The Prayers that Jesus Prayed
A 40 Day Personal Lent Guide
The Prayers that Jesus Prayed
The Prayers that Jesus Prayed
For this Lenten season we are focused on prayer with our series “The Prayers that Jesus Prayed”. To that end we want to spend the forty days of Lent developing our prayer lives. Every day you will have a scripture to read and meditate on, then a specific type of prayer to practice for that day.
Let’s be honest, prayer is intimidating. Ever had that moment when someone asks a group, "who would like to pray?" Everybody's eyes drop. Our phones suddenly seem super interesting. No one makes eye contact so they don’t get called on to pray.
Perhaps prayer is intimidating because we haven't thought much about how to pray. This was a problem for Jesus' followers — men and women who lived 2,000 years ago — as well. They directly asked him how to pray. To help you feel more comfortable in prayer we have provided seven different versions of prayer for you to practice. See which ones enable your heart to easily pray and which ones feel tough.
Remember, you’re growing in prayer, no need to be a professional. Use whatever words feel natural to you, there aren’t “correct” ones. God is just excited to spend time with YOU and hear from YOU.
Daily Scripture Readings
Day 1: 1 Peter 5:6
Day 2: Isaiah 58:6
Day 3: Psalm 42:2
Day 4: Joel 2:12-14
Day 5: Matthew 6:21
Day6: Lamentations 3:25
Day 7: Isaiah 30:18
Day 8: Psalm 27:14
Day 9: Matthew 6:16-18
Day 10: Isaiah 40:31
Day 11: Psalm 33:20-22
Day 12: Psalm 130:5-6
Day 13: Micah 7:7
Day 14: Romans 12:12
Day 15: Hosea 12:6
Day 16: Matthew 6:33
Day 17: 1 Peter 5:6-7
Day 18: Galatians 5:5
Day 19: Jeremiah 29:12
Day 20: Psalm 33:20-22
Day 21: Psalm 62:5
Day 22: Psalm 25:4-5
Day 23: Philippians 3:10-11
Day 24: John 10:10
Day 25: John 16:33
Day 26: Zephaniah 3:17
Day 27: John 3:14-18
Day 28: Micah 5:4
Day 29: Joel 2:1-2
Day 30: Mark 1:12-13
Day 31: Colossians 2:16-17
Day 32: Daniel 9:3
Day 33: 2 Timothy 1:7
Day 34: Jeremiah 29:11
Day 35: Zechariah 9:9
Day 36: Luke 19:28-42
Day 37: Luke 22:14-23
Day 38: Luke 22:44-46
Day 39: Luke 23:50-56
Day 40: Luke 24:1-6
Monday | Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is Latin for sacred reading. This is the practice of going repeatedly through a short section of Scripture. There are 4 steps—
1. Lectio: Read the text slowly and prayerfully, constantly listening for that word that God has prepared for you. You may want to re-read the same text multiple times to help quiet yourself interiorly and focus on God’s voice. Listen and receive the Word that God speaks to you.
2. Meditatio: When a word or phrase strikes you, stop and rest with it. Repeat the word or phrase to yourself. Allow it to speak to you in a personal way by pondering that word in your heart, reflecting on what it means to you. Memorize it and repeat it to yourself, allowing it to interact with your thoughts, hopes, memories, and desires.
3. Oratio: Prayer is your response to God’s word. It begins your dialogue with God that comes from your heart. Formulate a prayer, as a response to God. What do you want to say to God in response to the Word spoken to you? Enter into this loving conversation with God.
4. Contemplatio: Rest in God’s presence and receive His transforming embrace. Sit still with God, realizing that in this deep and profound relationship, words are not necessary. Be content and at peace with a wordless, quiet rest in God, which brings joy to the heart. Remember that contemplation is not your action or doing, rather it is allowing God to act in you.
Now repeat those four steps from the beginning two more times. Each time you go through the Bible passage you might see something new, or you might continue to be drawn to the same section. Let God speak to you through scripture.
Tuesday | Praying with the Bible
There are different ways to use your Bible in your prayer time.
