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The GT Weekend! Prayer Week 2

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) In Matthew 4:4 we see Jesus say, “Man must not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Where is your daily time with the Lord? Are you intentionally asking to hear from God? He is ready to speak truth into your life! Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you a heart that is ready to receive the Word of God!  

2) When we put the notion of forgiveness in reference to how much forgiveness we have received, our hearts are often softened. We are in a much better place in our relationship with the Lord to begin forgiving others. Spend time today thinking about your sin and the forgiveness you have been given. Do you need to ask the Lord for forgiveness in any other areas? Do you need to extend forgiveness to anyone? Pray over these instances and the people involved! 

3) Often in life, we get hurt and an apology is not offered. We desire that response to be there, but the reality is staring us in the face, not saying a word. Think through how you can still come to a place of forgiveness without ever receiving an apology. What Scripture helps you wrestle with longing for justice, not wanting to let the other person have free pass for sinning*, and freely offering forgiveness? Want some ideas of where to start looking in Scripture? Connect with us below or at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com  

*Please note that we do NOT support you blindly “forgiving” an abuser in a relationship by allowing them to continue harming you. Please seek professional help and safety!  

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Colossians 3:12-14 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. 14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.  

Prayer Journal
Lord God Almighty, You have poured out Your mercy on me so lavishly. I now have new birth in living hope because of Your Son’s death and resurrection. That You would long to have relationship with me, a sinner, of which I am the worst, blows my mind. Thank You Lord for accepting me. Remind me daily that Your acceptance of me isn’t founded in my ability to perform well, it’s founded in Your love for my life.  

God, as I think of forgiving people in my life, open my eyes to see where I’m being stingy. I get my feelings all tied in a knot when I don’t hear the exact apology I want to hear and am quick to judge, rather than forgive. Forgive me, Lord, for that. Show me more of You that I might move more quickly to forgive others in my life.  

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Prayer Day 7 Hmm, Daily Bread: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Hmm, Daily Bread!

The Questions

1) What did Jesus mean when He told the people not to look for “food that perishes” in verse 27? 

2) What is Jesus saying with the phrase, “bread of God” in verse 33? 

3) What does Jesus mean when He says in verse 35 that He is the “bread of life” and that there will be no more hunger and thirst? 

John 6:24-35

24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don’t work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal of approval on him.”
28 “What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked.
29 Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.”
30 “What sign, then, are you going to do so we may see and believe you?” they asked. “What are you going to perform? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
32 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 

34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.” 

 

Original Intent

1) What did Jesus mean when He told the people not to look for “food that perishes” in verse 27?
In John 6:1, just before this passage, the same crowd of people we see here experience the miracle of Jesus feeding them with nothing more than a few loaves of bread and fish.  When they seek Him out again, Jesus calls out the fact that they are looking for Him to meet their earthly needs, or “food that perishes.”  Jesus wants the people to understand that they are searching for satisfaction in things that don’t matter, when He could offer them so much more – eternal life through belief in Him as the son of God. 

2) What is Jesus saying with the phrase, “bread of God” in verse 33?
As Jesus continues to talk to the people, He refers to God’s past work with the Israelites, when He provided them manna from heaven to take care of their hunger (Exodus 16) before they made it to the Promised Land.  In verse 30 above, the people ask for a similar miracle from Jesus.  The motive of their request is to see another miracle, in order to confirm that Jesus is who He claims to be.  Jesus responds by telling them that God has already given them something more in Him, through His life and ministry among them.  Jesus tells the people that the only requirement is for them to believe in Him as the one and only Son of God.  In Him, they can know life in a deeper and more meaningful way.   

3) What does Jesus mean when He says in verse 35 that He is the “bread of life” and that there will be no more hunger and thirst?
Once again, Jesus exposes  the true heart condition of the people seeking after Him.  Though the people say in verse 34 that they want the bread He offers, Jesus still knows they are still missing the point; the people are looking for their physical hunger and thirst to be satisfied.  However, Jesus isn’t promising that physical hunger and thirst will not be an issue; rather, He tells them that they can have their deepest needs, their spiritual needs,  filled and met in Him, through placing their faith in Him alone.  

Everyday Application

1) What did Jesus mean when He told the people not to look for “food that perishes” in verse 27?
Physical needs are real, and we do have to deal with them regularly…there’s no getting around that reality.  But how often are we guilty of the same thing these people were?  Have you considered how many times you come to God seeking Him for his practical blessings, only when you have a felt need?  Do you ask Him as often to meet your spiritual needs?  Are you ever guilty of ignoring Him until there is something you want?  Consider how you need to seek God for all things, not just the physical needs of this life.  Don’t lose sight of the fact that earthly things are temporary.  Jesus wants us to instead focus on the eternal, spiritual things that truly matter – our relationship with Him.   

