Scripture and Prayer Focus for October 11, 2026

 October 11 -- John 11: 30-37  "Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly to go out, they followed her, supposeing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.' When Jesus saw her weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, 'Where have you laid him?' They said to him,' Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept. So the Jews said, 'See how he loved him!' But some of them said, 'Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?'"

Prayer focus for today: "Jesus wept." The shortest verse in the Bible. The verse that most all of us know, especially if asked on the spot to quote Scripture. :-) Many, just as the Jews who witnessed the tears did, suppose his weeping was due to the death of Lazarus, a dearly loved friend. However, what if those tears were brought on by the deep sadness of lost and dying souls all around Him? While we are never told why Jesus wept, we make suppositions based on our human experiences and understandings. (We do this all the time when reading Scripture.) 

Pray today, not for divine understanding, but for wisdom to try to see things from God's perspective just a bit. Pray for God to help you better understand that nothing on this earth matters outside of our eternal life or death. Pray for wisdom to make the decision today to share Jesus with even just one person. I know, many of us will be in church today, but how often do we use that as a 'glory bubble' to feel 'safe' from not sharing Christ? The key is that Jesus knew so many of those around Lazarus, Mary, and Martha THOUGHT they understood the Scriptures, but they were missing the key, and they couldn't even recognize that they were missing it.  Yes, even in church today, there will be people who are not saved. Pray for God to guide you to the one who needs to know HIM today. Maybe it's you... pray for Christ to be your Master and Lord. It will be the best decision you ever make!

Scripture and Prayer Focus for October 10, 2026

October 10 -- John 11: 23-29 "Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.' Martha said to him, 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.' Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and beleives in me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said to him, 'Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.' When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, 'The teacher is here and is calling for you.' And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him."

Prayer focus for today: Wow!  Do you see yourself in Martha today?  I believe if we are each honest with ourselves, we think and act just like Martha more often than we like to admit. She knows what she knows, but she clearly doesn't grasp all there is to understand about Jesus as the Son of God. She believes in the level that she is able and thinks that's all there is. Scripture is clear that we humans can never clearly understand all there is to know about the One True God, but let's pray we would all be willing to keep learning and yearning for more.

Pray today for deeper understanding of who God really is and who Jesus is, as our only source of eternal hope. Pray for humility to admit the areas where your understanding has been limited and needs to grow. Pray for Christ alone to speak truth to you through prayers and Scriptures to continue, daily, to open your heart and mind to more of Him that you may learn and help others learn. As Martha said to her sister Mary, 'The Teacher is here and is calling for you.'

Scripture and Prayer Focus for October 9, 2026

 October 9 -- John 11: 17-22 "Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.'"

Prayer focus for today: Most times, I feel a lot like Martha. I believe I know what God SHOULD have done, but pray, giving Him an "out" to still remedy a situation. Such attitudes are in all of us in different ways, especially in our walks with the Lord who knows us better than we know ourselves. 

How many times have you and I prayed the same ways, telling God, "If only you had done it this way.....things would have been different. But, I still believe you can 'fix' this 'error' and make things like I want them to be."  Our selfishness comes out in ways we rarely recognize. Pray today for humble hearts to recognize this sin in yourself.  Pray for forgiveness for trying to LEAD Jesus, instead of letting Him lead YOU. Pray for Christ to be your LEADER, not your servant. Pray for wisdom to change and serve HIM as you were created to do. Lastly, pray that you will be content with God's Perfect Will, and that alone.

Scripture and Prayer Focus for October 8, 2026

 October 8 -- John 11: 8-16 "The disciples said to him, 'Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?' Jesus answered, 'Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.' After saying these things, he said to them, 'Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.' The disciples said to him, 'Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.' Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, 'Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may beleive. But let us go to him. So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, 'Let us also go, that we may die with him.'"

