In which of these P's are you doing well? Which need some attention?

What is one thing you can do in the next week to deepen and strengthen your connection with G.o.d through prayer?

"It seems universally true that people who have direction in their lives go further and faster and get more done in all areas of their lives."-ZIG ZIGLAR

DECEMBER 9.

FORGIVEN TO FORGIVE.

Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespa.s.ses.

MARK 11:25.

FORGIVENESS MUST BE A REALLY BIG DEAL to G.o.d. It lies at the heart of the gospel message: The Good News is that G.o.d has paid the price to forgive sinners. We enter a relationship with G.o.d only because Christ took away the barrier between us, and our spiritual growth rests on the strong foundation of grat.i.tude that we have been freed from sin. Forgiveness, then, is the crux of Christian life.

In human relationships, however, love can evaporate as quickly as a cutting word is spoken. Offenses, great or small, require the healing salve of forgiveness. Forgiving other people is central to spiritual life, and our prayers are hindered if we refuse to forgive.

Jesus explained that we continue to enjoy G.o.d's grace and forgiveness only when we have forgiven people who hurt us. His forgiveness has already been bought by Christ two thousand years ago, but our experience of His forgiveness is blocked when we harbor resentment. We may have a seemingly good reason to withhold forgiveness: He did it on purpose, she isn't sorry she did it, he'll do it again, she doesn't even care, he has done it repeatedly, or she is vicious and doesn't deserve to be forgiven. All these reasons, however, mean very little in light of G.o.d's command to forgive and His promise to bless us if we do.

Resentment secretly (or not so secretly) wants revenge. Give it up. Choose to forgive, and enjoy G.o.d's peace and love more deeply than before.

What are some things that happen to us (emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually) when we harbor resentment?

Is there someone you need to forgive? Tell G.o.d about it.

"He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pa.s.s himself."-GEORGE HERBERT

DECEMBER 10.

SOLITUDE IN THE MORNING.

In the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, [Jesus] went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."

MARK 1:35-37.

IT'S EASY TO THINK OF JESUS' LIFE as very different from ours. We see Him in stained gla.s.s serenely holding a lamb, or we think of Him hanging out with His followers around a campfire. Ahh, the good life. But actually, the Gospels tell us that Jesus experienced incredible pressures. Everybody wanted a piece of Him. Sick people came to Him for healing, confused people asked for wisdom, and religious leaders wanted to kill Him. And we think we've got it rough!

Early in Mark's account of Christ's life, Peter and the other disciples searched frantically for Him early one morning. Where could He have gone? "Everyone," an exasperated Peter told Jesus when he finally found Him, "is looking for You." The people had enormous demands, and the disciples had equally high expectations of Jesus. At that point, they didn't really understand that the Father had even higher goals for Jesus: to die for all of us.

Under enormous pressure, Jesus opted for sanity. He got up very early and headed out to be by Himself so He could clear His head and pray. He could easily justify working twenty hours a day-so many sick people, so many lessons to be taught, and so many leaders to refute-but instead, He had a different priority. To keep on track with the Father's plan, He had to spend time with the Father, pour out His heart, gain needed perspective, and get the game plan for the day.

Do you and I need those things less than Jesus did?

When you feel most stressed, do you pray more or pray less? Explain your answer.

How would finding solitude in the morning help you?

"Prayer is the highest intelligence, the profoundest wisdom, the most vital, the most joyous, the most efficacious, the most powerful of all vocations."-E. M. BOUNDS

DECEMBER 11.

SOLITUDE IN THE EVENING.

When [Jesus] had sent the mult.i.tudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

MATTHEW 14:23.

IT HAD BEEN A REALLY BAD COUPLE OF DAYS. Jesus learned that Herod had beheaded His cousin, John the Baptist. He tried to get away to grieve, but an enormous crowd of five thousand men-probably a total of twenty thousand, including women and children-followed Him and found Him. Jesus had compa.s.sion for them, healed the sick, and fed them miraculously with a boy's lunch (see Matthew 14:10-21). Now He tried again to get away.

Jesus sent the crowd home, and He sent His disciples to the other side of the lake in a boat. He was finally alone with His thoughts and His sadness about John the Baptist.

There are times in our lives when success distorts our perspective. Success-especially miracles-can be intoxicating. It's easy to think we have some magic power or that we're indispensable. But when we feel stressed, we need perspective more than we need one more success. Jesus had His priorities straight. He knew He had to get away so He could feel the weight of the loss of His cousin, sense the Father's comfort, and prepare for the next day.

