Check today’s date according to the Jewish calendar, then locate the month and date below. Click on the date to read the Scripture and prayer for the day.
Today's Date is
Tishrei Cheshvan Kislev Tevet Sh'vat Adar Nisan Iyyar Sivan Tammuz Av Elul
The Month of Tishrei
Tishrei is the first month of the Jewish year. It includes Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and The Feast of Tabernacles.
It is a time of celebrating new beginnings as we remember that God will one day judge each of us. But even while we remember the coming judgement, we also remember the atonement that Christ accomplished for us, and that one day, we will leave this earth and go to our home in Heaven.
Tishrei 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
The Month of Cheshvan
Cheshvan is the second month of the Jewish calendar. Historically, it is the month when then Great Flood occurred and the month for celebrating Solomon’s building of the Temple.
Cheshvan 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
The Month of Kislev
Kislev is the third month of the Jewish calendar. It is a time of the year in Israel for celebrating the rains. It is also the month when Ezra reminded the exiles returning to Jerusalem to stay faithful to the Lord by not marrying women who worshiped other gods. Finally, it is the month when Hanukkah starts. As Christians, Hanukkah reminds us to let our light shine for others to see.
The Month of Tevet
Tevet is the fourth month of the Jewish calendar. While the first week sees the end of Hanukkah, the rest of the month takes a more somber feel. It is the month when Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem. It ends on a high note, however, as we celebrate the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek (the Septuagint) and remember that the gift of communicating in different languages is a tool God has given us to share the Gospel.
The Month of Sh’vat
Sh’vat is the fifth month of the Jewish year. It is month of the New Year of the Trees.
Sh’vat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
The Month of Adar
Adar is the sixth month of the Jewish calendar. It is the month we focus on presenting our offerings to God.
Adar 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
The Month of Nisan
Nisan is the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. It is the month of Passover and Exodus.
Nisan 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
The Month of Iyyar
Iyyar is the eighth month of the Jewish year. The original name of the month was Ziv, which means light.
The Month of Sivan
Sivan is the ninth month of the Jewish calendar. It is the month of the giving of the Ten Commandments and the month of Pentecost.
Sivan 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
The Month of Tammuz
Tammuz is the tenth month of the Jewish calendar. It is the month when the Israelites created the golden calf. The 17th of Tammuz begins a three-week period of fasting similar to Lent.
Tammuz 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
The Month of Av
Av is the eleventh month of the Jewish calendar. It is the month when the Twelve Spies entered Canaan. The 16th of Av is a day for celebrating romantic love.
Av 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
The Month of Elul
Elul is the twelfth month of the Jewish calendar. It is a time of searching one’s heart and offering forgiveness to others as we prepare for the New Year. It is customary to read Psalm 27 every day during the month.
Elul 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Tishrei 1
Rosh Hashanah (New Year)
“On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.”
– Leviticus 23:24
Lord, You commanded the Israelites to celebrate in worship as their new year began. Give me a spirit of celebration so that I can worship You for all that You’ve done in my life.
Tishrei 2
Rosh Hashanah (New Year)
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
– Genesis 1:1
Creator God, just as You created something new out of nothing, I believe that You can make something new out of my life this year. Work my heart like clay, form the very thoughts of my mind, and create a more loving, victorious spirit within me.
Tishrei 3
“Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.”
– Psalm 96:13
Lord of All, help me to examine my life – my thoughts, my words, my actions – so that I can rejoice, rather than fear, the coming judgment when You will remake Your creation as it should be.
Tishrei 4
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.”
– Revelation 20:11-12
My Father, My King, You are the only one worthy to judge. You are the only one wise enough and righteous enough. You are also the only merciful enough. May I always remember to reverently fear You as I thank You that Christ through Christ, You have written my name in your book of life.
Tishrei 5
“Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”
– Revelation 20:15
My God, You are a righteous judge. But I know Your heart. You don’t want to punish anyone. Use me to reach out to others in the name of Your Son so that You can spare them this judgement.
Tishrei 6
“The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before My Father and His angels.”
– Revelation 3:5
Jesus, make me pure as I continue to grow closer to You. Dress me in white and never let me go out of Your Presence. Help me to be victorious in Your so that can delight to call me Your own.
Tishrei 7
“Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
– Revelation 21:27
Jesus, I want to be with You. I want to be where You are. Purify me and make me holy so that I can walk with You forever in Your new creation.
Tishrei 8
“Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.”
– Galatians 6:15
Father, I thank You that You do not judge me based on outward works, but on the transformation Your Spirit has made in my heart. Continue to shape me and form me into Your vision of what I can be. I want to be a new creation in You.
Tishrei 9
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
– 2nd Corinthians 5:17
Father, thank You for changing me! I look back on my life and am amazed at both the sudden and gradual ways You have shaped me to be Your own. I know that it’s all because of what Jesus has done for me and how Your Holy Spirit is working in me.
Tishrei 10
Yom Kippur
“The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the Lord. Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God.”
– Leviticus 23:27-28
Father, as the Israelites, presented a gift of food to celebrate their temporary atonement at the cost of an animal sacrifice, I give You the gift of myself. My forever atonement came at the cost of Jesus’ life, and so my life given to You is the only reasonable response. Take it and help me to make it a pleasing offering to You.
Tishrei 11
“Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the Lord.”
– Exodus 30:10
Father, help me to recognize how serious my sin is. It’s something I can brush off as if doesn’t matter. You require blood to cover it. Through all generations, as the Scripture says, the only way to atone for my sin is through the death of another. Help me not to forget that.
Tishrei 12
“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.”
– Genesis 22:13
Gracious God, as I blow the horns and the trumpets this month of Tishrei, help me to remember this ram who was caught by its horns. By providing this sacrifice to take the place of Isaac, You were showing me that You would one day provide Your son as the atoning sacrifice in my place.
Tishrei 13
“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood—to be received by faith.”
– Romans 3:25
Father, You are both my judge and my defender. You presented the sacrifice for my sins on my behalf and granted me forgiveness. Help me to have faith in You – to trust in You and to trust in the sacrifice Your Son made for me.
Tishrei 14
“He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.”
– Hebrews 2:17
Jesus, You humbled Yourself in every way with the one goal of becoming my forever sacrifice of atonement. I cannot understand the depth of Your love for me. I only ask that You accept my worship.
Tishrei 15
The Feast of Booths / Tabernacles / Ingathering
“Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the year.”
– Exodus 34:22
Father, every good thing comes from You. Even the food that I need to live and the air that I need to breathe comes from You. Thank You for Your creation and thank You for the harvests You faithfully provide every year.
Tishrei 16
The Feast of Booths / Tabernacles / Ingathering
“Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
– Leviticus 23:43-43
Oh, Lord my God, just as the Israelites lived in temporary homes on their way to the Promised Land, help me to remember that this fallen world is only temporary. I’m not home until I’m with You in the Promised Land of Your new creation.
Tishrei 17
The Feast of Booths / Tabernacles / Ingathering
“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.”
– 1 Peter 2:11
Holy Spirit, this world is not my home. I’m a stranger here. Help me not to give in to the local customs of sin. Help me to stand strong in You as I wait for something better.
Tishrei 18
The Feast of Booths / Tabernacles / Ingathering
“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.”
– Hebrews 11:13
Jesus, I’ve seen what the people of the Old Testament didn’t. I’ve seen what life is like in You. I’ve seen what it’s like to be forgiven and made new. But I know that You still have more for me. Help me to accept this world for the gift that it is, but to look forward to the time when You will make the world new again.
Tishrei 19
The Feast of Booths / Tabernacles / Ingathering
“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”
– 2nd Corinthians 5:1
Father, just as this world is only temporary home, so is my body. Help me not to fear what happens to me here. The body You are preparing for me is eternal.
Tishrei 20
The Feast of Booths / Tabernacles / Ingathering
“Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”
– 2nd Corinthians 5:2-4
Father, I thank You for this life. But I also know that this is a fallen world and I am in a sin-cursed body. I am vulnerable and burdened here. I long for the day when I become a truly new creation in my eternal life with You.
Tishrei 21
The Feast of Booths / Tabernacles / Ingathering
“Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
– 2nd Corinthians 5:5
Holy Spirit, how could I live in this world without You? You are my strength and my hope of what is to come. Help me rest in and rely on You. Help me to draw from Your life, Your love, and Your power as I wait for my eternal home.
Tishrei 22
The Feast of Booths / Tabernacles / Ingathering
“Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight.”
– 2nd Corinthians 5:6-7
Father, give me the faith to stay confident in You. Give me the faith not to cling to this body and this world but to look forward to when I will be with You forever in the creation of Your new world.
Tishrei 23
“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
– 2nd Corinthians 5:8
Jesus, help me to prefer to be with You. Help me not to worry about what I want to accomplish here or about who I’ll leave behind. Give me the faith to carry out Your will here, but to willingly go and look forward to the time when I will be fully united to You.
Tishrei 24
“So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.”
– 2nd Corinthians 5:9
Yes, Holy Spirit, make it my goal to please You! Make it my goal to please You whatever I’m doing, wherever I am. Help me to be so in love with You and so devoted to You that pleasing You is my first and all-encompassing priority. Help me to make pleasing You a habit so that it becomes my way of life, and eventually my way of death.
Tishrei 25
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
– 2nd Corinthians 5:11
Jesus, as Your new creation whose only goal is to please You as I wait for our eternal home where we will be together forever, I only ask that You show me what good You want me to do here and keep me from the bad that I could do here by the power of Your Holy Spirit living in me.
Tishrei 26
“With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn shout for joy before the Lord, the King.”