Prayer focus for today: In today's Scripture reading, Jesus teaches that those who walk in the day don't stumble because they have the light of day to see where they are going. He contrasts this with those who walk at night stumbling because they do not have light. These references are teaching us about His light -- if you've got it, you won't stumble through life. 

Pray today for wisdom and strength to follow the light of Jesus. Pray also that you will be the light that someone else needs to stop stumbling through life. In total darkness, even a small bit of light makes a HUGE difference. Pray for Jesus to help you be the light!

Scripture and Prayer Focus for October 7, 2026

 October 7 -- John 11: 1-7 "Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, 'Lord, he whom you love is ill.' But when Jesus heard it he said, 'This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.' Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, 'Let us go to Judea again.'"

Prayer focus for today: When reading today's Scriptures, were you struck, like me, with a seemingly odd disconnection of ideas?  It tells us Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, but then it continues with, 'so, when he heard Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where He was.'  (We can suppose this wasn't just a common head cold or just feeling run down, but a pretty major illness, since the sisters went to the trouble of sending word to Jesus; they were looking for help.)  

When was the last time someone you knew was really ill, and you delayed two days before going to them?  Especially when you were within walking distance. A short distance usually means you would go to see the person, if possible.  To make sense of this seeming disconnect, we only have to look backward a few verses. Jesus' reply when receiving word of Lazarus' illness was, 'This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.'  Jesus knew Lazarus was ill before He even heard the words, and He already knew the outcome of that illness. 

Most of us can think of someone close to us who is facing a great health challenge right now. Chances are good that you have been praying for this person, but have you been anticipating the way in which God will be glorified through the situation from beginning to end?  Pray today for eyes to see the bigger picture. Absolutely keep praying for the ill person and all the details of their suffering, but truly pray that you and the ill person will be able to keep their eyes on the bigger picture. For some reason, God is allowing the suffering ... just wait to see how He is glorified through each step of the difficult journey. Pray that you can be the encouragement the person needs to recognize God's hand in each up and down of their struggle. Praise God that He always has a perfect plan in everything!

Scripture and Prayer Focus for October 6, 2026

 October 6 -- John 10: 37-42 "If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me, but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.' Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him. And they said, 'John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.' And many believed in him there."

Prayer focus for today: Just a few days ago someone I was speaking with said, "I have been surprised at the provision (for a certain need he had)."  I looked at him and said, "Why are you surprised?  God promises to meet our every need. We've all prayed for this provision, knowing it is a need. Why are you surprised?"  :-) We both laughed knowing that this was just another time we simple humans forget who is in charge...... of everything. Our Heavenly Father loves each one of us, even if we've scorned, mocked, and rejected Him. His love has never changed. The truth of who He is has never changed. HE has never changed in one single way - and He never will. 

Pray today for the 'blinders' to be removed so you can clearly see the truth of who God is and who He has always been that you may believe and lead others to Him. Pray for true faith to build in you that you may find complete trust and rest in Him. Pray for those who just can't believe ... that each one would trust in the perfectly orchestrated plan of God. I'm praying with you and for you!  May all praise be to the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ as we go and grow for Him today!  Go make a difference in someone's life -- maybe you already did.

Scripture and Prayer Focus for October 5, 2026

 October 5 -- John 10: 31 - 36 "The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, 'I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?' The Jews answered him, 'It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.' Jesus answered, them, 'Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods'?' If he called them gods to whom the word of God came -- and Scripture cannot be broken -- do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?"

Prayer focus for today: How many times have you THOUGHT you knew  the truth about a person or a situation, but then found out you were wrong?  It's happened to all us....probably more often than we'd care to admit. Pray for humble hearts to submit yourself fully to Jesus Christ; allow Him to show you areas of misunderstanding that you need to correct in your life. Pray for the ability to lay down your pride and admit to those you have possibly hurt with your misunderstandings, if you shared that wrong notion with someone else. Pray for strength and courage to go to the person about whom you had the misconception and admit it to them, seeking forgiveness in order to restore a right relationship.