31 days of the Word

A little while ago when I was cleaning up some books in my room, I came across a Bible-reading guide bookmark from Pray Magazine that I'd forgotten I had. Written by Bryce Bouchard, it was originally intended as a list of things to pray for your wife as you "wash her with water through the word" as is the command for husbands in Ephesians. When I found it now though, I thought...if it's good enough for someone to pray for me...it's probably good enough for me to pray for myself too...so I've been converting the list into things I can pray for myself - to get myself into the Word and really see it for what it is.

Here's the original if you want to order it: A month of prayers for your wife.
and here's my version of it:

A month of praying the word from Psalm 119:

PRAY that:

1. I will learn from the Word (119: 7)
2. I will hide the Word in my heart and not sin against God (119: 11)
3. I will declare the Word before others (119: 13)
4. I will meditate on the Word and learn the ways of God (119: 15)
5. I will delight in the Word and not neglect it (119: 16)
6. My eyes will be opened to see wonderful things in the Word (119: 18)
7. My soul will be consumed with a longing for the Word at all times (119: 20)
8. The Word will be my counsel in all things (119: 24)
9. When I am discouraged, the Word will be my life and strength and delight (119: 25, 28, 143)
10. The Lord will give me understanding and discernment of the Word (119: 27)
11. God will be gracious to me and keep me from deceitful ways through the Word (119: 29)
12. My heart will be turned to the Word and away from selfish gain and worthless things (119: 36, 37)
13. As I grasp the goodness of the Word, God will take away any dread or fear that may have a hold on me (119: 39)
14. I will trust in the Word, and use it to answer the enemy who taunts me (119: 42)
15. The Word of truth will not be snatched from my mouth (119: 43)
16. i will seek out the word and find in it freedom for daily living (119: 45)
17. I will have the opportunity to speak the Word to people of influence and that I will do so boldly and without shame (119: 46)
18. My love and longing for the Word will grow and that it will be sweeter and more valuable to me with each passing day (119: 47, 72, 103, 131)
19. The Word will come to me during times of trial and bring me comfort (119: 52, 61, 83)
20. I will be grieved when the Word is forsaken (119: 53, 136)
21. The Word will be my song regardless of my outward surroundings (119: 54)
22. I will have friends who follow the Word. (119: 63)
23. The Lord will do great things to me according to his Word (119: 65)
24. I will learn knowledge and good judgment through the Word (119: 66)
25. I will meditate long and often on the Word, gleaning much insight from it (119: 97, 99)
26. I will stay far from evil paths so I can obey the Word (119: 101)
27. The word will be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path, bringing me delight (119: 105)
28. I will stand in awe of the Word (119: 120)
29. The meaning of the Word will unfold to me and that it will give me light and understanding (119: 130)
30. I will be convinced that the Word is righteous and fully trustworthy (119: 138)
31. When I stray, I will seek the Word and that it will woo and shepherd me back to God (119: 176)


There you go.
I only found this bookmark a little more than a week ago so I've started in the middle but it's been an amazing week or so of meditating on Psalm 119 and I've read it through once already and intend to read it through again as I finish this list.

I wish I could tell you that it's completely natural for me to get up before the kids are up and do devotions but honestly, that's always been a struggle for me and so the other thing that's been amazing about this past month is that God & I have this deal about morning devotions. The deal is: I set my alarm for 7am. That's like the latest I can sleep in and still spend a little bit of time with him before the kids are up and need my attention getting ready for school. Almost every single morning...I wake up at 6 or earlier. No alarm, no struggle, just awake. Sun in my window sometimes, the cat's whiskers on my face sometimes, but always fully awake - ready for coffee and a time alone with God....how fun!

Sorry I missed my Monday thankful list - I'll double up next week.