Scripture and Prayer Focus for October 16, 2026

October 16 -- John 12: 9-15 "When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, 'Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!' And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 'Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!'"

Prayer focus for today:  Pray today to be true to your beliefs. Let nothing around you sway you from what you believe. Pray for deeper wisdom to know God's Word, study it more completely, and memorize it. Pray for strength to know to respond to those who try to sway you from what you believe and know is true to the Word of God. 

Scripture and Prayer Focus for October 15, 2026

October 15 -- John 12: 1-8 "Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at the table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was fillled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 'Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?' He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, 'Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.'"

Prayer focus for today: I wonder how Mary felt having her sacrifice and time of worshipping and honoring Jesus interrupted with these harsh words from Judas Iscariot. Mary was giving her all in her actions and her gifts, and Judas publicly tried to shame her. His words were quickly subdued by Jesus. 

Pray today that you would be willing to give your ALL to Jesus in honor and worship, without holding back. Pray that you will KNOW how to honor Christ in all things and learn to give freely to Him from whom ALL you have has come. Pray for wisdom to know how to lead others around you to give of their time, talent, and treasure to serve Christ alone.  Nothing given to Jesus is ever wasted. 

Scripture and Prayer Focus for October 14, 2026

 October 14 -- John 11: 53-57 "So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples. Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, 'What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?' Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him."

Prayer focus for today: When you first read today's Scriptures, were you thinking to yourself, "Man, if Jesus is God, why is he afraid of the Jewish leaders?  I think all of us think that at first; that Jesus seems to be cowering or hiding from the threats. What we have to remember is that Scripture is NEVER out of line with itself. If something seems to not line up with what you think you understand about a passage of God's Word, you need to pray and spend time studying until you see it more clearly, as God intended. What we need to remember is that Jesus KNEW it was not yet his time to be arrested and/or put to death. He was living his life on earth exactly as God planned it.

Pray today for clearer understanding each time you read God's Word. Pray for self-discipline to study God's Word and make it a priority in your life. Taking care of your spiritual life is just as important as taking care of your physical life. If you discipline yourself to work out, drink enough water, or get quality sleep, don't you think it's equally important to make sure you discipline yourself to study God's Word faithfully to grow in your relationship with Jesus?  Pray today for all of us to become better disciplined in this area and to more clearly understand all God has to say to us. 

Scripture and Prayer Focus for October 13, 2026

October 13 -- John 11: 45-52 "Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, 'What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.' But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, 'You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.' He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad."

Prayer focus for today: As humans, we are always planning, trying to figure out what to do before the consequences turn ugly. We observe that our pantry is getting low, so we plan food and go buy it. We observe that our fuel tank is closing in on "E", so we plan to go to the fueling station. We see there is not enough money to get us through, so we plan things we could sell or try to find ways to earn the money we need. We see the children in our care or others in our home or workplace having disagreements, and we work to resolve that conflict. We are always wanting peace and comfort. Most of these decisions are made as reactions, rather than really thinking about what we're doing.

 The Pharisees and other Jews KNEW what would happen if Jesus were proclaimed as the Messiah. Their leadership and 'comfort' would be gone and the Romans would take over completely. Notice how their reaction -- their only words and probably their only thoughts were about self-preservation and NOT about truth or eternal salvation. 

If you are a Christian, pray today for complete trust in Christ alone -- laying aside the stress of trying to figure things out. (None of it is ever REALLY in our hands; we just fool ourselves into beleiving it is.)  Pray for courage and strength to completely trust God's plan, and not feel like you have to have your own 'backup' plan.  (Believe me, I'm praying this, too. You're not alone in your mindset.) 

If you're not a Christian, pray today, repenting of your sins, and asking Jesus to be your all in all. It will truly be the best decision you ever make!  

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.'