– Psalm 98:6
My Lord and my King, during these last days of Tishrei, help me celebrate the hope that I have in You: hope for the new creation and hope for Your continued work in my life.
Tishrei 27
“For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
– 1 Thessalonians 4:16
What a glorious day that will be when the world sees You returning and those who trusted in Your atonement will awake to new life. May every day be a trumpet call to awaken my spirit to new life in You so that I won’t miss Your coming.
Tishrei 28
“And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
– Matthew 24:31
Jesus, Your disciples are all over the world. Help me to remember to pray for them and unite with them in Your work as we all wait for the trumpets to sound and for You gather us to Yourself.
Tishrei 29
“The trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”
– 1st Corinthians 15:52
Holy Spirit, just as You will one day change my body, give me a taste of the new creation now. Change the attitudes of my spirit. Change the way that I think. Change my heart to be more open and loving and patient toward others.
Tishrei 30
“So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”
– Genesis 1:27
God, I thank You for life. I thank You for humanity. I thank You that You will make me more and more like You as I continue to walk with You this year.
The Month of Cheshvan
Cheshvan is the second month of the Jewish calendar. Historically, it is the month when then Great Flood occurred and the month for celebrating Solomon’s building of the Temple.
Cheshvan 1
“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.”
– Genesis 6:5
Lord, You see all things. You see my sin, my selfishness, my brokenness. I’m not who You created me to be. But by Your grace, You’ve forgiven me. And by the power of Your Spirit, I’m being renewed.
Cheshvan 2
“The Lord regretted that He had made human beings on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.’”
— Genesis 6:6-7
You are a holy God who hates sin. You are also a person who can feel disappointment and pain. I pray that You would help me to become someone who brings You joy.
Cheshvan 3
“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
– Genesis 6:8
Father I know that You love me. Nothing can change that. But I want to be someone You can be proud of as well. I want to live in such a way that You will look on me with favor. I want to be like Noah.
Cheshvan 4
“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.”
– Genesis 6:9
My God, help me to walk side by side with you. Help me to maintain a righteous heart and to do no one any wrong.
Cheshvan 5
“Make yourself an ark of cypress wood. This is how you are to build it…”
– Genesis 6:14-15
Father, give me Your instructions. Just as you showed Noah how to build the ark, show me how to apply Your Word to my life. Help me to be attentive to Your Spirit within me so that I can do whatever tasks You would call me to.
Cheshvan 6
“I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.”
– Genesis 6:17-18
My Lord, through the death of Your Son, You have established Your covenant with me. I praise You, for You have saved me from drowning in my own sin, just as You saved Noah from drowning in the waters of the flood. Help me to bring my family along with me, just as Noah did his.
Cheshvan 7
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
– Matthew 24:37-39
Jesus, I look forward to Your coming. I look forward to being with You. But there are so many who won’t be ready. Help me to warn them lovingly, so that they, too, can welcome You joyously.
Cheshvan 8
“To those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.”
– 1 Peter 3:20-21
Gracious God, I thank You for my baptism into Your family. I thank You for washing me of my sin through Christ’s blood. I thank You for counting me clean and continuing to work in me through Your Spirit.
Cheshvan 9
“You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”
– Genesis 6:19-21
Creator God, how caring You are to look out for the animals You made. Help me to remember that they are Your creatures. Help me to be both thankful for them and respectful of them in Your name.
Cheshvan 10
“For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”
– Romans 8:21-22
How glorious it will be when all of creation is restored to way You created it to be! There will be no more death, no more violence, only the perfect harmony that You intended.
Cheshvan 11
“Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”
– Genesis 6:22
Father, how many times have I failed to do what You asked of me? How many times have I failed to obey Your Word? Give me a heart like Noah’s, so that I carry out your will like he did.
Cheshvan 12
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”
– Hebrews 11:7
Jesus, give me faith like Noah had. Remind me that there is a judgment coming and help me to do all that I can to save those around me. Help me to recognize the sin of this world and not to condemn its people but any actions and thoughts that aren’t pleasing to You.
Cheshvan 13
“But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and He sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.”
– Genesis 8:1
God, I humbly ask that You would remember me when I need You, just as You remembered Noah. Send Your wind of change to blow in my life and give me solid ground to stand on. Remove any obstacles in my path, so that I can serve and glorify You.
Cheshvan 14
“If He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.”
– 2 Peter 2:5, 9
My God, I go through trials every day, and every day You are faithful to rescue me. Some of my trials are like the waters of a flood, and some of them are like rain puddles, but Your Sprit and Your saving power are with me through them all.
Cheshvan 15
“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in His heart: ‘Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.”
– Genesis 8:20-21
Holy Spirit, make me life a pleasing sacrifice to You. I want to be someone whom the Lord sees and is filled with compassion for the rest of humankind. I want Him to see me and know that we are worth saving – not because of me, but because Your work in and through me gives Him hope about what we can become.
Cheshvan 16
“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
– Genesis 9:13-16
You are a good God who continually gives us reminders of Your relationship with us. Help me to see Your work in nature and remember how loving, how caring, and how awesome You are.
Cheshvan 17
“Long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
– 2nd Peter 3:5-7
Holy God, You promised to never destroy the world with a flood again. But You are the judge, and Your fire is coming. Help me never to forget Your standards and Your righteousness, Your power and Your authority.
Cheshvan 18
“In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.”
– 1 Kings 6:7
When Solomon was building the Temple, he knew to respect You by keeping Your house quiet. Help me to respect You in appropriate ways as well. Keep me mindful that You are always near and You deserve to be honored in every action.
Cheshvan 19
“The word of the Lord came to Solomon: As for this temple you are building, if you follow My decrees, observe My laws and keep all My commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father.”
– 1 Kings 6:11-12
My King, help me to obey Your Word and follow Your calling. Make me a conduit to fulfill Your promises of salvation and blessing to others.
Cheshvan 20
“And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon My people Israel.”
– 1 Kings 6:13
Holy Spirit, just as You dwelt in the Temple of Solomon, so You live in me today. Help me to honor You for the gift of Your Presence with me. I know that You will never abandon me. I only ask that You keep me open to Your guidance.
Cheshvan 21
“So Solomon built the temple and completed it.”
– 1 Kings 6:14
What a great work Solomon did to honor You! I don’t ask to be a great person, but if there’s anything I can do to honor You, show me, and I will complete it.
Cheshvan 22
“He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the Lord there.”
– 1 Kings 6:19
Father, Solomon set the ark of the covenant in a special place to remind the people of all You had done for them. Help me to stay in Your Word and in prayer and among Your people, so that I will always be reminded of everything You have done for me.
Cheshvan 23
“He placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room.”
– 1 Kings 6:27
Holy Father, Lord of Creation, Your Presence and the presence of Your angels fills every room! Help me to feel You near me and to trust in the protection and guidance of Your servants.
Cheshvan 24
“On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers.”
– 1 Kings 6:29
How wise Solomon was to represent the beauty of what You have made! You created the heavenly beings to help us, the trees to give us air and food, and the flowers to look on and make everything work together.
Cheshvan 25
“In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it.”
– 1 Kings 6:38
Lord, help me to be patient and diligent in the work You give me, just as Solomon was. Whether the task You give me takes seven years or 70, I only want to follow the details of Your plan according to Your specifications.
Cheshvan 26
“Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days…’ The temple He had spoken of was His body.”
– John 2:19, 21
Jesus, people used to go the temple to meet with the Lord. I thank You that all I need to do is go through You. You are my Priest and my Temple, my Savior and my God.
Cheshvan 27
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.”
– Acts 17:24
God, You are not limited by what we make or what our ideas of You are. You are the ruler of all creation!
Cheshvan 28
“built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
– Ephesians 2:20-22
Holy Spirit, though You do not live in temples built by human hands, You’ve built a temple for Yourself out of my heart. Continue to build me up in Christ, so that I can be a worthy house for Your Presence.
Cheshvan 29
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
– 1st Corinthians 6:19-20
Spirit, make me mindful of my actions. Make me mindful of my words. Make me mindful of my thoughts. Help me to remember that I am not my own. I am Yours. You are living within me. I am Your temple built to honor You.
Cheshvan 30
“I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.”
– Revelation 21:22
My God, and my Lord Jesus, I long for that day in the new creation when I will see You face to face, when I’ll be able to meet with You freely. Help me to grow close to You even now through Your Spirit.
The Month of Kislev
Kislev is the third month of the Jewish calendar. It is a time of the year in Israel for celebrating the rains. It is also the month when Ezra reminded the exiles returning to Jerusalem to stay faithful to the Lord by not marrying women who worshipped other gods. Finally, it is the month when Hanukkah starts. As Christians, Hanukkah reminds us to let our light shine for others to see.
Kislev 1
“Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground.”
– Genesis 2:5
You are the Creator, and Your timing is perfect. You do nothing without a reason. Help me to trust in the wisdom of Your plan and Your methods.
Kislev 2
“Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew?”
– Job 38:25-28
You, oh, God, are the only Father of all creation. You created the rain and You created me. Just as You make the grass grow in the desert, make my mind fertile to learn Your ways. Give me a vibrant spirit that springs to life in You.
Kislev 3
“Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is You, Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in You, for You are the one who does all this.”
– Jeremiah 14:22
There is no one like You, no one else that I can count on to give me everything that I need. I put my hope only in You.
Kislev 4
“And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.”
– Genesis 7:12
Father, Your rain is a blessing, but You can also use it to punish. Help me never to take Your gifts for granted or to lose my holy and respectful fear of You.
