A Servant’s Heart

The Path to Christ-Like Service

A Devotional Study of
1 Peter 4: 7 – 11

By Kara H. Duckworth

Week 3: So You Can Pray

 Week 3: So You Can Pray
{Day 1} A Quieted Soul
Read: 1 Peter 4: 7 b; Psalm 131
“… be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray”

..but I have stilled and quieted my soul …”

We live in the wonder of the information age. We have at our fingertips, at any given moment, access to practically
anything we need or want to know. From almost anywhere in the world, I can hear my daughter’s voice and even
see her face from a hand-held computer. While riding in a car, I can see the latest news stories, check game scores
and stats, and follow what my friends are doing. I can sift through the latest recipes and craft ideas, create a
playlist of my favorite music, and access reviews of local restaurants. When I arrive home, I can turn on my smart
TV and binge-watch my choice of thousands of shows.

Here’s the downside: the constant immersion of our minds in images and information leaves our brains in hyper-
drive. It would be one thing if the information we were chasing had any educational or spiritual value. But I find
myself needing to know what Harry and Meghan will wear for their wedding. What other movies have I seen that
actor in? How does Melania’s White House Christmas decor compare with Michelle’s? It takes such effort to slow
the mind just so we can sleep, let alone, to pray. I begin to understand Peter’s admonishment to be “disciplined for
prayer.”

In Psalm 131, David describes this idea of deliberate deceleration in order to enjoy God’s presence. I imagine
David’s mind must have been crowded with myriad stressful thoughts of ruling a kingdom, attempting to have
quality time with each of his wives, and wrangling the affairs of his household, to greater and lesser degrees of
success. Yet he says that he has “calmed and quieted [his] soul, like a weaned child with its mother.” A weaned
child has grown to the point that he’s not demanding immediate satisfaction of hunger from his mother. He can
simply sit in her lap and enjoy feeling close to her.

To be able to pray, to feel the closeness of God without demands is an act of spiritual discipline. The saint who
accomplishes it truly walks with God and can expect to have an effective ministry of intercession for others.

Ponder: Can you wean yourself from the immediate satisfaction of your needs and
wants in order to sit quietly in God’s presence? What would it take for you
to quiet your soul enough to pray?

Dream a Little: Can you point others to the discipline of quieting the soul without
coming across as preachy? How might you do that?

Pray: Ask God to help you quiet your soul and enjoy His presence right now. Ask
Him to help you do that at different times throughout your day.
 Week 3: So You Can Pray
{Day 2} Renew the Mind
Read: 1 Peter 4: 7b; Romans 12:2

“… be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray”

“… be transformed by the renewal of your mind”

Just before Thanksgiving, our family had a rude awakening. My husband’s step-mother suffered a heart attack,
followed by a mild stroke. After performing many tests, the doctor informed her that she had coronary heart
disease caused by diabetes coupled with years of smoking. Her heart and brain were trying to function without an
adequate supply of blood. Over the following two weeks, she had surgeries to insert six stents.

We got her home and began researching what kind of diet she would need. Was there anything we could do to
reverse the damage to her clogged arteries or at least to cause no more damage? The good news was there are
many foods that work to unclog the arteries. And obviously, cardiac rehab would be added in later as another
healthy choice. The challenge was getting her to do what was good for her and to continue following the regimen
after we went home!

Just as arteries get clogged by plaque, the mind gets bogged down with toxic thoughts, worry, and sinful pleasures.
Whether the ideas originated from a careless remark held onto since childhood, from images we see, or from
comparisons we make with other people, toxic thoughts can easily invade our minds and play on repeat inside our
heads. Too fat. Not smart. Not good at that. Don’t take the risk. Toxins are thoughts that need to be replaced with
healthy thoughts that encourage growth. Colossians 3:2 says, “set your minds on things that are above”.

