• 8/28 – 2 Maccabees 15 – What can the reading of 1-2 Maccabees add to my understanding of the New Testament, and vice versa? Prayer starter: Lord, we pray to you for the gift of peace in the world and for reconciliation among nations for you are the one and only Lord.
• 8/29 – Amos 1,2 – From which sources, if any, am I Willing to take criticism? Prayer starter: All-seeing Lord, you know when we depart from the way of truth and life. Send us guides to correct us, and help us to stay and hear them out.
• 8/30 – Amos 3-6 – Do I assist those in need, disparage them, or neglect them altogether? Prayer starter: Lord, we know you hear the cry of the poor. Soften our hearts and open our hands so that we might be generous and responsive to those in need.
• 8/31 – Amos 7-9 – When have I been hopeless, only to discover new reasons to hope? Prayer starter: Gracious God, the history of the world is full of visions of destruction and despair. You alone, Lord of Life, are the reason for our hope.
• 9/1 – Hosea 1-3 – Have you ever found a message from God hidden in your life circumstances? Prayer starter: Loving God, it is sometimes hard for us to think of you in the intimate terms that Scripture uses. Help us to believe in your nearness, as one heartbeat to the next.
• 9/2 – Hosea 4-9 – When have I ignored advice or criticism only to face the consequences? Prayer starter: Lord, you know that the sin of pride is at the root of our insistence that our way is the best way. Give us the humility to listen to those who disagree with us.
• 9/3 – Hosea 10-14 – When have I chosen bondage rather than the freedom God offers me? Prayer starter: You rescue us, Lord, from the consequences of sin and death. Still we need your help in every hour to keep from sliding back into death-dealing choices.