Today, write out a prayer by adapting today’s scripture into your own words. Try personalizing the Scripture by putting your own name into a verse. For example, “Tom, my peace I leave with you … Tom, do not let your heart be troubled.” (John 14:27)
If you were to rewrite the passage in your own words, what would it say? There is no wrong way of doing it. The goal is to personalize scripture in a fresh way and then use that creativity as your prayer.
Wednesday | Contemplative
Prayer
Today you will practice stillness and silence with God. It can be tough to silence our inner voice. Start by finding a comfortable place to sit and rest. Read today’s scripture a couple of times. Now close your eyes, take a couple of slow deep breaths, and pay attention to the air flowing in and out of your lungs. Allow your mind to recall the scripture you just read. Think of a word or a concept from it that you want to apply in your life. Let your mind converse with the Holy Spirit about that word or concept. If your mind is drawn elsewhere that is totally normal!
Simply let the wayward thought fly by you and draw yourself back to today’s scripture. This is a time to encounter God’s grace and love. There is no need to try to be spiritual or to berate yourself if it feels off. This is a practice of being intentional inside of your mind. To help you focus you can even choose a word or a phrase from the passage today to repeat in prayer. As you spend time in contemplation allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through your thoughts. See what comes to mind and be curious about why that might be. You might want to set a timer so you don’t have to be conscious of time. This style of prayer gets easier with practice so keep at it.
Thursday | Listening Prayer
This is similar to contemplative prayer, but instead of being silent, it is the practice of speaking to God and then pausing to listen. Start by asking God to speak to you. You can use the phrase from 1 Samuel 3, “God speak to me, I am listening.” You likely won’t hear an audible voice but see if God calls anything to mind from scripture or from the circumstances in your life. The Holy Spirit is very capable of using your thoughts in conversation with you. When God brings a thought to your mind be willing to question and dialogue with God about it. You can ask God why that thought, or how does it fit into your life. Then stop and listen again.
We don’t often think of prayer as conversation because we don’t spend time listening. Continue with this rhythm, speaking and then listening to allow God to speak to you. It is ok if you feel like you don’t hear anything or can’t decipher what you are feeling. As you spend time in prayer it often clears up as it comes into focus like a lens. Other times it will slowly make more sense as you move throughout your day. Either way, God is always excited and ready to spend time with you.
Friday | Prayer of Lament
Prayers of lament are expressions of sorrow, grief, and frustration to God. The Psalms are filled with songs of lament. The psalmists cry out to God, asking and even demanding that He help them. The psalmists often move through their lament in four stages:
1. Addressing God. This sets in mind a clear path for where your lament is going. It might seem simplistic but think of moments when you address others with a complaint. You typically are very direct.
2. Give your lament. What are you frustrated with? What grieves your soul? Where do you experience friction? Is it with others, or maybe even God? Express those thoughts freely. God is not concerned or angry if you are honest. God wants to hear from the core of your soul.
3. Request what you need. Again, be honest and willing to say what your heart desires.
4. Express trust that God is listening and is willing to act on your behalf. Will the outcome always look the way you want? Not necessarily, but inside a prayer of lament we often find out trust growing through our open and honest communication.
Saturday | Praying Imaginatively
Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit order of priests, practiced a five-step process called the Daily Examen:
1. Start by giving thanks to God for the places in your day that were good. Some days are rough but try to find something to be thankful for.
2. Open your heart to God and ask for whatever you need or whatever you desire.
3. Spend time in prayer reviewing your day and your actions inside it.
4. Repent of any ways that you contributed to brokenness today.
5. Spend a moment asking God to renew your heart and mind. Literally allowing God to rewire you on the inside. The regular practice of the examen can free us from the effects of unconfessed sin and brokenness. With the examen we also become more sensitive to discerning God’s voice and moving forward with the Spirit, as we align our desires with God’s.
Sunday | Contemplative Prayer
While calculating the 40 days of Lent, Sundays are not included because they are considered days of celebration. Throughout your Lenten experience, think of Sundays as “mini-Easters” and attend a worship service, either in-person or online, and CELEBRATE the resurrection of Christ!