Worry starts in the mind, but begins to be destructive to our bodies. It manifests in sickness and fatigue. Before
long, we are paralyzed. Too afraid to leave home. Too weary to reach out and make a new friend. Too stagnant to
have any momentum. Too comfortable with the familiar to try something new. Worries are thoughts that need to
be smothered with love. 1 John 4:18 says, “perfect love casts out fear”.

Sinful pleasures originate in the mind long before they come to fruition as acts. As Paul states in our passage for
today, our minds can be conformed to the world; that is, we follow the same desires as the unsaved around us.
Lusting after more material possessions. Tempted by position. Chasing after power. 1 John 1:9 says, “confess your
sins and be cleansed”.

The good news is that the damage to our minds can be reversed. We know healthy thoughts, love, and confession
are good for us. If we’ll follow through with the regimen, we can be clear-minded as a prerequisite to prayer.

Ponder: Are toxic thoughts, worries, or sinful pleasures bogging down your mind?
Take some time to identify what’s there that shouldn’t be.

Dream a Little: What can you expect would be some of the mind-cloggers that those
around you may be dealing with?

Pray: Ask God to unclog your mind so you can pray and can discern His will. Ask
Him to help you be discerning in diagnosing the disease in others’ minds. Ask
Him to give you the authority to speak into others’ lives.
Week 3: So You Can Pray
{Day 3} A Disciplined Mind
Read: 1 Peter 4: 7b; Romans 12:2

“… be serious and disciplined for prayer.” (Holman Christian Standard)

“… be transformed by the renewal of your mind”

My daughters accuse me of being a history geek; and I’ll own that. In college, I studied Historic Preservation in the
heart of history-rich Virginia. Criss-crossing the state, I observed art, architecture, archaeology, and artifacts of
times past and developed a bit of an obsession with founding father Thomas Jefferson.

Rarely would one encounter a more curious and disciplined mind than Jefferson’s. He was a product of a classical,
Enlightenment-Age education, with broad interests that included math, law, architecture, wine collection and
production, meteorology, gardening, philosophy, reading, nature observation and exploration, and music. In each
pursuit he undertook, Jefferson recorded everything with the meticulous precision of a research scientist. We can
reconstruct much of what he did and thought about through decades of his life in law school, at home at
Monticello or at Poplar Forest, at the White House, and in Europe.

Jefferson’s discipline carried over into his personal correspondence. He spent about four hours a day not only
writing correspondence, but also systematically recording each letter that he received and sent. He had columns
set up in his journal indicating the date a letter was received, who had sent it, and when he answered it. Often, he
even made notations about who had delivered the letter, since any traveler who might be passing through could
be a potential mail carrier.

I admire such organization and discipline!

I think the Spirit gave Peter a glimpse into the end times when he was writing this section of scripture in 1 Peter 4.
Peter could see that the pull of the world would become increasingly powerful as the end of all things drew near.
Knowing it would take great effort, Peter still commanded us to focus our minds. Paul’s letter to the Romans
dovetails with Peter’s words. Paul insists that we break the hold of the world over our minds. Only then can we be
transformed and renewed. Only then can we focus on prayer.

Ponder: How can you apply discipline and organization to your prayer life? Where
does the world have hold of your mind?

Dream a Little: Can you think of ways you can share your ideas with the people you
minister to at Lotts?

Pray: Ask God to help you transform and renew your mind. Ask Him to help you
show discipline of mind so you can pray.

Week 3: So You Can Pray

{Day 4} Expectations

Read: 1 Peter 4: 7b; Luke 2: 36 - 38

 “…be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” (King James Version)

“She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about
the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.” (New Living Translation)

Danny has vivid memories of being scolded to wait quietly at the top of the stairs with his two older sisters while
his Dad set up the 8-mm movie camera next to the Christmas tree down in the den. His Dad wanted to capture
those precious moments of expectation and sheer joy of a Christmas morning. Is there anything better than seeing
the excited, hopeful faces of children, confident that their longings will be fulfilled with unwrapped packages?