2) What is Jesus saying with the phrase, “bread of God” in verse 33?
Take a few minutes to examine your heart and your patterns of coming to Jesus with your prayers.  It’s hard to admit our faults, I understand.  But try to be honest with yourself.  Do you relate at all to the demands the people make of Jesus?  Do you ever find yourself looking for something that you want God to DO for you, all the while missing what he has already provided in the person of Jesus?  We must always remain mindful of the truth that Jesus is all we truly need.  He is the answer to every deep desire or hope.  Are you ever in a place where you require proof from God, asking Him to do something specific to somehow prove His love or power to you?  If we ask in that way, we expose a lack of faith and belief similar to the crowds Jesus was addressing.  Instead, we should trust in His greater power, believing He will work on our behalf.  In His time.  In His way.  Not according to our selfish requests. 

3) What does Jesus mean when He says in verse 35 that He is the “bread of life” and that there will be no more hunger and thirst?
Jesus promises that in Him, we have all we need.  Yet hunger and thirst are still a real part of life.  We often have difficulty being satisfied.  We covet what others have.  We long for more.  We want “just one more” of whatever we desire.  Where do you still hunger and thirst for “more” than what He has already given?  Consider why you struggle to be satisfied with what He has already provided.  What things other than Jesus do you turn to in order to fill that need for more?  How do you need to turn to Jesus instead, trusting in Him to provide for you?  Write out as many thoughts as you can, with practical ideas of how you can place your trust in Jesus alone. 

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Hmm, Daily Bread!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
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Our Current Study Theme!

This is Prayer Week Two!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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Prayer Day 6 Hmmm, Daily Bread

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Exodus 16:1-35
1 Kings 17:8-16
John 6:25-59 

Prayer, Day 6 

Carbs. 
I like them. 
Especially those found in baked goods. This is a fact of which my family is well aware, and they have been known to plan meals with that in mind. I distinctly remember my aunt winking at me when referencing the rolls she brought to Thanksgiving each year.

While my love for bread has now been partnered with a moderation I did not employ as a lanky teenager (metabolism changes are real!), I still enjoy my carbs in many forms. Can anyone else relate to the love of bread? Or are most of you just curious to know why I have spent several sentences talking about it?

In the Lord’s Prayer, we are taught to ask for our daily bread.
Now, I’ve already discussed my love for bread and appreciate being able to eat some form of bread daily; however, I recognize that praying, “Lord, please give me that flaky croissant” is not what this verse is encouraging me to do. In order to gain insights into what “asking for my daily bread” looks like, I dug deeper and broader into the Word.

My first thought of daily bread immediately took me to Exodus as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. There, they truly did ask the Lord for bread and He provided! That provision came in the form of manna, which appeared like dew on the ground. (Exodus 16:12) The Lord gave specific parameters for collecting the manna each morning as the manna would not last until the next day. The only exception to that occurred on the Sabbath, as the Israelites were to collect the manna for that day along with what was collected the previous day.

My second thought traveled to Elijah, an Old Testament prophet, as he knocked on the door of a widow who only had a jar of oil and jar of flour with which to make but 1 small loaf of bread. This story took place in days of famine. For a season, the Lord had directed Elijah to live by a water source and had ravens bring him bread and meat. Eventually that water dried up, and the Lord sent him to the widow’s home promising that the oil and flour for bread would not run out. Once again, the Lord miraculously provided a source of bread to keep His people alive.

We have these great examples of the Lord’s provision of physical bread from the Old Testament. The New Testament challenges us to move beyond the physical. Enter Matthew 4:4: “He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”” 

Move to John 6:35 where Jesus describes Himself as the Bread of Life. Verse 33 says, “For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Jesus came to give us life and for it to be life more abundant.
We are able to partake of this life and eat the Bread of Life,
by believing in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

I made this choice at an early age and have discovered His faithfulness ever since.
He has been my provision and nourishment in sweetly blessed seasons as well as some of my darkest days. I am so thankful to be able to experience the bread referenced in the New Testament, and not just the literal bread I love to eat!

However, I find that the Old Testament references to bread still have some applications to my life.  

In the wilderness, the Israelites gathered the manna the Lord provided.
Elijah relied on the ravens to supply his food.
In neither story does the bread magically appear on a plate ready to eat.

The same is quite often true in my walk with the Lord where Jesus Himself is the Bread of Life. In John 1:1, Jesus is also referred to as the Word.
Just like the Israelites, I must gather the food the Lord provides.
This means digging into the Word of God for my everyday nourishment and sustenance.

I have discovered that my world is much more peaceful when I consistently and daily spend time in the Word. Additionally, I look forward to Sunday mornings and spending time seeking the Lord and worshipping Him corporately.
Thankfully I attend a church where the pastor teaches the Word and, through the sermons, my understanding increases.

As I look to the future, I recognize that my physical taste buds may change, but I pray my passion for the Word of God and my relationship with Jesus only increases. Please, Lord, give me my daily bread! 

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Prayer Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Prayer!