The Daily Light Journal: Evening Readings

By Anne Graham Lotz

Since 1998, when J.Countryman introduced the The Daily Light Journal, it has sold over 200,000 copies. This companion Daily Light Journal includes the evening readings from the devotional along with space for the reader's own thoughts. With a page for every day of the year; this leather-bound edition is available in burgundy, saddle brown, black, and green.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Feb 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9780529112699

Anne Graham Lotz

Called "the best preacher in the family" by her late father, Billy Graham, Anne Graham Lotz speaks around the globe with the wisdom and authority of years spent studying God's Word. The New York Times named Anne one of the five most influential evangelists of her generation. Her Just Give Me Jesus revivals have been held in more than thirty cities in twelve different countries, to hundreds of thousands of attendees. Anne is a bestselling and award-winning author of twenty-one books. She is the President of AnGeL Ministries in Raleigh, North Carolina, and previously served as Chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. Whether contributing opinion pieces to a national newspaper or a groundbreaking speaker on platforms throughout the world, Anne’s aim is clear – to bring revival to the hearts of God’s people.  And her message is consistent – calling people into a personal relationship with God through His Word.

Book preview

Presented to

By

The

Daily Light Journal

— Evening Readings —

ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ

Daily_Light_Evening_Journal_final_0002_001

Published by J. Countryman ®, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee 37214.

Copyright © 2000 by Anne Graham Lotz.

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV). Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers and are used by permission.

First published in the King James Version in Great Britain in 1794 by Samuel Bagster, a forerunner of Marshall Pickering.

   ISBN 0-8499-5567-X (Green)

   ISBN 0-8499-5568-8 (Burgundy)

   ISBN 0-8499-5566-1 (Saddle Brown)

   ISBN 0-8499-5569-6 (Black)

Printed and bound in Belgium

www.jcountryman.com

Dedicated

to

my beloved grandmother

Virginia Leftwich Bell

who taught my Mother to pray,

who heard my Mother’s prayers in the evening, and

who tucked my Mother in bed at night.

