Praying Scripture through Lent 2009

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and the beginning on Lent. We, at Windborn, have a bookmark (not a full devotional guide this year, just a bookmark) of Scriptural passages to pray through relating to some of the themes we are looking at in Isaiah. During this first week of Lent we are praying through Isaiah 42.1-9 & 44.3,4. The following is the introductory remarks on the bookmark:

We are beginning to see, in the second half of the book of Isaiah, the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. These passages serve as a literary forerunner of the new covenant. The old covenant was the agreement that God made to Abraham and affirmed to David and comes to Israel through the law. In the new covenant there is room for the nations (us Gentiles) to become part of the people of God through the blood of Jesus. It is important to note that in both covenants God's people are saved by grace through faith. In the old covenant they awaited the savior. In the new covenant the Father reveals Jesus as our savior. People under the old covenant were not saved through their obedience to the law. The law simply pointed out that obedience without God's help was impossible for humanity. In the passages that foretell of the new covenant, listen to how the Holy Spirit is the change agent to enable our obedience or cooperation with what God wants to do in our lives.

This bookmark provides passages of Scripture pointing us to the reality of the Holy Spirit's work to receive His new covenant. Purposefully, there are only one or two passages for each week. Please take the time to pray the principles of the passages back to the Lord. To help facilitate your prayers consider how you could listen, adore and cooperate with Jesus in each passage. In listening you will study the passage, meditate on key truths and possibly memorize a verse or two. By adoring Jesus in our prayers we acknowledge He is our all consuming focus and praise and thank Him for His grace as revealed in these texts. Cooperation is our reminder that He is the one at work in our lives; note in these passages that the Holy Spirit is the one who enables us to follow the Father's Word and live in Jesus' grace.