Quiet Walk

[Judy Harder]

March 21

Mark 9

Jesus is transfigured as a validation of His identity as the Deity and Messiah.

INSIGHT

The Transfiguration gives us an exciting glimpse into our resurrection life. From it, we may learn several things. Our physical bodies may be startlingly brilliant and beautiful, as we witness the amazing appearance of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. We may know each other automatically since the disciples seemed to recognize Moses and Elijah without instruction. We apparently will not be subject to the physical limitations of nature since Moses and Elijah appeared and disappeared. What a joy awaits us in eternity!

PRAYER

· Use this passage of Scripture to offer your praise to the Lord, who transforms us into the image of Christ:

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together
(Psalm 34:1-3).

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

O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
O Lord, correct me, but with justice;
Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing
(Jeremiah 10:23-24).

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

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
There is no searching of His understanding.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might
He increases strength
(Isaiah 40:28-29).

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

· greater wisdom in decision making,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Finally, offer this closing prayer:

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (1 Timothy 1:17).

[Judy Harder]

March 22

Luke 10

Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan.

INSIGHT

The harsh reality of life is that we cannot help everyone in need. From the parable of the Good Samaritan, we can learn several things which help us evaluate when we should help. We are obligated to assist a person in need when

· he or she comes across our path in the normal course of life;
· he or she has a legitimate need, not of his or her own making;
· he or she cannot help himself or herself;
· and we have the ability to meet the need.

PRAYER

· We praise the Lord because He is faithful to bring us to spiritual maturity:

O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory
(Psalm 63:1-2).

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

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones which You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities
(Psalm 51:7-9).

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

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17).

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

· spiritual victory over the temptation you face,
· reformation in America and the world at large,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Offer these closing prayers to the Lord:

Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
(Psalm 90:14).

 

[Judy Harder]

March 23

Luke 15

Jesus tells three parables to demonstrate the quality and quantity of God's love for sinners.

INSIGHT

Many things about God are difficult to understand. But there is one thing about God which is easy to understand. He earnestly longs for the lost to be saved. In the parable of the lost sheep, we see a God who is willing to leave the multitudes to seek just one which is lost. In the parable of the lost coin, we see a God who will move heaven and earth to find a prized possession. In the parable of the prodigal son, we see a God who rejoices with great joy when a lost one comes home.

As Christians, we should not let that which we don't know cloud that which we do know. We must focus on the roses rather than the thorns. God loves the sinner, and on that, we can rest.

PRAYER

· Offer the Lord your praise for His great love for you:

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods
(Psalm 95:1-3).

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

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise
(Psalm 51:14-15).

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

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9).

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

· a stronger desire to be like Christ,
· the ministry of other churches around the nation,
· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

[Judy Harder]

March 24

Luke 16

Through parables, Jesus gives instruction on the proper perspective of wealth.

INSIGHT

It's hard to let go of the temporal and lay hold of the eternal. And the temporal world can hold on to rich and poor alike through money. Both the greedy and the envious live as if there were no eternal realm.

Jesus often speaks about a true and good perspective on money. Perhaps His financial teaching can be summed up by this: Our faith should be in God, not money. We must be careful always to trust God who supplies the money rather than to trust the money itself.

PRAYER

· The Lord can be completely trusted with all your needs. Thank Him with praise:

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday
( Psalm 37:3-6).

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

See, O Lord, that I am in distress;
My soul is troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very rebellious.
Outside the sword bereaves,
At home it is like death
(Lamentations 1:20).

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

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance. . . .
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 42:5, .

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

· greater faith in God's providence,
· the needs of your friends,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

May I learn in whatever state I am, to be content (based on Philippians 4:11).

[Judy Harder]

March 25
Luke 17


Jesus describes the circumstances surrounding His second coming.


INSIGHT

Gratitude is beautiful to witness. When a person's eyes light up as they open a gift, the giver enjoys the experience as much as the receiver.
We appreciate gratitude, and so does the Lord. He loves to see His children rejoicing at His many good gifts.

Gratitude to the Lord can be cultivated. Imagine what your life would be like without the Lord's grace. Show the Lord that you appreciate Him by nurturing an attitude of gratitude.

PRAYER

· Offer your praise to the Lord who is so liberal with His good gifts:

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,
On an instrument of ten strings,
On the lute,
And on the harp,
With harmonious sound.
For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work;
I will triumph in the works of Your hands
(Psalm 92:1-4).

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

Oh, that my ways were directed
To keep Your statutes!
Then I would not be ashamed,
When I look into all Your commandments
(Psalm 119:5-6).

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

You have . . . given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great.
You enlarged my path under me;
So my feet did not slip
(Psalm 18:35-36).

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

· a renewed commitment to showing gratitude for God's many blessings,
· opportunities to encourage other believers,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Close your prayer time with the Lord with this offering from the pages of Scripture:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17). 

