Welcome to Day 1 of the 21 Day Experiment in Prayer. In prayer as in life, it helps to begin with the end in mind. What’s your goal? What do you hope will happen?
My goal is simple: I want to hear God’s voice. Why? So I can pray His will. Remember the second part of our Lord’s prayer , “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as in heaven.” Just think. Our prayers are part of the way God gets His work done here on earth!
I also want to hear God’s voice so I can do His will. I want to follow his instructions, gain His insight, be protected from unseen snares, and delivered from the devil’s messes.
My short answer on how to know the voice of God is this: “Read his words”. No kidding. God spent about 1469 pages (in my Bible) revealing His power, His plan, His pattern for living, and best of all, His promises.
But we must give God time to speak to us. A few minutes each day to read and reflect on His Word sharpens our “inner hearing.” Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me” (John 10:27).
Each time I perform this 21 Day Experiment, God speaks in special ways. More often a whisper than a shout, but always personal, just for me. I use a simple prayer method to go along with my daily reading in the Gospel of John.
My tools include a Bible, a fine point Sharpie, and an ordinary, wire-bound booklet of 3×5 cards, which I call my Chubby Book. Now you’re set to go!
Ground rules:
- Set aside fifteen minutes each day to read one chapter of John’s Gospel.
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to impress one verse upon your mind for that day. Write the verse on a 3×5 card in your Chubby Book.
- List your prayers on the adjacent card. I take my Chubby Book with me throughout the day. I like to pray while going for a run or walk, waiting for an appointment, folding clothes.
- Ask God for practical ways to be a doer of His Word.
This morning, while reading John Chapter One, I was struck by Andrew’s reaction when he realized that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah:
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who…followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus (John 1:40-41 NIV).
Did you catch that? The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him about Jesus.
Be a doer of the Word: Today, I’m prompted to pray for those in my own neighborhood–especially the young moms–who don’t know the Lord: Lord, show me some practical ways to “bring them to Jesus.” And like Andrew, may it be the first thing on my mind.
