Friday’s reading is Matthew Chapter 6.
Take some time to really let these verses, which may already be familiar, really sink in and touch you. Try not to think of them as verses you have heard before, but hold them in your heart and see what new messages, or deeper messages, you can find.
As usual, before you begin reading, talk with God and thank him for some of the gifts he has offered you, your family and your friends. Be specific as well as general. Next, present your requests to Him. Go ahead and be bold, and do so with faith. Next, ask Him to lead you through the reading.
Now open your Bible and read Matthew Chapter 6.
After you read, ask again where He wants your focus in this reading. Just like yesterday, there is a lot here, so try to see if He is leading you to anything in particular. Consider reading another translation if that will help you. You can always use BibleGateway if you don’t have another Bible or a parallel Bible. Think about what your scripture, observation and application are for SOAP.
Once you have it, record your thoughts for the day. Title your notes last, but write it at the top.
Here’s what I heard:
Just talk to me.
Scripture: Matthew 6:8
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Observation:
Don’t worry about how your prayers sound. Don’t try to make them sound beautiful and important. Just pray. I know what you need. Let’s just talk.
Application:
I used to get very tongue-tied when I was asked to pray out loud, but now it doesn’t stress me out so much.
At first I wanted to work on it by trying to sound flowery and together. But instead now I just try to remember just who my audience really is. My audience, when praying, is my Father, the one who loves me and just wants to hear from me. And this is the case whether I am praying out loud in front of others or quietly in my head.
I need to share what I want to share with him and not try to sound grand.
I share my prayers here in hopes that they will help others see that just talking with Him by thanking, asking and listening are enough. Beautiful vocabulary and well thought-out sentences aren’t required. Just talking is, however you do it.
Prayer:
Thanks, God, for this reassurance that you don’t require beautiful poetry in every prayer. Thank you for reminding me that prayer is between you and me. Sometimes out loud prayer can help others to see how to pray… and when I get all flowery in those prayers I am missing the point because that is not me. And I might be discouraging others from praying because they might feel like they don’t have the words to talk well enough to you. Please guide me even in my prayers. I want to please you and have an ongoing relationship with you.
You just want me to show up, to talk and to listen.
Thank you for our prayertime. And thank you for loving me, no matter what words I use, provided my heart is there.
I love you.
What about you? What did you hear today? Please share in the comments or share a link to your own SOAP post in the comments.
Thanks for reading and studying with me. If you would like to learn more about our study, or see who else is joining us, please visit this post on Blogging Through the Gospels.
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