Monday, Sept. 19

Welcome to the daily prayer guide for the month of September! Today is Monday, Sept. 19.

Morning

Let’s again use a psalm of praise (Psalm 147):

Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing to our God,
for praise is pleasant and lovely.

The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;
He gathers Israel’s exiled people.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars;
He gives names to all of them.
Our Lord is great, vast in power;
His understanding is infinite.
The Lord helps the afflicted
but brings the wicked to the ground.

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
play the lyre to our God,
who covers the sky with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
and causes grass to grow on the hills.
He provides the animals with their food,
and the young ravens, what they cry for.

He is not impressed by the strength of a horse;
He does not value the power of a man.
The Lord values those who fear Him,
those who put their hope in His faithful love.

Exalt the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion!
For He strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your children within you.
He endows your territory with prosperity;
He satisfies you with the finest wheat.

He sends His command throughout the earth;
His word runs swiftly.
He spreads snow like wool;
He scatters frost like ashes;
He throws His hailstones like crumbs.
Who can withstand His cold?
He sends His word and melts them;
He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow.

He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and judgments to Israel.
He has not done this for any nation;
they do not know His judgments.
Hallelujah!

Take time to prayerfully consider and confess your sins, knowing they are forgiven. And again, pray from a global perspective down to a personal perspective.

Today’s Bible verses are also prayers. After reading them, consider how you might reconstruct or rephrase them as prayers of your own: Ephesians 1:17-21; Philippians 1:9-11.

Give yourself a few minutes of silence before resuming your day.

Noon

Pray the Lord’s Prayer.

Let’s also consider another of Paul’s prayers in Scripture: Colossians 1:9-12. And be sure to get in a few minutes of silence before resuming the busy day.

Night

We continue to try to understand and immerse ourselves in meditative prayer, as described earlier. We are hoping to find deep discernment at these times, but don’t worry if you’re not overwhelmed with clarity just yet. It may be helpful to review Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 19. God meets the prophet while he is struggling, and the message from God is pretty straightforward: Keep going.

May your dreams provide you answers, too.