Kislev 5
“Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens.”
– Genesis 19:24
You rained destruction on those who did evil to maintain Your justice and to warn me not to follow in their footsteps. Keep my spirit pure, my thoughts focused, and my heart burning with a passion for You.
Kislev 6
“When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.”
– Exodus 9:23
Father, I take no joy in the destruction of my enemies, but rejoice in Your salvation. Would You rain hail in my heart to break up its stony barriers if I ever let it get hard toward You.
Kislev 7
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions.”
– Exodus 16:4
Provider of every good gift, help me to receive Your blessings and use them as You would have me to. Put me to the test and train me to follow You more closely.
Kislev 8
“Then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil.”
– Deuteronomy 11:14
Faithful God, You bless me with more than I deserve or need. Help me to use Your gifts to bless others.
Kislev 9
“Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you.”
– Deuteronomy 11:17
Holy Spirit, keep my conscience sharp and my heart soft so that I will never cause You to withhold Your good gifts from me.
Kislev 10
“Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of gifts never given.”
– Proverbs 25:14
Jesus, help me to be humble not to boast. Help me to be generous in giving my time and resources for the good of others. Help me to me diligent in following through with my commitments.
Kislev 11
“Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain is a sly tongue—which provokes a horrified look.”
– Proverbs 25:23
My God, help me to honor You in everything that I say. Help me not to deceive or manipulate others with my words but only say what is true and uplifting, in Your Name.
Kislev 12
“Because they lead my people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, ‘Where is the whitewash you covered it with?’
– Ezekiel 13:10-12
Seer of all things, like the rain that washes chalk from a dirty wall, so You expose all that I do and all that I think. Help me not to think that I can deceive You, myself, or others but help me to be honest in my brokenness and humble in my holiness.
Kislev 13
“These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead.”
– Jude 1:12
Holy Spirit, teach me and ground me. Like a cloud full of rain, fill me with the truth, so that I can stand firmly in You.
Kislev 14
“You heavens above, rain down My righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it.”
– Isaiah 45:8
Father, open my spirit, my mind, and my heart to receive the righteousness that You want to rain down on me. I want all of it. I want all of You and Your holiness. Let Your salvation spring out of me and spread to those around me for Your glory!
Kislev 15
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
– Isaiah 55:10-11
You are God. What You say, happens. What You will, occurs. Help me to trust in Your promises and know that they will be fulfilled.
Kislev 16
“Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
– Hosea 6:3
Father, like a land in drought, there are times when I don’t feel You near me. But as the prophet says, help me to persevere and know that You will rain in my heart again. You will not abandon me but will come to me again and feed me with Your spirit.
Kislev 17
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
– Matthew 5:44-45
Father, help me to be openhearted and generous toward everyone, just as You are.
Kislev 18
“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
– Matthew 7:25
Jesus, establish me in Your word. Establish me in Your Spirit. Establish me in You, so that when the storms of life come, I will be able to stand strong, honoring and rejoicing in You.
Kislev 19
“Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers His righteousness on you.”
– Hosea 10:12
My Father, turn my heart toward You. Give me a passion to seek You. Show me how to sow righteousness so that I experience Your unfailing love and share it with those around me.
Kislev 20
“And on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people were sitting in the square before the house of God, greatly distressed by the occasion and because of the rain. Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, ‘You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt. Now honor the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.”
– Ezra 10:9-11
Father, help me to exercise wisdom in who I associate with. Help me to recognize those who will be a negative influence in my relationship with you. Help me to build relationships with those who will help build me up, and help me to do the same for others.
Kislev 21
“As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.”
– 1 Kings 11:4
Holy Spirit, keep me from going after anyone or anything that would turn my heart from You. You are the one I am devoted to. You are my all.
Kislev 22
“Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
– 2 Corinthians 6:17
Holy God, You have called me to Yourself and I have answered. You want to be in a holy relationship with me, but I need Your help. Show me what is unclean in Your eyes and teach my spirit to see evil as dirty and as profane as You do.
Kislev 23
“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
– John 15:19
Jesus, You’ve called me to something higher than the empty pleasures of this world. This world hates me and only wants to keep from You. Help me to recognize its temptations and apathetic attitudes as the true enemies of my spirit.
Kislev 24
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be My disciple.”
– Luke 14:26
Savior, all that I have is Yours: my life, my family, my desires. You are my first priority. I hate everything else compared to my love for You.
Kislev 25
(Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication)
“Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-eighth year, they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built. At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them. So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they offered a sacrifice of well-being and a thanksgiving offering. They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and fitted them with doors. There was very great joy among the people, and the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed.”
– 1 Maccabees 4:52-58
Father God, as we enter the season of Hannukah, I rejoice in Your victories. I rejoice that no one and nothing can defeat You. No one can thwart Your plans. You can always redeem that which seems lost, just as You redeemed me in Your Son’s ultimate victory over sin and the grave.
Kislev 26
(Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication)
“For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.”
– 1 Kings 17:14
Just as You provided oil that did not run dry, so Your Spirit never leaves me wanting. You are infinite and Your grace and love to me continues forever.
Kislev 27
(Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication)
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
– Isaiah 60:1-3
God of Light, You have shined on me and helped me to see through the darkness of this world. Help me to be a light that points others to You.
Kislev 28
(Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication)
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
– Matthew 5:14-16
Father, show me the good deeds that I can do today to inspire others to glorify You. Make me Your light shining for all to see.
Kislev 29
(Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication)
“I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”
– Acts 13:47
Father, You have tasked me with no small mission. Help me not to ignore it or downplay it. Help me to offer salvation to everyone You put in my path. And help me to be active and take salvation to those who don’t know You.
Kislev 30
(Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication)
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.”
– Isaiah 42:6
Yes, Lord, take my hand and teach me. Build me up into who You’ve created me to be and help me to shine Your light in the world. Help me to bring others into the covenant of faith in Your Son, so that we can all be united in You.
The Month of Tevet
Tevet is the fourth month of the Jewish calendar. While the first week sees the end of Hanukkah, the rest of the month takes a more somber feel. It is the month when Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem. It ends on a high note, however, as we celebrate the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek (the Septuagint) and remember that the gift of communicating in different languages is a tool God has given us to share the Gospel.
Tevet 1
(Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication)
“If you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?”
– Romans 2:19-21
Lord Jesus, help me to never be so arrogant to think that I know everything about the Christian faith. Help me to continue learning and growing in You so that I can shine Your light for others to see.
Tevet 2
(Hanukkah / The Festival of Lights / The Feast of Dedication)
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”
– Ephesians 2:8-11
Father, You have brought me out of darkness and not only put me in the light but made me the light. Help me to shine for You.
Tevet 3
“Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep His commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.”
– 2 Kings 23:1-3
What a glorious reign was King Josiah’s in the history of Your people! Make me like him. Give me a heart whole devoted to You, and a passion to share Your Word with others.
Tevet 4
“Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his predecessors had done.”
– 2 Kings 23:36-37
As glorious as Josiah’s reign was, many of the kings of Israel and Judah failed You. Help me to recognize the mistakes of others and learn from them to follow You better.
Tevet 5
“The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by His servants the prophets.”
– 2 Kings 24:2
Lord, Your punishments are just. Help me to accept Your punishments in my life as warnings and opportunities to grow.
Tevet 6
“Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.”
– 2 Kings 24:3
Father, I know that You are a loving God, willing to forgive my sins. But neither do You ignore my sins. Jesus had to die to take my punishment. Inspire me to fall deeper in love with Him for His innocent blood shed on my behalf.
Tevet 7
“In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. As the Lord had declared, Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. He carried all Jerusalem into exile: all the officers and fighting men, and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left.”
– 2 Kings 24:12-14
Holy God, Your punishments are meant as lessons. And You are so in love with us, that You humbled Yourself to allow Your temple to be desecrated. Not only that, but You humbled Yourself to die for me. All to bring me to Yourself and teach me to follow You.
Tevet 8
“Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end He thrust them from His presence. Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.”
– 2 Kings 24:18-20
Why can’t we learn? Why are we so hard-hearted against You? Give me a spirit that responds, a heart that feels, and a mind that isn’t afraid to acknowledge You.
Tevet 9
“So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it.”
– 2 Kings 25:1
Lord, You know that there are times when I feel besieged by the enemy. Yet, You are my guardian, my strength, my protector and sustainer.
Tevet 10
“The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.”
– 2 Kings 25:2
Sometimes, my time of trouble seems to go on and on, like it will never end. Help me to keep my hope in You and know that You have better things for me than what I might be going through at any one time.
Tevet 11
“By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.”
– 2 Kings 25:3
Sometimes, it seems that I’m at the end of my rope. I have nothing left to live on. It’s then that I learn to lean fully on You.
Tevet 12
“Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city.”
– 2 Kings 25:4
How fickle humans can be. Those who were meant to protect the people fled! And those who are meant to stand by my side sometimes fail me. But You never do, Lord. Help me to put my trust in You alone.
Tevet 13
“They fled toward the Arabah, but the Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, and he was captured.”
– 2 Kings 25:5-6
Though I might try to run from Your discipline, You will always catch me, just as Your punishment caught up to the wicked king. Give me a heart of bravery that will accept Your punishments and learn from them rather than fleeing from them and refusing to acknowledge You.
Tevet 14
“He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.”
– 2 Kings 25:6-7
Holy Spirit, even though Zedekiah sinned against You, I can’t help but feel sorry for him. Help me to feel compassion toward those who don’t You. Give me a heart not of judgement but of love toward them.
Tevet 15
“On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down.”
