

PRAYER

· At Jesus' baptism, God confirmed Jesus' divine sonship to all who were at the scene. Thank God that He reveals Himself in ways that all people understand:

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard
(Psalm 19:1-3).

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).

· Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord:

There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God
(Romans 3:10-11).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit
(Psalm 32:1-2).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· day-to-day repentance,
· the Lord to reveal Himself to others through you,
· your activities for the day.
· Finally, offer this closing prayer:

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:5).

   

[Judy Harder]

March 4

Luke 1
The births of John and Jesus are foretold.

INSIGHT

How do you think you would feel if you were suddenly in the presence of an angel?

If you're like the biblical characters, you would feel . . . afraid. Scripture recounts several instances of human beings coming face-to-face with supernatural beings. Most of those occasions were frightening -- even terrifying -- to the persons involved.

But God's messengers understand our fear. And they do their best to assuage it. When Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, he saw her troubled look and said, "Do not be afraid."

That's what God says to us throughout our lives. Drawing us into His holy presence, He reassures us that we need not fear. God loves us, Christ died for us, and God has a plan for our lives.

So we can approach Him with complete confidence!

PRAYER

· Express your praise to the Lord in the words of Scripture:

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war should rise against me,
In this I will be confident
(Psalm 27:1-3).

· As you seek to keep your life free from sin, offer this prayer of confession to the Lord:

Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts (Isaiah 6:5).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Pause to pray this passage of affirmation to the Lord:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater confidence in God's love,
· evangelism in your community,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.
· Finally, close with this prayer:

In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13).

[Judy Harder]

March 5

Luke 2
Luke gives his account of Jesus' birth and early life.

INSIGHT

To Jesus, nothing is more important than doing His Father's will, even at the age of 12. When His parents miss Him on the trip home from the Passover, they return and find Him in the temple. "Did you not know that I had to be about My Father's business?" He asked. "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me," He later said in John 4:34. Absolute single-mindedness!

We are to have the mind in us which was also in Christ Jesus. We are to have absolute single-mindedness about doing the will of the Father. Most of us don't feel very single-minded. We feel distracted and pulled in the direction of the world, the flesh, and the enticements of the devil.

But the goal remains unchanged: absolute single-mindedness in serving the Father. Make that your purpose and your prayer.

PRAYER

· Offer your praise in these words to the God who is worthy of unceasing devotion:

O Lord our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
(Psalm 8:1).

I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works
(Psalm 9:1).

· As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord:

"Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord,
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool"
(Isaiah 1:18).

· Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

· greater love for others,
· the work of missions in the former Soviet Union,
· your activities for the day.
· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

[Judy Harder]

March 6

Luke 3
Jesus begins His own ministry after John baptizes Him.

INSIGHT

The unique contribution of each of the four Gospels is very important to our understanding of the life of Christ. In the gospel of Matthew, the genealogy takes Jesus' ancestry back to Abraham. That is because Matthew's gospel is written by a Jew to Jews and emphasizes distinctly Jewish matters. However, Luke is a Gentile, writing to Gentiles, who emphasizes matters that are of concern to a broader audience.

From Matthew we learn that Jesus was a descendant of Abraham, and we see the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham. From Luke, we learn that Jesus is the Son of God, and we see the fulfillment of God's promises to those of us who are not descendants of Abraham.

PRAYER

· Offer your praise to the Lord who is faithful to His Word:

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!
While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being
(Psalm 146:1-2).

Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful
(Psalm 147:1).

· As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession:

Forgive us Lord, when we are unmindful of the Rock who begot us, and when we forget the God who fathered us (based on Deuteronomy 32:18).

Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord (Lamentations 3:40).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater faithfulness with your time and efforts,
· opportunities for sharing your faith in Christ with others,
· your activities for the day.
· Finally, offer this closing prayer:

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety
(Psalm 4:.

[Judy Harder]

March 7

Luke 4
Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and tempted by Satan.

INSIGHT

When Satan tempts Jesus, he offers Him things which God has already promised to give to Jesus. The things are not wrong in and of themselves, but they are not in God's time or in God's way. Each time Jesus rebuffs Satan, He does so with Scripture. Each time Satan offers Jesus something, Jesus' reply is, "No, because it is written . . ." To be victorious, we must know Scripture well enough to use it in our spiritual warfare, to see through the tricks of Satan.

