Step #1: Lectio / ReadClick the link below or open your Bible to the passage and read through the reading at least once, paying attention to what is happening in the text. Step #2: Meditatio / MeditateUse the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again). As I first sat down to pray through the readings for today, I wasn’t quite sure where I was going to land (there was just so much goodness in each of them). But then, one verse in the Gospel stopped me dead in my tracks. Luke brings to our attention an act of healing that the Lord performs within the mother-in-law of Simon. And maybe that doesn’t seem all that impressive (I mean certainly we see the Lord do greater things than that throughout the Gospels). But what struck me to the heart wasn’t so much what Jesus did, but why he did it. You see Luke doesn’t just tell us that Peter and those with him asked for God’s help, instead he specifically says that “they interceded with him about her.” The dictionary definition of intercession states that it is “the action of intervening on behalf of another.” And I think I like that way of looking at this Scripture better. Peter and his friends. they don’t just ask the Lord to help his mother-in-law, they intervene with the Lord on her behalf. There’s something about that that seems more involved, more desperate, than just asking the Lord for a favor. I think that sometimes, “I’ll pray for you!” becomes the customary response we offer to anyone who shares their struggles with us. And, of course, it’s great to pray for those in need. But do we know the power that those intercessory prayers are capable of having when we turn to the Lord in confident hope and don’t just ask for his help, but intervene with him on behalf of another? Peter (along with those who were with him) invited the Lord into his home and interceded for his mother-in-law and the Lord performed a work of healing. Just imagine what the Lord could do in the lives of those that we prayed for (and really even in our own lives) if we were willing to truly intervene for them; to come to the Lord on their behalf, confident that he desires to give good gifts to his children. And so today as we bring our own prayers and the prayers of those who have asked us to intercede for them before the Lord, let us not be afraid to intervene, full of confidence and full of hope, trusting that when we come to the Lord on behalf of others, he truly can perform miracles in our lives and in theirs. Step #3: Oratio / PrayThese questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today. How have I seen the power of intercessory prayer at work in my own life? Who has asked me to intercede for them? Do I pray with confidence and hope when I intercede in prayer for others? Step #4: Contemplatio / ContemplateIn this step, you listen. Stop talking, let God speak to your heart. You may repeat one of these short phrases to focus your mind on the Lord. "Full of confidence." "Full of hope." "Pray for you." Step #5: Actio / ActIn light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with the Lord bear fruit in you today? Come before the Lord today with the names of particularly people who have asked you for prayer and pray for them with confidence and hope. Smartphone Lock ScreenThe following image is here for you to save and use as a background or lock screen on your smartphone or device to help you carry today's Lectio Divina with you the rest of the day.  Today's prayer was prepared by Lauren Wright, a Youth Minister in Rockford, IL.
If you have anything you'd like our team to pray for, please go to the page of our website called "Prayers" and let us know how we can pray for you today. Comments are closed.
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