His solace and solitude didn't last long, though. Around three in the morning, the boat carrying the disciples was being blown by a storm. Rising from His grief, He stepped out onto the water to help His friends (see Matthew 14:25).

No matter what we do, we can't keep some of the stresses of life away from us. When stress levels reach their highest, we need to carve out time to be alone for a few hours in the evening, in the morning, or whenever we can find the time.

When is it necessary to be alone for a while, and when is it selfish?

What are some patterns of solitude you need to build into your schedule? How will it help?

"Times of isolation with G.o.d will precede the times of inspiration we receive from G.o.d."-IKE REIGHARD

DECEMBER 12.

G.o.d'S FORMULA FOR STRESS RELIEF

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

ISAIAH 26:3.

"PERFECT PEACE"? You've got to be kidding! Most of us wonder what that looks like, but we might not recognize it if we saw it. Our lives are full of stress, and for some reason, we keep turning off the alarm as we feel increasingly busy, hurried, and overwhelmed with responsibilities. We find a semblance of peace when we turn on the television and escape for a few minutes or when we take a much-needed vacation, but our lives certainly aren't always characterized by G.o.d's peace.

Isaiah's promise of peace was given to men and women whose lives made ours look like a first-cla.s.s cruise! The people of Israel had been defeated in battle, and most of them had been marched off into slavery. Stressed? They felt completely out of control, but G.o.d promised to rescue them and restore them-not just physically, but spiritually and emotionally, too.

The key to perfect peace isn't in keeping a finely tuned schedule and hitting all green lights. The key is to rivet our minds on G.o.d's goodness, strength, kindness, and purpose-not just to know these things are true, but to trust Him, delight in Him, and experience His leading each day. Then, when stresses come, we have a benchmark of peace, and we can say yes or no according to G.o.d's design for our lives, rather than acquiring more possessions, positions, or pleasures.

Is perfect peace possible? Yes, even in our rapid-paced, stress-producing world, we can fix our minds and our hearts on G.o.d, and He gives us peace.

What are some things that rob you of G.o.d's peace?

What are some ways you can fix your mind and heart on G.o.d's character and His will for you?

"Peace is such a precious jewel that I would give anything for it but truth."-MATTHEW HENRY "Surely it makes sense that the Lord who knew how to create the world knows how to run it-including even your life." -ZIG ZIGLAR

DECEMBER 13.

WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO PRAY

The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

ROMANS 8:26.

A MAN REMEMBERED WISTFULLY, "I always knew my grandmother was praying for me-when I was at my best and when I was at my worst, I knew she was praying that I'd follow G.o.d." It's tremendously encouraging to know that somebody loves us enough to spend time in prayer for us, and Paul tells us an amazing fact: The Holy Spirit continuously prays to the Father for us!

Sometimes, we want to pray but we are confused. Conflicts in marriage or with our kids, problems at work, an unexpected diagnosis of disease, or some other calamity boggles our minds and clouds our hearts. We know we need G.o.d's intervention, but we don't know how to pray. During those times, we can feel lost, empty, and helpless. But at those very moments, the Spirit of G.o.d, who knows us better than we know ourselves, brings our needs to the Father's throne of grace.

The Spirit's prayers for us aren't glib, meaningless ramblings. He groans in His intercession for us, with pa.s.sion, intensity, and deep concern for our welfare.

On most days, we have a good idea of G.o.d's plan for us in our interactions and decisions that day, and the Spirit is praying along with us. On those days when we don't have a clue what to pray, we can rely on the Spirit's loving concern to either give us insight about what we can pray or to pray for us when we feel completely overwhelmed. Either way, we feel encouraged that He is our Advocate in a difficult situation.

How does it encourage you to know that the Spirit prays for you?

Is there any situation right now that baffles you and you don't know how to pray about it? Thank the Holy Spirit for His prayers and love.

"To the individual believer indwelt by the Holy Spirit, there is granted the direct impression of the Spirit of G.o.d on the spirit of man, imparting knowledge of His will in matters of the smallest and greatest importance. This has to be sought and waited for."-G. CAMPBELL MORGAN

DECEMBER 14.

HE SEARCHES HEARTS.

He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of G.o.d.

ROMANS 8:27.

EARLIER IN THE CHAPTER, Paul had explained that the Holy Spirit prays for us, even when we don't know what to pray. Now he amplifies the encouragement by telling us that the Spirit's prayers are directed by the Father's complete knowledge of every detail of our lives, even into the creva.s.ses of our hearts.