Jesus—he’s the central figure of the New Testament, and his life, death, resurrection, and exaltation is the heart of the gospel. His story is foretold by the Old Testament prophets, anticipated in the Psalms, and then explained by the apostles who witnessed his work. But nowhere do we see him more clearly than in the Gospels, the four biographies that reveal his ministry on earth.
As Christians, we approach the inspired scriptural testimony not primarily as historians excavating ancient accounts but as worshipers seeking an encounter with the living Savior. We want to see him in his glory—to be dazzled by the brightness of his revelation on the Mount of Transfiguration, to sit at his feet like Mary and drink deeply from the wisdom of his infallible words.
Journeying with Jesus
A few years ago, I adapted a centuries-old approach to reading through all 150 psalms in a month, relying on a morning, midday, and evening prayer schedule. The result was a little book called Psalms in 30 Days.
This week marks the launch of Life of Jesus in 30 Days, which follows the same structure of prayer as my Psalms volume but with selections from the Gospels. The goal is to embark on a 30-day prayer journey with Jesus through the major moments and teachings of his life, his death on the cross for our sins, and his resurrection and ascension.
There’s precedent in the Scriptures for praying three times a day, and there’s spiritual blessing in deliberately punctuating your day with moments of prayer and Bible reading. This three-times-a-day approach takes you back to the life of Jesus so you lift your eyes above your current circumstances and remember that the glory of our Savior is the blazing center of all things.
Prayers of Faithful Christians
Over the years, I’ve also found the written prayers of faithful Christians who have gone before me to be a help in my prayer life. Our praying the written prayers of saints from years gone by is a lot like children trying on the shoes of their parents. We wonder if our feet will ever fit into the spiritual shoes of the giants who have gone before us. We wonder if our devotion will match the intensity and clarity we find in their words. We want hearts that are oriented in such a way that we’d ask for and desire the right things.
Praying through these Gospel selections alongside other Scriptures and other faithful expressions of faith over the years is one way of forming our hearts and minds daily.
Life of Jesus in 30 Days
This book features Gospel stories and teachings of Jesus, as translated in the Christian Standard Bible, arranged in three-times-a-day readings for 30 days. I haven’t sought to include every single story, parable, miracle, or moment recorded in the Gospels, but I’ve intentionally pulled from all four Gospel writers so you’re acquainted with each of their voices. The journey is predominantly, but not precisely, chronological.
Every prayer time begins with a call to prayer, includes the Gloria and the Lord’s Prayer, and closes with a biblical blessing.
- The morning prayer guide includes a “confession of faith” taken from Scripture, the ancient creeds, or the “Reforming Catholic Confession,” which was released in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
- The evening prayer guide includes a “confession of sin” and a biblical promise of absolution to all who repent.
- The morning and evening prayers also include psalms, prophecies, or songs from Scripture as well as written prayers from Christians through the ages—all of them aligning with the specific themes of the day’s Gospel readings.
- There’s also time set aside for you to intercede on behalf of others and bring your personal requests to the Lord.
- The midday prayer guide is abbreviated and focused on the reading from the Gospels, since this is the time of day when it may be more challenging to carve out 10 or 15 minutes for prayer.
Suggestions for Praying Through the Life of Jesus in 30 Days
Praying through these Gospel selections for 30 days is a spiritual workout, much like doing daily exercises. Don’t feel the pressure to make it through all the readings your first time through. If you miss a reading, you can catch up later, or you can skip it and come back to it the next month. If you get behind by a day or two, you can pick up on the day that corresponds to the day of the month, or you can proceed in order, even if it takes you more than 30 days to complete the readings.
Set the book on a desk, nightstand, or table close to your bed, where you’ll see it. Let it be a visual reminder whenever you enter the room that nudges you to spend time with the Lord. Pray the morning selection as soon as you wake up and the evening selection just before going to bed. The abbreviated midday routine is ideal for a brief pause during work, but if you miss a midday prayer time, simply add that Gospel selection to the evening prayer guide to catch up.
My prayer is that this guide will help you make this journey with Jesus a regular spiritual discipline that strengthens your love for God. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).