Contents

Introduction

January 1

January 2

January 3

January 4

January 5

January 6

January 7

January 8

January 9

January 10

January 11

January 12

January 13

January 14

January 15

January 16

January 17

January 18

January 19

January 20

January 21

January 22

January 23

January 24

January 25

January 26

January 27

January 28

January 29

January 30

January 31

February 1

February 2

February 3

February 4

February 5

February 6

February 7

February 8

February 9

February 10

February 11

February 12

February 13

February 14

February 15

February 16

February 17

February 18

February 19

February 20

February 21

February 22

February 23

February 24

February 25

February 26

February 27

February 28

February 29

March 1

March 2

March 3

March 4

March 5

March 6

March 7

March 8

March 9

March 10

March 11

March 12

March 13

March 14

March 15

March 16

March 17

March 18

March 19

March 20

March 21

March 22

March 23

March 24

March 25

March 26

March 27

March 28

March 29

March 30

March 31

April 1

April 2

April 3

April 4

April 5

April 6

April 7

April 8

April 9

April 10

April 11

April 12

April 13

April 14

April 15

April 16

April 17

April 18

April 19

April 20

April 21

April 22

April 23

April 24

April 25

April 26

April 27

April 28

April 29

April 30

May 1

May 2

May 3

May 4

May 5

May 6

May 7

May 8

May 9

May 10

May 11

May 12

May 13

May 14

May 15

May 16

May 17

May 18

May 19

May 20

May 21

May 22

May 23

May 24

May 25

May 26

May 27

May 28

May 29

May 30

May 31

June 1

June 2

June 3

June 4

June 5

June 6

June 7

June 8

June 9

June 10

June 11

June 12

June 13

June 14

June 15

June 16

June 17

June 18

June 19

June 20

June 21

June 22

June 23

June 24

June 25

June 26

June 27

June 28

June 29

June 30

July 1

July 2

July 3

July 4

July 5

July 6

July 7

July 8

July 9

July 10

July 11

July 12

July 13

July 14

July 15

July 16

July 17

July 18

July 19

July 20

July 21

July 22

July 23

July 24

July 25

July 26

July 27

July 28

July 29

July 30

July 31

August 1

August 2

August 3

August 4

August 5

August 6

August 7

August 8

August 9

August 10

August 11

August 12

August 13

August 14

August 15

August 16

August 17

August 18

August 19

August 20

August 21

August 22

August 23

August 24

August 25

August 26

August 27

August 28

August 29

August 30

August 31

September 1

September 2

September 3

September 4

September 5

September 6

September 7

September 8

September 9

September 10

September 11

September 12

September 13

September 14

September 15

September 16

September 17

September 18

September 19

September 20

September 21

September 22

September 23

September 24

September 25

September 26

September 27

September 28

September 29

September 30

October 1

October 2

October 3

October 4

October 5

October 6

October 7

October 8

October 9

October 10

October 11

October 12

October 13

October 14

October 15

October 16

October 17

October 18

October 19

October 20

October 21

October 22

October 23

October 24

October 25

October 26

October 27

October 28

October 29

October 30

October 31

November 1

November 2

November 3

November 4

November 5

November 6

November 7

November 8

November 9

November 10

November 11

November 12

November 13

November 14

November 15

November 16

November 17

November 18

November 19

November 20

November 21

November 22

November 23

November 24

November 25

November 26

November 27

November 28

November 29

November 30

December 1

December 2

December 3

December 4

December 5

December 6

December 7

December 8

December 9

December 10

December 11

December 12

December 13

December 14

December 15

December 16

December 17

December 18

December 19

December 20

December 21

December 22

December 23

December 24

December 25

December 26

December 27

December 28

December 29

December 30

December 31

Notes

Prayer Journal

Introduction

The prayer life of Jesus is incredibly convicting and compelling. We are told that after days of intense ministry and responsibility, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there (Matt. 14:23). If He felt the need to spend time with His Father in the evening, when He was surely exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally, then why do you and I feel that we can go without an evening prayer time?

One of the most precious memories I have from my growing-up years— and one that has indelibly impressed me for life—is that of bedtime prayers. Each evening, after my brothers and sisters and I had taken our baths and were ready for bed, we would wait in our rooms for Mother to come. Some nights we waited longer than others, some nights we waited more patiently than others, but our wait was always rewarded by a private, individual visit from our Mother. As she went from room to room, and child to child, her routine was the same. When she entered my room, she would sit on the edge of my bed for a moment, share a verse or listen to my childish concerns, then drop to her knees with me at her side. We would then pray together before I climbed into bed, and she would tuck the covers around me, turning out the light. My last waking thoughts were of her and the Lord she loved.

My husband and I also had bedtime prayers with our own three children when they were growing up, but over the years, in the busyness of life, my private prayers in the evening have become just a memory. And so my efforts on The Daily Light Journal: Evening Readings have been a personal blessing. Just as The Daily Light Journal: Morning Readings was my attempt to build consistency, concentration, and comprehension into my morning quiet times, this Journal has been the answer to my struggle with evening prayers.

As I have read the Scripture selection from the Daily Light devotional for the evening, I have pinpointed the main theme of the verses. My concentration has been sharpened by summarizing the theme in one sentence. Then, to insure that I would weave it into my life, I asked a question of myself that either has helped me focus on how the Scriptures apply to me or has helped me grasp a deeper meaning of what was said. The result is that once again, I go to bed with my last waking thoughts on the Lord, the One Whom I have come to love.

To use this Journal, I suggest that you first read the compilation of Scripture for the evening, then the summary statement at the bottom of the page. Next, read the question at the beginning of the blank lines, and then reread the Scripture verses. If the question aids your concentration and meditation on God’s Word, then journal your response. If not, ignore it and write out your own thoughts.

My heartfelt prayer is that this Journal would be used of God to draw you into an evening encounter with the Risen Lord, an encounter similar to the one the disciples experienced on the road to Emmaus: But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went in to stay with them. . . . Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him . . . . And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures (Luke 24:29, 31, 45).

May God bless you as you spend time with Him in the evening. I pray that He will grant you to see Jesus more clearly, feel Him more nearly, and love Him more dearly than ever before.

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The Daily Light Journal

Evening Readings

January 1

The Lord, He is the One who goes before you.

He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you.

If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 2 O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.

I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. 2 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

DEUT. 31:8; Exod. 33:15; Jer. 10:23; Ps. 37:23–24; Ps. 73:23–24; Rom. 8:38–39

What encouragement do you receive from these verses as you enter the uncharted territory of a New Year, a new job, a new marriage, or a new journey?

1

The safest path into the New Year is the one that bears His footprints.

January 2

Let my prayer be set before You as incense,

the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

You shall make an altar to burn incense on; and you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you. Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. Therefore [Jesus] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 2 The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.

You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Pray without ceasing.

PS. 141:2; Exod. 30:1, 6–8; Heb. 7:25; Rev. 8:4; 1 Pet. 2:5; 1 Thess. 5:17

Describe the weaknesses of your prayer life and what you can do to overcome them.

1

Prayer is a sacrifice.

January 3

What do you want Me to do for you?

He said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.

And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 2 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 2 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, . . . give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.

LUKE 18:41; Ps. 119:18; Luke 24:45; John 14:26; James 1:17; Eph. 1:17–19

Describe some of the things you can see with your spiritual eyes.