[Judy Harder]

March 26

Mark 10

Jesus prepares His disciples for His death.

INSIGHT

If there is anything between you and the Lord, He will pinpoint it and ask you to give it up. He wants total commitment -- nothing less.

That does not mean you cannot be committed to other things. It just means that He wants nothing to be higher on your priority list than He is.

A husband must be committed to his wife and children. A professional must be committed to his job. But all must be committed to the Lord first.

The rich young ruler learned this in a very painful lesson. We can learn from his experience: Put the Lord first.

PRAYER

· As an expression of your commitment to the Lord, offer Him this psalm of praise:

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name. . . .
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me
(Psalm 63:3-4, 6-8).

· Pray this passage of confession to the Lord:

You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart --
These, O God, You will not despise
(Psalm 51:16-17).

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

I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day (2 Timothy 1:12).

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

· greater commitment to Christ,
· the work of missions in the Middle East,
· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

May You, the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after we have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us. To You be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen (based on 1 Peter 5:10-11).

[Judy Harder]

March 27

Mark 11

Jesus is perceived as an earthly king as He rides into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey.

INSIGHT

When Jesus rides into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey, why does the crowd rush out to greet Him? The answer is found in Jewish culture and history. In Old Testament times, one of the ways a king was inaugurated was to get on a donkey and have a large retinue of people walk along behind him shouting, "Long live the King!"

The crowd in the temple wants to make Jesus king. When they see Him riding toward them on a donkey, they use it as an opportunity to precipitate a coronation. That He was crucified shortly afterward indicates that they were looking only for a national leader rather than a personal Savior. How do you see Him?

PRAYER

· Express your praise to the Lord in the words of this psalm:

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture
(Psalm 100:1-3).

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

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting
(Psalm 139:23-24).

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

The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:12-13).

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

· greater faithfulness in sharing Christ,
· your state and local leaders and civic affairs,
· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

O God of peace, sanctify me completely; make my whole spirit, soul, and body to be preserved blameless at the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ (based on 1 Thessalonians 5:23).

[Judy Harder]

March 28

Mark 12

The Pharisees and Sadducees attempt to discredit Jesus through treacherous questions.

INSIGHT

In today's passage, we see one of the most marvelous teachings in the New Testament. An attorney, intrigued by the quality of the answers Jesus gives to the Pharisees who are trying to discredit Him, asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is. He only asks for one; Jesus gives him two.

The Lord says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart . . . [and] your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these"(Mark 12:30-31). The Christian life can be very complex, but at its heart, it is very simple: love God and others.

PRAYER

· Because the Lord has promised to care for our needs, offer Him your thanks:

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful. Praise the Lord with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
For the word of the Lord is right,
And all His work is done in truth.
He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord
(Psalm 33:1-5).

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

You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You
(Psalm 5:4).

He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

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

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

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

· your development of a perspective on life,
· your own personal goals and spiritual growth,
· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

May we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen (based on 2 Peter 3:18).

[Judy Harder]

March 29

Mark 13

Jesus responds to His disciples' questions regarding His future coming.

INSIGHT

To the world, the idea of Jesus returning in history to judge His enemies and reward His friends is a joke.

"Come down out of the clouds," people say, "and spend your time thinking about what you can do right here and now."

Though the world doesn't take the doctrine of the Second Coming seriously, the Bible places great emphasis on the teaching. Christians, then, need to take it seriously as well. Twice in Mark 13 Jesus warns, "Be on the alert!" Properly understood, awaiting Christ's return should help us live righteously as we do God's work in this world.

PRAYER

· Express your gratitude to the Lord for His promises by offering Him praise:

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has done marvelous things; . . .
Shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises
(Psalm 98:1, 4).

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand
(Psalm 95:6-7).

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

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9).

· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. As you agree with God, pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:

This is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment (1 John 3:23).

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

· greater discipline in your personal Bible study,
· national and world affairs,
· your activities for the day.

· Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen (1 Timothy 6:15-16).

[Judy Harder]

March 30

Matthew 24

Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree and signs of His second coming.

INSIGHT

Matthew 24 and 25 offer some of the most comforting -- and terrifying -- verses in the Bible. They detail some of the judgments to fall on mankind at the end of history. Yet God will not be caught by surprise. He is able to protect His spiritual children.

If someone comes along and says, "I am Christ," we do not have to be confused. We know he is a false teacher, for Jesus will come in the twinkling of an eye -- there will be no time for such statements. The God of power is also the God of the future, and we can rest in His sovereign care as we trust in Him.

PRAYER

· As you rest in God's sovereignty, offer Him this psalm of trust:

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations
(Psalm 100:4-5).

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who only does wondrous things!
And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory (Psalm 72:18-19).

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

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).

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

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever. Amen (Revelation 7:12).

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

· blessing in your life roles: family, work, ministry,
· the Lord to send out laborers into His harvest,
· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen (2 Corinthians 13:14).