Unsurprisingly, it is that spirit of confident expectation that God also loves to see. Expectation characterizes a child
of God as she approaches Him with her longings and requests. As she intercedes for the needs of others.

In Luke 2, we meet Anna, a woman who has devoted her life to prayer. Living at the temple in Jerusalem, she
worshiped, fasted, and prayed night and day. And she was gloriously rewarded for her faithfulness – she was
among those who saw the fulfillment of her longings for Messiah.

Don’t miss the point here: it’s not the amount of time Anna spent devoted to prayer that pleased God, but the
condition of her devoted and expectant heart. There may be seasons in your life when you will have more time for
uninterrupted prayer; but you can always have a heart ready to hear from God. A heart that is expecting
something to happen when you pray.

Ponder: Would you characterize yourself as devoted to prayer? Are you watchful of
what God will do to answer your prayers?

Dream a Little: Is God giving you new expectations about what He will do in your life
and in the lives of those to whom you minister?

Pray: Ask God to make you a person devoted to prayer, someone who is watchful of
God’s hand in your life and around you, and someone who expects great things
from God.

Week 3: All Kinds of Prayers

{Day 5} Prayers of Blessing

Read: 1 Peter 4: 7b; Matthew 19: 13 -15; Deuteronomy 33

 “…for the sake of your prayers” (ESV)

“Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them.” (NIV)

“Blessy Pooh. Blessy Lindsay and Justin. Blessy Zeus.” {My daughter’s bedtime prayers at age 2}

“Bless, O Lord, this food we are about to receive and bless us to thy service.” {My father’s go-to meal blessing}

“God bless you!” {a sneeze reaction}

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned” {Roman Catholic confession}

“May I have your blessing to marry your daughter?” {an old-fashioned pre-marriage proposal thing}

“Bless your heart!” {a Southern expression of varied meanings}

We use the words “bless” and “blessing” in a variety of contexts that are all more or less rooted in an ancient Biblical context.
We’ve mostly gotten out of the habit of speaking or praying a blessing over someone, though. Let’s look to the scripture for
examples of how the blessing was used.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record a scene where some parents requested that Jesus take time out of His demanding schedule
to perform the priestly act of a Hebrew father. They wanted Messiah to touch their children, to place His hands on them, and
pray blessing over them. Don’t you wish one of these gospel writers had recorded the words Jesus used?

Fortunately, we can get some idea of His words by looking at the blessings Moses spoke over each of the tribes shortly before
his death. In Deuteronomy 33, we see that speaking blessing over someone is a combination of prayer and prophecy.
Sometimes, it’s a bestowing of something of value; sometimes, a statement of truth. Specifically, Moses blessed Reuben with
life; Judah, with the assurance that God would hear him and would fight for him; Levi, with help in making decisions and with
fruitful work; Benjamin, with safety and with the close presence of God; Joseph, with abundant food and wine from his harvest
and with God’s favor. Moses prayed blessing over Zebulon as he went out about his business; over Issachar, in his own home;
over Gad, with expanded territory; over Dan, as ruler of his own land. Finally, Moses asked an abundance of God’s favor and
blessing over Naphtali; for Asher, the favor of his brothers, prosperity, and strength right up until death.

In 1 Peter 2:9, we learn that the priestly role has been passed to us now. We’re privileged with being intercessors and with
being bestowers of blessing. Others may begin to seek us out to speak words of truth, prayer, prophecy, and value over their
lives.

It’s wonderful to know someone is praying for you; but it’s really life-changing to hear words of blessing spoken over you. Let’s
bring blessing back.

Ponder: Have you ever thought of yourself in the role of priest? (see 1 Peter 2: 4-5; 9)
Do you feel comfortable with speaking blessing over others?

Dream a Little: How might you speak blessing over your students? How can you use the
blessings Moses spoke as examples?
Pray: Ask God to help you grow into your role as a priest. Ask Him to give you words of
blessing to speak at appropriate times.