Pray first.
It seems like such a simple idea. Before taking actions, making decisions or facing challenges this life brings, just pray first. Yet, for many of us, praying is the last thing we do. After acting, deciding and facing challenges, we turn to God.
A new year often feels like a new start. Even if the only thing that actually changed was the name of the month, January offers a mindset of fresh starts and new opportunities to make changes. I invite you to join me in making pray first a new priority in 2021.
This devotional will guide you through 21 days of prayer. Tim Keller describes prayer this way, “Prayer is both conversation and encounter with God. . . . We must know the awe of praising his glory, the intimacy of finding his grace, and the struggle of asking his help, all of which can lead us to know the spiritual reality of his presence.”
It is my prayer for the next 21 days that listening each day to the words of scripture, and responding to the promptings of His Holy Spirit in prayer, you you will encounter God – and be changed by that encounter.