January 23, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest Day 12

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 12 – Friday, January 23, 2026

Read Matthew 5:13-16.

Jesus taught His disciples,

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16).

God has called us to be “the light of the world“, pointing people to the way to salvation through Jesus and exposing the depths of the evil of sin that He died to save them from.

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January 22, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest Day 11

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 11 – Thursday, January 22, 2026

Read Matthew 5:13-16.

The last two days we have considered Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

Salt is a picture of the seasoning, preserving, and purifying influence we are to have in this world as believers. Jesus then continued with another metaphor, saying,

What does light do?

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January 21, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest Day 10

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 10 – Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Read Matthew 5:13-16.

Yesterday we began to look at Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

We said that salt both enhances flavor and has a purifying effect. The value of salt lies in its effect on its surroundings. Salt makes an impact. Jesus has made us to be “the salt of the earth.” This is a fairly simple concept for us to grasp.

The second half of the verse seems a bit more obscure to us. Jesus goes on to say, “But if salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

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January 20, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest Day 9

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 9 – Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Today’s Devotional: Salt of the Earth

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His disciples,

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. ¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16).

Jesus said we are salt and light in this world. What did He mean?

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January 19, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest Day 8

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 8 – Monday, January 19, 2026

Yesterday, we looked at the Parable of the Sower (also known as the Parable of the Four Soils) in Mark 4. Jesus told about four different soils that represented four different kinds of people who hear the word of the kingdom of God, the gospel message. We saw the various responses that people may have to the word: hard hearted rejection (Mark 4:15); temporary emotional acceptance (4:16-17); worldly distraction (4:18-19); or bearing fruit (4:20).

Jesus told another short parable in Luke 13 about a fruitless fig tree. Look at it:

⁶ He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. ⁷ Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ ⁸ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ “ (Luke 13:6-9).

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January 18, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest Day 7

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 7 – Sunday, January 18, 2026

Read Mark 4:1-20

The Parable of the Sower (also known as the Parable of the Four Soils) is found in Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:2-9; and Luke 8:4-8. After presenting this parable to the multitude, Jesus interprets it for His disciples in Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20; and Luke 8:11-15.

Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Sower highlights four different responses to the gospel. The seed is “the word of the kingdom” (Matt. 13:19). The hard path represents someone who is hardened by sin. He hears but does not understand the Word and Satan plucks the message away, keeping the heart dull and preventing the Word from making an impression. The shallow, stony ground pictures a man who professes delight with the Word, however, his heart is not changed. When trouble arises, his so-called faith quickly disappears. The thorny ground depicts one who seems to receive the Word, but whose heart is full of the desire for riches, pleasures, and lusts. The things of this world take his time and attention away from the Word, and choke out the life he might have had. The good ground portrays the one who hears, understands, and receives the Word, and then allows the Word to accomplish its result in his life. The man represented by the “good ground” is the only one of the four who is truly saved, because salvation’s proof is fruit (Matthew 3:7-8; 7:15-20).[1]

Here’s the connection to our sowing the seed of the gospel: We don’t know what type of soil a person has in their heart.

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January 18, 2026

Jesus Betrayed and Arrested – Matthew 26:47-56

Jesus Betrayed and Arrested

Matthew 26:47-56

The scene of today’s passage in Matthew 26 is the garden of Gethsemane. It is Thursday night. Earlier that evening, Jesus had celebrated a final Passover with His disciples, during which He predicted His betrayal by one of them and instituted the Lord’s Supper. On the way to the garden, Jesus told them that they would stumble that night because of Him and Peter would deny Him three times. Bringing them with Him to Gethsemane, He agonized in prayer alone with the Father. Three times, Jesus returned to find His disciples asleep. Finally, waking them up, He said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand” (Matthew 26:45-46).

The time had come, and Jesus courageously faced the events that would lead directly to His death on the cross for our sins. In this scene where Jesus is betrayed by Judas, arrested by the authorities, and deserted by His disciples, we see the remarkable restrained power of Jesus. Nothing that happened that night was beyond the Lord’s control, and yet He willingly surrendered Himself to His betrayer and the mob that came with him. Rather than fleeing, fighting, or calling angels to His rescue, Jesus permitted Himself to be arrested and ultimately to be crucified. As the king who possessed all authority, He willing became our sacrifice.