– 2 Kings 25:8-9
Father, You allowed Your temple to burn to teach Your people a lesson. You allowed Your Son to be crucified to teach me a lesson. Help me to take Your punishments on my behalf, and my relationship with You, seriously.
Tevet 16
“The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.”
– 2 Kings 25:10-11
The Babylonian army broke down the walls around Jerusalem to humble them and keep them from fighting back. Break down the walls of my heart so that I can’t fight against You.
Tevet 17
“But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.”
– 2 Kings 25:12
Lord, You never punish beyond recovery. You always leave a remnant to carry on Your mission and to receive Your promises and blessings. You are a faithful and merciful God.
Tevet 18
“The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers. There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed. ”
– 2 Kings 25:18, 21
Jesus, I think about these priests and wonder how faithful they were to You. Were they warning the people? Were they confronting the kings with their sin? Help me stand up for what I believe so that I won’t be a false witness bearing Your name.
Tevet 19
“So Judah went into captivity, away from her land.”
– 2 Kings 25:21
The people have felt as if they were going away from You as well. There are times when I feel as if I’ve left You, but You always come back to me. Your love never leaves me, and You return as soon as I reach out to You. Keep me close to You, Jesus.
Tevet 20
“In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.”
– 2 Kings 25:27, 28
Even when all seems lost, Lord, You can bring new life. Help me to keep trusting in You, no matter what I’m going through.
Tevet 21
“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.”
– Genesis 11:1
Father, as I reflect on how Your Word was first translated into Greek this month, I am reminded that we were once blessed not to need translations. We all spoke the same language and understood each other. I’m looking forward to the time when all Your people will communicate with one another clearly again.
Tevet 22
“The Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.”
– Genesis 11:5-6
How much would have been possible for us if we had acknowledged You from the beginning instead of building a tower to our own pride? Break my pride, Jesus, and give me a spirit of unity toward my brothers in sisters in Christ so that we can accomplish the impossible in Your name.
Tevet 23
“So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world.”
– Genesis 11:8-9
We are nothing without You, Father. You give us breath. You give us speech. And You can take it all away. Yet You only punish us when it would be for our own good so that we might learn to follow You. Give me a soft heart learn Your lessons before punishment is necessary.
Tevet 24
“Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?”
– Acts 2:7-8
Holy Spirit, just as You confused our language at the beginning, so You blessed us with the gift of overcoming that curse and communicating with one another through Your gifts and talents. Show me how to reach out with Your Word to those who speak other languages.
Tevet 25
“And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues.”
– Mark 16:17
Whether by supernatural means or by study, help me to communicate with those who are different from me, so that we can all be one in You.
Tevet 26
“Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?”
– 1 Corinthians 14:6
Jesus, Your gifts are always to build up Your people or bring Your children to You. Give me the right words to say to anyone I meet.
Tevet 27
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
– Acts 8:26
Father, I pray that You would give me such clear instructions. Pull me so close to You that You can communicate with me and tell me Your will.
Tevet 28
“So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.”
– Acts 8:27-28
Lord, I know You are working on the hearts of people before I even meet them. Help me to see what You are trying to accomplish, and do my part to bring others closer to You.
Tevet 29
“Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked. ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”
– Acts 8:30-31
Whether it be reaching out to someone who speaks another language or someone who is simply ignorant of Your ways, help me to explain Your love and salvation to everyone You put in my path.
The Month of Sh’vat
Sh’vat is the fifth month of the Jewish year. It is month of the New Year of the Trees.
Sh’vat 1
“Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so.”
– Genesis 1:11
Father, You are so creative. And not only are You creative enough to make the trees, but You are wise enough to design them to reproduce and bear fruit year after year to sustain us. I praise You!
Sh’vat 2
“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.’”
– Genesis 1:29
You are so generous, Father, to give us Your creation. Help me to be generous to the world.
Sh’vat 3
“The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
– Genesis 2:9
Father, remind me that in Your creation there is life, but there is also danger. Give me the wisdom to stay close to one and far from the other.
Sh’vat 4
“And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’”
– Genesis 2:16-17
Your commands are good and Your judgments are fair, oh Lord. Help me to obey Your instructions.
Sh’vat 5
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”
– Genesis 3:8
Holy Spirit, soften my heart so that I never try to hide from You. When You convict me, let me run to You in confession and repentance.
Sh’vat 6
“And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.’”
– Genesis 3:22
Jesus, my eternal life isn’t for me to reach out and take, but for You to give. You are my salvation and my King.
Sh’vat 7
“They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness.”
– Nehemiah 9:25
Lord, just as You blessed Israel with the work of others, so You bless me by allowing me to learn from the examples of Christians in previous generations. Open my heart and mind to the lessons You taught them.
Sh’vat 8
“When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten.”
– Leviticus 19:23
How wise You are, oh, Lord! You command us to let Your trees grow and become healthy before we eat of their fruit. Feed with Your Spirit so that I grow and prepare myself to nourish the spirits of others.
Sh’vat 9
“I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.”
– Leviticus 26:4
Blessed Father, help me to always obey You so that I enjoy Your blessings.
Sh’vat 10
“Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit.”
– Leviticus 26:20
Jesus, let my life be meaningful. Let me not work and live in vain. Turn my heart to You as You turn Yours to me.
Sh’vat 11
“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.”
– Leviticus 27:30
My God, help me to trust You with my resources. Give me a heart of gratitude to give back to You what You’ve so graciously given to me.
Sh’vat 12
“Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains, on the hills and under every spreading tree, where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods.”
– Deuteronomy 12:12
Holy Spirit, examine my life and show me any areas where I’m not putting You first – where I’m putting myself, my hobbies, my desires, or my family above You. Give me the strength to give You everything.
Sh’vat 13
“When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.”
– Deuteronomy 24:20
Jesus, give me a generous spirit. Remove any selfishness from me and fill me with concern for the needs of others.
Sh’vat 14
“Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.”
– 2 Samuel 18:9
Lord, You are the master of creation and can use even the trees to carry out Your judgments. Fill me with wonder at Your power and deeds.
Sh’vat 15
(Tu BiShvat / Rosh Hashanah La'Ilanot / New Year of the Trees)
“On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers.”
– 1 Kings 6:29
Holy God, just as Solomon recognized the splendor of Your creation, help me to appreciate the beauty of what You have made. Don’t let me take Your work for granted but fill me with awe every time I walk outside and see the wonder of nature.
Sh’vat 16
“Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth.”
– 1 Chronicles 16:33
How glorious You are that even the trees praise You in their own way! Give me a respect for Your creation as I unite with all that You have made to give You honor.
Sh’vat 17
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”
– Psalm 1:1-3
Lord, I want You to nourish me and grow me up into the person You created me to be. Keep me away from the company and the habits of who would drain my life away.
Sh’vat 18
“But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.”
– Psalm 52:8
My God, it is only by Your love that I move and breathe and have my being. Not only have You created me, but You’ve saved me and give me everything that I need to flourish in You.
Sh’vat 19
“Blessed are those who find wisdom. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.”
– Proverbs 3:13, 18
Jesus, give me wisdom. Inspire me to seek new lessons from You every day. Open my eyes to what You want to teach me. Remind me to consider Your teachings in every decision that I make.
Sh’vat 20
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
– Proverbs 13:12
Lord, give me a longing for You and to do Your will. Help me to be patient as I know that You will not disappoint me.
Sh’vat 21
“The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”
– Proverbs 15:4
Holy Spirit, guide my words so that I can be a blessing to others when I speak. Inspire me with words to say to the hurting and the upset. Let my speech always honor You.
Sh’vat 22
“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.”
– Luke 6:43
Teacher, confront me with the truth and show me who I am. Strengthen my resolve to better serve You as I yield to the changes You want to make in me.
Sh’vat 23
“The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
– Matthew 3:10
Father, make me a tree planted and growing in You. Grow Your Spirit within me so that I can yield the fruit You desire.
Sh’vat 24
“Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
– Matthew 13:32
Lord, You said that Your Kingdom would grow. Show me how I can reach out to others with the Good News of Your salvation.
Sh’vat 25
“So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him, since Jesus was coming that way.”
– Luke 19:4
Savior, just as Zacchaeus did what he could to see You, help me to do everything I can to meet with You. Make our time together my priority. Give me a longing to be with You.
Sh’vat 26
“A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.”
– Matthew 21:8
Lord Jesus, just as the people laid branches and their cloaks before You, help me to lay everything I have at Your feet. I give You my time, my family, my work, my interests, my life.
Sh’vat 27
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
– Revelation 2:7
Jesus, my only victory is in You. Help me to rely on Your Spirit to sustain me so that I will never turn from You.
Sh’vat 28
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”
– Revelation 22:2
Father, just as You took away the Tree of Life so that we might seek Your salvation in Christ, so will You return to every blessing that we lost. Give me hope as I wait for You to renew all things.
Sh’vat 29
“And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.”
– Revelation 22:19
Holy Spirit, give me a reverent respect for Your Word. Help me not to ignore any part of it or add any of my own ideas onto what You have said. You are the authority and You’ve given me Your Word to guide me to You.
Sh’vat 30
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.”
– Revelation 22:14
Jesus, I wash my heart, my mind, my spirit in Your blood. You have made me pure and holy for You.
The Month of Adar
Adar is the sixth month of the Jewish calendar. It is the month we focus on presenting our offerings to God.
Adar 1
“In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.”
– Genesis 4:3-5
Lord, give me a heart that puts You first, so that I can offer You the sacrifices that will please You.
Adar 2
“By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.”
