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Pray for ONE Reading Plan | Week 4 | Day 3
Prayer
Take a moment to be silent and still. In order to be fully present in body and mind, take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Do this three times. Thank God for an opportunity to hear from Him. Ask Him to open your eyes.
Bible Reading: Luke 15:11-32
Read these verses three times slowly.
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Reflection & Questions
We’re continuing this week to consider the journey our ONEs take as they come to know Jesus. For some this will happen rapidly; for others it will take a lifetime. We’re using the acronym HEART. We saw that the “H” stands for receptive Hearts, “E” stands for Eyes and Ears opened to the truth. “A” stands for an Attitude of Conviction.
As hearts become receptive and eyes and ears are opened to the gospel, what follows next is a realization of our brokenness and sin. The younger son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son is a very good example of this. It says “he came to his senses” – in other words, heart changed and eyes and ears were opened. And the result is an Attitude of Conviction: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
It is no coincidence that this Attitude of Conviction came at the lowest point in the prodigal’s life. Oftentimes it is in these moments that God breaks through and does His work. While we never would wish tough circumstances on anyone, it is totally appropriate to pray that God would bring an Attitude of Conviction to our ONEs through whatever it will take. In His wisdom, God knows what it will take and we leave that in His hands.
- When did you experience an Attitude of Conviction for the first time? How did that come about?
- How do these verses and reflections guide your prayer for your ONE?
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
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Questions?
Ed Applegate
