Quiet Walk

[Judy Harder]

April 11

John 2

Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding in Cana to demonstrate His deity to His disciples.

INSIGHT

In John 2:24 we read, "But Jesus did not commit Himself to them." The word commit is the same word that is translated "faith" or "believe" in other places in the Bible. It gives us additional insight concerning the concept of faith in the Bible.

Faith is more than just intellectual understanding. Once someone understands the Gospel, he must make a personal commitment to it. He must entrust himself to it. In reality, to believe in Jesus Christ is to commit one's self to Him.

PRAYER

· Offer your praise to Jesus, who, as God, offers us salvation:

Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength!
We will sing and praise Your power
(Psalms 21:13).

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
(Psalms 33:3-5).

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

Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
The humble He guides in justice,
And the humble He teaches His way. . . .
For Your name's sake, O Lord,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great
(Psalms 25:8-9).

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

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

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

· greater wisdom in decision making,
· the needs of your friends,
· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:5-6).

[Judy Harder]

April 12

John 3

Jesus explains the spiritual nature of salvation.

INSIGHT

Faith, or belief, is often misunderstood. Faith has been defined as "believing in spite of there being nothing to believe" or "believing in spite of the evidence to the contrary." It is often viewed as identical with wishful thinking. If we believe hard enough, we can make something come true (regardless of whether or not God may approve).

None of these concepts is biblical. Faith is belief based on sufficient evidence. In other words, faith is trusting what God has revealed in His Word and in the world, both of which give ample testimony to the truth.

PRAYER

· The sensitive and believing heart looks for opportunities to praise the Lord for His goodness:

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. . . .
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
(Psalms 34:1-3).

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

Sing praise to the Lord,
You saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning
(Psalms 30:4-5).

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

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye (Psalms 32:.

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

· spiritual victory over temptation,
· opportunities to serve the Lord,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

[Judy Harder]

April 14

John 5

Jesus infuriates the religious leaders by claiming equality with God.

INSIGHT

Many people in this world-atheists, agnostics, and those in pseudo-Christian cults-say that Jesus was merely a man, not God. What's more, these people say Jesus never claimed to be God. The Incarnation-the doctrine that Jesus was one person with two natures, one human, one divine-is an anti-biblical and absurd idea invented by the church in later centuries, these skeptics opine.

The gospel of John certainly dispels that notion. In chapter 8, John writes that the religious leaders of His day picked up stones to slay the Lord Jesus Christ because He made Himself equal with God. The Jewish leaders were men of Jesus' time and culture. They understood Jesus' meaning far better than 21st-century skeptics. And as far as they were concerned, Jesus was committing the blasphemy of claiming to be God-a capital offense.

PRAYER

· As an act of personal worship, offer the following praise to God the Son:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-4).

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

Our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He has mercy on us.
Have mercy on us,
O Lord, have mercy on us!
(Psalms 123:2-3).

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

But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple (Psalms 5:7).

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

· a greater love for the God-Man-Christ Jesus,
· the needs of your extended family,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
(Psalms 4:1).

[Judy Harder]

April 15

John 6

After feeding the 5000, Jesus teaches that He is the "Bread of Life."

INSIGHT

Throughout Jesus' ministry, He often speaks in figures of speech. Sometimes the people understand what those sayings mean; sometimes they don't. Jesus promises living water to the woman at the well, so she will never thirst. Her reply is: "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?" (John 4:11).

And in John 6, Jesus speaks of Himself as a bread even better than the manna in the desert, for He gives eternal life to the whole world, rather than merely physical life to the Hebrews in the desert. Missing his point, his audience says hungrily, "Lord, give us this bread always" (v. 34).

He later explains to His disciples, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). Jesus reveals the truths behind the figures of speech to His followers.

PRAYER

· Offer your praise to the God who reveals His will to you through His Word:

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.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world
(Psalms 19:1-4).

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

Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me
(Psalms 19:12-13).

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

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32).

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

· greater understanding of the Bible,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

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

[Judy Harder]

April 16

John 7

Jesus becomes involved in controversy with religious leaders over His true identity.

INSIGHT

When iron and aluminum shavings are mixed together, they are indistinguishable. You cannot identify them by sight; you must sweep a magnet through them. The magnet will attract all of the iron filings, but the aluminum filings will remain undisturbed.

The Lord Jesus Christ has exactly the same effect on those to whom He ministers. Those whose understanding is anchored in faith are drawn to Him like iron to a magnet. Those who choose not to believe remain undisturbed, as though nothing special has happened.

Some of the multitude were saying, "This is the Christ" while others were saying, "Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He?" Understanding, combined with faith, understands even more. Unbelief blinds people.

PRAYER

· Let us praise Him, for surely, this is the Christ:

A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions
(Psalms 45:6-7).

We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness,
In the midst of Your temple.
According to Your name, O God,
So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness
(Psalms 48:9-10).

· Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:

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
(Psalms 32:1-2).

· Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:

Your word is a lamp to my feet,
And a light to my path (Psalms 119:105).