– Hebrews 11:4
Father, give me the faith of Abel. Instill in me the belief that You will honor my sacrifices to You.
Adar 3
“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.”
– Genesis 8:20
My God, how great was Noah’s faith! The animals that You commanded him to save, the animals that he and his family had to live on – he offered them to You! Give me such a faith that relies only on You.
Adar 4
“Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.’”
– Genesis 22:2
Holy God, Abraham was willing to give You everything. Make me as devoted to You as he was.
Adar 5
“Tell the Israelites to bring Me an offering. You are to receive the offering for Me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.”
– Exodus 25:2
Oh, Lord, give me a heart that is always willing to give to You.
Adar 6
“The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the Lord to atone for your lives.”
– Exodus 30:15
Father, You are no respecter of persons. You value me just as highly as anyone else. Make me humble before You.
Adar 7
“You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you.”
– Leviticus 1:4
Jesus, the Israelites laid their hands on their sacrifices to give it their sins. But You didn’t wait for me to lay my hand on You. Instead, You took my sin on Yourself before I ever asked You to. Now, You’ve laid Your hand on my heart and led me to Yourself.
Adar 8
“Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor Me, and to the blameless I will show My salvation.”
– Psalm 50:23
Holy Spirit, give me a thankful spirit toward You. Move me to offer my time, my resources, and every area of my life to You in thanks for what You’ve done for me.
Adar 9
“You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart You, God, will not despise.”
– Psalm 51:16-17
Yes, Lord, break my spirit. Do not let me be proud. Do not let me be stubborn. Soften my heart so that I can repent and learn from You.
Adar 10
“Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.”
– Isaiah 1:13
Father, don’t let my offerings to You be meaningless. Don’t let me give You a gift or a token of my time when my heart isn’t fully devoted to You. Turn my spirit to You and make me holy.
Adar 11
“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life an offering for sin, He will see his offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand.”
– Isaiah 53:10
Father, You made Your Son the offering for my sin so that I could offer myself to You. Take me and form me into the person You envision me to be.
Adar 12
“‘In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,’ declares the Lord.”
– Jeremiah 48:35
You are a jealous God. Help me to not put anything in front of You. I don’t want to offer my time, my money, or my talents to anything less than You.
Adar 13
“It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths—at all the appointed festivals of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the Israelites.”
– Ezekiel 45:17
Jesus, You are my priest and my king. You are the first Prince in the Kingdom of God. I give myself to You.
Adar 14
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
– Hosea 6:6
Loving God, I don’t want to just follow the rules of giving You an offering. I want You to shape my spirit and teach me how to be more like You.
Adar 15
“Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings— boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do,” declares the Sovereign Lord.”
– Amos 4:5
Lord, don’t ever let me be prideful about what I do in Your name. Everything I have comes from You, and I do everything to Your glory.
Adar 16
‘When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?’ says the Lord Almighty.”
– Malachi 1:8
Jesus, give me the faith and devotion to offer You nothing but my best.
Adar 17
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob Me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings.”
– Malachi 3:8
Holy Spirit, You can do more with my resources than I can. Make me generous toward You.
Adar 18
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
– 2 Corinthians 9:7
Speak to me, Lord, and move me to give as You would have me.
Adar 19
“If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
– Matthew 5:23-24
Jesus, You came to change my heart before You came to accept my gifts. Give me a spirit of repentance and peacemaking so that my offerings will be acceptable to You.
Adar 20
“To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
– Mark 12:33
Holy Spirit, help me to love You. Teach me what love is. Teach me to put You first in my thoughts, my will, and my actions.
Adar 21
“As Jesus looked up, He saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’”
– Luke 21:4
Jesus, I give everything to You. You are all I have to depend on. You are my life. Give me the faith to honor You.
Adar 22
“They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.”
– John 16:2
Open my eyes, Father. Help me to see what You are doing in the world. Help me to see what You are doing in the lives of those around me. And help me to discern how I can participate with You instead of working against You.
Adar 23
“Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.”
– Acts 10:4
Yes, Lord, any gift I give to one of Your children is an offering of love to You. Remember me and bless me as the good Father that You are.
Adar 24
“God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.”
– Romans 8:3
Gracious Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, any gift I give You cannot compare to the gift of salvation that You gave me.
Adar 25
“He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
– Romans 15:16
Lord, show me how I can help bring others to You so that they can become an offering of love to You.
Adar 26
“Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
– Ephesians 5:2
How pleased You were with Your Son, Father, that He was a fragrant offering to You. Purify and make me holy so that I, too, can please You as I offer myself to You.
Adar 27
“Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.”
– Philippians 4:17-18
Jesus, may the gifts that I give be a blessing to others and may they further Your work in the world.
Adar 28
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.”
– 2 Timothy 4:6
Father, take all of me. Leave nothing of myself as You fill me with Your Spirit.
Adar 29
But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.”
– Philippians 2:17
Jesus, I rejoice in my sacrifices to You because I know that anything I do in Your service helps to build up the faith of others.
The Month of Nisan
Nisan is the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. It is the month of Passover and Exodus.
Nisan 1
“Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. ‘Look,’ he said to his people, ‘the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.’”
– Exodus 1:8-10
Lord, give me an open mind toward others. Let me not jump to conclusions or assume the worst. Let me not live in fear of others.
Nisan 2
“They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.”
– Exodus 1:14
Father, give me diligence in my work and help to lift the burdens of others. I labor for Your glory.
Nisan 3
“One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian.”
– Exodus 2:11-12, 15
Holy Spirit, guide me to make changes in Your way, not mine.
Nisan 4
“There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’”
– Exodus 3:2, 5
Jesus, impress upon me the fact that where You are is holy, and You are always where I am. Help me to be aware and respectful of Your Presence with me.
Nisan 5
“The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.’”
– Exodus 3:7
Father, I thank You for being a compassionate God. You hear my cries and see my suffering. I trust in Your salvation.
Nisan 6
“So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
– Exodus 3:10
Holy God, send me to relieve the misery of others and show me what to do.
Nisan 7
“The Lord said to Aaron, ‘Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.’ So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the signs He had commanded him to perform.”
– Exodus 4:27-28
Lord, I thank You that You do not leave us alone, but You send others to help us. Give me an appreciation for those You send me and help me to listen to You when You want to send me to help someone else.
Nisan 8
“Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.’”
– Exodus 5:2
Holy Spirit, soften the hearts of those who don’t know You. Show me opportunities to introduce You to others.
Nisan 9
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of My mighty hand he will let them go; because of My mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”
– Exodus 6:1
How awesome You are, Lord! No one can stand against You.
Nisan 10
“I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered My covenant.”
– Exodus 6:5
Father, remember me in my troubles and help me to be patient for Your timing.
Nisan 11
“I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.”
– Exodus 6:6
Jesus, You’ve brought me out of slavery to my sin. You have redeemed me with Your outstretched arms on the cross. How might is Your love!
Nisan 12
“I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.”
– Exodus 6:7
I am Yours and You are mine. You are the one who saved me. Help me to always follow You.
Nisan 13
“And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”
– Exodus 6:8
Because You are the Lord, I know that You will do for me what You have promised. You will bless me and take me to the land of eternal life, the land of Your new creation.
Nisan 14
Fast of the Firstborn
“Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”
– Exodus 12:7, 12-13
Jesus, You have saved me from the judgment by Your shed blood. May Your death always be a sign to me of who I can be in You.
Nisan 15
Passover
“During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.’”
– Exodus 12:31
Holy Spirit, help me to forgive those who wrong me. No matter how many times, they hurt me, give me a heart that is willing to forgive and bless them.
Nisan 16
Passover
“So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing.”
– Exodus 12:34
Lord, when You command me to do something, make me obedient. Don’t let me tarry or hesitate, but let me act at Your direction.
Nisan 17
Passover
“For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.”
– Exodus 12:15
Jesus, help me to remember everything that You’ve done for me. Help me to celebrate Your holy days with new zeal every year.
Nisan 18
Passover
“Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
– Luke 12:1
How insidious hypocrisy is, Father! Give me a heart of sincerity and the power to resist any temptation that would cause me to contradict my true beliefs.
Nisan 19
Passover
“Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.”
– Luke 22:1
Jesus, the chief priests and teachers of the law were afraid of Your followers, so they wanted to get rid of You in private. Help me not to be afraid of what others say about You today so that I’m never tempted to get rid of You in my own life. Make me a bold witness for You who only wants to share Your love, not give into pressure from those who don’t know You.
Nisan 20
Passover
“It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”
– John 13:1
Jesus, Your love is what took You to Your end. Help me to love You to my end.
Nisan 21
Passover
“When the hour came, Jesus and His apostles reclined at the table. And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
– Luke 22:14
Jesus, You were eager to eat with Your disciples, and You were eager to win my salvation. Give me an eagerness to meet with You and serve You today.
Nisan 22
“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.”
– John 13:3-5
Holy Spirit, give me the humility of Jesus. Help me serve others in love as He did.
Nisan 23
“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”
– Luke 22:19
Jesus, help me to remember Your broken body today.
Nisan 24
“In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.’”
– Luke 22:20
Jesus, give me the faith to accept that Your blood shed for me is enough. I don’t have to work or be good enough to have a relationship with God. All I need is Your work done for me.
Nisan 25
“‘But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release “the king of the Jews”?’ They shouted back, ‘No, not Him! Give us Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.”
– John 18:39-40
Holy Spirit, how often I make the wrong choice. I say, “Give me this temptation! Give me what I want!” Instead, help me to say, “Give me Jesus!”
