Challenge Day 8

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Review. Welcome to the Writing Life Challenge! What is this challenge? It’s a daily challenge for the month of August designed to help you grow in your faith in Jesus by establishing (or adding to your already-existing!) daily habits of Bible reading and prayer. The participation part is designed to both allow us to encourage each other and to hold each other accountable. Jump in any time (even if it’s not August)!

Mantle with wooden sign (illegible) and partial ceramic dove figure. Photo text: Challenge Day 8: When to pray. #writinglifeaugustchallenge

Today’s Inspiration. In Colossians 4:2, Paul tells us to “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (NIV). We’ve been using this verse as our inspiration up to this point, and today’s focus is on the third of the “five W questions”: When should we pray?

Today’s Challenge. When should we pray? This question is a bit different from the others we’ve asked so far. Some may interpret this question as, Upon what occasions should I pray? But that question is really one of context, and more closely related to yesterday’s question: What should I pray for? Instead, then, we will ask the question in terms of time: When—what time of day or night—should I pray?

The simplest (and perhaps hardest to put into practice) answer to this question is all the time (1 Thess. 5:17). But the Bible tells us of religious practices that dedicated regular times of day to prayer (Daniel 6:10; Acts 3:1), and of what seem to be individuals’ more personal, informal prayer practices (Psalm 5:3; Mark 1:35).

Your task today is to read through the verses listed above. If you do not have a daily prayer habit or a specific time set aside to pray each day, then you should prayerfully consider if, and when, you should and could set aside a specific time each day to pray. If you do have a specific prayer habit, spend your time in prayer!

Today’s Participation. Do you have a specific time of day set aside to pray, or did you decide to set time aside as a result of this challenge? Do you struggle with this (as I often do)? Tell us so we can encourage you! Respond in the comments below, respond to the challenge Instagram post on @rhondalorraineblog, or create your own Instagram post and use the hashtag #writinglifeaugustchallenge.

Challenge Day 7

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Red apple sitting on a table. Photo text: Challenge Day 7, what to pray for. #writinglifeaugustchallenge

Review. The challenge? A daily challenge in August designed to help you grow in your faith in Jesus by establishing (or adding to your already-existing!) daily habits of Bible reading and prayer. The participation part is designed to both allow us to encourage each other and to hold each other accountable. Jump in any time (even if it’s not August)!

Day 1: Thankfulness & Prayer
Day 2: Praise & Prayer
Day 3: Watchfulness & Prayer (my fave so far!)
Day 4: Devotion & Prayer
Day 5: How to Pray
Day 6: Who to Pray For

Today’s Inspiration. If you’ve been following the challenge posts, you know by now what our inspiration for today’s challenge is, because it has been the same since Day 1 and will continue to be the same for a few days more. It’s Colossians 4:2:

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Today, we’ll look at the second of the “five W questions”: What should we pray for?

Today’s Challenge. Today your challenge is to read and note (that means write down!) the types of things people in the Bible prayed, and use one of these as a model for your own prayer time today. For example, you could look at Jesus’ recorded prayers (this blog post lists some) or the way Paul prayed in his letters to the churches (see here for a list). Or you could go back to the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15 or Luke 11:1-13) again and use that as a model.

Today’s Participation. Choose one thing someone in the Bible prayed for that you don’t normally pray for but think you should pray for. Write about it in today’s comments and tell us where it’s modeled in the Bible. Alternatively, depict it in a post on Instagram using #writinglifeaugustchallenge. I look forward to hearing from you and am praying for you!

Challenge Day 6

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Review. The Writing Life Challenge, running through the month of August, is a devotional challenge I created with the hopes of building an online community of people dedicated to encouraging each other daily and challenging each other to grow in our faith in Jesus. Each day involves a bit of Bible reading, thinking, and praying. While it’s running through the month of August, though, please don’t feel bound by time! If you come across this in the middle of the challenge or days, weeks, months, or even years later, feel free to complete the challenge and participate in it.

The first five days of the challenge had us exploring different aspects of prayer, and the next five will continue to do so.

Today’s Inspiration. One little verse, eight words—but it says so much. The first five days of the challenge were inspired by Colossians 4:2, and the next five days will be as well:

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (NIV)

This week, we will continue exploring how to pray by asking the “five W questions,” beginning with who.

Box of colorful pins for a bulletin board. Photo text: Challenge Day 6, who to pray for. #writinglifeaugustchallenge

Today’s Challenge. Who are we to pray for? There are so many answers—so many Biblical answers—to this question that it can become a bit overwhelming. As I was searching for a list and references to give you, I came across a good place to start: the website What The Bible Teaches, an adaptation of R. A. Torrey‘s work (an evangelist, pastor, and theologian in the 19th and 20th centuries). In it, the webmaster cites several Bible verses related to praying for ourselves, for other Christians, for our Christian leaders and pastors, for converts of our own ministry, for the sick, for our children, and for our rulers.

Your task today is to explore at least one “people group” the Bible tells us to pray for, perhaps starting by reading the scriptures cited in the website above (you could also Google verses yourself or use a tool like Bible Hub). Then spend a few moments in prayer for someone you know who falls into that category, or for the group of people as a whole.

Today’s Participation. Comment below or create your own post in Instagram telling us what you read, what you learned, and who you prayed for. If you use Instagram, using the hashtag #writinglifeaugustchallenge in a public account will allow others participating in the challenge to find it. I can’t wait to see what you post!