Coming up next, we will spend six weeks praying through the gospel of Matthew.  Matthew was written to the Jews and is filled with scriptures showing prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Christ so that the Jews would know Jesus was indeed their long-awaited Messiah. God had given the Law through Moses (in Exodus), but the religious leaders of Jesus’ day had added to it so that keeping it became burdensome and impossible for anyone to do. The religious leaders also did religious acts publicly, but their hearts were far from God. Jesus, the true fulfillment of the Law (Matthew 5:17), doesn’t change the Law through His teachings, but instead reminds His followers what the heart of the Law is by showing them what His kingdom looks like and what the hearts of His true followers should look like.

As Christ’s followers, there is much for us to pray, learn, and live out from this book! Our prayer time in Matthew will cover many different aspects of the Christian life. Whether we are praying for ourselves or others, just a few of the topics we will cover in prayer for the next six weeks are:

-Following Jesus
-Being a light
-Loving our enemies
-Loving God and loving others
-Praying for the harvest
-Practicing what we preach and avoiding hypocrisy
-Examining the condition of our hearts
-Being ready and watchful for Jesus’ return

Join us on a rich journey through Matthew, and invite someone to pray with you!

For more ideas of how to use our daily prayers, to Pray by Book, or  subscribe by email, check out www.prayscripture.org.