Matthew indicates a reason behind this by repeating the expression we have heard so often before in the Gospel of Matthew that the word written by the prophets in the scriptures must be fulfilled (Matt. 1:22; 2:15, 23; 5:17; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4, 16, 42). What we see in our passage today is that Jesus willingly surrendered to be our sacrifice as One who was under the authority of the word of God written in the scriptures. It was because every word of Scripture concerning Him must be fulfilled (Matthew 26:54, 56; Mark 14:49; Luke 24:44).

We see His willing sacrifice in fulfillment of scripture first when …

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January 17, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest Day 6

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 6 – Saturday, January 17, 2026

Welcome to day 6 of our 30 days of concentrated prayer for a harvest of souls for Christ. Have you memorized our theme verse? “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2).

Over the last couple of days, we have been looking at the parable of the growing seed, from Mark 4:26-29:

²⁶ And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, ²⁷ and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. ²⁸ For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. ²⁹ But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

We saw the necessity of sowing the seed of the word of God and the unique power of the message of the gospel to give life. (See Days 4 & 5).

Today’s Devotional: The Ultimate Purpose of God’s Word

After the man scatters the seed (26), the seed sprouts and grows (27), it ripens (28), and finally it brings forth a harvest (29). The ultimate purpose for sowing the seed is the harvest.

Since the seed represents the word of God (Mark 4:14), it pictures the sowing of the gospel message. The seed of God’s word is hidden in human hearts where God is able to cause it to spring to life. We wait patiently (and prayerfully) in this age of grace.

As the plant in the parable grows, it goes through observable stages

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January 16, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest – Day 5

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 5 – Friday, January 16, 2026

This is day 5 of our 30 days of concentrated prayer for a harvest of souls for Christ. Our theme verse is Luke 10:2, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2).

On days 1-3, we saw that we must pray because there are multitudes of lost people (9:35), because their spiritual need is so great (9:36), and because the laborers are few (9:37). Yesterday, we began to look a parable about the harvest, the growing seed, from Mark 4:26-29:

We saw that to have a harvest, we begin by scattering the seed of the word of God, the message of the gospel.

Today’s Devotional: The Unique Power of God’s Word

After the man scatters the seed, what happens?

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January 15, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest – Day 4

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 4 – Thursday, January 15, 2026

This is day 4 of our 30 days of concentrated prayer for a harvest of souls for Christ. Our theme verse is Luke 10:2, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2).

On day 1, we looked at Jesus’ ministry to the lost in Matthew 9:35. Day 2, we saw Jesus’ compassion for the lost in Matthew 9:36. Day 3, we examined Jesus’ call to prayer for the lost. (Click to see Day 1, Day 2, Day 3). We saw that we must pray because there are multitudes of lost people (9:35), because their spiritual need is so great (9:36), and because the laborers are few (9:37).

For the next few days, we will consider a parable about the harvest, the growing seed, from Mark 4:26-29:

Today’s Devotional: Scattering Seed for the Harvest

This parable is a simple story that emphasizes the mysterious growth of the seed, producing a harvest. As with the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20), where Jesus clarifies, “The sower sows the word” (4:14), the seed is a picture of the word of God, the message of the gospel, the good news of the Kingdom of God (4:26).

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30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 12 – Friday, January 23, 2026

Read Matthew 5:13-16.

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 11 – Thursday, January 22, 2026

Read Matthew 5:13-16.

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 10 – Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Read Matthew 5:13-16.

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 9 – Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Today’s Devotional: Salt of the Earth

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 8 – Monday, January 19, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 7 – Sunday, January 18, 2026

Read Mark 4:1-20

Jesus Betrayed and Arrested

Matthew 26:47-56

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 6 – Saturday, January 17, 2026

Today’s Devotional: The Ultimate Purpose of God’s Word

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 5 – Friday, January 16, 2026

Today’s Devotional: The Unique Power of God’s Word

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 4 – Thursday, January 15, 2026

Today’s Devotional: Scattering Seed for the Harvest

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