Nisan 26
“When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals—one on His right, the other on His left.”
– Luke 23:33
Jesus, You took the punishment for me. Like the criminal who hung beside You, I deserve death for my actions. Instead, You save me and welcome me into a relationship with You
Nisan 27
“Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”
– Revelation 5:6
Jesus, how awesome You are! Slain but risen again. Crucified but victorious. Mortal man but eternal God. I worship You.
Nisan 28
“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
– Revelation 5:11-12
Like Your creatures in Heaven, I praise You, Jesus, for securing my salvation. Help me to give everything to You as the great God that You are. You are worthy of everything that I am and everything that I have.
Nisan 29
“All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.”
– Revelation 13:8
Father, You had a plan to redeem me since before the world was even made. Help me to trust in Your plans, in Your wisdom, and in Your timing.
Nisan 30
“Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
– 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Yes, Holy Spirit, take away disruptive attitudes I have. Make my heart pure in You.
The Month of Iyyar
Iyyar is the eighth month of the Jewish year. The original name of the month was Ziv, which means light.
Iyyar 1
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
– Genesis 1:1-3
Holy Spirit, You are always hovering above the waters of my chaos darkness. I trust You to shine Your light.
Iyyar 2
“So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.”
– Exodus 10:22-23
Father, I thank You for Your blessings. I pray for those who don’t know You so that they can experience Your blessings as well.
Iyyar 3
“By day You led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.”
– Nehemiah 9:12
Jesus, I will follow the path You light for me. Help me to keep my eyes on You in all situations.
Iyyar 4
“You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light.”
– 2 Samuel 22:29
Mighty God, You can change any situation. You are my hope.
Iyyar 5
“He is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’”
– 2 Samuel 23:4
Holy Spirit, let me be the light coming after the rain in the life of someone else today.
Iyyar 6
“The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”
– 1 Kings 3:21
Jesus, give me Your light so that I can see clearly. Refresh my mind from making false assumptions and give me a discerning spirit.
Iyyar 7
“But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in His sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage.”
– Ezra 9:8
Father, I know that You won’t take away all of my troubles at once. Help me to find hope in the glimpses of light that You give me.
Iyyar 8
“The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken.”
– Job 38:15
You are a just God. Help me not forget Your righteous wrath as I live in the joy of Your forgiveness.
Iyyar 9
“What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings?”
– Job 38:19-20
Lord, You are the creator. You are the majestic one. You are the power behind all things. Keep me humble before You.
Iyyar 10
“Many, Lord, are asking, ‘Who will bring us prosperity?’ Let the light of Your face shine on us.”
– Psalm 4:6
Yes, Lord, as a Father smiles on their child, let Your face shine on me. Give me Your Fatherly blessings and help me to use the gifts that You give for Your glory.
Iyyar 11
“You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”
– Psalm 18:28
I live by your will. I breathe because You let me. You are the flame that lights my lantern, the light that lifts the shade of my night.
Iyyar 12
“The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”
– Psalm 19:8
Holy Spirit, give me wisdom to understand Your Word. Give me an obedient sprit to follow it.
Iyyar 13
“The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?”
– Psalm 27:1
Yes, Father, You light my path even through the valley of the shadow of death. I am confident in You.
Iyyar 14
“For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.”
– Psalm 36:9
Jesus, I know what righteousness is because I see it in You. Give me the strength to imitate You.
Iyyar 15
“Send me Your light and Your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell.”
– Psalm 43:3
Father, You’ve given me everything I need to come to You. Your teachings and Your care for me show how much You want me to be with You. I praise You for loving me like only You can.
Iyyar 16
“It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You loved them.”
– Psalm 44:3
Lord, help me never to glory in my own efforts, but only in You. I can only succeed when You smile down on me. I can only succeed when Your right hand holds me up.
Iyyar 17
“You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.”
– Psalm 90:8
Holy God, I can’t hide anything from You. Your light shines into the deepest part of me. I pray that You would show me the sin that hides there and cleanse me of it.
Iyyar 18
“Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.”
– Psalm 112:4
Holy Spirit, help me to exhibit Your qualities. Grow Your character in me.
Iyyar 19
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
– Psalm 119:105
Jesus, give me a passion for Your Word. Give me a desire to study it and learn it and know it so that I will always walk in Your light.
Iyyar 20
“The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
– Psalm 119:130
Father, I praise You for Your Word. It is simple on one level yet so deep that I know that I can never understand it fully. Give me the understanding I need to follow You today.
Iyyar 21
“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”
– John 1:4
Jesus, You are my light. Your very essence, Your nature, Your character shows me the way to life.
Iyyar 22
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
– John 8:12
Jesus, help me to follow You in all things. I want Your light to shine on my life at all times.
Iyyar 23
“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.”
– John 12:46
Lord, You’ve shown me the way out of the darkness of my sins, my negative attitudes, and my dead relationships. Help me to point others to Your light so that they don’t have to stay in darkness either.
Iyyar 24
“I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen—that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to His own people and to the Gentiles.”
– Acts 26:22-23
Loving Lord, how dark it is for those who believe that this life is all there is! Give me opportunities to spread the hope of eternal life to those around me.
Iyyar 25
“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
– Romans 13:12
Holy Spirit, clothe me with your impenetrable armor. Give me the strength to stand against any temptation that would seek to drag me back into the darkness.
Iyyar 26
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”
– 2 Corinthians 4:6
Father, I thank You for revealing the truth to me. Before I looked to You, You were working in my heart so that I could understand Your message. Use me to prepare the heart of someone else.
Iyyar 27
“God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.”
– 1 John 1:5
Father, I praise You for who You are. You do no wrong. No temptation has any sway over You. You are pure and good, and I can trust You.
Iyyar 28
“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.”
– 1 John 2:9-10
Jesus, give me a loving heart toward all Your children. Give me a forgiving heart toward all those who have wronged me. Give me an open heart toward all those who are different from me.
Iyyar 29
“There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”
– Revelation 22:5
Yes, Father, I look forward to Your new creation when I will reign with You. The light of Your glory is all that I need.
The Month of Sivan
Sivan is the ninth month of the Jewish calendar. It is the month of the giving of the Ten Commandments and the month of Pentecost.
Sivan 1
Rosh Chodesh Sivan
“You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.”
– Exodus 19:4
Lord, just as You carried Israel out of Egypt, You have carried me out of my sin. Help me to rely on Your saving power always.
Sivan 2
The Day of Distinction
“Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession.”
– Exodus 19:5
Lord, as You called Israel, so You call me to be Your treasure. Help me to obey Your covenant so that I will be fully united to You.
Sivan 3
The First Day of Separation
“Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes”
– Exodus 19:10
You are holy, God, and You deserve all the respect I can show You. Help me to honor You not only in my heart and mind, but in my outward actions as well.
Sivan 4
The Second Day of Separation
“I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear Me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.”
– Exodus 19:9
Lord, as you gave a sign to the people of Israel to trust Your message through Moses, help me to discern Your guidance through the leaders You have appointed today.
Sivan 5
The Third Day of Separation
“Be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.”
– Exodus 19:11
Just as the Israelites waited for a revelation from You, help me to anticipate a new experience with You in my spirit every day.
Sivan 6
Shavuot (The Feast of Weeks, Pentecost) Begins
“On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.”
– Exodus 19:16
You are an awesome God. Fill me with wonder so that I never take Your greatness for granted.
Sivan 7
“And God spoke all these words”
– Exodus 20:1
Moses heard Your voice on the mountain, Your same voice that I hear in my heart and spirt and mind. Help me to always be attentive to what You are saying to me.
Sivan 8
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
– Exodus 20:2
You are my deliverer. You break the chains of everything that wants to keep me a slave. You give my soul freedom to worship You.
Sivan 9
“We will do everything the Lord has said.”
– Exodus 19:8
As the Israelites committed to obeying Your commands before You gave them, so I commit my heart and will to You, not knowing what You will ask of me.
Sivan 10
“You will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
– Exodus 19:6
Lord, just as Israel was meant to draw others closer to You, help me to serve a priestly function by telling others about You, and praying to You for them.
Sivan 11
“Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death.”
– Exodus 19:12
What limits do you have for me, Lord? Teach me so that I won’t offend You. Warn me away from evil so that I can be the best version of myself, the person You’ve created me to be.
Sivan 12
“Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.”
– Exodus 19:17
My spirit longs to meet with You, my God. Just as the Israelites left their camp to meet with You at the mountain, show me where I can go or what I can do to free myself of distractions. I want to make our meetings solely about You and what You have for me.
Sivan 13
“Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.
– Exodus 19:18
I’m not as strong as a mountain, so my spirit trembles every time I feel You near me. The power of Your Spirit is intense like fire, but the heat of Your love warms me as Your child.
Sivan 14
“As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.”
– Exodus 19:19
Who am I that I should dare speak to You? But You answered Moses, and You answer me. You patiently tell me everything that I need to know. Will You help me to listen?
Sivan 15
“Go down and bring Aaron up with you.”
– Exodus 19:24
Lord, you showed Moses that he needed a companion in his mission. Help me to recognize and appreciate the people You give me to support me in my life’s mission of serving You.
Sivan 16
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.”
– Acts 2:1
Lord, as I celebrate the giving of the Law and the giving of Your Spirit during this month of Shavuot, help me to have a peaceful and gracious spirit toward my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Help us to be together in one place spiritually as we are united together in You.
Sivan 17
“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.”
– Acts 2:2
Father, I treasure the times when Your Spirit rushes in and fills our space unmistakably. But would You help me to feel Your Presence with me even when I’m simply sitting in a room?
