40 Days of Prayer 2026! Day 14
Welcome to day 14 of our 40 day challenge! Today, we are in Luke 16.
(You can catch up on our Intro, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13 if you missed them)
Luke 16:19-31
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Jack has an incredible teaching on this parable, for a more in depth look.
The thing that stands out to me today in this passage is the contrast of living in the kingdom of the world versus the Kingdom of God.
The world tries to convince us that it’s a zero sum game where resources are finite, and others must lose for us to gain, and you must hoard in order to win or even have stability. This creates selfish, unsatisfied people who will never have enough, no matter how much they have.
God’s Kingdom is one of abundance. It’s not zero sum, it’s pressed down shaken together, pouring over onto our laps. There’s enough for everyone all of the time, and the reason we have more than we need is to supply the needs of others. And then as we do, more is poured out upon us, and the blessings we pass on bring so much joy and fulfillment. Over and over.
There is a constant pull for our awareness of whether we’ll walk in the world or in the Kingdom. Because the world is not reality at all, to those who follow Christ, the Kingdom is reality, and the world is the illusion.
This is why Jesus told us how hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom. Because it’s not wealth itself, but which kingdom we’re in. It’s where our heart is regarding these resources, and regarding others. If you think you’re winning the game of wealth of the world, it’ll be harder to see the path to the Kingdom.
When we walk in the world, we automatically depend on riches, and the more we have, the more we want and the more we become separated from the needs of others. Look at the richest men today. They could do immediate, endless good without changing one thing about their standard of living. But most don’t, because in the world, you can never have enough. The more you have, the more you want. And so it’s usually all of us regular people that do the main work of giving Kingdom resources, because we don’t rely on our own, we have access to the endless abundance of the Kingdom of God.
We get to choose each moment which Kingdom we’re walking in. We can be in the world where in order to have, others must go without, and where we trust in what we can amass. Or we can walk in the Kingdom of God, where we let the Lord provide all our needs and more to share, over and over. Sometimes we’ll be the ones giving. And sometimes we’ll be the ones receiving. With the measure we use to others, the Lord will use to measure back to us. Once we walk this narrow road, we never want to leave it.
We can have very little and still trust in it and prioritize it over others. What and who comes first? What do we depend on? Do we trust in what we earn and can amass? Or do we set our hearts on the Lord and serve Him by serving others?
May we learn more and more to walk in the joy, peace, and abundance of God’s Kingdom. ♥
Options for further journaling or discussion throughout the challenge:
- Choose a part of the passage to write out by hand. Writing by hand helps us slow down and focus on what the Lord might highlight for us in the passage. Our brains can focus and remember better by writing than just reading alone.
- Journal about what the passage brings to mind. Does the passage tell us anything about God? Does it tell us anything about our response to Him?
- Does your heart respond in gratitude to any part of the passage? Write or pray your gratitude to the Lord.
We’ll see you tomorrow for Day 15, and Matthew 21