January 20 Prayer

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Here is a powerful January 20 prayer to read and reflect on now, or save it for later.

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Bible verse for January 20 Prayer

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” (Philemon 1:25 NIV)

Reflection For Philemon 1:25

I often use Bible Ref or other resources to look at the different translations of a particular verse. When I looked up Philemon 1:25 though, it is almost identical in every single translation. There is little room to debate what God’s truth means here.

The Greek word for “your” in this verse is plural, meaning that when Paul wrote this short letter it was to Philemon and those with him. Paul wrote this letter when he was “in chains”. This book is about Paul pleading to Philemon to free his runaway slave, Onesimus, and offer him the same forgiveness that God has shown Philemon. This means that this last verse of Philemon that says “be with your spirit” is referring specifically to Philemon’s spirit (as opposed to the Holy Spirit.) Paul is praying that the grace of Jesus be with Philemon.

Why did Paul pray this? He prayed this because he wanted the grace of Jesus to change Philemon’s actions. At the beginning of the letter, Paul admits that he could instruct Philemon to release Onesimus in the name of Jesus, but instead he pleads with Philemon out of love.

This brings us to two points:

1. God wants us to act out of love, especially when we are having difficult conversations.

2. God’s grace for us should lead us to love in action.

Questions for your January 20 Prayer

The next time you have to have a difficult conversation, how can you show God’s grace by acting in love? How can you phrase your words in a way that gets your point across while being loving?
How are you showing the grace of God in action today?

January 20 Prayer

O Lord, Thank you for your grace. May your grace inspire me to change my spirit to have love be the root of all of my actions, Amen.

Resource of the Day

The first in a series of Bible-based parenting discussion guides.

Parenting in Christ narrows in on the character and heart of Jesus, helping parents as they disciple their children.

Other Resources

January Blessings (with a free printable)

Author

Jessie Synan

Jessie Synan is a Ph.D. student in Bible Exposition who helps other women find their prayer focus in a distracting world. She went from her ADHD interfering with her prayer life to finding her own unique rhythms for prayer and encouraging other women to do the same. She is the founder of Pray With Confidence, which has helped over 10,000 women focus on prayer through the real and vulnerable advice she gives to those on her email list when they sign up for the free guide “How to pray [when you can’t focus.]”

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