Sivan 18
“They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.”
– Acts 2:3
Holy Spirit of God, I invite You to come rest on me. Rest in my mind and give me peace. Rest in my heart and fill me Your love. Rest in my soul and ignite a burning passion for the lost.
Sivan 19
“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
– Acts 2:4
Father, how do You want me to communicate Your message? As Your Spirit enables me, I will speak, write, or do anything You ask me to so that I can reach out to others with Your love.
Sivan 20
“Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.”
– Acts 2:5-6
Father, You know how to speak to everyone’s hearts right where they are in life. Would you give me the understanding to help others listen to You in their individual journeys?
Sivan 21
“Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’”
– Acts 2:12
You are a mighty God who does the impossible to show us who You are. Help me to point others to You when they don’t know how to interpret Your miraculous acts of revelation.
Sivan 22
“Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine.’”
– Acts 2:13
Holy Teacher, when others have a hard heart against you, help me not to harden my heart against them. Help me to stand secure in You when they make fun of me or my faith, and as graceful and open-hearted toward them as You are.
Sivan 23
“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.’”
– Acts 2:17
Father, I thank You that Your Spirit doesn’t play favorites. Help me to recognize You in believers both male and female, young and old, those who are like me and those who are very different.
Sivan 24
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
– Acts 2:42
Teacher, I want to be devoted to You. I want to be devoted learning about You and being with Your people. I want to be devoted to a life of thankfulness and spending time talking with You.
Sivan 25
“Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.”
– Acts 2:43
Father, awe those around me with Your Presence in my life, with how you’ve changed my life, and the way that the love of Your Spirit shines through me.
Sivan 26
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”
– Acts 2:44-45
Lord, I want to be generous. Help me to recognize the needs of those around me and how I can meet those needs with the resources You’ve given me.
Sivan 27
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.”
– Acts 2:46
Father, I love being with Your children. Show me how to encourage my fellow believers every day.
Sivan 28
“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.”
– Acts 2:46-47
My God, help me to be a positive reflection of You so that I can gain the favor of the people around me and share Your message with them.
Sivan 29
“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
– Acts 2:47
Holy Spirit, give me faith that You are working in people’s lives. Give me the patience to wait for Your timing. Give me the endurance to keep reaching out in Your name.
Sivan 30
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
– Acts 1:8
Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit on me anew today and give me the power to witness to the truth of who You are and what You’ve done in my life.
The Month of Tammuz
Tammuz is the tenth month of the Jewish calendar. It is the month when the Israelites created the golden calf. The 17th of Tammuz begins a three-week period of fasting similar to Lent.
Tammuz 1
“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, ‘Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’”
– Exodus 32:1
Lord, help me to be patient. Help me to wait Your direction instead of making my own plans that will contradict Yours.
Tammuz 2
“Aaron answered them, ‘Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.’ So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’”
– Exodus 32:2-4
Father, give me a clear picture of You. I want to see You for who You are, not what I imagine You to be.
Tammuz 3
“When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, ‘Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.’ So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”
– Exodus 32:5-6
Jesus, help me to celebrate and worship in ways that are pleasing to You. Make my heart sincere and my spirit sensitive to Your leading as I enter each worship experience and celebrate each holy day (holiday).
Tammuz 4
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
– Exodus 32:7-8
Holy Spirit, how quick I am sometimes to turn away from Your commands. Strengthen my resolve and help me to fall more in love with you so that I won’t fall into temptation.
Tammuz 5
“‘I have seen these people,’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave Me alone so that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.’”
– Exodus 32:9-10
Father, soften my heart so that I won’t resist You. I don’t want to be stiff-necked and stubborn when it comes to Your guidance. I want to be Your obedient child and Your partner in the world.
Tammuz 6
“But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘why should Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, “It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth”?’”
– Exodus 32:11-12
Jesus, make me obedient and faithful to You. I don’t want to be cause of others speaking against You. I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea about who You are.
Tammuz 7
“Turn from Your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on Your people. Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom You swore by Your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” Then the Lord relented and did not bring on His people the disaster He had threatened.”
– Exodus 32:12-14
Thank You, Father, for Your faithfulness and love. Even when I fail You and deserve Your punishment, You uphold the covenant You made with me. You stay true to Your promises.
Tammuz 8
“Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.”
– Exodus 32:15-16
Lord, give me reverence for Your Word. Your Scriptures are Your words, Your message to me. Give me the diligence to study it and the wisdom to understand it.
Tammuz 9
“When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.”
– Exodus 32:19
Holy Spirit, like Moses broke the tablets, I have been guilty of breaking Your commands as well. Every time I sin, I shatter Your law. Discipline me and teach me to obey You for my own good.
Tammuz 10
“And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.”
– Exodus 32:20
Jesus, give me the strength to destroy and remove any hindrance in my life that keeps me from following You. I want to give You everything.
Tammuz 11
“He said to Aaron, ‘What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?’”
– Exodus 32:21
Father, You are my rock. Let me not be tempted or pressured by other people. Give me the strength to stand secure in You.
Tammuz 12
“‘Do not be angry, my lord,’ Aaron answered. ‘You know how prone these people are to evil. They said to me, “Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” So I told them, “Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.” Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!’”
– Exodus 32:22-24
Jesus, give me the strength to be honest about my failings. Give me the strength I need to look at my life and my actions and take responsibility for what I have done. Give me the strength to sincerely repent and change for Your glory and my good.
Tammuz 13
“Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.”
– Exodus 32:25
Holy Spirit, make me obedient and grounded in You. Don’t let there be any hypocrisy in me that would cause others to ridicule my commitment to You.
Tammuz 14
“So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, ‘Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.’ And all the Levites rallied to him. Then he said to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.”’ The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. Then Moses said, ‘You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and He has blessed you this day.’”
– Exodus 32:26-29
Father, I don’t want to war against anyone. But You have called me to put You first in my life. I place You above all else, even my own family. I will live for You even when they don’t.
Tammuz 15
“So Moses went back to the Lord and said, ‘Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book You have written.”
– Exodus 32:31-32
Lord, give me a heart of intercession for others. Give me a heart of compassion and forgiveness as I lift the needs of others up to You.
Tammuz 16
“The Lord replied to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against Me I will blot out of My book. Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and My angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for Me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
– Exodus 32:33-34
Father, You are just. Let Your angel go before me as well. Give me eyes to see Your leading and a spirit willing to accept Your correction.
Tammuz 17
Seventeenth of Tammuz (Fast Day)
“The Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.”
– Nehemiah 9:1
Jesus, give me a godly sorrow over my sins. Show me what my sin looks like to You and give me a spirit that genuinely repents of it.
Tammuz 18
“In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.”
– Esther 4:3
Holy Spirit, let my sorrow not to turn bitterness. Instead, let me seek You in my pain. Let me run to You in prayer and trust You as my hope in all situations.
Tammuz 19
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
– Matthew 5:4
Jesus, how great a promise You have given me! I long for the day when You will make all things new.
Tammuz 20
“Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?”
– Isaiah 58:5-6
Father, help me to remember that my belief in You is not for my good alone. You have called me to action for the good of Your children.
Tammuz 21
“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.”
– Matthew 24:30
Lord, give me opportunities to share the message of Your love with others before it’s too late.
Tammuz 22
“Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.”
– Joel 1:14
Holy Spirit, let me not take responsibility for my actions alone, but for my actions as part of a church, part of a community, and part of a nation. Show me how to be Your agent in all areas of my life.
Tammuz 23
“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
– Joel 2:12
Lord, break my heart over my sin. Break my heart over my neglect of You. Give me a spirit that longs to be close to You.
Tammuz 24
“The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.”
– Jonah 3:5
Holy Spirit, help me never to write someone off or act as if You can’t reach them. Just as You led Jonah to speak to his enemies, give me a heart that is willing to share Your message with anyone who needs to heart it.
Tammuz 25
“After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.”
– Matthew 4:2
Jesus, just as You fasted to seek the Father’s will and prepare for Your mission, give me a diligent spirit that seeks You day after day.
Tammuz 26
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”
– Matthew 6:16
Lord, let my time with You be sincere. Let me practice my spirituality to grow closer to You, not to gain the attention or respect of others.
Tammuz 27
“Then John’s disciples came and asked Him, ‘How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.’”
– Matthew 9:14-15
My Savior, I long for the day when I will be with You. Give me the spiritual discipline to learn and grow and in You as I wait for Your return or my departure from this world.
Tammuz 28
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said…,”
– Acts 13:2
Holy Spirit, give me faith that You will speak to me when I seek You and honor You in my spiritual practices.
Tammuz 29
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
– Revelation 21:4
Prepare me for that day, Lord Jesus. Rid me of my sin and give me a spirit wholly devoted to You so that I can be with You always.
The Month of Av
Av is the eleventh month of the Jewish calendar. It is the month when the Twelve Spies entered Canaan. The 16th of Av is a day for celebrating romantic love.
Av 1
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.’”
– Numbers 13:1-2
Father, I thank You that call me to live by faith, but You also give me the information to make a wise decision. Help me to balance the two.
Av 2
“They gave Moses this account: ‘We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.’”
– Numbers 13:27-28
Jesus, give me a bold faith so that I can’t be intimidated out of taking hold of Your promises.
Av 3
“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’”
– Numbers 13:30
Holy Spirit, give me the faith of Caleb. If You have called me to something, let nothing stand in my way: not circumstances, not other people, not my doubts.
Av 4
“But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.’”
– Numbers 13:31
Lord, You are stronger than any situation. You are stronger than any barrier. I put my faith in You.