PRAYER

· The repentant heart is one that can offer praise to the Lord:

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting,
You are God
(Psalm 90:1-2).

O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions. . . .
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
May the Lord rejoice in His works
(Psalm 104:24, 31).

· Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord:

I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly (2 Samuel 24:10).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:

By grace I have been saved through faith, and that not of myself; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest I should boast. For I am His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that I should walk in them (based on Ephesians 2:8-10).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater wisdom for living as God would want you to,
· the needs of your immediate family,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.
· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
(Psalm 103:21-22).

[Judy Harder]

March 8

Mark 1
Jesus begins His ministry of miracles and preaching and calls His first disciples.

INSIGHT

Mark writes that after Jesus' baptism the Spirit impels Him to go out into the wilderness, where He is tempted by Satan.

The next 40 days are enormously difficult for Jesus. It is not true that if you follow God's will, you will have a life of ease. Often, the way of God involves circumstances in which we must trust in the Lord and draw on His truth and strength.

Jesus was the God-man. Yet His life on this earth was filled with trials He had to endure. And we should expect to encounter trials during our sojourning in this world, but we can endure if we draw strength from the One who has paved the way for us.

PRAYER

· Offer your praise to the Lord who transforms us through His Word:

Unto You I lift up my eyes,
O You who dwell in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He has mercy on us
(Psalm 123:1-2).

· Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord:

Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me
(Psalm 51:1-3).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand (John 10:27-28).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater insight into the teachings of Scripture,
· the hungry around the world,
· your activities for the day.
· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me --
A prayer to the God of my life
(Psalm 42:.

[Judy Harder]

March 9

Mark 2

Mark tells of Jesus' early ministry in Capernaum.

INSIGHT

When a paralyzed man is brought to Jesus, He says, "Son, your sins are forgiven you" (Mark 2:5). The scribes are incensed. No one can forgive sin but God, and they do not believe that Jesus is God. In response, Jesus says, "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?" (Mark 2:9).

Of course, it is easier to say that your sins are forgiven. After all, who can verify if it is true? So, to prove that He is God and has the power to forgive sins, Jesus says to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed and go your way to your house" (Mark 2:11). Jesus' miracles are often timed strategically to demonstrate the validity of a central truth which He is teaching.

PRAYER

· Rejoice in the fact that Jesus will forgive your sins, and offer Him praise:

Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord (You are great, and Your name is great in might),
Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For this is Your rightful due,
For among all the wise men of the nations,
And in all their kingdoms, there is none like You
(Jeremiah 10:6-7).

Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who delights greatly in His commandments
(Psalm 112:1).

· Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession:

Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight --
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge
(Psalm 51:4).

· As you contemplate the Lord's mercy, confess any sins which the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:

I shall know the truth, and the truth shall make me free (based on John 8:32).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater commitment to walk in the ways of the Lord,
· blessings on the work of a specific Christian ministry,
· your activities for the day.
· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
That I may declare all Your works
(Psalm 73:28).

[Judy Harder]

March 10

MATTHEW 6

Jesus teaches His followers concerning prayer and personal treasures.

INSIGHT

We cannot fool God. It is impossible to put something over on Someone who is omniscient. We can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time. But not God. Jesus says, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them"(Matthew 6:1).

It is easy for us to fall into the trap of living our Christian lives for the sake of other Christians. We should be living it for the sake of our relationship with the Lord. We may find ourselves going to church, singing the songs, and going through the motions but spending no time cultivating a personal relationship with the Lord. Such a relationship does not come easily. It requires commitment and time.

But we must not fool ourselves, either. The Lord does not want merely our church attendance or other external actions. He wants us!

PRAYER

· Ponder the fact that the Lord wants a personal relationship with us, and offer Him your praise:

O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? (2 Chronicles 20:6).

· Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord:

The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
And according to the fruit of his doings
(Jeremiah 17:9-10).

· As you ponder the mercy of God, confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater love for the lost,
· the work of missions in Africa,
· your activities for the day.
· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever
(Psalm 23:6).