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

· greater love for your family,
· the work of missions in North and South America,
· your activities for the day.

· Offer this closing prayer:

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).

[Judy Harder]

April 17

John 8

Jesus teaches on truth.

INSIGHT

By nature, we want absolute freedom. But such freedom is not possible. In fact, no such thing as absolute freedom exists. To be free to sail the seven seas, we must make ourselves a slave to the compass. This subservience irritates us.

All of life is a contrast between freedoms and corresponding bondages. We can be slaves to Jesus and free from the bondage of sin, or we can be free from Jesus and slaves to the bondage of sin. We can make ourselves slaves to truth, and the truth can set us free.

PRAYER

· The heart that has been set free by truth can offer praise to the Lord of all truth:

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by. . . .
I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the nations.
For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, And Your truth unto the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth
(Psalms 57:1).

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

When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long.
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin
(Psalms 32:3).

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

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10).

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

· greater faithfulness with the finances God has entrusted you with,
· revival to spread among American Christians,
· your activities for the day.

· Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel . . . to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen (Romans 16:25).

[Judy Harder]

April 19

John 10

Using the parable of the Good Shepherd, Jesus teaches of salvation and His deity.

INSIGHT

Whoever comes in contact with Jesus is either blinded or enlightened. They either accept Him or begin manufacturing reasons not to believe in Him. Jesus illustrates this reality with the imagery of sheep and a shepherd. He says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (10:27). Make your heart tender and sensitive to hear and obey Jesus. Walk in His light and you will not stumble.

PRAYER

· Join your heart with the saints of the ages over the last 2,000 years in offering praise to the God of our salvation:

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 (Psalms 63:3-4).

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

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 always before me
(Psalms 51:1-3).

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

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-24).

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

· greater personal discipline,
· Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· 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]

April 21

John 12
After the triumphal entry, the multitudes herald Jesus as their Messiah.

INSIGHT

It is easy to get someone to talk about God, but try to talk about Jesus, and it is not so easy. People will often talk about "feeling close to God." But mention Jesus, and people start to get uncomfortable. Say that Jesus is the only way to God, and people get downright offended.

But Jesus says that if you accept Him, you accept God; and conversely, if you do not accept Him, you do not accept God. When someone talks about being close to God but wants nothing to do with Jesus, you can be sure he is not yet close to God.

Regardless of anyone's unbelief, here is the simple truth: Jesus is God the Son, and He is the only way God has provided for sinners' reconciliation with Himself.

PRAYER

· Praise God for His merciful provision of a Savior:

For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
(Job 19:25-27).

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

I said, "Lord, be merciful to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You"
(Psalms 41:4).

· 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:

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. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand (John 10:27-28).

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

· greater appreciation for Christ,
· a revival in our nation,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).

[Judy Harder]

April 22

John 13

Jesus meets with His disciples and institutes the Lord's Supper.

INSIGHT

More than 2000 years ago, the Lord Jesus Christ ate a ceremonial meal with His disciples. This meal originated in the Passover and pictured Christ's death, our need to receive Him personally for our salvation, and the fact that all those who are His people are a communion of saints. During the meal, He instructed His disciples to observe this ceremony regularly and with gladness until His return.
And so, whether called the Lord's Supper, Communion, or the Lord's Table, Christians today observe a solemn but joyous ceremonial meal which looks back to the redemption of the Cross and forward to the glory of the Second Coming.

PRAYER

· Praise God that He is powerful enough to keep the promises pictured by Communion.

The Lord reigns;
Let the peoples tremble!
He dwells between the cherubim;
Let the earth be moved!
The Lord is great in Zion,
And He is high above all the peoples.
Let them praise Your great and awesome name - He is holy
(Psalms 99:1-3).

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

If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear
(Psalms 66:18).

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

But certainly God has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!
(Psalms 66:19-20).

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

· greater understanding of other traditions within Christianity,
· heart-felt worship at your local church,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb! (Revelation 19:9).

[Judy Harder]

April 23

John 14

Jesus reassures His disciples with His promise to send the Holy Spirit.

INSIGHT

A very tender and intimate scene begins in chapter 14. The disciples do not understand clearly everything that is going on, but they know that something big is about to happen and that Jesus will be leaving them. Their Teacher, their Mentor, their Friend for the last three years is leaving, and their hearts are crushed with the burden.

In this spirit, Jesus speaks softly, kindly, tenderly to them: "Let not your heart be troubled; . . . I go to prepare a place for you (in My Father's house). And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself" (14:1-3). Again: "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you" (14:18).

How loving and compassionate. And He loves us just as much as the disciples.

PRAYER

· God's love for us is indeed cause for us to give Him our heart-felt praise and adoration:

Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
Say to God, "How awesome are Your works!
Through the greatness of Your power
Your enemies shall submit themselves to
You (Psalms 66:1-3).

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

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits
(Psalms 103:1-2).

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

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6).

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

· greater love for others,
· the work of missions in Australia and the islands of the South Pacific,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.

· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:

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).