Av 5
“All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ And they said to each other, ‘We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.’”
– Numbers 14:2-4
Father, give me the faith not to doubt You. You have never let me down and I know Your plans are only good for me.
Av 6
“Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, ‘If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us.’”
– Numbers 14:6-7
Holy Spirit, guide me and give me the strength to live a life pleasing to You so that I can enjoy the blessings You intend for me.
Av 7
“Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”
– Numbers 14:9
Yes, Jesus, I have nothing to fear because You are always with me. Give me the faith to be unafraid.
Av 8
“But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.”
– Numbers 14:10
Father, do not let me give in to intimidation, ridicule, or persecution. Make me a strong witness for You.
Av 9
Tisha B’Av (Fast Day)
“Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. The Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will these people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.’”
– Numbers 14:10-12
Lord, I repent of any stubbornness or short-sightedness. Help me to remember everything that You’ve done for me.
Av 10
“The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished. In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as You have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
– Numbers 14:18-19
My God, You are both just and loving. I thank You for forgiving me as Jesus took the punishment for my sin on the cross.
Av 11
“The Lord replied, ‘I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed Me and tested Me ten times—not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated Me with contempt will ever see it.”
– Numbers 14:20-23
Father, give me a holy respect for You and an obedient spirit so that I can receive the blessings You have for me.
Av 12
“But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.”
– Numbers 14:24
Jesus, make me like Caleb. Give me a different spirit than the world and help me to live wholeheartedly for You.
Av 13
“As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness.”
– Numbers 14:31
Holy Spirit, soften my heart and give me wisdom so that I will never miss or reject Your plans for me.
Av 14
“Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have Me against you.’
– Numbers 14:33-34
How terrible it would be, Father, to have You against me! And let me never fall back into sin so that my selfish actions will never cause pain to someone else.
Av 15
Tu B’Av (Celebration of Love and Blessings)
“There are three things that amaze me—no, four things that I don’t understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.”
— Proverbs 30:18-19
Loving Father, thank You for the gift of romantic love. Let me see my relationship as a blessing from You.
Av 16
“My lover is mine, and I am his.”
— Song of Solomon 2:16
Jesus, help me to wholly devoted the person You have given me.
Av 17
“You have captured my heart, my treasure, my bride. You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes, with a single jewel of your necklace.”
— Song of Solomon 4:9
Holy Spirit, give me an excitement for my spouse. Rekindle my love and appreciation of them.
Av 18
“Your love delights me, my treasure, my bride. Your love is better than wine, your perfume more fragrant than spices.”
— Song of Solomon 4:10
Father, let me take delight in the one You have given me. Let me treasure them above all others.
Av 19
“You are so handsome, my love, pleasing beyond words!”
— Song of Solomon 1:16
Jesus, give me an appreciation for the one You’ve blessed me with. Help me to see their beauty inside and out.
Av 20
“Kiss me and kiss me again, for your love is sweeter than wine.”
— Song of Solomon 1:2
Lord, give me joy at being in the presence of the one You’ve given me. Let me value them above all other earthly gifts.
Av 21
“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.”
— Proverbs 17:9
Holy Spirit, give me a forgiving and gracious spirit toward the one You’ve blessed me with. Let me live in the harmony with them that You intend for us.
Av 22
“So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.”
— Genesis 29:20
Lord, fill me with love for the one You’ve given me so that working with them to build our life together is a joy, not a burden.
Av 23
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”
— Ephesians 5:25
Jesus, help me to keep my eyes on You as You inspire me to sacrifice for the good of the one You’ve given me.
Av 24
“Love is patient, love is kind.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:4
Yes, Lord, help me to be kind and patient not only to the one You’ve blessed me with but to all those around me.
Av 25
“Love does not envy.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:4
Holy Spirit, satisfy me with the gifts You’ve given me and let me rejoice in the blessings of others.
Av 26
“Love does not boast, it is not proud.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:4
Father, give me a spirit of humility that lifts the spirits of others.
Av 27
“Love does not dishonor others.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:5
Jesus, give me a respect for others as Your creation. Help me to check my words so that I never put them down but only build them up.
Av 28
“Love is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:5
Father, make me more like You. Give me a heart that is open and ready to forgive.
Av 29
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:6
Lord, let me love others so that I can encourage them to walk close to You.
Av 30
“Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:7
Jesus, give me a spirit that perseveres in love even when others don’t love me back as perfectly as they should.
The Month of Elul
Elul is the twelfth month of the Jewish calendar. It is a time of searching one’s heart and offering forgiveness to others as we prepare for the New Year. It is customary to read Psalm 27 every day during the month.
Elul 1
“The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?”
– Psalm 27:1
My God, You are always with me. Even when I’m in danger, I don’t have to be afraid. My eternity with You is secure.
Elul 2
“When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.”
– Psalm 27:2
Jesus, give me Your words to speak to those who would ridicule my faith, persecute me, or discriminate against me. Let Your wisdom and compassion flow through me.
Elul 3
“Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.”
– Psalm 27:3
Holy Spirit, Your guidance secures me. Your strength empowers me. Your love emboldens me.
Elul 4
“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life…”
– Psalm 27:4
Father, I want to be near You. I want to be close to You all the days of my life. Give me a love and devotion for our time together.
Elul 5
“…to gaze on the beauty of the Lord…”
– Psalm 27:4
You are beautiful in all of Your ways, Lord. You are holy, majestic, awe-inspiring, and good. Let me see You and honor You for who You are.
Elul 6
“…and to seek Him in His temple.”
– Psalm 27:4
Jesus, give me a longing for You. Give me a passion to seek You in worship and in my own life. I know that You will always speak to me when I seek You with all my heart.
Elul 7
“For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.”
– Psalm 27:5
I trust in Your protection, Father. You are all I have to lean on. In this life and in the next, You are Savior and Deliverer.
Elul 8
“Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at His sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.”
– Psalm 27:6
Holy Spirit, help me to remember everything that You’ve done for me so that I can worship and thank You. I don’t want to lose my gratitude, so keep Your actions fresh in my mind.
Elul 9
“Hear my voice when I call, Lord.”
– Psalm 27:7
I thank You, Father, that You hear everything I say to You. You even know my thoughts and my feelings and accept them as prayers to You.
Elul 10
“Be merciful to me and answer me.”
– Psalm 27:7
Holy Spirit, I know that You want to speak to me. Open my mind, my heart, and my spirit to hear what You have to say.
Elul 11
“My heart says of You, ‘Seek His face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
– Psalm 27:8
Jesus, train me so that my first reaction is to turn to You. Make it an instinct borne out of my great love for You.
Elul 12
“Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior.”
– Psalm 27:9
Father, I thank You for Your faithfulness to me. You are always there for me. You never turn away. Make me obedient so that I never turn away from You.
Elul 13
“Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.”
– Psalm 27:10
Jesus, You are the one I count above all others. You are the one who will love me when no one else will. You are the one who accepts me when others don’t.
Elul 14
“Teach me Your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.”
– Psalm 27:11
Holy Spirit, teach me how to handle those who stand against me. Show me the path of wisdom to avoid conflict and the path of love to make peace. Show the path of boldness to stand for You and the path of humility to accept correction.
Elul 15
“Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.”
– Psalm 27:12
Father, when others speak against me or my faith in You, uphold me. Let me be an example to those who don’t know You. Let me be an example of a true believer with integrity, for Your glory.
Elul 16
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
– Psalm 27:13
Father, I know that the hard times I go through are not the end of the story. You have better things for me. I trust in You.
Elul 17
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
– Psalm 27:14
Jesus, give me patience. Give me endurance. Give me a faith that waits on You instead of rushing ahead. Keep my faith secure as I wait for Your timing.
Elul 18
“The Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”
– 1 Chronicles 28:9
Father, I thank You that You know me. I don’t have to hide anything from You because You already know everything I think, feel, and do. Give me a heart that seeks You above all else.
Elul 19
“Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”
– Psalm 4:4
Holy Spirit, give me a reverent fear for Your holiness. Turn my thoughts inward and show me anything that You want to change.
Elul 20
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”
– Psalm 139:23
Father, You know the worries and fears that I have. Give me the faith to trust in You.
Elul 21
“If you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
– Proverbs 2:3-5
Yes, Jesus, give me a desire to study Your Word. Show me how to honor it above all other teaching. Let Your Holy Spirit show me what it means, so that I can respect You and know You as I should.
Elul 22
“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”
– Jeremiah 17:10
Father, You know my heart. You know my motives. You know my thought processes. Give me a clean heart and a pure mind so that I can please You in my actions.
Elul 23
“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I Myself will search for My sheep and look after them.”
– Ezekiel 34:11
Thank You, Jesus, for coming to look for me and calling me Your own.
Elul 24
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
– Matthew 6:12
Holy Spirit, help me to forgive others out of the joy of Your forgiveness to me.
Elul 25
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’”
– Matthew 18:21-22
Jesus, give me a forgiving heart like Yours. No matter how many times I sin against You, You forgive me.
Elul 26
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
– Mark 11:25
Father, I thank You that You are concerned not only with my relationship to You, but with my relationship to Your other children. Bring my mind anyone that I need to forgive and help me to do so.
Elul 27
“So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.”
– Luke 17:3
Jesus, give me the boldness and tact to confront someone with their sin and the love and grace to forgive them.
Elul 28
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
– Colossians 3:13
Father, Your forgiveness was a gift to me. Help me to freely give that gift to others.
Elul 29
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
– Ephesians 4:31-32
Lord, don’t let my heart be bitter. Give me a compassionate heart like Yours.
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