1

It is possible to have 20/20 vision, yet be blind,

just as it is possible to be blind, yet have 20/20 vision.

January 4

O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?

The sting of death is sin. 2 Now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

The time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.

1 COR. 15:55; 1 Cor. 15:56; Heb. 9:26–28; Heb. 2:14–15; 2 Tim. 4:6–8

What would you do differently if you knew that this New Year would be your last year on earth? (What goal would you change? What relationship would you mend? What money would you give? What priorities would you adjust?)

1

This life will not last forever, but your work for the Lord will.

January 5

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

keep watch over the door of my lips.

If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 2 They rebelled against His Spirit, so that he spoke rashly with his lips.

Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.

A whisperer separates the best of friends. 2 There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health. 2 The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. 2 No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 2 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

Put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds. 2 For this is the will of God, your sanctification. 2 In their mouth was found no deceit.

PS. 141:3; Ps. 130:3; Ps. 106:33; Matt. 15:11; Prov. 16:28; Prov. 12:18; Prov. 12:19; James 3:8; James 3:10; Col. 3:8–9; 1 Thess. 4:3; Rev. 14:5

From these verses, list the potential negative and positive impact of the tongue and what you will do to control yours.

1

Like a double-edged sword, the tongue builds up or tears down, beautifies or uglifies, heals or hurts. It should be unsheathed only by the Master’s hand.

January 6

The apostles gathered to Jesus

and told Him all . . . they had done.

There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. 2 The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. 2 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 2 The prayer of the upright is His delight.

MARK 6:30; Prov. 18:24; Exod. 33:11; John 15:14–15; Luke 17:10; Rom. 8:15; Phil. 4:6; Prov. 15:8

What do you learn about prayer from these verses, and how can you apply it to your own conversations with your Father?

1

Our Father loves to hear from His children.

January 7

I will not leave you nor forsake you.

Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass. 2 God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. 2 He will ever be mindful of His covenant.

Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.

The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

JOSH. 1:5; Josh. 21:45; Num. 23:19; Deut. 7:9; Ps.111:5; Isa. 49:15–16; Zeph. 3:17

What do these verses teach you about God’s personal and emotional involvement in your life?

1

As we go through life, we are encapsulated in God’s love, secured by His covenant, and guided by His Word.

January 8

They are without fault before the throne of God.

The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found; for I will pardon those whom I preserve. 2 Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

He made us accepted in the Beloved. 2 To present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.

REV. 14:5; Jer. 50:20; Mic. 7:18–19; Eph. 1:6; Col. 1:22; Jude 24–25

Fill in the blanks with the sins that come to your mind: Thank You, Father, for cleansing me from

1

As a faithful Father, God bathes each of His children.

January 9

But one thing is needed.

There are many who say, Who will show us any good? LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. 2 O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. Lord, give us this bread always. 2 Mary . . . sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 2 One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.

LUKE 10:42; Ps. 4:6–7; Ps. 42:1, 2; Ps. 63:1; John 6:35, 34; Luke 10:39; Ps. 27:4

From these verses and others in the Bible, describe how you can drink or eat of Jesus in order to satisfy the longing of your soul.

1

Jesus—His words and His very Person—is our Soul Food.

January 10

Will God indeed dwell with men on the earth?

Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 2 I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory. I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God.

You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God might dwell there.

You are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 2 Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God. 2 You also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.

2 CHRON. 6:18; Exod. 25:8; Exod. 29:43, 45; Ps. 68:18; 2 Cor. 6:16; 1 Cor. 6:19; Eph. 2:22; Ezek. 37:28

What are some practical things you can do to make God feel at home in your life?

1

God has moved into the neighborhood!

January 11

Who redeems your life from destruction.

Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is His name. 2 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 2 When He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe.

PS. 103:4; Jer. 50:34; Hos. 13:14; Heb. 2:14–15; John 3:36; Col. 3:3–4; 2 Thess. 1:10

From these verses, list at least five things from which you have been delivered, and describe what that deliverance means to you.

1

As prisoners of sin on an eternal death row,

our only hope is in Someone Who pays the penalty for us.

January 12

When shall I arise, and the night be ended?

Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning comes.

He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 2 He shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds.

I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, I am going away and coming back to you.

Let all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But let those who love Him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength. 2 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

There shall be no night there.

JOB 7:4; Isa. 21:11–12; Heb. 10:37; 2 Sam. 23:4; John 14:2–3, 27–28; Judg. 5:31; 1 Thess. 5:5; Rev. 21:25

What do you look forward to the most about our Lord’s return? Why?

1

Like the light of dawn that precedes sunrise,

the light of our hope precedes the return of our Lord.

January 13

Do not let the sun go down on your wrath.

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. LORD, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing